Discover wado's deepest secrets with sakagami & aJ sensei

Simply enjoy the knowledge and skill of Sakagami sensei, one of the last remaining Japanse instructors that received personal instruction from Ohtsuka sensei.

FREE DOWNLOAD:  "Last of the Titans" — Sakagami's journey from Japan to the UK

• Student of Suzuki & Ohtsuka sensei
• Founder of Aiwakai (WAKF)
• 1st Kyu Examinar for JKF-Wadokai
• 1st Kyu Instructor for JKF-Wadokai
• Technical Advisor for FEW Federation European Wadokai

OK. Enough of the official stuff.

Check this picture

Nothing special, it's always like that. Pose: Click. Done.

Now this one

Just in case: this is NOT a pose.

AJ had the honor to PRACTISE WITH Sakagami sensei. Like a student, he "lined up" at Yokoyama Kancho seminar. 

Crazy right?

Unique. That's for sure.

But more importantly: it says something about him. Who he is and how he teaches.

Sakagami creates a relaxed atmosphere. Not only through the way he explains, but also how he interact with students. You can expect Sakagami to ask you questions and keep on your toes to enthusiastically find the right answer... or at least think about the what, why and how.

And it's the other way around as well.

He welcomes questions, which makes you feel right at home — even if you join us for the first time.

Sakagami is not rigid in his thinking like: 

"I learned it like this in the 70's, so I'll stick to that way" Or... "My instructor said so, and I'm not gonna change it"

That's the opposite of Sakagami sensei's eager-to-learn attitude. He's always analysing, testing. Looking for better ways. 

One way of testing is his famous: which-one-you-think method.

Sakagami shows you 2 versions and let you pick the better one. Naturally, he explains the reason behind the better way as well. This one for example, about Kihon Kumite 2.

Should you twist this, or that way?

The Bo training picture is taken during one of Yokoyama Kancho's seminars, where Sakagami Sensei was listening to the instruction. Carefully.

He even ASKED QUESTIONS to find out whether he understood correctly. And how to better his performance...

That's why it's one of AJ's favorite pictures: it shows you who Sakagami Sensei is.

After Ishikawa passed away in august 2008, AJ continued his journey with Sakagami. Now, years of dedicated training, study and research later, AJ has the honor of teaching along side Sakagami sensei. 

So without further ado...

AJ is well known for his "brutally clear explanations" and "putting hard concepts in simple words". His fundamental understanding of principles and biomechanics lead to out-of-the-box applications — stuff you never thought about.

• Student of Ishikawa, Sakagami & Yokoyama sensei
• Founder of The Digi Dojo
• Chief Instructor Wadokai Holland
• Chief Instructor Kenshinkai Kobudo Europe
• General Secretary FEW Federation European Wadokai

AJ is dedicated to Martial Arts since 1996. He studied tirelessly under and taught alongside Ishikawa, Nukina, Sakagami, May and Yokoyama sensei — among the best in Wadokai Karate and Okinawan Kobudo. 

Thanks to them, he published several books such as Wado No Michi, Kata Applications & Analysis and The Wadokai Special.

AJ also scripted, directed and shot THOUSANDS of videos.

Projects like these allowed AJ to work closely together with top instructors that taught him a lot along the way.

Thanks to The Digi Dojo, his position as General Secretary of FEW and Chief Instructor for Wadokai Holland and Kenshinkai Kobudo Europe, he's in the unique position to share this knowlegde with you directly. 

AJ guides senior instructors throughout Europe in person through Seminars, Private training, Whatsapp Coaching, Private Zoom Classes and Live Online Masterclasses.

Using effective keypoint-based explanations and tailored training methods, his students manage to get to the next level and improve techniques they had been working on for decades.

In his spare time, he's a school teacher. His teaching skills combined with his character seeking continuous improvement and the need for understanding deeply, make his teaching invaluable.

Join Sakagami's wisdom and AJ's drive and you'll know why their combined skillset makes their seminar absolutely awesome.

That's right: No zombie karate at our seminar.

Don't get me wrong, it's important to do mindless drone type training with full speed and power — you have to do the repetitions.

But.

This is a seminar: You want to walk away with new insights. Empowered to practise effectively after the seminar.

That's why at Wado Masters you NEVER do a technique without highlighting a specific thing:

Keep your elbow in.

Pull your shoulder back.

Open your back leg sharply.

That way, your brain goes from foggy to focussed with key points that directly affect your techniques. You confidently tinker away when you're back in the Dojo  

And by the way... It's not said we necessarily stick to official basics only:

You'll enjoy a combo of formal techniques and specialised methods that become your new favorite Karate shortcut (works if you're a kyu-grader, not super-talented, or lack time too).

Thanks to the key points that emerge from fundamentals: Kihon, Kata and Kumite are connected. You discover 1 thing that you can apply to everything. 

Not isolated to Gyakuzuki. Not limited to just learning "number 4".

Say we're focussing on the shoulder. During Gyakuzuki, we emphasise how to use it effectively.

You discover key points that zoom in on shoulderblade skills. On top: you get tailored methods that allow you to hardwire correct technique faster than you can say Hajime.

Sure...

You can figure stuff out by yourself.
You can go on Youtube and copy-paste what you see...

...or learn it directly from instructors with clear lineages to the founders:

Ohtsuka/ Suzuki  >> Sakagami
Ohtsuka >> Sakagami/Ishikawa >> AJ

In other words:

Enjoy Wado Masters and shortcut your learning curve: You get knowledge and skills that take ages to find out by yourself.

After the seminar, you'll know how to apply fundamentals and principles to all movement  

What basics we'll cover? That depends on who attend the seminar. What's for sure is that you get to study Rohai and Bassai.

You'll love Rohai after joining Wado Masters #23. How we know? Well...

We asked AJ what makes studying Rohai at Wado Masters different from other seminars. Here's what he said:

"In Wado, Kata doesn't have the same function as it does in most other styles. Although the term may be used to describe application, officially Wado Kata doesn't have Bunkai. 

For us,  there's one thing that matters most. One.

TANREN: To forge.

Now look at Rohai. The arm and leg movement and the stances are pretty much covered inside other Kata like Pinan Nidan, Shodan and Naihanchi.

You don't benefit from this Kata as a form much...

The magic happens when you realise how Rohai's movement creates opportunity to develop a certain skillset.

You need to have secrets revealed right in front of your eyes, so you can see how to practise elements like compression, expansion, internal muscle loading and more high level stuff.

It may seem out of reach, but it's not. We know this starts with shoulderblade control and how to emphasise that through tailored methods and rhythm training. 

That's why Rohai is an excellent Kata, especially for shoulder blade movement.

The techniques from Rohai make life so much easier — like bowling with a ramp and bumpers: with the right instruction, you can't go wrong.

By the way — Naihanchi is typical Tanren Gata, but when it comes to shoulder blade focus and development...

Rohai wins. Hands down  

But that's not the only thing. 

What would it mean if you know how to use Rohai to develop your shoulder blade skill...

...plus discover how to apply that same skill to other movement?

Rohai...

...is connected to your punches

...is connected to your 'blocks'

...to your movement

To everything.

And because you'll discover the fundamentals, it doesn't matter if you're in Wadoryu, Wadokai, WIKF... or even in Wado for that matter.

Used well, Rohai's shoulderblade skill can affect your Karate tremendously. 

This goes for Bassai too... but what that's all about, you'll see at Wado Masters

We always look at HOW to use your body. If you timing is OK. You learn how and why, so that you can improve your Karate without having to worry that we may do things differently than you're used to.

You're in the game for decades. We understand that. We respect that. How?

Watch how Sakagami Sensei attacks the ribs with Nakadaka Ipponken. Imagine you're used to attacking the armpit, then the LEAST important we tell you is that you're supposed to attack the ribs... 

We look how your stance contributes to your power output.

We look at the height of your arm, and if it matches your stance.

How your movement is harmonised.

You enter realms that unlock skill levels you've dreamed about ever since you started your journey.

Instead of learning form and superficial stuff that make you confused (and frankly keeps you going in circles for years)... 

...you discover fundamentals & principles you can apply to any movement — skyrocketing your skills  

Having a hard time to believe it?