FMA Seminar with Guro Donal

Zanshin Karate-do Kinnegad hosted the first of our Summer Seminars this year with a lively and action-packed two and a half hours of Filipino Martial Arts taught by Guro Donal Connaughton. The seminar was well attended, with members from Zanshin Kinnegad and Portarlington, Midlands FMA Club, Edenderry Shotokan Academy and Mullingar Kyokushinkai Club present. Guro Donal led off with a series of techniques from Saykan, the mano-mano (empty hand) art of Grand Master Llanera. We particularly enjoyed the trapping and locking drills, which translate easily to our own Karate. We then moved on to weaponry, where Guro Donal showed the many applications of the dulo (two-point palm stick) amd llave (three-point palm stick) to devastating effect. We then moved on to baston (standard Eskrima stick) drills, comprising some counter-striking, disarming and locking techniques. After warning all present of the dangers of knife attacks, Guro Donal then demonstrated a knife disarm, stating that it would take years of training to achieve proficiency in this most dangerous of techniques. Guro Donal finished with a technically polished display of Abre Le Fuerte, a double blade form devised by Grand Master Llanera. We all had a great time. Thanks to Guro Donal for once again demonstrating his excellent teaching skills, and to our visitors, especially Sensei Gerry from Edenderry Shotokan Academy and Sensei Ken, Sempai Alan and Sempai Ciarán from Mullingar Kyokushinkai Club. Thanks as always to our own students, Ollie and Peter and to Adrian, Cormac and Feilim from Midlands FMA club. Regular training for juniors and seniors resumes next Monday, 11th June at the usual time.