Back Issues

Editorial.

Cyril Cummins 5th Dan JKA/KUGB. Interview By John Cheetham.

The Shotokan 'Hip-Action' By John Cheetham.

Letters to the Editor.

Video Review: Kenneth Funakoshi - Ten Tape Shotokan Series.

Shotokan: Art and Effect. By Steve Hyland.

The Karate Business. By John Cheetham.

Shotokan 'The Sardinian Way'. By A.G. Sanna.

Asano Sensei 'Harlow Course'. Report By Debbie Page.

Sensei Balwant Sahans 5th Dan. Interview By John Cheetham.

Instructors Profile - Ahmed Omer 4th Dan JKA.

Space does not allow me to publish twenty odd pages of competitions and results etc. and I honestly feel that this specialised magazine for Shotokan practitioners does not really warrant that material. The monthly mags supply ample coverage from the competition arena, so, I'll stick with interviews, stories, technical articles etc. and I think very importantly Shotokan training courses because they are educational. You can find out what was taught by the various instructors, giving you ideas for training and teaching or whatever. You can't learn anything from comp-reports apart from, who-won-what, and what they scored with, etc. I can see that the monthly publications really need to do it though, so if that's what you are after, get down to W.H.Smiths there are about ten different Martial Arts mags on the market now. I always go and read them all, never buy one, then borrow one off the boys from the club, terrible isn't it! No, I always get 'Traditional Karate' and 'Fighting Arts Magazine'.

I thought it was great to see some of the J.K.A. Sensei's and S.K.I Sensei's teaching together on Sensei Asano's course covered in this issue. That's how it should be, no silly association politics as we sometimes get in Britain. The Japanese Senseis don't seem bothered about all that. Sensei Kato of Kodokai was teaching in Kuwait recently with Sensei Yahara of the J.K.A. I know they are all either J.K.A. or ex J.K.A. but then again in this country most people are either ex K.U.G.B. or ex S.K.I. so it shouldn't make any difference, we should all be training and teaching together regardless of which organisation we belong to. My magazine will remain totally 'Non-political', no special sections for any associations, this magazine is for ALL Shotokan people and I know S.K.M. readers like it that way. In fact, it's great to see that at various courses throughout the country there are people and instructors from many different Shotokan groups both training and teaching together and this can only be good for the future of Shotokan.

I hope you all enjoy this issue as much as I enjoyed putting it together. The best compliment I get are those short letters which say, "John, this is the only magazine which I read FROM COVER TO COVER." I love that, and it's been said by some of the most senior Shotokan people.

Good training Editor.