Bukido Kai: Mid Year Bushido
The mid year Bushido grading is a black belt grading were prospective black belts are tested in the three elements of Bukido Kai, Mind, Body and Spirit. The mid year Bushido is usually held over a weekend in June, with training sessions on the preceding Thursday night then continuing all day Saturday and Sunday.
Prior to 2002, Bushido was held over a long weekend with training commencing on Friday night and concluding on Monday.
Whilst the mid year Bushido is not run at the same level of intensity as Bushido CRT it is still not for the faint hearted. The mid year Bushido is designed to test those who train with Bukido Kai and is often used by potential Bushido CRT participants as a training run and to test their fitness for the Bushido CRT camp.
A typical timetable for a mid year Bushido grading is:
Thursday:
Training 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
Saturday: Training 6am to 6pm.
Sunday: Training 6am to 4pm.
Bushido is not only a grading but also a test of fitness, character and
determination This page contains a description of a typical mid year Bushido grading and photographs of Bushido gradings. A Bushido grading has been run each
year since 1996.
As you read this page you may wonder WHY would anyone want to put themselves through this?
For each person the answer will be different but on the whole it is the challenge. Most people in their daily lives do not face a challenge that will test them to the limit physically, mentally and emotionally, Bushido will do this. At the completion of a Bushido all those who attend are stronger in many ways and have an enormous sense of achievement.
Bushido "The Way of the Warrior"
Day 1: Thursday
After bowing in at 6.30pm, all participants spent a short time meditating to settle the nerves and clear the mind for what was ahead.
After a warm up and stretch participants commence a level 1 (50% of maximum output) circuit training for around 15 minutes then level 2 (85% of maximum output) circuit training for an hour. Circuit training was followed by an hour of rigorous and relentless Drills testing, from the basic white belt Drill (1st elbow Drill) to the brown belt Drill (Chuuten Waza).
After Drill, 45 minutes of level 3 (100% of maximum output) circuit training is followed a warm down and stretch.
(Above Renshi Raymond Howell performing kicking form)
Day 2: Saturday
Day 2 commences at 6am with meditation followed by warm ups and stretch and 30 minutes of level 1 circuit training and then moving into high gear with an hour of level 3 circuit (100%, full on maximum output) training
(Above: Circuit training. circa 1998)
After a short break it is time for 2 hours of H.P.T: (Hard Physical Training), which includes running, sprints, hill running, bag work and brick work.
(Above: Training on the hill at the river and working as a team.)
(Above: Hill and track running on what turned out to be a hot Sydney spring day 1999.)
The morning session is completed with 30 minutes of technique testing. All Bushido participants were expected to show good form in all their punching, blocking and kicking technique regardless of how hot and tired they are.
The afternoon session gets underway after a well deserved hour off for lunch with self defence practice followed by a hour were the seniors assist the junior grade with drill practice.
4pm, the commencement of the continuous work.
Continuous self defence consists of the participants working in groups of three. One student defends whist the other two continually attack with random techniques. Each set consists of a rotation among the three students of five minutes defending then ten minutes attacking. Participants each compete three fifteen minute sets.
During the continuous self defence participants are judged on their defence, (evasion, blocking and counter attacking) and on their attacks, (technique, speed, power, target selection and control).
Continuous self defence, (which is also a grade requirement on normal Kyu gradings) is done to ensure that the defender does not have time to think about what they are doing, they have to react immediately and on instinct when attackers come with random attacks, from any direction continually for five minutes. Attackers do not have to wait for the previous attacker to finish, they can grab, punch, kick, tackle or do any conceivable attack.
Continuous self defence is followed by continuous bag work. Once again in groups of three, this time using hand held strike shields. One student attacks the shields with any technique of their own choosing, full on, full power, full speed for five minutes. The other two members of the group hold the bag and move at random. A set consists of five minutes attacking and ten minutes holding the shield (just as hard as attacking). Each participant completes three fifteen minute sets.
During the continuous bag work, (see below) participants are judged on their technique, (speed, power, targeting and control), their fitness and their will to continue and never give up.
Day two finishes with a cool down, stretch and meditation session. By the end of day 2, Bushido is surely tested the body.
Day 3: Sunday
Day three commences at 5am at venues such as the picturesque such as Elizabeth lookout in the Blue Mountains, were after a warm up and light stretch the Bushido participants spent 30 minutes standing in a deep straddle stance. This activity is designed to test the mind (will power) and spirit of the students.
Pain usually sets in at around the five minute mark followed by muscular shaking, cramps and the inevitable doubt, can I last for 30 minutes? Despite pain, cramping and shaking, NO Bushido participant has ever given up or failed this test.
Although day three is a day to test the mind and the thinking processes, after a break for breakfast, the Bushido participants find themselves enduring another 90 minutes of H.P.T, involving, running, hill running, brick work and culminating with 500 push ups, 500 abdominal crunches and 500 tricep dips.
After a short break participants spend some time learning and practicing new drills and practicing kicking technique.
Just before lunch each of the students completes an endurance test of 30 minutes of full punching into a bag. In 30 minutes of full powered punching, on average each participant strikes the bag around 4500 times. More than a physical test, this is a test of the mind and the never say die spirit.
(Below HPT, hill sprints and abdominal crunches)
After HPT is on with more self defence practice.
After lunch, next up is the Tameshiwari (test breaking) where black belt candidates break either wood or roof tiles.
Above Sensei Geoff Wilson, Nidan, Roundhouse kick.
Above Renshi Raymond Howell descending elbow strike, Sempai Mark Greene palm heel strike.
Above: Renshi Mark Wilkinson, Shodan, reverse elbow strike.
The breaking is followed by sparring.
After all sparring is completed and the participants have had some time to recover and get themselves back together the presentation of well earned grades is held, the Bushido is then finished with some 'words of wisdom' from the founder and then a bow out.
It is not unusual for Bushido participants to spend the rest of Sunday evening relaxing with a cold drink and the re-telling and often enlarging of 'war stories' from the past three days.
Above: participants of Bushido 2008
(Photos of Bushido participants 1996 to 2007, can be found in the Photos
from the past section).
The above description was a typical standard Bushido gradings. For information about Bushido CRT click here