Sudbury Ryusyokai - Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate

Thanks PG Craig Masion and the Sudbury School of Martial Arts for the invitation to your yearly sake ceremony this past Saturday with a 4 hour open mat exchange. 👏🙏🙇‍♂️

Happy holidays everyone 🍻🙇‍♂️

Hats off to Ron and Julie for running great kids program! 🙇‍♂️👏👍

Sen 先
The Principle of Initiative

Steve Lowe sesnei of Koyru Kyudokan dojo
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Go no Sen is commonly understood as the initiative taken after the opponent attacks. In modern sporting practice this is often reduced to a simple counterstrike, yet within martial traditions it represents a profound study of composure. In true combat where no one intervenes and where a single mistake may decide your fate, Go no Sen demands a mind that does not waver. The practitioner is forced to allow the opponent’s commitment to reveal its full intent. Many kata structures show the body yielding only enough to escape the decisive line before returning with the precision of a blade drawn at the final necessary moment.

Go no Sen is not waiting. It is reading. Classical method trains the practitioner to perceive the contraction of the adversary’s centre, the slight shift of pressure in the foot and the intake of breath that precedes violence. Only when the opponent’s will pushes forward without reservation does the counterstrike manifest. This training sharpens perception and resolve. In combat it becomes a decisive return that steals posture, balance and breath before recovery is possible, allowing the practitioner to press into the weakness created.

Sen no Sen
To take the initiative at the moment of intent

Sen no Sen is the initiative that meets the opponent’s attack at the instant it emerges. Where Go no Sen reacts to commitment already made, Sen no Sen anticipates commitment as it forms. True anticipation does not involve guessing. It arises from absorbing the total rhythm of the opponent through correct posture, controlled breathing and unwavering zanshin. At this level timing intertwines with spirit. You sense not only the shape of the imminent attack but also the concealed intention that drives it.

In sport one may intercept a technique for the sake of scoring. In actual conflict such indulgence does not exist. Sen no Sen becomes the clash of wills that occurs on the very beat an attack is born. The movement is small, rooted and uncompromising. The body connects with the incoming force at the moment of emergence and breaks its structure. This is why Sen no Sen is held in such regard within older teachings. It consumes the opponent’s momentum and returns force in the same instant, interrupting his ability to complete the technique.

Sen Sen no Sen
To preemptively take the initiative

Sen Sen no Sen is the earliest and most demanding form of initiative. It is acting before the opponent’s attack takes shape. This is not recklessness. It is the culmination of all prior understanding. To move before the adversary requires perception deep enough to feel intention forming within him rather than waiting for its outward expression.

To apply this level of initiative fully, a practitioner must study both the physiology and psychology of pre violence cues. Small shifts in focus, subtle muscular tension and micro expressions expose intention before movement occurs. Responding to these cues allows the practitioner to seize control of the rhythm and impose his will upon the adversary. In real combat where hesitation invites disaster, Sen Sen no Sen determines survival. It forces the opponent into reaction and strips him of the ability to execute his plan.

Relation to actual combat

In true confrontation the three forms of initiative cannot be separated from the reality for which karate was created. Sporting exchanges rely on agreed distance, mutual consent and restricted methods. Genuine conflict offers none of this. It is unpredictable. There is no fixed pattern and no safe margin for retreat. Timing becomes the foundation upon which all other skills depend.

Sen represents the very essence of koryu martial teachings, which is to crush any potential violent altercation before it becomes a fight.

Go no Sen teaches calm recourse under threat. Sen no Sen teaches unity of body and mind at the instant of collision. Sen Sen no Sen teaches the ability to dominate the moment before the storm rises. Together they form a progression that unites the outward techniques of kata with the internal understanding required for survival.

martial tradition does not judge victory by points or display. It measures the ability to end confrontation swiftly and decisively while standing in disciplined spirit. The three forms of initiative are more than strategic tools. They are mirrors that reveal the depth of one’s training. Seen through the lens of real combat they expose the heart of one’s jissen. Timing is not merely speed. It is the expression of character, perception and spirit compressed into a single decisive instant where one lives or dies according to the clarity

Had the privilege of attending a Kenshikai seminar by Luis Morales Sensei in Owen Sound hosted by Michael Den Tandt and his group. For me it was an honour of sharing in the memory of our mutual friend Peter St’Onge that really hits home and my way of paying my respects to his sensei and friends alike. Domo arigato 🙇‍♂️🙏

Wise words! 🙇‍♂️

🥋💪💯

For those interested

「空手の日記念演武祭」オンライン配信実施のお知らせ
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配信日：2025年10月26日（日）
開始時間：15時（日本時間） Zoom入室は13時より可能
視聴可能数：先着100アカウント
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視聴方法など詳細は、下記公式サイトをご確認ください。
https://karate-event.jp/zoom-livestream/
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Notice: Online Streaming of the “Karate Day Memorial Demonstration Festival”
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Streaming Date:** Sunday, October 26, 2025
Start Time:** 3:00 PM (Japan Standard Time)
Zoom access available from 1:00 PM
Viewer Capacity:** Limited to the first 100 accounts
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For details on how to watch and other information, please visit the official website below:
https://karate-event.jp/en/zoom-livestream/

Congratulations to Ron and Julie Gilbeau on their sucessuful opening of Foo Dogs self defence systems training location. Great registration turnout. I look forward to running the karate sessions of your program. 🙇‍♂️