Date: August 9-11
Place: Hard, Switzerland
Organizer: WKO Switzerland Branch Chief Luigi Polimeno
« Tomodachi » means friendship and this is exactly what over 140 participants from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Demark, Germany, and Switzerland celebrated on August 9-11. The Lake of Constance and the camp site in Hard offered the perfect facilities for out and indoor training. Before the camp officially started, those who had arrived one day earlier took the opportunity to climb the nearby mountain. At 1,092m they were rewarded with a splendid view over the lake and the Alps.
During several training sessions, participants could choose their focus on either fighting techniques, pads training or kata. Several instructors are still active competitors in kumite as well as kata and therefore could share their experience straight from the tatami. Agility and strength training sessions were also offered to make sure everybody could take home inputs for future training.
Tomodachi Camp started small in 2001. Since then the spirit of friendship has “infected” many to the point where this year 31 dojos from several Kyokushin Karate organisations were united.
Instructors: Shihan Koen Spitaels (BE), Sensei Luigi Polimeno (CH), Sensei Sacha Décosterd (CH), Sensei An Polimeno-Driesens (CH), Sensei Julia Ziemska (CH), Sensei Michiel Vleminckx (BE), Sensei Norbert Linder (AT), Senpai Memo Eryilmaz (DE), Senpai Isabel Büchler (CH)
