Date: June 18–21, 2026
Place: Kristiansand, Norway
Organizer: Norway Branch (Lauvåsen Kyokushin Karate, Branch Chief Ole Thomassen Grejs)
The camp brought together karateka from Norway and abroad for four days of intensive instruction, technical development, and international exchange.
Lauvåsen Kyokushin Karate hosted this year’s Norwegian Shinkyokushinkai Summer Camp. Although it is one of the newer clubs in the Norwegian organization, the club handled every aspect of the camp in a highly capable and professional manner.
The summer camp maintained a strong and stable level of participation, with 110 athletes attending this year. It was especially encouraging to see more young people taking part. Athletes from Poland also joined the camp, with the Tomasz Basiak Branch represented by both adult and junior participants. This year’s leading international instructors came from Sweden and Japan.
Sweden continues to play an important role in helping Norway develop in the right direction. This year, Shihan Camilla Bolin further raised the level of the camp through her exceptional instruction. Her lessons were clear, thoughtful, and immediately useful for the participants’ development. Nothing in her teaching was accidental: throughout the sessions, practitioners received clear explanations of why techniques are performed in a particular way. Fundamental techniques were taught with great precision and corrected whenever necessary.
Shihan Tadashi Ishihara visited Norway for the first time, although there had already been contact between him and Norwegian athletes who had trained under his guidance at his dojo in Japan. Ishihara has a unique understanding of how the body works and how this understanding can be applied in karate. He also has the knowledge and ability to convey these principles effectively to those he instructs. The improvement could be clearly seen throughout the exercises, as students gradually began to understand and apply his methods.
Ishihara is well known for his kumite skills and outstanding achievements. Throughout the camp, participants experienced the high quality of his karate and his extensive knowledge of all aspects of the art. He communicated his teaching clearly, and Norway also benefited from the support of Sensei Marleen Gregusson, who speaks Japanese and served as his interpreter.
Aurelia Bolin, daughter of Camilla Bolin and the 2025 U-21 European Champion, also attended the camp. She contributed by leading one of the training sessions, where participants gained insight into the physical aspects of training as well as practical tools for developing as fighters. Exercises that challenge athletes to work on areas they may not enjoy help them become more complete fighters. Sparring with specific assigned tasks is an essential skill for every fighter to master.
The importance of international instructors cannot be underestimated. Contact with the international karate community is essential, especially continued contact with Japan, the birthplace of karate.
Photos: G. Scerri and Piotr Sztencel
SC-1: From left: Camilla Bolin, Marleen Gregusson, Ole T. Grejs, G. Scerri, Aurelia Bolin, and Tadashi Ishihara
SC-2 Bolin Shihan
SC-3 Training outside
SC-4: Ishihara Shihan with young karateka
SC-5 Bolin Shihan with group
SC-6 Marleen Gregusson – Ishihara Shihan
SC-7: Piotr Sztencel, Poland, and Bolin Shihan
SC-8 Ishihara Shihan
SC-9 Outside training