2024 USA-IFK Kyokushin Summer Camp with Shihan's Janine and Chris Davies a Success

Osu! The 2024 USA-IFK Kyokushin Summer Camp was held July 17–21 in upstate New York and featured world-class instruction from guest instructors Shihan Janine Davies (6th Dan) and Shihan Chris Davies (5th Dan). Hosted by USA-IFK President Shihan Mike Monaco (8th Dan), this immersive Kyokushin karate camp brought together over 80 students from across the United States for a week of intense kata and knockdown training in both indoor and outdoor settings.

The 80-plus students who attended were treated to intense training in kata, with sessions also devoted to knockdown fighting by two of the top competitors to ever come out of the UK. As many know, Shihan Janine has won multiple kata championships, competing at the national level and in Europe, and was a finalist in the 1st World Kata Championships.

The camp opened on the evening of Wednesday, July 17th, with a session at the USA-IFK Honbu Dojo in Rochester, New York. On Thursday and Friday, the camp continued with two sessions held each day at Gray Wolf Kyokushin Dojo in Holley, New York.

There is something about training outdoors, and Upstate New York is home to many beautiful parks complete with forests, rivers, and incredible waterfalls. The first session on Saturday was held at Holley Canal Park, which includes the Holley Canal Falls. Camp attendees then traveled to the historic and scenic Letchworth State Park. Letchworth State Park has been referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the East” and was voted the best park in the United States in 2015! The Genesee River flows through the park, which is roughly 17 miles long and includes 14,427 acres featuring 66 miles of walking trails. After a second morning session and lunch, two more sessions followed in the afternoon.

On Sunday morning, the camp moved to another of New York's beautiful parks, the Hamlin Beach State Park, where Shihan Janine led beach training on the shores of Lake Ontario. The camp concluded on Sunday afternoon with a session devoted to IFK Kata Competition. This included a detailed breakdown of the judging process and how to be a better judge. For competitors, it helped them better understand what judges are looking for and how to avoid simple mistakes to maximize their score.

Shihan Mike Monaco (8th Dan) would like to extend his sincere gratitude and thanks to both Shihan Janine Davies (6th Dan) and her husband, Shihan Chris Davies (5th Dan). Their detailed instruction and Shihan Janine’s demonstrations of kata were an inspiration to everyone! In particular, those who are preparing for the upcoming World Kata Championships!

On behalf of USA-IFK President Shihan Mike Monaco (8th Dan) and IFK-USA Chairman Shihan Sean Schenker (5th Dan), the USA-IFK Kyokushin organization wishes to thank all the staff and volunteers who helped with this years camp. You are the ones who make it all possible! OSU!