Kangeiko 2007 in Yelapa, Mexico was a challenging
experience both physically and spiritually. Being the
first such event that I had ever attended, everything
was entirely new; the location, the different methods
of training, and the challenge of living in close
proximity to other students for the duration of the
weekend. In many ways this newness strengthened my
capacity to accept each challenge. However as I soon
became aware, the challenges of Kangeiko are not only
presented in the scheduled training sessions, but
rather throughout the event as a whole.

The training sessions ranged from Kata exercises on
the beach, walking through the jungle, exercises in
the waterfall and self-defence techniques in the pool.
By far, the most challenging experience was walking
everywhere barefoot. I never realised how such a
simple exercise as walking can be so challenging when
one is forced to change habit. That is, that many of
the comforts that be take for granted, such as shoes,
often become extensions of our bodies. So habitual,
that to take them off put me well outside of my
comfort zone.

This was one of the most valuable lesions of Kangeiko:
the necessity for constant change, and constant
challenge. During the training of Kata on the beach I
found myself very easily distracted and disoriented. I
had become so used to training in the Dojo, where
walls become familiar extensions of the Kata itself,
that in removing them I realised how little of the
Kata and its movements I really understood. It is
perhaps this revelation of the need for constant
self-challenge that is the most important lesson of
Kangeiko.

Kenshi says that the responsibility for development
and constant improvement resides within one-self. The
master is there merely to provide the necessary tools
and skills. It is up to the student to use them, to
practice and to master them. It is this most valuable
lesson that Kangeiko teaches. To return to the basics,
to re-evaluate the meaning of one’s training, and to
continually practice the changes that allow us to
evolve.

Ben Kearney