Twin City Gasshuku 2022

On the first weekend of June 2022, a unique event took place in Bratislava. After a pause of more than three years caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 9th Twin City Gasshuku IOGKF took place under the leadership of TOP IOGKF instructors. The organizers’ invitation was accepted by Sensei Bakkies Laubscher, 9th Dan, Chief Instructor IOGKF South Africa and IOGKF Technical Advisor, Sensei Tetsuji Nakamura, 8th Dan, World Chief Instructor IOGKF and Chief Instructor IOGKF Canada, and Sensei Raoul Vogel, 7th Dan, Chief Instructor IOGKF Austria.

Over the course of three days, almost 15 hours of training took place in almost Okinawan conditions – warm and humid. The Gasshuku was attended not only by members of the IOGKF, but also by leaders of other organizations in Slovakia from many clubs, and they all highly rated the quality of the instructors and the commitment of the participants. In total, almost 140 trainees from 12 countries around the world participated in the Twin City Gasshuku. Children’s Kodomo no Gasshuku was also part of it, more than 20 children showed that the future generation of IOGKF in Slovakia is well prepared and determined and that they will not be lost even at international gatherings.

We thank all the instructors, assistant instructors, participants, and especially the organizers of the entire event, the organizations IOGKF Austria and IOGKF Slovakia, and, last but not least, BSK (Bratislava self-governing region) for their support. We are looking forward to the next events of Okinawan Karate in Slovakia, where we will be able to learn the original Karate directly from the source.