Return of the International Karate Camp

Two years’ absence was enough. Now it was finally time for the Zendokai International Karate Camp to open its doors again. The Halland late summer left no disappointed faces. Halmstad Arena was filled with world-class karate instructors and a horde of enthusiastic participants from around the world.

Kampsportnews told earlier this summer about the history of the Zendokai International Karate Camp. Now we once again had a chat with Peter Sehlin, secretary and information officer of Zendokai Karate, to find out what it was like when the event now made its long-awaited return after being forced into a two-year hiatus.

– Zendokai are very satisfied with the camp, which has been dormant since 2019. This year we competed with both WSKA and the parliamentary election on the weekend of week 36. Despite that, 250 participants showed up. Happily, international interest in the camp has increased with participants from around fourteen nations in this year’s edition. The karate at the camp was of a high standard and we are very satisfied with the training sessions.

The Japanese instructors finally had the opportunity to share their knowledge again and their enthusiasm was contagious in the arena.

– Instructors showed an energy and joy to be out internationally and to instruct again after a two-year absence from the international arena. The three instructors held six training sessions with consistently high class and well-thought-out educational plans.

Peter feels satisfied with the event and thinks that the response from the participants has been of a very positive nature.

– The participants gave us very positive signals that this is a high-quality camp. The participants from Germany, Denmark and Norway are close to the camp, which is unique in this region.

The Halland landscape and the unique Scandinavian charm seem to be appreciated by the Asian instructors.

– Both Naka and Hirayama have been here before and really like Sweden and Halmstad. For Kobayashi it was the first time, but he too appreciated Halmstad. Especially appreciated is the fine selection of pleasant and good restaurants that the summer town has to offer.

Good news! Everyone who is interested in visiting the Halland summer town and getting the chance to learn from the Japanese masters in the future. Planning for next year’s event is already underway.

– Next event takes place on the weekend of week 36 in 2023 and Halmstad Arena is already booked. The plan is to again invite three professional Japanese instructors from JKA HQ to continue holding a camp of high international class.

Small details will be reviewed and improved to create an even more enjoyable experience for the participants for the next edition.

– The small frictions we experienced concerned the logistics around the camp and we will develop the concept until 2023. The supplier of the lunch was new. We will also review the concept of payment at the camp as we receive an increasing proportion of international guests who do not have Swish.

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