The Rockland Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate Dojo, a traditional karate dojo based at the Penobscot Bay YMCA, completed its very first International Karate Seminar this past Saturday and Sunday, December 6 & 7. Martin O’Malley Sensei, a fifth-degree black belt from Finland, led the seminar. The dojo, led by David Troup, also a fifth-degree black belt, has been offering the Okinawan karate style in midcoast Maine since 2006. Thirty participants, including many Pen Bay YMCA members, attended. Practitioners travelled in from Finland, Germany, Ireland, Canada, and Okinawa, as well as from many parts of the US, including Ohio, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.

“This was a dream of mine come true,” said Troup, in a news release. “When I moved to Rockland from New York City in 2005, I never imagined we could build such a vibrant Karate community here in the midcoast. Having this wealth of experience and knowledge, willing to travel from all parts of the world to the Pen Bay YMCA for this seminar is something I will never forget!”

Matsubayashi-ryu karate is a traditional Okinawan karate style that emphasizes natural body movements, stances, and proper body mechanics. Founded by Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine in 1947, it has extended to all parts of the world. Though many organizations practice the style, the World Matsubayashi-ryu Karatedo Association, founded by Nagamine sensei, is the largest, and the Rockland dojo has been a member since 2005.

O’Malley sensei, who has trained with many of the style’s most prominent masters, has travelled to Okinawa to train close to 40 times. His seminar focused on the basic techniques of Matsubayashi-ryu, as well as fighting applications and traditional weapons.

During the seminar, three students were successfully promoted to higher ranks, in front of a testing board that included six high-ranking Matsubayashi-ryu black belts — O’Malley sensei of Finland, Tessner sensei of Germany, Seiler sensei of Minnesota, Schnell sensei of Ohio, Roberts sensei from Okinawa, and David Troup from Rockland, Maine. Local student Patrick Dole received his first-degree black belt. Lyn Cathryn Donnelly, originally from Camden, Maine, and now living in Ireland, was promoted to third-degree black belt, as was Paula Sisson of Toronto, Canada.

The Rockland Matsubayashi-ryu dojo offers three weekly classes at the Penobscot Bay YMCA. For more information, visit www.rocklandkaratedo.com.