Achieving brown belt is a significant milestone in one’s study of karate, and it was particularly pleasing to see father & son, Paul and Jonathan Osborne, achieve this level on Sunday together.
Pictured left is a very proud Jonathan being presented with his belt by our grading examiner Sensei Frank Brennan 7th dan.
Sensei Brennan delivered a challenging training session enjoyed by over fifty karate-ka today. The session concentrated on kihon and kata which was a real boon for those about to be assessed in the grading which followed, and for those who will be grading in the very near future.
Black belts had the opportunity of working on important aspects of the dan syllabus and of refining the kata Kanku Dai which is compulsory knowledge for the 2nd dan grading – a grading several club members aspire to take.
Congratulations to the following members who were promoted to the next coloured belt:
Orange belt: Chris Breeze; Edward Lowne; William Cranton.
Red belt: Austin Shepherd; Andy Wilkinson.
Yellow belt: Willy Astleigh; Thomas Leigh; Adrick Adams.
Green belt: Izzy Ponsonby; Kieran Gookey.
Purple belt: George Coates.
Brown belt: Paul Osborne; Jonathan Osborne.
Brown & white belt (2nd kyu): Bob Dainty.
Brown & white belt (1st kyu): Becky Cassapi.
Thank you also to those members who, whilst not taking the grading itself, took advantage of Sensei Brennan’s instruction by training in the pre-grading session and supported the club in the process:
Oliver Wood; Steve Cassapi; Jon Bond; Caroline Rees; Ian Kelly; Rory Cave; Myles Ponsonby; Alan Lea.
(Congratulations to Richard Bulmer who passed his red belt under Sensei Poynton 7th dan in Stoke on Trent last week).
Time, the fourth dimension, is something that we would all like more of. Our time, like our money, is something we ”spend”. The trouble is, unlike our money, we don’t really know how much we’ve got in our accounts so we ought to be ultra thrifty!
Anyway, I have been saying recently that a lot can be achieved in karate in what on the face of it seems a short period of time. As far as karate training is concerned most people think in terms of ‘dojo time’. So they would probably view a period of one week as: three classes; or 3 1/2 hours of formal training ( 4 1/4 if you do ‘the double’ on Friday evening!). But, so long as you have the enthusiasm for it you could be improving your knowledge, understanding and technical ability virtually all the time!
It’s surprising just how much you can achieve on your own if you take responsibility for your own learning.
You could spend your Wednesday morning coffee break at work daydreaming about a possible lottery win later that evening, or you could spend it visualising the katas you want to get right for your grading. And what’s more, some of the finer points of your general technique which you want to improve upon could be drilled to perfection in the time it took to boil the kettle!
Remember, a week is a long time in karate!
What a session last night! 29 training in all: 5 youngsters and 24 adults. Fantastic turnout.
The web site has been well and truly ’kick-started’ !
I will be posting regularly but not necessarily after each session.
Let me start by updating you with the last few articles featured in the monthly Keyworth News. You will notice that some of the articles mention photos but unfortunately due to a technical hitch they couldn’t be copied across.
Oss!
South Notts Shotokan Karate Club
National Championships
The 43rd KUGB National Championships took place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on Sunday 17th of May. The event attracts hundreds of karate-ka from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to compete in the twenty various events for adults, juniors and children. The club was represented by Becky Cassapi in the junior female events and by Teddie Henderson in the junior male. Both competitors were enthusiastically supported by a large cohort of club members and parents.
The draw wasn’t particularly kind to either fighter but both of them acquitted themselves very well indeed. Becky faced an experienced black belt and junior squad member. As always Becky moved very well and took the fight to her opponent by suddenly dashing in to deliver two consecutive face punches. The combination was very well timed but Becky’s opponent was able to land a counter punch to the face which scored a half point. For the remainder of the encounter Becky pressed hard in a bid to find the right moment to strike. In the next exchange of blows Becky’s punch was judged to have landed second, and the fight was lost. In the junior male sparring event Teddie had to get to grips with a heavier and very agile opponent. Teddie was the first to launch an attack, his ‘signature’ technique, a reverse roundhouse kick to the side of the head. This manoeuvre has caught many people out in training and but for an inch or two would have landed cleanly and won the fight outright. As it was, the kick fell slightly short and created an opportunity for his opponent to counter attack which he duly did scoring a half point. When the fight restarted Teddie kept things simple and concentrated on his body punching. There were several close exchanges where neither fighter was able to deliver a clean blow, and then, in circumstances very similar to Becky’s fight, there was an exchange of blows where Teddie was just beaten to the punch.
Becky and Teddie have gained valuable experience from this event which will be of great benefit to them when they compete again at the National Youth Championships next month.
Children (min 8yrs), young people and adults who wish to learn karate may contact the club secretary on 07811 819221.
SOUTH NOTTS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUB
Club Grading
The club’s recent grading at Holme Pierrepont was a resounding success with a number of members being promoted to the next coloured belt. Five absolute beginners from the club achieved orange belt, the first step on the road to black belt, whilst 12 more experienced members made similar progress. The pre-grading training session was well supported with visitors attending from karate clubs in Tamworth and Chesterfield. Sensei Frank Brennan 7th dan, the current British team coach and vice-chairman of the KUGB, conducted proceedings. He put everyone through their paces during a challenging session and promoted the following members:
Orange belt: Austin Shepherd; Richard Buller; Iona Dennis, Andrew Wilkinson, Lee Proudlove. Red belt: Thomas Leigh, Willy Astleigh. Yellow belt: Jonathan Cobb, Luke Cobb, Izzy Ponsonby. Green belt: George Coates. Purple & White belt: Jonathan Osborne, Paul Osborne. Brown belt: Miguel Dennis, Frank Dennis, Bob Dainty. Brown & white belt: Becky Cassapi.
Success at the ‘Centrals’
Sixteen year olds Becky Cassapi and Teddie Henderson represented the club at the Central Region Championship held recently in Chesterfield. They both competed in the junior kumite (sparring) category and put in excellent performances against some tough opposition. Whilst Teddie lost out to a very sharp young fighter in the elimination stages, Becky fought her way through her pool of opponents to achieve a very well-deserved 2nd place. Both these promising young fighters will be in action again very soon at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham where the British title will be the ultimate prize!
Becky, left, alongside the other medal winners in her event.
Children (min 8yrs), young people and adults who wish to learn karate may contact the club secretary on 07811 819221.
SOUTH NOTTS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUB
Darren’s Black Belt Success!
Darren Cockburn recently became the first club member this year to successfully achieve black belt level. Darren took the dan grading examination during a national course held in Chesterfield. He demonstrated a very high standard in all three aspects of the grading: kihon (the fundamentals); kata (solo sequences); and kumite (sparring). He was assessed by Sensei Andy Sherry 8th dan, the chairman of the Karate Union of Great Britain.
Darren began training with the club several years ago and is enormously proud of his achievement. He is now determined to continue his progress and has already begun refining the required syllabus for his 2nd dan – a grading he won’t be eligible to attempt for another two years!
Darren pictured above proudly wearing the black belt he was awarded recently.
Adults, young people and children (min 8 yrs), wishing to learn karate may contact the club secretary on (07811) 819221 for more details.
SOUTH NOTTS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUB
Regional Course & Squad Selections
The first regional course of the year took place on Saturday 14th February at Burton upon Trent, and several members of the club took the opportunity to train under the direct tutelage of Sensei Frank Brennan 7th dan. The course began with a 90 minute session for all grades which concentrated on the fundamental principles, and was followed by the selections for the 2009 regional kata squad. Club instructor Rob Manning together with two senior black belt members of the club were successful and joined around thirty other karate-ka from the region to form this year’s squad. The first full squad training session then took place where the emphasis was placed on continual refinement of technique within the context of two hours of non stop action! The club is very much looking forward to hosting the next squad session which takes place in March.
Pictured below are club members with Sensei Brennan (centre) after the recent course.
Children (min 8yrs), young people and adults who wish to learn karate in Keyworth may contact the club secretary on 07811 819221.
SOUTH NOTTS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUB
Karate Training in the New Year
2008 was a very successful year for the club with three members achieving 1st dan black belt level during the course of the year: Jack Robson; Caroline Rees and Ryan Skilton. Many more members achieved promotions within the coloured belt system, and several will now be eligible to take their black belt examinations in 2009.
There is of course a full calendar of events again this year including gradings and competitions which all members will have an opportunity to be involved in. For the more advanced members the regional and national squad selections are very much on the agenda and 16yr old Becky Cassapi has her sights firmly set on the England U21 Squad. She hopes to follow in the footsteps of previous squad members from the club, Ian Lea and Zoe Collard, and is preparing for the selection in Liverpool on 31st January. As far as absolute beginners are concerned, the club is introducing a special beginners’ course on Friday evenings aimed at families where parents will be able to learn karate alongside their children in the same class under two black belt instructors.
2009 has the potential to be another exciting year for karate enthusiasts in Keyworth; why not join us?
Children (min 8yrs), young people and adults who wish to learn karate in 2009 may contact the club secretary on 07811 819221.
SOUTH NOTTS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUB
Club Grading Examination
The final club grading examination of 2008 was held on Sunday 7th December at Holme Pierrepont. Approximately 40 karate-ka attended the event which attracted many enthusiasts from outside the region. Sensei Frank Brennan 7th dan delivered a training session which was technically and physically challenging to all irrespective of grade, experience or age. Whilst the temperature outside was freezing, the temperature inside thankfully rose very rapidly due to the ferocious intensity of the training. We began with repetitions of the fundamentals before progressing to kumite, or sparring practice. The lower grades immersed themselves in the obligatory basic partner exercises as required by the grading syllabus, whilst the higher grades tackled more advanced blocking and countering drills using the hands, elbows and feet. The session finished with the study of kata, the formal solo routines of karate, enabling the grading candidates to refine their performances. The black belts worked on the katas Jion and Bassai Sho, two of the more advanced katas in the Shotokan system.
Congratulations to the following members of the club who were promoted to the next coloured belt: Willy Astleigh, Thomas Leigh (orange belt); Izzy Ponsonby, Luke Cobb, Jonathan Cobb (red belt); George Coates (yellow belt); Paul Osborne, Jonathan Osborne (purple belt); Bob Dainty, Frank Dennis, Miguel Dennis (purple/white belt); Becky Cassapi (brown belt); Steve Cassapi (brown/white belt).
Arthur Hall
The whole club was very saddened to hear the news that Arthur Hall passed away on 3rd December following a brave fight against cancer. Arthur and his wife Rosemary joined the club some years ago and travelled from their home in Newark three times a week without fail. Their dedication and determination have been an inspiration to us all. It has been a privilege to have spent many happy hours practicing karate with Arthur and our thoughts are very much with Rosemary at this time. We will all miss Arthur very much indeed.
The club wishes all the community in Keyworth a happy and peaceful Christmas & New Year. Adults, young people and children (min 8 yrs), wishing to learn karate in 2009 may contact the club secretary on (07811) 819221 for more details.
