Newsletter 29th April 2008  

Hi All

Yep, another term has gone - they seem to be going thick and fast of late.

It was a good term last term with a lot of effort being put into training and the results are showing. Next term, we will be concentrating on grading work...there were quite a number of people who missed out on taking a grade last term and we hope to rectify that next term, so practise hard everybody - if you are getting bored with your belt colour, maybe (together) we can do something about that.

Our instructors are working very hard indeed for their next grade and they are all doing very well. We are aiming for them to take their second dan black belts towards the end of this year. Those that we hope will make it include Jon Hopkins, Dale Hutton, Keegan Downey and Walter Crookes. There is a hell of a step up between first and second dan black belts. For first dan, students are required to have a high standard of knowledge of 9 of the katas in our syllabus including a mastery of bunkai. A mastery of basics should be evident in the performance of those kata and the bunkai within. A high level of sparring ability is also expected.

For second dan, at least two years of training must have elapsed since the last grading (unless exceptional circumstances prevail) and mastery of all 13-kata, including bunkai, is expected. Basics must be faultless and an understanding of sparring against two-opponents is also expected.

For third dan, there must be evidence of individual research and experimentation. Bunkai must be customised to each individual and the kata performed for this grade must exactly reflect the bunkai - this is so that when each individual practices kata, they are actually practising (exactly) their own set of self defence techniques. These kata are personal to each individual and will not be taught to other students - that way, each student gets to make that part of the journey for themselves. At least three years of training must have elapsed since the last grading (unless, again, exceptional circumstances prevail).

This gives you some idea of what you can expect for your future pathway.

Remember, we believe that our point of difference in our club is our sincere belief that top quality martial arts can be practiced in a fun, relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We do not adhere to sports karate rules; we do not believe in the strict militaristic imposed Japanese discipline (instead, we believe in cultivating self discipline) and, finally, we are passionately interested in self-defence application.

Also, we do not operate as a business. It is a hobby. Those that train with us, are with us for the ride.

For the last couple of weeks of this term and the first couple of weeks of next term, the club will be in the hands of our instructors, led by Jon Hopkins and Dale Hutton. We are returning home to Sweden to catch up with friends, family and our Swedish karate students. We shall be holding a number of training sessions in Sweden so that our old students can become familiar with the developments in our style. It has been 4-years since we last went home and we are very much looking forward to it.

I reported last term that my lung illness (Sarcoidosis) has taken a turn for the worse. This is still the case, I'm afraid, and for the foreseeable future, I will have to be patient and content with teaching from the sidelines. I need, at this point, to express my sincere thanks to our instructors for taking on the physical side of our training and running our warm-up sessions - without you, we couldn't continue...words cannot express how grateful Helena and I are for your help. On the optimistic front, a new load of medication is on its way and that should settle things down a bit.

We would like to congratulate those people that successfully passed their grades last term:

The prices for next term will continue as before:

Immediate families with more than two members training will be allowed 50% discount on the third family member. Please pay as soon as you can after the start of term: the dates for next term are:

Wednesday 7th May – Wednesday 2nd July.

For the term after, the dates are:

Wednesday 23rd July – Wednesday 24th September.

Our instructor’s meeting will be held on Monday 5th May at 6:30 PM. If you are a brown belt or above, and wish to instruct – please attend.

Our best advertising comes from word of mouth. If you know anybody who may be interested in starting, please tell them about us.

Cheers

 

Guss & Helena Wilkinson

 

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