This term saw a number of juniors really put themselves in to a higher gear with their training and for them, the results are beginning to show. This is something that I really hoped would happen. In the same breath, I would also like to commend the group on the improvement in behaviour and self-discipline: it does me the world of good as I don't have to shout so much and the general atmosphere improves markedly.
Congratulations go to Corey Crosland, Mathew Petersen, Travis Russell, Leon van Berkel and Romelli Rodriguez-Jolly for achieving their Junior Yellow Belts. Also to Zac Arcus and Elye Parata for getting their Junior Red Belts: very well done to all of you.
Awards also go to Leon VB, Krystal & Kegan Downey, Logan Thompson, Zac Arcus and Corey Crosland for perfect attendance.
Lastly, outstanding student awards go to Leon VB, Corey C, Romelli & Gretta RJ. Keep it up and you will go far!!
Very many of you are very close to your next grades. Some of you have achieved all the badges necessary to be eligible to take your first grades and as soon as you can show consistency of that standard, we will put you through the grade.
The next grade will be about 4-5 weeks in to the next term, so keep practising all of you.
Congratulations go to Bisha Humadi and Jocelyn Scott for achieving their Yellow belts early on in this term and to Adrian Roberts and Nick & Claire Wilkinson for achieving their Orange belts; this was the result of a lot of hard work on your part. I really don’t mind being bullied into grading people, especially when you can prove me wrong (even if it is by the skin of your teeth J).
Everybody has progressed really well this term. Helena & I would like to remind you all (at the risk of being naggers) that you cannot turn up to Karate twice a week and expect to become good at it: Helena & I don’t “teach” you Karate, we teach you how to learn and train Karate. Learning and training Karate you have to do yourselves by analysis of the information you have been given, as well as a lot of practise!!
We will always treasure your company at the club even if you don’t practise at all, that is not the point: all we want you to do is understand that those who do practise will progress faster.
Enough nagging now, the latest news is that we are now all members of the UNZKO (Union of New Zealand Karate Organisation). Being a self-defence orientated style, this probably doesn’t really mean much for us, but for those of you who wish to compete, we can now do so.
Next term will see us concentrate on getting more people through to Orange. Hopefully, the next grade will be 4-8 weeks in to next term. Orange belt is an extremely hard grading, as many of you saw on Monday, so practise hard!!
We will be starting to introduce sparring to the occasional training session once we have a few more orange belts. We will not allow anyone to spar unless they have tooth guards (gum shields) and Karate sparring mitts. These can be purchased at Auckland Martial arts supplies, 09-377 1891.
This month, it is exactly 25 years since I started training martial arts and 16 years since Helena started training. With this in mind, we thought that you might like to read an outline of our training history.
I started training Judo in 1973 at the age of 10 in the UK. I continued training until I left for Sweden in 1982. I also started training The Praying Mantis Kung Fu under a Chinese friend of mine in 1978. He soon tired of teaching me advanced Kung Fu techniques, as I had no idea how to do the basics properly, and suggested that I start training at a proper club.
That is when (1979) I started training Goju Ryu Karate at the Bugeikan Club in the south of England under Sensei Rick Woodhams (7th Dan). I graded 3 times before I left the club and moved to Sweden to do my compulsory military service in 1982. This is where I met my wife, and we trained Chinese Wu Shu (The 5 animals’ style) together in Stockholm under Sifu Louis Lin.
We returned to the south of England in 1984 and once again took up Goju Ryu Karate at the Bugeikan, this time under Sensei Kevin Fox (4th Dan). Both my wife, Helena, and I graded to 1st Dan in 1988. We returned to Sweden in 1989 and continued training Okinawan Goju Ryu under Sensei Hiromi Suzuki (6th Dan) in Stockholm.
We left Suzuki to open up our own club in the beginning of 1990. We were thoroughly scrutinised before being accepted and recognised by the Swedish Budo Federation. Without this membership, it is illegal to hire school halls or council buildings in Sweden and it is not possible to insure students against injury. We also affiliated our club directly to the newly formed Federation of Goju Ryu Karate in England.
The Federation of Goju Ryu Karate was formed in 1990 by Sensei Kevin Fox who started training with Sensei Chris Clifford (5th Dan) and Sensei Kiyoshi Yonomoto (8th Dan) of the Ichikawa Dojo in Tokyo. This is when the whole organisation stopped following the Okinawan Goju Ryu Teachings and started re-learning everything after Ichikawa’s philosophies in mainland Japan. The Federation now boasts over 20 member clubs (in 3 countries) with nearly 600 active students.
Helena and I graded to 2nd Dan in 1991 and I then graded to 3rd Dan in 1994 (Helena was pregnant). We graded both times in England for a grading panel lead by Sensei Kevin Fox.
We continued to successfully run our club in Stockholm (Sweden), called The Okinawan Bugeikan Karate Club, until November 1996 when we moved to New Zealand. During that time our club continued to expand and we managed to grade 5 people to 1st Dan. Our top student, Fredrik Yderstrom, has been living in China for the past 2 years, studying Martial Arts, and works there as a reported for the Swedish Fighters Magazine. Another one of our students (Goran Kirsch) took over the running of our club in Sweden when we moved to NZ. Our Swedish club continues to thrive and we are planning a training camp for them here in Feb 2000.
We joined Ichikawa’s
student Sensei Tadahiko Otsuka’s style of Goju-Kensha Karate here in
Hamilton under Sensei Bruce Morgan (1st Dan) on moving to NZ and
continued to train with them until we opened up our own NZ club in Feb 1998.
That’s all for this time, have a good break and see you all next term.
Lots of love,
Gus & Helena Wilkinson