New Video

2013 has been a very busy year for Haxby Shotokan Karate Club. Our new video on YouTube shows just some of the highlights.

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Christmas Break

Our last training session for 2013 is Thursday 19th December. We will be back training on Monday 6th January 2014.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Dojo's Friend

As usual I need a time machine to help me fit everything into my busy life!

So it is with sincere apologies to both Sam and Dexter that I have only just got around to naming them both Dojo's friend for October. ( note to self.....catch up, or Dojo may sack me as his roving reporter)

Dexter is no stranger to this blog, but it is his continued progress and his attention to basics that had him awarded Dojo again this time around.

However it is Sam's first time with Dojo.  Sam was awarded his for his real improvement in keeping still, listening carefully and following instructions. Sam also makes sure that any new child is shown to the correct place and how they are expected to stand.  It is always difficult when you join a new club when you may know no-one there, and it's students like Sam who make them feel welcome and part of the club.

Now I must just rush away and sort out the new Dojo friend for November, it is ....................
( soon to be disclosed ...honest!)

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Former Haxby Karate Kid Xander goes to the JKS National Championships

Elizabeth's dad Ian made the mistake of mentioning to Jim that he has a music blog called 'Not Quite Music Journalism'. Jim took this opportunity to enlist Ian as the Club's roving reporter. Here's his report from the Nationals that took place on Sunday 24th November 2013. 

This year saw a small, but determined, squad travel down to the JKS Nationals in Nottingham. As ever, there was standing room only in the arena with a couple of improvements made this year which seemed designed to speed up the competition. There was an extra tatami, meaning four events could be held simultaneously and a small change in the scoring system meant that there could be no draws in kata.

First up for Haxby were Bethany and Elizabeth in the Individual Kata, 3^rd – 1^st Kyu, 10 – 15 yrs, Female. Elizabeth received a bye through to the second round and was soon joined there by Bethany, who scored a unanimous win from the judges for her first round Heian Yondan. Unfortunately, her second round Heian Sandan wasn’t as good as that of her opponent, who went through with another unanimous decision. Elizabeth, meanwhile, also went out in the second round. A stumble towards the end of her Heian Godan was thought to be what caused the unanimous decision against her, although she later admitted that she also thought she had made a mistake in the middle.

Oli and Jack, competing in the equivalent Male event, had to wait for a preliminary round to finish before starting their event. Both made it through to the second round, Oli’s Heian Shodan giving him a unanimous win from the judges, while Jack won his Heian Godan with a score of 4:1. Both were given Heian Nidan in the next round and, unfortunately, neither were able to progress. Jack’s opponent got the unanimous decision this time, while Oli’s was a narrower 3:2 defeat.

Jim and Tom Smith were in different pools in the Individual Kata, Dan grade, 16+ yrs, Male. Jim had a bye into the second round, where his 5:0 defeat in Heian Godan saw him go no further. Like Elizabeth, he admitted to having made a mistake but also acknowledged that, if he had performed the kata to the best of his ability, he wouldn’t have beaten his opponent. For some reason, only three judges watched Tom’s Heian Godan which saw him defeated in the first round with a score of 2:1.

With all the kata rounds completed, focus switched to kumite. Xander, in his first competition, was Haxby’s first representative, in Individual Kumite, Pee Wee, 5 – 7 yrs, Mixed. Showing no sign of the nerves he must have been feeling, he put up a good fight against Damien Hobben, an orange belt from Leeds. Eventually, though, two punches to Xander’s stomach gave his opponent the win despite Xander taking an early lead with a chudan punch of his own. Xander took his defeat with grace and Damien ev

entually went on to win bronze medal in the event.

Elizabeth was back on the tatami for the 3^rd Kyu – Dan, 11 – 13 yrs, Female competition. Because of her age and, perhaps, more obviously her size, Elizabeth often struggles with kumite and today was no exception. Another bye took her straight to the second round, where she faced a brown belt who was quite a bit taller than her. As ever, though, she gave it her best shot, going in close to try to prevent her from getting clean hits. One punch did get through, though, hitting Elizabeth in the face. That was the only score at the end of the bout, so the decision went to the judges. Despite Elizabeth’s attacking, they awarded the win to her opponent, with a score of 4:0, and Elizabeth’s competition was over.

The Male equivalent event had already started on tatami 3 and the medics were being kept busy on that mat as a number of fights ended with or contained injury, mainly due to over-eagerness than any intentional brutality. Spectators around this mat had already been treated to some superb team kata and they were still in the mood for cheering as this event saw some of the best fights of the day. Jack was up first for Haxby but lost his bout against black belt Elliott Saggers after taking two hits to the head. Oli, though, seemed to be fired up. His ferocious kiai as his left his starting position seemed to disconcert his black belt opponent and it was only a matter of seconds until Oli was one point up. He eventually won the bout 2:0, going through to face a Dan grade who, we were told, is the current world champion. Again a head shot gave Oli an early lead but this only seemed to galvanise his opponent who launched a frenzied attack, only to be pulled back by the referee. Despite some solid defence by Oli, he ended up taking two hits to the stomach and lost the bout 2:1 but there was definitely no shame in that result and the consensus was that this was Haxby’s performance of the day.

Tom took to the mat again for the 3^rd Kyu – Dan, 16 – 18 yrs, Male event. His opponent was Jed Dickinson from Leeds, who had the advantage of Sensei Matt Price’s coaching from the side of the mat. A head shot saw Tom go a point down quite early in the bout but a spirited fight-back seemed to have his opponent reeling, with a few shots that might have scored on another day. With the score still 1:0 at the end of the bout, the judges unanimously awarded the win to Jed. I thought Tom was unlucky but he admitted to me afterwards that, although a few of his shots had found targets, his technique wasn’t what it should have been.

Haxby’s final competitor was Jim, in the Any grade, 40+ yrs, Male event. Up against 1^st Kyu Anthony Wilks, he was defeated 2:0, later admitting that he, “needed to block more. Or at least stop blocking fists with my face.” I can’t help but think that there’s a lesson there for the younger members of the club.

So, no medals for Haxby but each competitor did their best, performing to the best of their ability on the day. It’s easy for me to say that it is the taking part that counts – I don’t have to suffer the nerves of competition or the sting of defeat. I am, however, proud that Elizabeth is associated with the club. Each of the club’s competitors showed the required spirit and, more importantly, sportsmanship, taking both victory and defeat with dignity. 

Thanks to Ian for his report. Check out his other write ups at www.imassey.blogspot.co.uk

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Oli and Dojo.

Here are some pictures that were taken when Dojo visited with Oliver for a fortnight.

 Peace and quiet in the Goodwin household...that's because they're both outside instead!

Oli showing Dojo that even though bears don't have fingers to hold a paintbrush, paw prints can still be artistic and creative,just ask Brittany the Elephant.

Dojo gets green paws as he helps with the harvest.

It's behind you....no honestly it is!

Dojo always said that tomatoes were evil!

Just look at this plants red eyes!

Oli is making Dojo eat healthily.
Even to the point of eating evil tomatoes with the the threat of cucumber to follow.

( Oli looks like he's enjoying that too much)

Dojo, after all that healthy eating, feels the need to visit the pharmacy for some medicine for his poor tummy.

Oh!  look who works here, Oliver's Mummy.Maybe she'll know how to make Dojo feel better.

All sorted out.

It's now Oli's job to ensure that Dojo takes his medicine.........

Syrup of figs.........

Dojo come back, it's a fruit, not a vegetable!




Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarateuk

Dojo's Friend

Dojo's friend for the month of September was.....(drum roll).......William.



William started with us in June this year.

When William first started training, I thought that he was very quiet and reserved.


But on getting to know him I found that these two personal qualities were actually an ability to listen carefully to what is being said and a very mature attitude of "this is what I'm here for" and putting it into practise!a rare quality in one so young.

William is preparing for his up and coming grading in November, which I'm sure will go fantastically well with all the commitment and attention to detail he is showing.

Gradings take place on Thursday 14th November.



Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Change of venue and times

Monday's training session will be held at Ralph Butterfield Primary School, Station Road, Haxby, YO32 3LS. Click here for a map.

Training times are 6pm - 7pm for Haxby Karate Kids and 6.45pm- 9pm for the main class.

Training will be back to normal next Thursday.

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Karate Course and Grading September 2013

I always enjoy the run up to a grading. There seems to be a special sense of excitement in the club, and everyone always tries that little bit harder with their training. The preparation for our recent grading was no different, well perhaps it was a little different – as some of our Haxby Karate Kids would be grading at the course for the first time!

We're off to see the wizard!

Sensei Alistair

A very proud Sensei Lorraine

Again we were lucky to have two excellent instructors, Sensei Alan Campbell, JKS England Chief Instructor, and Sensei Alistair Mitchell, 7^th Dan who has recently joined JKS England. The course had very much a kumite feel to it. Sensei Alistair was emphasising relaxation (with Colin stoically bearing the brunt of this painful looking demonstration!), and ease / flow / continuation in your movements with your block flowing into and leading to your counter, not working against it. 


Sensei Alan’s session with the senior grades focused on movement in kumite (I learnt the hard way that Ray is a difficult man to get past!). A special mention must go to Tom (F) who after being volunteered by his instructors stood up well to 15 minutes of kumite demonstration with Sensei Alistair – I lost track of how many times you ended up on the floor Tom, but you kept getting back up!

The gradings themselves provided cause for celebration with all our students continuing their progression on their karate journeys.Our Karate Kids performed brilliantly – every single one of them dug deep and successful achieved their first official JKS grade. Well done to Dylan (12^th Kyu), Dexter, Oliver & Evie (11^th Kyu), and Edward & Xander (10^th Kyu) – you did yourselves proud and I’m sure I saw a tear in the corner of Sensei Lorraine’s eye!

I Know that Andy and Joe were nervous going into their first Grading with us, but they did not let it show, putting in strong performances to get their 9^th Kyus. Colin and Gareth continued to show what they are made of, both securing 8^th Kyu – you have a whole new kata to learn before your next grading so it is important to continue with your dedicated approach. Katherine put in her usual graceful performance (after almost concertinaing her body during one of the exercises on the course – I really wish I could be half as flexible as she is!) to finally get rid of her red belt and replace it with a yellow one for 7^th Kyu.

 Lisa (as usual) was the first of the Gowland clan to face the grading panel and showed the younger generation how it was done by gaining her Green belt (6^th Kyu). Rebecca, how happy that her mum was the same grade as her (even if it was very briefly) dug deep to find her inner aggression to gain her 5^th Kyu.

Ray, Robert and Bethany grading

Then we were onto our brown belts. Ray was up first, and despite some issues with the kata his technique was strong enough to secure 3^rd Kyu – the path to Shodan starts here and you have some tough training (and gradings) ahead of you! Our 3^rd kyus were up next, Bethany successfully graded to 2^nd Kyu, but an early mistake in the kihon seemed to knock Robert’s confidence. Despite that he did put in a strong enough performance to secure a Temporary 2^nd Kyu. I know, from personal experience, how disappointing it is to get a temporary grade at 2^nd Kyu, but I know that he has the determination to keep going and the dedication to work towards getting your 1^st Kyu in February. One of the things that has always impressed me about Robert is that he never gives up – if he takes a hit during kumite, or stumbles over a kata, he always refuses to sit out to recover – preferring to work through it and carry on. It is this determination that will carry you through this disappointment and to your Shodan.

Wow! What a course! And the next one promises to be even better. Sensei Paul has outdone himself by arranging for Sensei Alan Campbell, JKS England Chief Instructor, Sensei Scott Langley, JKS GB & Ireland Technical Director, AND Sensei Shinji Nagaki, 5^th Dan WKF World Kumite Champion to run our course and grading on Sunday 23^rd February 2014. Save the date in your diary as it is definitely not to be missed!

OSU

Jim 

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Dojo's Friend

As usual, Dojo doesn't do things by halves! In fact why have one , when you can have two!
That's right both Evie and Oliver got to take Dojo home as the winners for the month of August. Oliver being the gentleman he is, let Evie go first as he had Dojo last. ( We did ask Dojo if we could split him in half.........he declined to comment!)

The reason Dojo picked them both, was they had both attended every session during the summer holidays! He was astounded by their level of commitment at a time when most children can only think of having fun and not doing anything that has a faint whiff of hard work.

Both of them now ( and others) are getting ready for the big grading sneaking up, and with the level of dedication they have shown, will get through with flying colours.




Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Dojo's Friend

Well it didn't surprise anyone that the winner for the month of July was Oliver.......again!  At this rate we will have to ask Dojo to invite his brothers Zuki and Geri over to help out, but that is another story for another day.

Dojo is no stranger to Oli ( and his house!) and I am pretty sure he now knows where Oli hides  his secret stash of sweets. Maybe a change of hiding place is needed as he does have a sweet tooth!

Oli continues to impress with his fantastic attitude to learning, his willingness to exceed everything that is asked of him and his determination to improve his techniques in each and every lesson.

Looking towards the end of this month all I can say is...............I wonder who will get him next?






Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Family Fun Day - Saturday 14th September

Our Family Fun Day is being held on Saturday 14th September from 11am to 3pm at Wigginton Recreation Hall. Entry and activities are free with a small charge for refreshments. Lunch tickets are now available and can be bought at training sessions. Please book your lunch tickets by Monday 9th September.Last years Fun Day was great fun!

 Tickets cost just £3.50 and £12 for a family ticket.

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Dojo's Friend

Thank goodness Dojo has a better memory than me!  He reminded me on Thursday evening that I hadn't written up June's winner yet. With the end of term and numerous events like the Haxby Carnival and Bears on the beach, it had totally slipped my mind.

So just in case he's waiting to tell me off on Monday I better do it now, before I forget, AGAIN!

The winner was Thomas.

 

Thomas joined the club in March and has shown Dojo that he can stand still, listen, remember and repeat back instructions.  He also gives 100% effort during his training. However Thomas' new target is not to get too carried away, which we all do, even me, when we learn something new.

Both Dexter and Dylan also were awarded certificates this month as both were joint winners with Thomas and since they had both had the ....dubious...pleasure of Dojo's company and Thomas hadn't, it was fair to send him packing with Thomas(who I'm sure gave him as good as he got!) Dexter and Dylan both continue to give outstanding behaviour, enthusiasm and commitment to the club and it's instructors. Well done all of you.


Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Dojo's Friend

After a very tough grading, it was a delight for Sensei Mike to award Dojo to.....Jack.

Jack started at the club in June 2012.

He has always shown the determination and diligence that we expect from all our students, but maybe not so much from our very young Karate kids!

Jack was awarded his certificate for always trying his hardest, no matter how tired or stressed he was from a hard day at school.

I always notice that Jack is quick to line up without being told, and always listens closely to instructions given.  He puts effort into everything that is asked of him and that shows in the quality of his techniques and the spirit he displays.

I'm sure that Dojo will have a great time with Jack and that he will come back having matured (hopefully!) into a more sensible and responsible young bear!

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

The adventures of Dojo - Chapter 5

What a fantastic time Dojo had with his friend Dylan.
He dragged poor Dylan around the Scarecrow festival, over the very hot ,May Bank Holiday weekend, stopping at the local for a quick drink of .......water? (I hope)








Of course the day would not be complete without visiting our club scarecrow.  Dojo seems to think that one of the karate kids is making a ' Do-crow ' next year.  Whoever gave him that idea has alot to answer for.....Dylan methinks !












Aha! This looks like Roundhay Park.
Uh oh.... not a good idea to turn your back on Dojo near water. He has a terrible sense of humour and thinks water sports is anything to do with making the biggest splash possible.  Ever since the time I washed him in the Washing machine hes had an aversion to water, I wonder why.........?






What a lovely tranquil picture. Well it probably was until these two turned up!
Errr Dojo, are you holding a fishing rod? I'm pretty sure that you're not allowed to do that there.  And here I was thinking that with Dylan's help you might have been turning over a new leaf!
Actually I think I better check with the parents just to make sure that your little mischievous habits are not rubbing off on the children.  At least  I hope their wonderful manners and behaviour will change you! Only time will tell.




Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Change of Venue

Monday's training session will be held at Ralph Butterfield Primary School, Station Road, Haxby, YO32 3LS. Click here for a map.

Training times are 6pm - 7pm for Haxby Karate Kids and 7pm- 9pm for the main class.

Training will be back to normal on Thursday.


Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Extra Training Session - Bank Holiday Monday

There is now a training session next Monday (Bank Holiday), from 6.30 - 7.30pm for Haxby Karate Kids and 7pm -  9pm for the main class. Normal place.

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Change of venue and times - Monday

Monday's training session will be held at Ralph Butterfield Primary School, Station Road, Haxby, YO32 3LS. Click here for a map.

Training times are 6pm - 7pm for Haxby Karate Kids and 6.45pm- 9pm for the main class.

Training will be back to normal next Thursday.



Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Dojo's Friend

There was a very happy boy at training on Thursday when he was presented with Dojo's Friend for the month of April,

congratulations Dylan!

Dylan joined the club on the 18th of June 2012 and has shown real dedication and commitment to his training. His award was given for a 'huge improvement in attention and behaviour.'

He has worked so hard on all his personal skills that it is hard to believe he is the same young, giddy boy that stepped into our Dojo almost a year ago.

Dylan is always keen, polite and tries really hard to give the correct Japanese terminology to stances and punches that are being used.

He is also always quick to help,and make, new starters feel welcome and at ease.

I'm sure that Dojo will have a whale of a time with Dylan and we look forward to hearing all about their adventures.

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Sensei Mike and Sensei Ian's surprise

An article appeared in The Press on 24th April 2013 regarding the Club raising money to send Mike and Ian to Japan for the JKS Annual Trip.

With kind permission of The Press www.yorkpress.co.uk


Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

A very special course

On Sunday 7^th April, over 70 karateka gathered at York University for a ‘Special’ Karate Course. We had arranged for Alan Campbell, Scott Langley, and Rob McCartney Sensei to provide the instruction.

The course was split into two sections. Sensei Alan took the adults and senior grades for the first session on Junro Shodan, focusing on correct turning and spinning on the heel or ball of the foot. He then handed over to Sensei Scott who focused on the two handed simultaneous block and attack moves in Junro

Nidan. The class was completed by sensei Rob showing lots of applications to Heian Sandan. There was certainly a lot of discussion after each session about what had just been covered, and a lot of people practicing some of the moves to

make sure that they would not forget them – always the sign of very engaging, useful and motivating instruction!

Meanwhile the Junior karateka were put through their paces by Paul, Lorraine and Jim Sensei. The first hour consisted of warm up games – designed to increase their concentration and attention. For the second session Sensei Paul had arranged for 

Kat, one of the Olympic torch bearers, to talk to the children about her experience of carrying the Olympic torch, and there were lots of games based around the campaign for Karate to be in the 2020 Olympics. Things got (a little) more serious in the final session when we had a kumite based competition for the children. There were several rounds of ‘grab the tag’ –

where you have to grab the ribbon in your opponent’s belt whilst protecting your tag – ideal practice for real kumite (and the upcoming Selby Competition!). Medals were awarded for the top competitors by Sensei Alan.

Kat’s endless patience in giving absolutely everyone who wanted the opportunity to have their photo taken with her and

her Olympic torch was rewarded when Sensei Paul surprised her with a cheque from the Selby Karateka who has done nearly 6000 sponsored karate technique in order to raise money to help Kat with her sports training.

This surely was enough to make the course special – an afternoon of excellent karate instruction, karate based fun, games, and a mini competition for the younger karateka, a visit from an Olympic torch bearer! But no, the main reason we were all there had yet to be revealed (well to two of the people there anyway!).

For the past seven months John, Paul and Jim had been plotting to deliver a little surprise to Sensei Mike and Sensei Ian. They had even gone so far as to involve the entire committee from the Haxby Club (with the exception of Mike and Ian of course). The reason given for the course was to allow those clubs which had recently joined the JKS (as the North Yorkshire clubs had) to have an intensive introduction to the Junro Katas, which they may not

have trained extensively in before. The real reason for the course was to raise funds to send Mike and Ian on this year’s annual JKS trip to Japan!

Ian was a founder member of the club back in 1981 and Mike has been instructing for over 20 years. Neither of them has ever taken any money out of the club, for their instruction or for anything else, in fact they have put their own money into the club on several occasions to keep the club going for their students. We felt that it was high time that we showed them just how much 

this dedication and passion about the club means to their students. They have never mentioned the effort they have put in to the club or asked for anything in return – when the club nominated them for ‘Older People Champions’ last year it was clear that they did not look for any recognition (judging by the amount of trouble we were in for doing it!). Mike and Ian have never had the opportunity to train at the Hombu Dojo in Japan, and the entire club, felt that this was a suitable reward for their years of leadership of the club. Needless to say we (the plotters) were very grateful to have Sensei Scott there to make the announcement as he would be leading the trip to Japan.

We managed to pull off a total surprise and I don’t think that Mike and Ian could quite believe that over 70 karateka had come to help show what high regard they are held by our community. Indeed it is reflection of how well that they are respected that all the instructors volunteered their service free of charge.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the course for

helping us to surprise our instructors. In particular Sensei Alan Campbell, Sensei Scott Langley and Sensei Rob McCartney for leading the course and providing their instruction free of charge. We would also like to thank Sensei Paul Giannandrea (JKS Scotland – Chief Instructor) for the kind donation of a Hirota Gi for us to raffle – luckily the Gi will be order to size, as I’m guessing the lucky winner (the very tall Dave Stavenau from

Selby) will not be exactly a standard size! A huge thank you to Sensei Paul – without his organisational skills the course would certainly not have been anywhere near as fantastic as it proved to be!

The final thank you has got to go to Sensie Mike and Sensei Ian for their years of dedication to the club, without them the club would not have survived and certainly would not be the thriving, friendly and successful club that it is today.

OSU Senseis

Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk

Dojo's Friend

Up to the last minute, it was a closely run race with four possible winners.  Never has Dojo been so fiercely fought for.
In the end two competitors were victorious.
What to do?
Cut Dojo in half?
Have both children live together for a month?
Or.....the more sensible solution of letting each child have him for 2 weeks each!
Neither, I let Dojo choose. Since one of the winners had already had the pleasure of his company he decided to go home with the other.
So, this months winning friend is Lucas with Edward receiving another certificate for all his hard work.

 

Lucas started training with us in August 2012.
If I said that Lucas was quiet, reserved and shy, I'm afraid that I would be telling a fib!
He reminds me of a hi bounce ball.......small,fast with a lot of bounce and great fun to be around.
Every time he enters the Dojo it's with the loudest Osu and the biggest smile guaranteed to brighten up your day.
I have to be careful to ensure that Lucas and his best friend Oli are not together whilst training as mayhem can be assured! However Lucas always brings his unending supply of enthusiasm to training which more that makes up for this.

Well done to Lucas, and I'm sure that where ever you and Dojo go together .......will leave a lasting impression.




And of course I haven't forgotten Edward. 
Edward was awarded Dojo in October but that didn't stop him from still trying his hardest.  He is a dedicated Karateka who puts everything into every one of his training sessions, he holds nothing back! Something our main class students could learn from.  Because of this he is becoming a student that Sensei Mike cannot wait to get his hands on. I don't mind, because when he leaves the children's class then I will get to train alongside him and follow his journey with him still.


Haxby Karate Kids 6.30pm to 7.30pm Monday and Thursday ONLY £10 a month. Haxby Karate Kids is part of Haxby Shotokan Karate Club, Wigginton Recreation Hall, The Village, Haxby, York, YO32 2PL www.haxbykarate.co.uk