Merry Xmas Everyone!

See you all in the New Year. Remember first lesson back is Tuesday 5th January.

Hopefully will be looking at gradings mid February.

Club instructors pass gradings

Sensei Andy, Sensei Steve and Sensei Dave

Sensei David Blackburn and Sensei Steve Wilkinson both passed their Sandan (3rd Dan) on Saturday 12th December, and I, (Andy Bailey) passed my Nidan (2nd Dan). All of us want to express our thanks to the other blackbelts, you have took the brunt of the instructing whilst we have been training over the last few months and appreciate your support in this.

Thanks to Sensei Bob Anderson (5th Dan Karate), for coming over to our club from Peterlee to conduct the gradings.

Also Sensei Marty passed his Ju-Jitsu Shodan (1st Dan) black belt grade on Sunday. Congratulations Marty.

Sensei Linda took some photos of Dave, Steve and myself, which I have now posted.

Links to Wheel Chair Kata

This post is for Brian, who has started training again last Sunday. It's amazing what I can talk people into over a pint. Click on the title "Link to Wheel Chair Kata" at the top of this post for a list of Shotokan Katas. At the bottom of the list are the Wheel Chair Katas. Just click on each to view the videos.

Also below are a few videos from youtube. The last is in Japanese.

Sensei Iain Abernathy Course - 3rd October at Thornaby

Left to right: Sensei Andy Bailey (me), Sensei Linda Croakin, Sensei Iain Abernathy, Sensei Dave Blackburn.

The course this time concentrated on the use of Shuto-uki within Kata bunkai. Sensei Abernathy started with a few drills which start off with both sides in left stance with a fighting guard. The attcking side firstly using the right hand to push away the guard on the others left arm then striking shuto to the neck. Then the left hand was used to open up the the guard followed again by a shuto the the neck. The attacker then stepped forward and repeated with the other side. Once completed the drill was repeated with the roles reversed.

The drill was then repeated with the left hand opening up the guard first and the shuto uki to the neck with the left hand, followed by the tight had pushing the guard away then shuto to the neck.

Again this was repeated on bothsides, then the roles changed over and repeated. The drill was meant to flow without any breaks. they were then added together to increase the complexity.

Following on from this the bunkai was used from Pinan Shodan , with the the follow up of the use of nukite after the shuto uki's. This was expressed as a smash into the chest rather than the use of a spear hand strike. It was also demonstrated with the hand on the hip as in Wado Ryu/Anshin Ryu and with the application from Shotokan with the right hand under the right elbow.

Linda kindly video'd myself and Sensei Dave going quickly through the drills in the break as a reminder. (No edits so a bit rough and ready).







We then looked at taking bunkai from different kata's and merging them together to cope with different situations. The following video's show the drills from this excersise.

Grading syllabus information.

To aid in understanding japanese terms used, the grading process and the ethics behind karate I have posed some of the information kindly provided by Sensei Steve Wilkinson. This is part of a document he has produced showing all the grading syllabus but due to the size of the document I have only publuished certain parts as we already have the detail of the gradings listed at the bottom of this blog.

I can email the full document on request via our email address. Link on right hand side of this blog.

http://newtonaycliffesnshinryugrading.blogspot.com/

Iain Abernethy Seminar at Thornaby.

Sensei Iain Abernethy will be holding one of his excellent seminars at Thornaby again on October 3rd 2009. The seminars are fantastic value at £20 per person . For those that are not familiar with him there is a link on the right of the blog to his web site. Full details of the seminar times and location are available by following this link :-

http://www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp#Seminars

If anyone wants to attend then please speak with Dave Blackburn and get your name down on the form on the notice board in the dojo.

Congratulations to Oliver on his grading.

Oliver just missed out on passing his green belt a month ago and was told to re-focus and try again in a month. I am pleased to say that he took on board the comments of his instructors and gave a first class performance to pass his 6th Kyu, Green belt. Well Done Oliver.