Haxby Carnival 2018

What a scorcher it was at the carnival, not only was the weather hot clear and sunny but the attendance to the parade was staggering 21 karate-ka came along to support the club and the carnival as a whole.

 

Everyone supporting the club and the carnival

Our day started out at 11 am with a good group including Jim Sensei, Holly Sensei, Mary, Elizabeth, Will (M) and myself as well as some extra hands from Cathrine, John and Nixon we set the tent and stall up for our cake sale, headed up by Mary directing us to where she wanted us placed and where the tables set for maximum sales, Nixon also came along to help and made sure all the cakes were out and displayed efficiently for all to see.

the newest member to the club joining in for a picture
(Ft. Goose)

At  12 our troop was joined by Will (V), Annie, Alfie and Poppy  headed out to Grey Firs for the beginning of the carnival, upon arriving one by one the rest of the parade grew around us as well as our members arriving to join in in no particular order we had, Matthew and Robert, Jason, James and Jack as well as Jason’s daughter, Edwin and Aiwin, Olivia, Angle, Jeon and Austin. And last but most certainly not least Brenda Sensei made a guest appearance to join us in the parade through the village.  Right before the parade we were joined by a special member of our community Goose came for a picture with us to show of his skills and earned his black belt.

The march through the village was amazing, as was the level of support from the whole village. The streets were lined with supporting, family and friends, as we headed for our destination at Ethel ward playing field.  All of our members did a fantastic job in the parade keeping together and smiling to the crowd and waving all the way.  When we arrived at our stall the whole attendance lined up for a group photo, soon followed by the first wave of cake sales to our younger members.

 

Marching through the village

As the afternoon rolled on we became fewer as people set off home to spend the remainder of the day with there family’s and enjoy the sun, but for the few of us that stayed on through out it all it was fantastic spending some down time together and meeting members from around the community, the organisers and everyone else.  

This year we dedicated our stall for raising funds for the St. Leonard’s hospice and with all the help from all who visited us on the stall we raised a staggering £120.  So a big thank you to everyone who helped us get there.

 

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So on to next years carnival where we aim to join in the parade, hold our usual stall and also get up in the arena as give a strong demonstration for all to see what our karate family is all about. On behalf of myself, Jim and Mary thank you to all who attended we are very proud of you all.

Oss

Ben

visit www.haxbykarate.co.uk to find out more about our Club. For more information email info@haxbykarate.co.uk

Sun, Sand and Karate

The time had come around again for our annual summer trip to Cleethorpes for bears on the beach with kaizen no-michi and Selby Shotokan Karate Club.  For a change we had a nice lie in before a long drive over to the coast thanks to a later start we could happily leave York at 9.30 for the smooth drive through. We had a fantastic turn out of 10 karate-ka this year who all had a fantastic day on the beach with some quality training lead by Andre Sensei from KNM and Paul sensei from SSKC as well as some fun and games on the beach.

A quick Photo before we started the day.

Arriving at 11 o’clock promptly we set up base on the beach and awaited the arrival of all who would participate in the day, for a prompt start at around 11.30. To begin we went through so light stretches but nothing to heating as the weather was already pushing a lovely 24 degrees, followed by a hips exercise lead by a young member of KNM called “the Floss” which proved difficult for adult members to get the grips off the all the youngsters seemed to excel at it.

Running through JONO kata

The first session lead by Andy Sensei saw us going through a simple but testing round of gyaku tsuki, this exercise leads on to some pairs work to practise the combination of attack front turn and attack rear then front attack again, attacking 3 different opponents. The last part of this exercise we split up and had mini competitions between 2 lines to see who could react the fastest to the combination. 

The final part of the session we went through JONO kata (beginners Kata) followed by a look at the application of the kata and how it is more advanced than it appears.

Andy Sensei demonstrating a take down
making Ben eat sand.

After a break for lunch and some playing in the sea and sand we had our second session this time lead by Paul Sensei, to begin we ran through Heian Shodan but after a couple slow run throughs Paul sensei added a twist and had us run through facing 4 different directions doing a directional team kata style go through. This proved that it doesn’t matter what way you face while doing a kata no matter where you are doing it the kata will always start and end the same and every step in-between does not change. 

Practising the take down.

After practising Heian Shodan, we moved on to Meikyo (polished mirror) fortunately for HSKC some of the seniors had had a brief run through of the kata the Thursday so we could look in to more of the detail of the kata, but for many it was their first try at it. Meikyo is a symmetrical kata that branches out to envelop a lot of basic khion to create a fantastic kata. Finally, some of the more complicated moves Paul sensei described and demonstrated so we would properly understand what was happening in them rather than us just washing through the kata and running through the motions without thought for what was happening.

What bears on the beach is about!!! fun in the sea.

Ending our day on a high we packed up base and headed up to the kiosk to get our last ice-creams and gather ourselves before our  journey home after a very warm extremely fun day on the beach, really couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend a Sunday than with great company and friend and a whole lot of karate, and maybe an apple juice or two for the adults.

So on behalf of HSKC I'd like to thank Andrew Sensei for inviting us to join KNM on the beach and for his expert instruction and Paul Sensei for his thorough instruction of Meikyo.

Oss

Ben

visit www.haxbykarate.co.uk to find out more about our Club. For more information email info@haxbykarate.co.uk

Fantastic grading course with Hans Sensei

Our latest grading seemed to arrive very quickly after the previous one, although it had been a full three months since the February Grading, many of our club members were still getting comfortable with their new grade, and were not ready to step in front of the examiners this time.

 

The mid grade class getting ready to perform kata

It is perhaps appropriate to remember that after 9^th Kyu everyone is assessed using the same syllabus, there is not distinction between an adult and a junior karate-ka, it should be no surprise that not everyone will be ready to grade at every opportunity. Bear in mind that for each new grade there is a new kata to learn (and at certain grades a whole new kihon and kumite syllabus as well!).

With 22 karate-ka going before the examiners, what we may have lacked in quantity, we certainly more than made up for in quality!

Not only was I busy greeting people to the course as usual, but I also helped Mike Sensei out on the grading tables, although I did not get to see everyone, what I did see was very impressive!

We were lucky to have one of our favourite instructors return to teach at this course, and from what I saw, and heard afterwards Hans Rana Sensei (JKS 6^th Dan) did not disappoint!

Holly Sensei leading the Junior Class

The training started with the class being split into two groups. Hans Sensei took the senior group for some gentle(?) warm ups, exercises and training, whilst our very own Holly Sensei took the junior karate-ka for some karate related games into order to warm them up and distract them from potentially worrying about their grading later that morning.

It must have worked as James, Jack, and Vismaya all successfully completed their first grading with the club to attain their 12^th Kyu Orange Belt. It was nice to see James and Jack (and father Jason – but more on him later) perform so well on their first grading, it is always difficult for people to change clubs, and this marks the completion of their assimilation into Haxby Shotokan Karate Club.

Next up were Poppy (P), Alfie, Austin, Ella, Florence, Angel, and Kevin. They have all been training with us for some time, and are making excellent progress. I know they (and their parents!) were all relieved when it was announced that they have all passed their 10^th Kyu and they could now exchange their tired old Orange belts for a brand new Red one!

Jason was grading for the first time with the club after recently joining with his sons James and Jack. He was successful alongside Robert and Harley in attaining his 9th Kyu. He will have to work hard to ensure that his sons do not overtake him (as Holly did me!).

Hans Sensei taking the lower grades

Jesteena, Mathew were up next chasing 8^th Kyu, Jesteena is one of the quiet stars of our Early class, she is always listening and tries hard! Both were successful in their grading, and Mathew managed to keep one step ahead of his son Robert! Yellow Belt is next for you, with a whole new kata to learn!

Jeon put in a very composed performance to secure his 6^th Kyu Green Belt, and to keep several steps ahead of his younger sister Angel. I knew that Paul (D) was nervous going into the grading for 5^th Kyu Purple Belt. Like many Karate-ka who start training later in life (me included!) he has struggled with injury and to teach his body how to move in a whole new way, but his nerves proved to be completely unfunded as he put in a confident (seeming) performance to pass his grading – Brown Belt is in sight now Paul!

Thomas and Edwin were up next. Thomas to continue his steady and determined pursuit towards Shodan, and Edwin to try to catch his brother up before he reaches it! Both were successful in taking their next step and were awarded 4^th Kyu.

 

Paul (D) getting some 1-2-1 instruction from Hans Sensei

The last of our karate-ka to grade was Paul (B). Paul has returned to karate after a prolonged break and has only recently begun grading again. He was not expecting to attempt a grading this time, and I think was a bit surprised when Mike Sensei put him forward for grading. The proof that you should always trust in Mike Sensei’s judgement was evident when he was awarded his 1^st Kyu. With Shodan firmly in his sights for a potential February 2019 grading, Paul has a lot of work ahead of him, but there is plenty of support at the club for those whole are willing to put the effort and dedication into their training!

Although he did not grade at the course, it is only fair to mention Ben’s success in attaining his 4^th Kyu a couple of weeks earlier. Ben displays a huge amount of determination and dedication to his training. He commonly trains for 3 hours a session, and attends as many courses as his work will allow. This was reflected in the strong performance he put in during his surprise grading at the club! 

 

Paul (B) performing Bassai Dai

Whilst all this was going on Hans Sensei was tirelessly putting our karate-ka through their paces. One of our Junior grades was most impressed with the fact the Hans Sensei would be training with the same level of intensity throughout the day for over 5 hours! Every person that I spoke to after the course praised Hans Sensei and his instruction. I did not get to see much of what he did (although I am sure I saw the higher Junro Kata as some point) being kept busy helping with the organisation of the course, but Holly was certainly impressed and morn out afterwards.

 

Hans Sensei taking the Senior Class through some advanced kata

I would like to thank Paul Sensei for his tireless effort to organise and run these courses. It is hard ot overstate just what and excellent job he does. I would also like to thank Mike and Keith Gullen Senseis for acting as the examiners for the grading. And of course Hans Sensei for his excellent tuition and proving once again why he is one of our favourite instructors!

If you enjoyed Hans Sensei’s instruction, he will be coming to our Dojo of the afternoon of Saturday 11^th August 2018. Places are limited and are being booked up quickly – so let me know if you would like to take advantage to of opportunity to train with him again.

OSU

Jim

visit www.haxbykarate.co.uk to find out more about our Club. For more information email info@haxbykarate.co.uk