On the 15th November we held a grading at Fleetwood for students from various dojo’s right across the club.
It was once again another challenging but as always brilliant grading with a 100% pass rate. The students involved were from very young white belts attending their very first grading right through to one student attempting their 1st Kyu – the grade before black belt.
A big thank you must go to the parents and family members who watch from the sides. We have fantastic support from parents throughout the club not only with bringing your children to classes, but also at events like gradings. We consider ourselves very lucky to have such fantastic people in the club!
A big thank you to Sensei Gavin Oliphant, Sensei Julie Dudley, Sensei Gary McDonald, Sensei Martin Wilmot and Sensei Del Knowles who assisted with the grading.
Special thanks also to Junior Instructors Nathan Crowther and Kieran Lydon and Junior Sempai's Brandon Crowther, Jack Churchouse, Rebecca Worthington, Taigen Swinburn, Chelsea Grundy, Charlotte Bertram and Daisy Oliphant for helping Sensei Simon on the day with the grading as well as being fantastic role models for the other students in the club.
The white belts coped brilliantly at their first ever grading, displaying some great karate basics and some very good Kion kata. The remaining students grading, all of different Kyu levels, again showed fantastic karate basics, as well as great kata and kumite skills. The level of focus and commitment from each and every student was exceptional and the spirit was phenomenal.
Congratulations to each and every student who attempted their grading as everyone successfully achieved their next belts. You should all be extremely proud of yourselves as you all worked really hard for your next Kyu grade. Well done!
We always mention by name those students who reach the grade of 3rd Kyu and above as to get to these levels of karate is a huge achievement and takes many years of dedication, hard work and training.
Congratulations to the following students:
Georgia Chapman – 3rd Kyu
Georgia has been training with Sensei Simon for a number of years now and is a lovely and polite girl, and a pleasure to have in the club. She always tries hard in every class, rarely missing a lesson, and then applies what she has been taught. She is really enjoying her karate and is gaining more confidence all the time. Georgia has really improved since her last grading. After gaining her 4th Kyu Georgia increased her training to twice a week and it has all really paid off for her. Georgia’s karate is now much cleaner and sharper. Her kata’s are finished smoother and with much more kimae, and her kumite is much more controlled. She coped brilliantly at the grading and really showed why she deserved her 3rd Kyu. Georgia is now eligible for senior class which will help her improve even more in preparation for her black belt. Very well done Georgia, keep up the fab work!
Kieron Gray – 3rd Kyu
Kieron is a very talented and polite young man who again really enjoys his karate. He is an absolutely brilliant student to have in the club and a great role model for the younger boys to follow. Kieron hardly ever misses his training and this has helped him to have good all round karate with really strong foundations. Kieron always works really hard in every lesson, he has good concentration and focus and is a student to really watch out for in the future. Kieron did brilliantly at the grading, his kata’s are well practiced and sharp and he has really good kumite with controlled kicks and punches. Kieron is now eligible for senior class, which and this will really help bring Kieron on even more as he heads towards his black belt. Congratulations Kieron, you really deserved your 3rd Kyu fantastic work!
Yvonne Crowther – 3rd Kyu
Sempai Yvonne started training just under three years ago and has come a really long way since then. She trains regularly twice a week as well as attending senior class. Her confidence has grown tenfold and she is now really enjoying her karate. Yvonne focuses and tries hard at every class and it’s now all really starting to pay off. At the grading Yvonne coped really well despite carrying an injury that she was determined wouldn’t faze her. Her kata’s were well practiced and confident and her stances were much more improved than at her last grading. In the kumite section she coped much better than previously with better control and distance, and is improving much more in this area. Yvonne endured some tiring kumite rounds where she was pushed hard by sons Nathan and Brandon Crowther, and Kieron Lydon, and during this she had some great support from the spectators as well as providing some great entertainment! Very well done Yvonne, congratulations on your 3rd Kyu.
Jacob Greaves – 2nd Kyu
Jacob is a great student to have in the club and another great role model for the younger male students to follow. He has always tried hard at every lesson, rarely missing a class and we commend him for this. Jacob is a great student to teach, he focuses hard and this really pays off for him as he continues to improve all the time. Jacob has lovely clean karate, his kata’s are well practiced and his kumite is very precise. At the grading Jacob coped brilliantly in all areas, he had good responses and there is no doubt he has gained experience and confidence in all areas since he last graded. Senior class will now improve Jacob even more and we have no doubt he will continue with the determination and focus that he has always applied in class. Congratulations Jacob on gaining your 2nd Kyu, fantastic work!
Tobias Adjetey-Hilton – 2nd Kyu
Tobias is a good steady student who always tries his best in every class and enjoys his karate. Tobias did well at his grading, his kata’s are clean and you could see they had been practiced well. His stronger point is his kumite. He worked really hard in the kumite section and had some challenging rounds. He coped with them all brilliantly and held his composure to earn his 2nd Kyu. Tobias’s focus has improved a lot this year and hopefully this will continue. We very much look forward to seeing Tobias continuing to work hard as all his efforts are starting to reward him in his karate. Well done Tobias, keep up the great work!
Oliver Spencer – 2nd Kyu
Oliver is a lovely and polite young man, who is a pleasure to have in the dojo. He has good all round karate and always tries his hardest in every class. Oliver is another student with brilliant attendance and rarely misses a class. Oliver has really nice kata’s that are strong in all areas and he also has great controlled kumite. On the grading day Oliver did brilliantly in every section, his focus and determination were clear to see and all his movements were sharp and strong. We really look forward to seeing Oliver in senior class as he continues to grow in his karate. Well done Oliver and many congratulations on your 2nd Kyu.
Elliott Bertram – 2nd Kyu
Elliott is a fantastic and very loyal student to have in the club. Elliott trains three times a week, as well as senior class and travels quite a distance every week to train. Only in exceptional cases does he ever miss a class which we commend him for, such is his dedication and commitment. Elliott really enjoys his karate, his confidence has grown immensely and he really focuses and tries hard at everything he does, and as a result he continues to constantly improve. He has made some great friends within the club and this is really good to see. Elliott did brilliantly at his grading. From the start he worked his socks off! He was sharp and focused and had some lovely karate throughout the basics. His kata’s were of a good standard and it was clear to see he had worked hard on them. Elliott coped very well in the kumite and has improved immensely in this area since his last grading, he was much more controlled and aware of distance and hand speed. We have no doubt that Elliott will continue to shine in classes as his depth of knowledge grows. Well done Elliott, congratulations on your 2nd Kyu. Keep up the fantastic work!
Kirsty Churchouse – 2nd Kyu
Sempai Kirsty is a great asset to the club and is a really loyal supporter and fantastic student. Kirsty is one very determined lady and nothing gets in her way! Kirsty trains regularly twice a week as well as attending senior class and assisting Sensei Julie at the Thursday Fleetwood dojo. Kirsty’s karate continues to improve all the time and she tries and focuses hard in everything she does. At the grading Kirsty worked really hard throughout despite having a shoulder injury. Her kata’s had been practiced well and she was confident going through them which was great to see. In the kumite section Kirsty worked and was pushed really hard, she had some particular tough rounds to endure but never gave in! A little more control and restraint would help Kirsty’s kumite improve even more and this is something to work on in class. Kirsty’s attitude though is formidable and no one can fault her sheer drive in classes. We have no doubt Kirsty will make a great Sensei in the not too distant future as she has fantastic leadership skills. Congratulations Kirsty, you thoroughly deserved your 2nd Kyu, very well done!
Mike Jordan – 1st Kyu
Mike Jordan is a fantastic guy to have training at Musuko Karate. Mike is a real gentleman, and a really lovely guy. Despite being one of our older students he never lets this deter him from his training. He trains twice a week as well as attending senior class, and tries his hardest at every class he attends. Mike did really well at his grading, again despite having an old injury he coped brilliantly throughout. His kata’s were of a good standard and his kumite was clean and controlled. Mike never gave up and stayed humble and focused throughout. His drive is admirable and he got the biggest cheer of the day when he came forward to collect his belt and certificate. We salute you Mike on your fantastic achievement. Congratulations on your 1st Kyu Mike, you thoroughly deserved it! May the fantastic work you have done so far continue!
