We held a large club grading on Sunday 19th November for grades from 10th Kyu white belt right through to one student attempting the grade of 1st Kyu – the final kyu grade before black belt.
This grading had a lot of our quieter natured students attempting their next belts, so everyone took a little longer than usual to get warmed up and fully into grading mode.
Once they had all overcome this initial hurdle though, every student really came into their own and showed off some fantastic karate. I am proud to say once more we had a complete pass rate and all successfully achieved their next Kyu grades.
Thank you to everyone who helped to assist on the day with the grading – Sensei Julie Dudley, Sensei Gavin Oliphant, Sensei Martin Thomas, Sensei Del Knowles, Sensei Martin Wilmot, Sensei Kirsty Churchouse and Sensei Paul Webber. Junior Instructor Nathan Crowther, Sempai Karen Jackson. Junior Sempai’s Taigen Swinburn, Alfie Appleby, Jack Churchouse, Brandon Crowther and Katie Knowles, and student Amy Kershaw. Once again, all your help was much appreciated and without it large grading's like this one would be impossible tasks to do.
A special mention must go to the parents and friends too who encouraged and applauded those grading all afternoon. Your support really spurred on those grading – so thank you!
All the kyu grades did exceptionally well, from those students attempting that first nervous grading right through to students going for senior grades of brown belt and above, there were a particularly large number of students attempting 7th Kyu green belt and 6th Kyu red belt and within these grades we had quite a number of relatively young students who coped brilliantly all afternoon – well done to you all.
As a club that encourages and supports everyone – we always give a special mention by name to those students attaining the grades of 3rd Kyu and above, as these grades take many years of practice, dedication and training, so it’s rightly so that these grades are truly recognised.
Many congratulations therefore to the following students:
Isaac Lacy – 3rd Kyu
Isaac has been training at the Chorley dojo for a long time and started karate when he was really young, he always trains regularly along with his dad John and very rarely misses any classes. Isaac is a lovely polite student and an absolute pleasure to have in the dojo. Over the last eighteen months we have seen a real change in Isaac, perhaps it’s because he is getting that little bit older, but Isaac’s confidence and attention have really rocketed. He is now paying much more attention in class and always tries his hardest at everything he does, this is really reflecting in his karate and he is improving fast. On the grading day Isaac was really strong throughout and worked hard all day showing why he really deserved his 3rd Kyu. Well done Isaac and many congratulations on your new grade, keep up the great work!
Georgia Jackson – 3rd Kyu
Georgia is an absolute delight to teach in the dojo, she is always polite and friendly and tries her hardest at everything she does. A popular member within the club she has made some great friends, and is always smiling. Georgia listens intensively to what is being taught in class, and then practices what she has been taught. Georgia has a great role model in her mum Sempai Karen Jackson, as well as guidance from Senior Instructor Sensei Gavin. Georgia’s karate is now starting to become a very high standard with lovely basics, and well-practiced kata’s, her kumite is also very good, and she is starting to understand what is being asked of her. Georgia did still extremely well all afternoon at her grading – she gave everything 100% and was very determined to earn her new shiny belt. Very well-done Georgia. Congratulations on your 3rd Kyu grade!
Lydia Geddes – 3rd Kyu
Lydia is another of our very talented girls in the club and she really enjoys her karate. Rarely missing classes Lydia is a great student to teach and always listens and pays attention to what is being taught. She has good all-round karate, nice strong basics, well-practiced kata’s and good kumite. Lydia is always polite in the dojo and is a popular member with the other girls in the class. On the grading day Lydia just got on with the job in hand, she stayed focused all afternoon and let nothing faze her. Lydia has made excellent improvement since her last grading, something that I’m sure will continue. Well done on your 3rd Kyu Lydia, keep up the fab work!
Helen Talbot – 3rd Kyu
Helen is one of our adult females who really enjoys her karate and is a popular member within the club, Helen along with daughter Kaitlin supports every event we hold within the club. Training with Sensei Julie since a white belt Helen has made great strides in her karate and has always had a good standard, and now that Helen regularly attends Senior class too, her karate is improving even more. Helen has always paid attention in the dojo and then tried her hardest to put into practice what is being shown, she likes to train regularly and gets really annoyed if she must miss classes due to work commitments. Helen has taken huge steps forward in her karate since she last graded – showing much more confidence in her basics, kata’s and kumite. We look forward to seeing Helen continue to improve as she moves ever closer to her black belt. Well done Helen, congratulations on your 3rd Kyu!
Bethany Bradford – 3rd Kyu
Bethany is an absolute pleasure to teach and is a popular student among the other girls in the club. Rarely missing classes Bethany always pays attention and tries her hardest at everything she does. She is also such a thoughtful student and is always willing to help others. Bethany seems to really enjoy her karate, and this is reflecting in her progress – so much so that she is starting to become one to watch for the future! Bethany did brilliantly at her grading, she was very confident at everything she did, and she worked tirelessly all afternoon with a big smile on her face. Her kata’s were very clean and precise and in the kumite section she handled all situations totally unfazed! Well done Bethany, splendid work – keep it going. Well done on your 3rd Kyu!
John Lacy – 2nd Kyu
John is one of the male adult members within the club and has been training at the Chorley dojo for a considerable number of years. He is a fantastic student to have in the dojo, and tries his hardest at everything he does, if John doesn’t pick up a technique straight away he will keep trying until he masters it, such is his drive to do well! Due to other commitments John doesn’t get to train as much as he would like to - so, it had been quite a while since he last graded – which says an awful lot about John’s determination and character, and something I must commend him for. This absence from training never deters John though, and he keeps going trusting he will get there in his own time. John did brilliantly all day at his grading, he shied away from nothing and worked tirelessly all day, his basics were focused and strong and he did a brilliant kata Basai-Dai. In the kumite section John seemed to really enjoy sparring and handled situations very well. Congratulations on your 2nd Kyu John. Keep up the fantastic work!
Christian Schofield – 2nd Kyu
Sempai Christian is another of our adult males within the club who is really enjoying his karate. Christian trains regularly at the Fleetwood dojo and has made great friends with other adults within the class. Christian is very supportive of the club and attends every event we hold, he always listens and tries hard in classes and really relishes in his role as a club Sempai helping others whenever he possibly can. Christian regularly attends senior class and this has helped his karate improve massively as he prepares for his black belt grade. On the grading day Christian knew what was expected of him and gave his all to every section, he had good basics and his kata’s were very clean and it was clear they had been practiced well. Christian also really enjoyed the kumite section and is starting to show more understanding of distance and speed when sparring. Keep up the great work Christian, you thoroughly deserved your 2nd Kyu. Well done!
Lauren Welsh – 2nd Kyu
Lauren is a super talented student who regularly trains at the Leigh dojo’s. A very popular member within the club, she has made some great friends and always supports every event we hold. Lauren really enjoys her karate and rarely misses classes, she always pays attention in the dojo and often has a natural ability to pick things up really quickly. A member of our elite tournament squad team Lauren has again had enormous success this year in external tournaments, coping brilliantly under pressure on the mats. Lauren worked tirelessly all day at her grading, her basics and kata’s were very clean and she gave every one of them, all her effort. In the kumite section Lauren understood distance and speed and never stopped working showing brilliant control. Despite getting very hot and feeling unwell for a brief time it was clear Lauren didn’t want to stop, but by this point of the grading she had more than shown that she was very deserving of her 2nd Kyu, and it was good to see that she thankfully recovered quickly, and was able to collect her belt and certificate. Congratulations Lauren – keep up the awesome work!
Freya Hulme – 1st Kyu
Pocket rocket Freya is another of our super talented young female students. Regularly training at the Leigh dojos with her sister Lucy, Freya is really starting to come into her own with her karate and I don’t think she realises how good she is fast becoming. Freya also regularly attends senior class, and this has improved her karate tenfold – she is already well ahead of where she needs to be for her grade and her future in karate is looking very bright and exciting. On the grading day Freya was awesome! She gave every section 100% effort all afternoon, her basics, combinations, kata’s and kumite were all executed brilliantly and with such focus rarely seen in younger students. The instructor team all commented on how good Freya was and we all very much look forward to seeing Freya attempt her black belt grading next year. Congratulations on your 1st Kyu Freya. Very well deserved!