A Black Belt Grading (number 1 of 3 planned for 2022) was held on Sunday 20th March at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton and we are delighted to report that it was a huge success. The course beforehand was full to capacity and all grading spots had been taken. We were looking forward to a great event and it didn’t disappoint.

We have 4 new Sandans (3rd Dan Black Belt), 3 new Nidans (2nd Dan Black Belt) and 8 new Shodans (1st Dan Black Belt).

What a remarkable achievement by all involved, this is huge for our Club. We are so proud of each and every student and Instructor who was part of this special day, not only for their outstanding performances, but for they way they have trained leading up to this event.

Never before have we seen this level of commitment from a group of grading candidates. Many had taken extra lessons, put the hours in (some the decades), sweated buckets, bled, nursed blisters, counted bruises, invested in 1:1 tuition and significantly improved their fitness to raise the bar that everyone else now has to follow.

We were quite simply blown away by some of you on the day. Class performances from a class set of students.

I usually rain on the parade by telling you how your karate will stagnate and decline if you stop your training at black belt. How you have reached the top of the mountain, but there are many more mountains to climb, but I almost feel like this does not need to be said today. Each and every student who graded has been on their own journey, (some longer than others), but what unites you all is that you actually love it. You love what you do, you met the challenge and showed us how it is done. You all have a lifelong place in our club and will continue to train and know that your home is here. Your name has already been added or updated on our Black Belt Roll of Honour.

It was tremendous to see the supporters and loved ones spurring you on once again. These events have gone on behind closed doors for far too long. Talent like yours should be on display, to be seen by all. The atmosphere was incredible and I hadn’t realised how much I had missed the ‘togetherness’ of a big grading. and how much it helps enhance the performances of the students. I hope you will all agree, It feels fantastic to be back.

Many thanks to those who joined in the course beforehand. It looked like a sweaty and challenging one :-)

Now onto the wonderful karateka who achieved their goals, I shall try and keep it brief but it is important to let everyone know how special you are and how you did it on the day.

Shodan - 1st Dan Black Belt

Shodan means ‘Beginners Level’. It is the lowest rank of Black Belt but in many ways is the hardest one to get. Once it is achieved, a student will feel a huge weight has been lifted from their shoulders. You can now relax, safe in the knowledge that you earned it and nobody can take that away from you. Your black belt does not come from a club that gives them out like sweets. a Red Tiger Black Belt is hard earned and well deserved. It is an enormous personal achievement for a person of any age. Especially those who have started karate in adulthood. Learning everything there is to learn is extremely hard work, then performing at your best, under pressure, in front of your peers, your loved ones and the examiners is tremendously brave and courageous. Congratulations to you all. Please continue to train and develop. The learning never stops. You can just relax and enjoy it more now.

Zoe Chaffer - A great performance from a wonderfully, mild-mannered and polite young lady. Zoe showed she has lovely karate. Her combinations were thoroughly practised and she has great technique. Her Katas flowed nicely and she has excellent stances. There is little to fault in Zoe’s performance and I really hope that she gains more self-confidence and belief from this special achievement. The first of team Chaffer to make it to Black Belt - incredible! We asked for more in her kumite and she gave it to us. She is very capable and determined. Once Zoe starts believing in her own ability and gains confidence, she really will start to come into her own and the sky is the limit for this very talented young lady. You deserve to be a black belt and we are so pleased for you and proud of you. Well done.

Ella Young - We were very excited to see Ella’s name on the grading list. She has always been a stand out at previous gradings and never fails to impress us. Today, we saw a mature and controlled performance from an exceptionally talented young lady. The potential she possesses is very exciting and doesn’t come around very often. She ticked all the boxes and breezed through the grading with ease. We could have thrown anything at her and she would have blasted it - no problem. Technically, she is excellent. Her Katas are equally excellent. Kumite is the area we expected to see the most. I know if we would have put her sister in front of her or somebody she is used to sparring, we’d have seen a completely different Ella. Again, I think confidence might be an issue and perhaps holding back a little too much. Be you and don’t hold back. We want to see that fire back next time missus. There is definitely more to come from you, but keep up the great work because you were awesome! Well done.

Xander Matanle - Hands down this is the best version of Xander we have ever seen. He has spent many years patiently plugging away, waiting for this opportunity and when it came, he grabbed it with both hands. Xander is a fantastic character to have in class, I really miss teaching this cheeky face and him listening to absolutely nothing that I say haha! Well he must be listening to somebody now because he was just brilliant. Strong combinations, good solid Kata (albeit maybe a little rushed) and absolutely fearless in the kumite. He was hunting Jaime Pratley down like a lion at the Zoo at feeding time! As Mike Sensei said, enjoy your moment in the spotlight as it can’t be easy having two superstar karate parents - 1 being a fab Instructor. You are catching them up now Xander and seeing their faces when you passed - they couldn’t be more proud of you and pleased for you. Great work, please keep it up!

Kelly Dawson - What a looooooooong journey it has been for our favourite Bacup smiler! Kelly has been training with us for what must seem like forever, but has only just felt confident enough to take on these higher grades in the last couple of years. You have to admire Kelly for the sheer effort she put into everything she does, from the warm up to the kihon, fitness to kata and then the sparring. She gives it 1000% and always has. Her drive and willingness to overcome every challenge and obstacle is inspirational. We closed her local dojo and she travels miles and miles to train with John and Helen Sensei. So dedicated, so committed, it’s rare. I am so pleased she has reached black belt because she has finally proven to herself something her Instructors never doubted, that she could and she would do this. It isn’t out of reach for anyone. She meets and exceeds her potential every time she trains. A pleasure to teach, a pleasure to know and a pleasure to now have as a Sensei. Well done Kelly, you deserve this.

Mark Waters - Mark is another student who has been around for as long as I can remember. A real gent who is always working hard to improve. We just cannot ask for more. Mark actually puts most of the youngsters to shame when we are doing fitness drills, he is fiercely competitive and has always stood out at gradings for being strong, determined and leading by example. I was so pleased to get a message from Mark and see him step back into the dojo after Covid and for anyone else who hasn’t been for a while, just do it. You are always welcome here and it is never to late to achieve what you want to. Mark got on with it, shook off the rust and got right back up to scratch in no time. Amazing! Thank you for being such a top laugh to have in the class and keeping going when it could have been so much easier to leave it. You had unfinished business and boy did you get the job done in style! Well done.

Simon Mattinson - What a character Simon is. I am sure we all have a good story or two about Simon and his antics at class, or during events/tournaments, he is a fab guy to have around. Always supporting others, he has watched many a student go past him over the years including the Missus, but has never complained. Simon steadily plugs away and really does enjoy his karate. We might try to kill his knees off with all our weird and wonderful drills but Simon just gets on with it, gets back in the dojo the following week and did put on a pretty good performance in all areas of the grading. He clearly enjoys the kumite the most as I thought we had exhausted him, but he dug deep and found some brilliant techniques for the kumite section. Simon should be so proud of himself and will be pleased to be catching Jade Sensei up. I do hope you hear the end of it at home Jade Sensei! Well done Simon, I hope you can relax and get that knee sorted now.

Tris Miles - Oh yes. Verrrrrrry good performance from Tris, he was the highest scoring adult Shodan in all areas. This man has seriously good karate. The only person who doesn’t think so is him. Well I hope you realise now that you aren’t too shabby Tris. He challenges himself, goes to the hardest classes, stays back and fights the teenagers at kumite squad. All this extra work really did pay off. Tris is a class act. It was a pleasure to watch him on the day and help him as he meticulously prepared for this. You can tell he is the type of character that if he going to do something, he is going to give it everything and do it right. Since we told him we wanted him to try, he has been all in. Dedication, focus, an eye for detail, relentless practise, commitment to train when you’ve had a long day and it would be easier to sit on the sofa. This is everything you need to be successful and Tris ticked all the boxes. You did it. Now please have a bit of confidence will you! Thank you.

Paul Evans - Paul is now our 3rd member of team Evans to make it to Black Belt and we couldn’t be more pleased for him. His karate is fantastic and always has been. Paul is so cheerful and such a nice fella. He hasn’t rushed his way through the grades as he is a bit of a secret perfectionist and wants to make sure everything is just right and it was. He nailed the grading. I thought he was going to have exhausted himself in the combinations, because he put so much effort in but his fitness and pre-grading preparation made sure that he was able to continue sharp and strong right through his katas and kumite. He appeared relaxed and confident but I am sure inside he was as nervous as everybody else. I hope that he continues his training because we really enjoy having him in the classes, setting a great example to others and always working so hard. One day, he might just be able to keep up with Mrs Evans at skipping, there’s a new goal for you! Good luck with that one - I am still trying haha! Luke next please for the full family……

Nidan - 2nd Dan Black Belt

Almost anyone willing to work hard and train consistently for a few years can achieve the grade of Shodan. You can see this by the huge number of students on our Black Belt Roll of Honour. Relatively few in comparison will make it to Nidan. There were more than double the amount of students going to Shodan at this grading, yet only three going for Nidan.

There are a few simple reasons for this. Many view the Black Belt as the ultimate goal - the pinnacle of karate. Few truly understand and appreciate that it is just the beginning, and those who do realise have often gone as far as they want to anyway. All respect for those people. Few have what it takes to motivate themselves beyond the ‘big prize’ - the one that makes people say ‘wow’ when you tell them that you are a Black Belt. Getting a Nidan is much harder and students going for Nidan and above are few and far between. It is involves more consistent training, more hard work but setting multiple small goals at a time and achieving them. Then setting some more. It requires patience. It requires self discipline to re-motivate yourself and it requires confidence to put yourself up for judgement again. All three of our candidates were juniors and exceptional juniors at that. All have been doing karate from a very early age and persevered. We are so pleased for all three of them. Lets have some girls on this list next time!

Aaron Jefferson - Every so often a student walks into your dojo a complete beginner and you just know they were born to do it. Aaron was that student for me all those years ago. I thought - YES! This one will do it all. He had raw ability and exceptional talent right from the very start, but there are so many other qualities that make Aaron and his karate so remarkably special. He has incredibly supportive parents giving him the opportunity and pushing him just enough. FOCUSED. Aaron has always been incredibly focused. The first to arrive at class, the first to line up, the first to move on command, the first to do everything and anything you ask. He has been on it from the very start. DEDICATED. I can count one one hand the amount of students currently training who are as dedicated and committed to karate as Aaron. He is 100% reliable and works hard every time he trains. So sharp, physically strong and does not get tired. We are actually so lucky at Haslingden to have such an outstanding Cadet Leader inspiring the youngsters in our class. HUMBLE. Aaron stays humble and is so helpful to others. His attitude is spot on. There is no ego, he actually has no idea how good he already is and how far he can go with his karate. He may have got his Nidan today but he can just keep going. His competitive career has already begun and all who teach him have nothing but great things to say about him. He listens attentively and practises. Those who saw Aarons performance on the day will remember his name. He stood out and will continue to stand out because it is his excellent training habits that are making him great. You could easily see why Paul Sensei picked him as Student of the Year and he is carrying the responsibility with class. Well done, we are incredibly proud of you, your karate and that you train here!

William Towler - William is another one of those students that is just born to do it and has absolutely NO IDEA how phenomenal he is at karate. I count William as one of the very best juniors in the Club. He is so hard working and so eager to please - a dream student to teach. He pays attention to the smallest details and will never be satisfied until he gets things exactly right. Another exceptionally talented Darwener, this area is a breeding ground of excellence - well done Jo Sensei and Gary Sensei! After his grading performance, William just put himself right at the top of the list for SOY 2022. There are no weaknesses in Williams karate. His Kihon is outstanding, his Katas are a pleasure to watch. I actually just thought - I will enjoy this instead of looking for errors. He has prepared relentlessly for this grading and his hard work certainly paid off. He was so relaxed in the kumite and looked absolutely fantastic. He landed some great techniques and is lightening quick to counter. He is so tall and expertly uses this to advantage. His movement is excellent and is just getting better every time he trains. Again, he has wonderfully supportive parents who drive him all over to give him the best opportunities. It is his habits and self-discipline that make him so good at what he does. William is at his classes every week without fail, no excuses, just keeps his head down and works REALLY hard. There are no shortcuts to success, it is a long hard road and it is students like William who make it look so easy. He is a class act. We are blessed to have William training with us and his future is very bright indeed. He absolutely loves training and we have no doubt that he will go on and continue to achieve more and more!

Kai Foley - Kai has been training with our club for many years and has always been a fantastic little student. He’s just quietly plugged away week after week, year after year. We haven’t seen him for a while due to covid etc. and I was really looking forward to seeing how he was getting on. I had just one word for him - WOW. He blew us away in the first 10 seconds of his kumite round. He was off to flying start! You can tell what Kai enjoys working on the most and that is his fighting. Absolutely awesome, pocket rocket! Whereas your School teachers only get 1 year with you, we get to watch these youngsters grow up and Kai is now an exceptional young man. Look at what he has achieved at such a young age. Absolutely incredible. He deserves everything he has got, because he has worked for it. He is very committed to his training and never looks for shortcuts. There have disappointments along the way and this has only made him better. He is fitter, faster and stronger than ever and has that fire in his belly. The kind that turns an - ‘I’m not sure if you are quite ready’ into a ‘watch me prove you wrong’. You certainly showed us that you weren’t there to make up the numbers, you were amazing and you were there to take that 2nd Dan no matter what. I could go on about the Kata section but I won’t because you did so brilliantly in all the other areas. We are so pleased for you Kai and the Sensei’s who have helped you get there and share in Kai’s success story. Well done team Swinton/Stoneclough. Thank you to Mum and Dad who have supported him every step of the way. I am sure he has made you very proud.

Sandan - 3rd Dan Black Belt

Reaching the grade of Sandan is a very rare achievement indeed. On average it takes 10+ years at least of constant training, but depending on individual progress and circumstances can often take much longer. Serious commitment, organisation and sustained effort is required to undertake the exam.

The time between Nidan and Sandan is spent learning the required Katas the panel can choose from, refining these Katas and attempting to perfect them. Kumite must be worked on as the level of skill expected from a Nidan going for Sandan is much higher. We expect to see a full range of techniques being landed on the opponent. Sharp movement in, out and laterally, quick counters and the they need to show understanding of distance. We expect to see techniques being executed with controlled aggression. This all takes many years of practise and training. We expect you to show all of this in a short round or two. It is far from easy.

I tell you this because the following students (all Club Instructors) have committed themselves fully to the task of Sandan. They took no shortcuts, got no favours and trained REALLY hard. All have been training week in, week out - without fail. No breaks in training, no excuses. Just consistent and sustained effort. They fully prepared themselves both mentally and physically and should be immensely proud of their success. You have rightly taken your place among a very small group of karateka in the World who have dedicated such a large chunk of their life to the martial art and become a Sandan. Well done.

Debbie Carter - We all LOVE Debbie Sensei! What a wonderfully inspiring and special lady. We were so pleased when she decided that she wanted to go for her Sandan as it had been a very long time coming. She doubts herself far too much, we all knew you had what it takes once you put your mind to it. You have the talent, the only person holding you back is YOU. You have great students and that comes from YOU because you are a great leader and a shining example! Debbie Sensei is the first to have a laugh but in the dojo is a real taskmaster not only with her students, but also with herself. She sets high standards and achieves them. She has done everything possible to get herself ready for this grading including extra lessons, hours of practise at home, 1:1 training. She has faced her fears, overcome the nerves and the crippling self-doubt. You were excellent. You ARE excellent and we are lucky to have you. I really enjoyed watching the Katas. She has very smooth movement and is really sharp and strong. Even when tiredness began to set in, the excellent technique she has developed over the years and the mental strength just took over and carried her to the end. Her kumite was very spirited, she is always brave and landed some great shots. Debbie Sensei knows her limitations and will always choose sensible and effective techniques rather than trying anything weird and wonderful. It was a mature performance from a lady with so much experience. I don’t think I have ever seen somebody so relieved to have finished a round of sparring in my life. You are a Sandan - incredible work, well done. Keep it up for the next one :-)

Karen Anderson - Karen Sensei is well respected and loved member of our Instructor team. She absolutely adores karate. They don’t come more dedicated than Karen Sensei. She is so committed to her own development and in turn, the development of her students. Karen Sensei trains all the time in our hardest and most challenging sessions and just gets on with it. I hope she won’t mind me mentioning that she has been endured numerous medical procedures in the last couple of years but this never deterred her from reaching her goals. She just gets straight back in line, works hard and cracks on with everything. I cannot tell you how inspired we are by her positivity during the most challenging of times. You have the respect and admiration of everyone. Karen Sensei carries the responsibility of being a Sensei with great honour. She diligently studies the art. She is passionate about learning from the best and passing on every ounce of knowledge she has gained. It was mutually agreed that (based on medical grounds) Karen Sensei would submit an essay on kumite rather than take part. This was every bit as fascinating and well researched as I would have expected it to be. A great read for any karateka who wants to gain a greater understanding of kumite. Karen Sensei chose an excellent Tokki Kata which suited her karate perfectly. She executed it with sharp technique, timing and flow. It was so impressive. The Junro Kata that is designed to throw even the most accomplished Kata practitioners, then threatened to derail Karen Sensei’s grading. Eternally resilient, (we have seen this many times from you over the years) she finished her grading in style with an outstanding Bassai Dai. I think she took every ounce of Junro Yondan frustration out on that Bassai Dai and good for you! You had the whole room behind you willing you to recover and for it to be brilliant and it was. Phenomenal achievement by a phenomenal lady!

Lee Edwards - Lee Edwards Sensei is an absolute legend at Red Tiger. One of our most dedicated Instructors, Lee Sensei is always training and will travel far and wide to get a good session in. He is in his gi almost every night of the week. A karate addict without doubt and an absolute riot outside of the dojo too! His fitness and flexibility is incredible, he can keep up with students half his age no joke. we are blessed to have him on our Instructor team and his students are lucky to have him as their Sensei. Lee Sensei has not had to adapt his training much for this grading, because he is always at karate anyway! Week in, week out, quiet as a mouse working hard and enjoying his training. Just as it should be. Lee Sensei had a fantastic grading. His Katas were excellent, so technically sound and timed to perfection. I really enjoyed all three of his Katas and he did not seem to tire one bit. (We couldn’t tell anyway). Lee Sensei usually holds his own in the kumite and was resilient to the end. Mike Sensei was a nightmare match for him but he kept on going, trying different techniques to get in and away again. We applaud your effort, Mike Sensei is a tough opponent for all, don’t worry! Lee Sensei maintained his focus in the next couple of kumite bouts and landed some strong but well controlled techniques. It really was a strong performance throughout and every bit as good as we expected. I am sure you will continue to train, develop and achieve more and more. Well done and keep up the outstanding work.

Mike Baron - Mike Baron Sensei is an incredible karateka. We knew this. We expected him to be impressive, I saw his name and couldn’t wait to watch him and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Always so calm, confident and collected. He breezed through the Kata section and made it look effortless. Of course anyone who has ever practised karate will realise that there is NOTHING effortless about performing a 50-60 move kata in the correct sequence with full focus, speed, power and expert timing. He really is that good. He breaks a sweat without looking like he has broken a sweat. Everything he talks about when he teaches the Kata Squad - mind/body/spirit connection, maintaining your energy and effort levels to the very end, 100% focus, making it a performance - he did it. He can do what he talks about. An inspirational display that we all thoroughly enjoyed. This man can put in to practise what he teaches and showed everybody what a superb and well-rounded karateka he is. I was certainly inspired because a ‘kata man’ who can kumite like that - I need to get onto my katas! Amazing. It is all deeply rooted in kihon. His kihon is so strong and without excellent kihon, you won’t have impressive karate. His eye for detail is another major advantage. Every moment was a deliberate part of the performance. Mike Sensei’s movement in his kumite is his greatest asset. He glides effortlessly in and out of range. His timing and decision making in the moment is second to none. He is so quick to attack, but also has lightening fast counters. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t because he is so good. If you initiate an attack, he will glide just out of range and hit you with multiple counters on your way out. A truly inspirational performance from an exceptional karateka. On a personal note Mike Sensei is a true gent, one of the nicest, kindest most inoffensive, humble men you will ever meet. He deserves every bit of success that comes his way and we are incredibly blessed to have him and the whole Baron family in our club. We love you all!

I will finish by thanking all of the wonderful parents who take their children to karate week in week out. Without you pushing them to come to class when they don’t want to, without you constantly supporting them mentally and financially none of this would be possible. It is a true team effort for the juniors. The student, their parents and their Sensei. It can’t happen without you. Thank you so much!

Thanks to the partners, husbands and wives who support their loved one to reach these goals. We are appreciate you are home alone whilst they are at training with us and that can’t be easy. I hope now you see how good they are at what they do, you can be very proud.

Huge congratulations and thank you must also go to our Instructor team for their constant effort, enthusiasm tuition and guidance. 100% pass rate for the team ain’t half bad. There isn’t a single Instructor on our team that doesn’t do a wonderful job. Well done to you all.

Thank you to Leesa Sensei and Tony Sensei for helping with the admin, Gary P Sensei for reffing and for the Panel - Paul Sensei, Mike Sensei and Rob Sensei for helping us complete the grading.

Our Next Black Belt Grading is scheduled for Sunday 10th July 2022.

Any student who has spent a minimum of 6 months or more on the grade of 1st Kyu is eligible for Shodan.

Any student who has spent a minimum of 2 years or more on the grade of Shodan is eligible for Nidan.

Any student who has spent a minimum of 3 years or more on the grade of Nidan is eligible for Sandan.

Any student who has spent a minimum of 2 years or more on the grade of Sandan is eligible for Yondan.

Who will we be writing about next time? The work starts now.

Make your decision today, you are going to do it and let’s HAVE IT! Boom!