A Brown and Black Belt Course was held on Saturday 16th July. It was a swelteringly hot and sweaty session with over 65 RTK students and Instructors packing out Thornleigh Salesian College. Paul Wolstencroft Sensei delivered an excellent course, covering kihon for 1st Kyu to black belt, gyzami maegeri, hip rotation for gyakuzuki. We then covered a few kumite drills for use in jiyu kumite including a couple of sweeps. Huge thank you to all the brown and black belts who could make it. We appreciate your time and effort and hope that you enjoyed it.

If you have any suggestions about what you would like us to cover in the future please let us know. Paul Towler took plenty of photos and you can view those if you are part of our Red Tiger Karate Facebook group. Request to join if you are not already a member. Many thanks Paul, superb work as always.

Everyone worked hard and looked thoroughly enjoyed the course. There was a small group of students eagerly waiting for their chance to grade once the course had finished. We had 7 students attempting 2nd Kyu or 1st Kyu and 7 students attempting Dan Grades.

The grading panel consisted of Paul Wolstencroft Sensei 5th Dan, Rachael Wolstencroft Sensei 4th Dan (myself) and Rob Head Sensei 3rd Dan. The Kyu grades were up first completing their Kihon and Katas, followed by the Dan grades. The whole group then took it in turns to complete their kumite section with students getting the chance to show off their skills with students of the same grade or higher. It was an excellent opportunity for the to bring the best out in each other and they certainly did.

There were some marvellous performances with all students successfully passing at least two sections of the grading. 11 students passed in total with a further 3 to complete Kata retake sections in their classes in 3 months time.

We were pleased with the standard and commitment from all the grading candidates. You all gave your absolute best in the blistering heat and did all we could ask of you. Well done.

Austin, Jaydon and Aemelia, our hearts go out to you, it is extremely disappointing to be asked to retake a section (especially when it is one you don’t particularly enjoy anyway) but it really does happen to the best of us - even me. If getting a black belt or 1st Kyu was easy, everyone would be doing it. It is hard, we expect a lot, but it is worth it.

RTK grades are hard earned and well deserved. You must continue to train with the same great attitude you showed at the course. You CAN do it. Prove to us that you are capable of more and we will be delighted to pass you next time around. Chin up and don’t give up. Your other sections were really very impressive and we look forward to seeing you very soon.

***New Kyu Grading Rules***

As of July 2022, students will only be able to take the grades of 2nd Kyu and 1st Kyu at Brown and Black Belt Courses.

There are many reasons behind this decision.

First of all - It gives the students attempting these high grades the practise they need for taking Dan Grades. They will complete an intensive course before hand and be assessed throughout. They will then attempt grading in front of the Dan grading panel, alongside fellow brown and black belts. This will give them a greater opportunity to push themselves, under pressure and stand out.

We believe 2nd/1st Kyu candidates have not been fulfilling their potential in class gradings (and in a few cases failing) because we are unable to challenge them properly in this setting if there are no other students attempting grading at the same level. We can’t create the same pressure in our regular classes.

Your Instructors are also able to watch you. They are better placed to see your strengths and weaknesses as you approach black belt and formulate a training plan going forward. The examiners can also give more detailed feedback to both the students and their Instructors.

I can also bring back my personal messages of congratulations to the students reaching these grades because they are rare and remarkable achievement. For every 150 students who begin karate, only 1 of those will make it to brown belt or above. That is just 0.67%. You have committed and achieved something that is too difficult for most. Even less make it to Black Belt - so keep going! The least I can do is find some nice words about you and I have really missed doing that.

We will be trialling this until Christmas, discussing it with our Instructor team and review the decision in the New Year. It went well at this event though.

New 2nd Kyu’s and 1st Kyu’s

This was our first time assessing 2nd and 1st Kyu’s so the group of students below were our ‘test’ group. We were pleased with how they performed and brought the best out in each other. Students met who normally train in all corners of the club from Bolton to Wilmslow. They worked hard alongside each other and will know who to watch out for next time!

The following students successfully attempted their next belts and I hope the experience will help them moving forward. As nerve wracking as it may have been, you will be better next time and have already had a practise. You should be very proud of yourselves - well done.

Katy Bradley 2nd Kyu - Katy has been training in our club for a couple of years now with Debbie and Dave Sensei. She has settled in really well and been able to adapt to our style very quickly. She seems to have grown in confidence and showed that she has solid kihon. Her Katas were well practised and she fought hard in the kumite, getting some strong techniques in. Well deserved 2nd Kyu Katy, keep up the excellent work.

Holly Percival 2nd Kyu - Where did this outstanding performance come from? All I can say is WOW. Holly absolutely smashed her grading. She is so lovely, shy and quiet so I wondered if the occasion may have overwhelmed her but I am so pleased to say I couldn’t be more wrong. She was FANTASTIC. A really solid, confident, well rounded performance and we are very excited to see you improving and coming back even better for that 1st Kyu.

Darren Williams 2nd Kyu - Absolutely excellent grading from a thoroughly lovely bloke. Darren has been a karate addict from the second he started. He seems to be working his way through the grades very quickly and picks up everything with ease. He is so committed and always works hard every time he trains. Always listening, learning and eager to perfect everything. He put in a class performance at his grading and scored consistently high marks throughout. We are pleased to have you as one of our Assistant Instructors passing on that brilliant karate to our junior grades. Keep it up and well done Darren!

Layla Davies 1st Kyu - Lovely, lovely Layla, what a grading! Absolutely superb, just the reminder that you needed to remember that you could be GREAT! Your performance at grading was so focused and a pleasure to watch. Your karate is class and you are so calm under pressure. Like a swan on the water but the feet peddling like mad underneath! I am sure you didn’t feel very confident but we couldn’t tell because you have practised so much and everything just came into place for you. Your kumite was awesome and we are so excited by your potential. Keep going like this and you will be an outstanding black belt missus! Only 1 more to go!!!!! Lets do it!!!!

Mia Glynn 1st Kyu - I am always pleased to see Mia’s name on any grading or event list because I always know we are going to see something brilliant. She consistently impresses us with her karate. There are no weak areas, she works hard, takes no shortcuts and never disappoints. Your performance at grading was awesome and we are so glad to see you fulfilling your potential with Dave and Debbie Sensei. Keep up the outstanding work and we will see you at you BLACK BELT grading very soon! Cannot wait!

The next group of students attempted their SHODAN 1st Dan Black Belt.

This is it. The big day. Nobody can relate to the pressure that is put on you unless they have been through it themselves. It means everything. The culmination of many years of training and dedication - all leading up to this day and this point. Where you can now say to people I am a black belt. I earned that grade and the respect of those who teach me and those I learn alongside. It is such an impressive achievement and says such a lot about a persons character.

You set a goal and achieved it. You persevered. You took criticism and used it to grow. By now there will have blood, sweat and tears and everything else in between. There will have been times you’ve thought about quitting - but you never did. There will have been times when you have hated your Sensei and never loved them more! You can understand Japanese. Weakness may have crept in, but you’ve kicked it out with a maegeri. You have reached a high level of self discipline, many will never reach. When your mates are out playing or sat at home on the console - you have been with us, exercising and strengthening your body, taking care of your health, learning skills for life and growing in confidence.

From a practical point of view, you can do 8 sets of Katas and perform each one to a high standard. You have learned several sets of combinations and kumite drills and can perform them with confidence. You can fight and defend yourself. You have shown both mental and physical strength and overcome all self doubt. You have a whole stack of belts and have just reached the last one to make the full set. AMAZING. You can be proud to stand in any dojo, here or overseas with your black belt wrapped around your waist and know that it was hard earned.

We would love to see you carry on and achieve so much more. Our Club offers a wide range of opportunities open to all. So set that next goal, keep working and don’t let your standards slip. Be inspired by Dave Sensei who after 10 years plus of dedicated training was back for his third Dan black belt! There is always more to do. Carry on!!!

Callula Curtis - Shodan

What a wonderful performance from Lulli who has such beautiful karate. She takes what can be a bit of an ugly sport and manages to do it gracefully. I was looking forward to seeing her because I know she has been patiently waiting for this opportunity for a very long time. I thought she would be excellent and she did not disappoint us one bit. She scored high marks in all three areas. I think she may have been nervous at the start of the sparring but she soon settled in and starting landed some quick counters and strong techniques. Lulli’s Katas were as brilliant as ever and we are so pleased that she has completed the Curtis Hat Trick of Black Belts. We love having families training and achieving this together, there is no better feeling for them and us as a club. This is what it is all about. Team Curtis - you guys are AWESOME! Well done Lulli!

Linda Whipp - Shodan

Linda Whipp - Black Belt - sounds good doesn’t it? Linda certainly deserves this, she has been all in since the day she started. She trains multiple times a week, every week without fail and always works incredibly hard. So committed and determined, we saw the very best Linda on the grading day. You were so focused and nothing was going to stop you or get in your way. Your combinations were excellent, Katas were strong and well timed and you fought brilliantly in the kumite. You showed off some great combinations and very effective counter attacks. We are so pleased to be able to award you your black belt and hope that you keep up the awesome work. You can relax maybe a little now though, but I’m sure you won’t! Well done :-)

Richard Holden - Shodan

Richard has been training with Jon Sensei and Mark Sensei in the Stockton Heath dojo for the last couple of years. He has previously reached his Black Belt and wanted to train with his son Alex and regrade with us. Jon Sensei has always spoke highly of Richard’s karate, his great attitude and willingness to learn despite already coming from an accomplished Shotokan background. I was really looking forward to watching him. Then out came the KUGB license and learning that we had shared the same Sensei (Matt Price Sensei) and we knew we were *probably* going to watch somebody very impressive indeed. There was no probably about it! He was exceptional. Very focused, super-strong, no weak areas whatsoever, even the junro shodan which Rich had to learn was very well executed. I REALLY enjoyed the kumite, that was REAL. We are so pleased to have you and Alex training with us and setting the standards. Well done on getting your Black Belt (again).

Alex Bathurst - Shodan

Alex trains with Debbie and Dave Sensei, alongside his Mum and sister. He is one of the most consistently good performers at every event/grading he has attended. I have never seen Alex give anything less than 100%. His performance at grading was quite outstanding. For such a quiet and shy young man, his karate spoke volumes. He scored some of the highest marks that were awarded on the day. We could have asked him to do Kata after Kata and there is no doubt he would have demonstrated every single one to the same high standard. Some might say he is naturally gifted at karate, but when those with such a gift don’t work hard, it goes to waste. Alex honours his gift and must be an absolute pleasure to teach. He clearly pays attention to all the small details and wants to make continuous improvement. He has a fantastic attitude and I feel there is plenty more to come from him. We haven’t seen the best of him yet and we hope that he continues to train and inspire those who train alongside him in the dojo, because role models like Alex don’t come around very often. Well done young man. This is just the start of what you are capable of.

Joel Mander - Shodan

Joel Mander is always a name I look forward to seeing on any event list. We always know that he is going to bring his best game to dojo. He was superb on his grading day. His combinations were focused and strong. For such a tall young man, he is quite agile. His Katas were sharp and very tidy and I always enjoy seeing him spar. He loves to fight. He can get drawn into a scrap but loves it. He is a thinking fighter too. He puts combinations together and counters very effectively. I have no doubt in my mind that Joel can absolutely take care of himself both in and out of the dojo. He is only going to grow and continue to get more powerful the older he gets, so we better watch out. His grading performance was superb and I do hope he continues to set further goals and continue to push himself because I don’t feel like we have seen the best of him yet. He has enormous potential. There is plenty still to work on including movement in and out and resisting getting into a scrappy fight. Keep up the excellent work Joel, your black belt is very well deserved and you have done your Instructors proud.

Well done to our newest Sandan - 3rd Dan Black Belt

Dave Robertson - Sandan

What a karate journey Dave Sensei has had. Since the moment he started karate all those years ago, Dave Sensei has been an absolute nutter for it and an absolute pleasure to have in the Club. It can’t be easy starting karate in adulthood but Dave Sensei has proved what can be done with steely determination and 100% effort. He loves training, working hard and getting a sweat on. He knew his weaknesses from his last grading and turned them into his strengths. Dave Sensei is so committed, he is in the dojo almost every night of the week, training hard and inspiring his students. He can be very serious but can also have a laugh. To get to this level you really have to love what you do and Dave certainly does.

When Dave Sensei took his Nidan, the consensus was the Katas could have been slightly better. This time around, he absolutely nailed it. He chose a power Kata that suited his style perfectly. His Junro Godan was also excellent and his Jion has improved immeasurably. Even I enjoyed watching your katas and that is saying a lot! Get in, get it done, get out! Loved it. I am sure he has had lots of help from the lovely Debbie Sensei who has the patience of a Saint. Saint Debbie Sensei we shall call you. And also Rob Sensei who may not be ‘quite’ as patient but certainly knows how to make somebody very good at Kata. Team effort.

Then came the kumite and I think the plan seemed to be just enjoy it and have fun! Not a recommended game plan for most I must admit. But for somebody so confident and experienced in kumite, it worked perfectly. He was able to relax and react. He showed he can control the pace and distance and get in and out very quickly. We were a little tight making him do several rounds and bringing out our young guns but you handled it and I’m sure you would have wanted it that way. Always up for a challenge, Sandan is a fighting grade after all. It looks like it was made for you Dave Sensei - well done. We couldn’t be more pleased or proud of you mate.

I have to share a funny moment on the panel where it might have looked like we were laughing at Dave Sensei’s fighting but we weren’t. I noticed Paul Sensei had no comments on his marking sheet whatsoever so I said - Are you going to write some feedback? What do you think? He said - “I love Dave’s Kumite, he’s strong. Looks like he has 5 rounds of toast in the morning” I had to laugh and say “what on earth is the relevance of that?” . And apparently - he does.

So now you know, if you want to be a great fighter like Dave Sensei - 5 rounds of toast for your breakfast should do it fellas!

Thank you to all the parents that have been part of this amazing journey. This is your success too.

The next Brown and Black Belt Course will be in September with the date to be confirmed later this week.

Thank you for reading :-)

Rachael Sensei