We can’t wait to welcome you all back following the Summer Holidays. We hope those who have been away have enjoyed relaxing holidays and spending time with their families. As a Club we are looking forward to welcoming those back to classes who may not have trained for a while or whose classes have been closed throughout the Summer. Classes that re-open this week include - Cheadle Hulme, Lacey Green Primary Academy, St Mary’s Rawtenstall, St Mark’s Worsley and Peel Brow.

We wish all our junior members the best of luck going into the new School Year, starting at new Schools or Colleges. Be confident, work hard and make it your best year yet!

Summer Rewards Certificates

This week we will be rewarding students who have continued to train over the Summer with gold, silver and bronze certificates. It would be tremendously helpful if you could book onto classes at least a few hours in advance so that we can have your certificates ready for class. This will make sure that it doesn't take up too much time writing certificates when we should be training.

I have already given out over 50 in the last two days, congratulations to everyone! There have been lots of happy faces :-)

Good Luck to Squad Members this weekend

Best of luck to all the Kata and Kumite Squad members competing at the Commonwealth Championships in Birmingham this weekend. We are all behind you. You will gain some valuable experience and learn from the Top International Competitors. We also have another competition the following week, the AMA’s in Bury. If you would like to come and support our squad at this you are more than welcome.

Kumite Squad moving venues

Kumite Squad will no longer take place on Tuesdays at Abingdon Primary School in Reddish. Reddish students - you have your weekly class back to normal.

New Day: Mondays (fortnightly)

New Venue: Thornleigh Salesian College, Sharples Park, Bolton. BL1 6PQ.

Time: 7-8pm

Every alternate Monday evening starting from Monday 12th September.

We want you to join us!

We are looking for new students to take part in our Kata and Kumite classes. Minimum grade of yellow belt. We are waiting to work with you. If you really enjoy learning new Katas and working on the ones you already know, give Kata Squad a try. You can only improve. We have a friendly and extremely talented bunch - ready to help you.

If you enjoy kumite or did well at our last Club Championships and want to work on retaining your champ status, get down to Kumite class.

First 20 minutes is warm up and fitness, the next block is drills and strategies and the fights take place in the last 10 minutes.

So if you want to work on your skills, or are coming up to Dan grading and want to practise your fighting, this is the class for you. Let’s be having you!

RTK Black and Brown Belt Course followed by Grading

Sunday 25th September 2022
12pm-2pm (Grading 2.15-4pm)

Venue:
Kearsley Academy, Springfield Road, Bolton. BL4 8HY.

Cost:
£12.00 for the Course / £30.00 for Kyu Grading & Course / £70.00 for Dan Grading & Course

Booking link:

Click here

Places:

75 places on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Course is open to all and will run from 12-2pm. The Dan grading will immediately follow and finish at approximately 4pm.

Students and Instructors will be able attempt their 2nd Kyu, 1st Kyu, Shodan and Nidans in front of the Dan grading panel.

Remember you cannot take 2nd Kyu or 1st Kyu Brown Belt examinations in classes anymore, these will only take place at B and B Courses to maintain the high standards the examiners expect.

Spectators and supporters are more than welcome.

Kyu Gradings taking place in classes in September and October

We have Kyu Gradings planned at the following venues over the next few weeks with plenty more to be added:

Tuesday 13th September - Horwich Class

Thursday 15th September - Swinton Class

Wednesday 21st September - Reddish Class

Friday 23rd September - Chesham Class

Sunday 25th September - 2nd Kyu, 1st Kyu and Black Belt Grading in Kearsley, Bolton.

Wednesday 28th September - Heywood Class

Saturday 1st October - Handforth Class

Monday 3rd October - Haslingden Class

Links will be sent out via email for you to book on to your grading. Your Instructors will put you forward when you are ready and have completed the minimum number of lessons. Please make sure we have the correct email address for you stored in the ‘My Data’ part of the APP.

License Check

Please bring your license into classes before the end of September so that we can check that your license is up to date and have an accurate idea of how many students are still actively training within the Club.

If you are beginner, you have up to four weeks to purchase a License which includes your EKF membership. This must be then be renewed annually. It can all be done online, it is very quick and easy.

You wouldn’t drive your car without insurance, it is just as important to keep your karate membership and insurance up to date. Grading examiners are also unable to grade you without a valid license.

Thank you to those who have already bought new licenses or renewed. We are working as quickly as possible to process them they are usually sent the same day. Please bear with us at the moment as we use Royal Mail and things are taking a little longer than usual to arrive by post.

If you need to purchase a new license please click here: New Licenses

To renew please click here: License Renewals

(Renewals: If you are a returning member who hasn’t trained for a while, a renewal is fine. Please update us with any changes of address or medical information via the renewal form).

Swinton Class News

One of our longest serving and most loyal Instructors Tony Davies Sensei has made the difficult decision to retire from teaching following the sad passing of his beloved wife Joan.

We hope that you will all join us in thanking Tony Sensei for all that he has done for both the Swinton class and our Club over the last 16 years. Tony Sensei has influenced the lives of many who train in the Swinton area and produced many outstanding Black Belts over the years. Many of whom have remained loyal to him to the very end, including long time Black Belts Kylah Lawson, Mahum Khan, Caitlan Moss, Su and Ron Matthews, Kai Foley among others. I hope that he will forever be proud of these achievements and the difference he has made to people’s lives.

He has guided hundreds (possibly thousands) of students through the ranks during his time teaching and has always been a highly valued member of our Instructor team. Tony Sensei was one of our first ever students to reach the rank of Sandan Black Belt back in November 2013, a rare and remarkable achievement that was so hard earned and well deserved. A long-time mentor and trusted friend for many of us especially Paul Sensei and I , you will be greatly missed by all the Instructor team. From GKR to Swinton to Belgium to Japan you have been been by our side through it all. We have made some wonderful memories over the years. You have been so supportive and encouraging and the Club would not be where it is today without you.

Tony Sensei has spent thousands of hours training in karate and has dedicated a large part of his life studying the art. He has been one of the most committed Instructors you could wish for, whose contributions & achievements can never to matched. So reliable, Tony Sensei would never miss training, events or his class. His presence was always guaranteed as was the fact that he would be one of the hardest workers in the room. Tony Sensei took the responsibility of being an Instructor seriously. He wanted the best for his students and cared about the development of each and every one of them. He would never let anyone down. A great role model to all of us. The perfect example of a maturing karateka, always looked after himself and kept active as the years have advanced.

You will forever have our respect and you will be missed at Senior Class.

We hope that you will find your way back to karate at some point when you feel able. RTK is always here for you and we will keep in touch.

May we also take the time to thank the students of the class for their patience and Daryl Brady Sensei and all the senior students who have stepped up over the last few months in Tony Sensei’s absence. Your support is very much appreciated. The class is continue under Paul Wolstencroft Sensei - a fellow Swintonian - returning to his home dojo.