Welsh Bushi-Kai Karate Association

WELSH BUSHI-KAI TOURNAMENT:
Our competition scheduled for March 21st has been cancelled due to the unavailability of the Afan Lido Sports Centre, which remains closed due to the pre christmas fire at the neighbouring Aquadome complex. Once the hall is re-opened we will announce the new date for our event.

 THE  BROWN BELT course and grading will take place in THE WEST HALL at CWRT HERBERT Sport Centre on SUNDAY 9th MAY. The course will begin at 11.00am and the grading following on from the course. The course and grading must finish by 2.00pm as there will be other activities in the hall from 2.00pm.
 All paperwork to be in to Liz by the Friday 7^th May

 GOVERNING BODY COACHING CERTIFICATES.
 Those students who attained their certificates 3 years ago will need to renew by September this year.   Will all club instructors please collect the names of those students who want to renew or try for their Governing Body coaching certificates and give their lists to Liz by the end of March. The First aid and Safeguarding children course dates will be arranged and all will be notified.

The practical coaching part of the certificate will be done by Mark McMahon and the CRB checks will be done by Mark McMahon and Dave Jowett.

 ASSOCIATION KYU GRADE COURSE AND GRADING
Sunday March 7th:  Main Hall, Cwrt Herbert Sports Centre – Neath.  10.00am  –  1.00pm
Will club instructors please hand in their paperwork to Liz by the Thursday March 4th.
Note: There will be limited space for Spectators / Parents as we cannot confirm seating for everyone.

 DAN GRADE COURSE AND GRADING INFO:
Due to the fire at the Afan Lido and the inconvenience it has caused, it has been decided to delay the date for the Dan Grading by one month. Details as below:

DAN GRADE ASSESSMENT:
This will now take place on Friday March 26th at Baglan Community Centre where all candidates will be assesed by the WBK Senior Grades.

DAN GRADE COURSE:
Monday April 19th         Baglan community centre              7.30pm – 9.00pm
Tuesday April 20th         Gilfach Goch                                      6.30pm – 8.00pm
Wednesday April 21st   No Training – venue unavailability
Thursday April 22nd      Cwmavon community centre          7.30pm – 8.30pm
Friday April 23rd             Baglan community centre               7.00pm – 8.30pm

Liz will be at the Friday session to collect all the licences etc for the Dan grading.

DAN GRADING:
 Will take place at Cwmavon Community Centre on Saturday April 24th  – 10.00am start.

Reminder: WKGB Welsh Squad training takes place this coming sunday (14th Feb) at Sofia Gardens in Cardiff. Registration details can be viewed here.
Details of the 2010 Welsh Karate Championships will be added as soon as the dates are confirmed.

Jordan Harris has narrowly missed out on a Bronze Medal at the Junior European Karate Championships in Turkey.  Having lost in the 1st rd, Jordan came back into the repercharge where  eventually lost out in the Bronze Medal fight-off, having to settle for a Top 5 Finish.  This is still however a magnificent achievement and the WBK, in particular his club coach Nigel Taylor, are extremely proud of his efforts…..well done Jordan.
Anthony Bridge competed in the U21 European Cup event on Sunday, and unfortunately lost to a fighter from Luxemburg in Rd 1.

The Welsh Squad have now returned home safely and will have gained invaluable experience competing at the highest level of competition Karate and will become stronger because of it. Congratulations to all squad members on your efforts in Turkey, notably Jordan Harris (WBK) and Sammi Scott (WKK) on their top 5 placings.

Next weekend sees Jordan Harris & Anthony Bridge competing in the European Junior Karate Championships  to be held in Izmir, Turkey.  As always we are proud that 2 of our fighters have been selected to represent Wales at the very highest level. The WBK would like to wish Jordan, Anthony & their Welsh team mates all the very best.

This type of opportunity can be available to all members of  the Welsh Bushi-Kai. Our Association has been producing International class fighters for the past 3 decades and we will continue to do so. Your first step to reach this level will be to attend the WBK squad training sessions and to join our renowned Kumite Teams……Details of the next WBK Squad Session will be posted on this site as soon as possible.

Report: On Sat 23rd the WBK held its first Squad session of 2010 at Cwrt Herbert Sports Centre in Neath,  with over 40 students of the WBK, from all of our clubs, plus Gareth Reynolds and a squad from Vale in attendance. The training session was conducted by our Kumite coach Nigel Taylor who put everyone through their paces as our fighters prepare for some major tournaments.

Information:  Anthony Bridge (U21) and Jordan Harris (Cadet) of the WBK  will be travelling to Izmir, Turkey with the Welsh National Team for the Junior European Championships in February.
In addition The Welsh Bushi-Kai Squad will be flying out to Las Vegas in a few weeks time to compete in the USA Open Championships to be held at Ceasers Palace.

Reminder: Our Squad training sessions are open to all members of the WBK regardless of age or experience and our coaches have a wealth of experience in nurturing the talent and skills of those wishing to compete. We look forward to seeing you at the next squad session.

Important Announcement:
 Following on from correspondence recieved this past week, the Welsh Bushi-Kai Executive can confirm that as of 15th January 2010, Daryl John  (4th Dan) and his Taibach Karate Club are no longer members of the Welsh Bushi-Kai Karate Association.  All WBK Licences issued to Taibach Karate Club members are null & void and no longer recognised by the WBK.  Any students wishing to remain members of the Welsh Bushi-Kai should contact our Admin Office or Club Instructors to arrange training at another club.

Donations:
Many thanks to all who contributed to the collection held at the funeral of Shihan Noblett.  A sum of  £971.45 was raised and this will be donated to Cancer Research Cymru. On behalf of Liz, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the following for their generosity: Family, Friends, Neighbours, Afan Lido kickboxing club, All the clubs within the Welsh Bushi-Kai, Ulster Karate Federation, Western Karate Union and the Karate Union of Wales.
Lido Update:
Still no news from the Lido Management as to when the Sports Hall will become available to use. In the meantime, the Lido karate sessions are being held at Baglan Community Centre – Mon & Fri 7.00 – 8.30pm.
Also we are actively seeking an alternative venue for the Course and Gradings scheduled for March just in case the Lido Sports Hall remains closed.
Association Squad Training:
The first WBK squad session of the year takes place on Sat 23rd January….details on Info Page.

UPDATED 19/01/10( see training times below)    New Venue for Lido karate sessions:
The Afan Lido Karate Club will have a new venue for the foreseeable future. We have spoken to the Lido management this morning and have been told the building has not yet been handed back to the local authourity, the H+S Exec  and engineers are still inspecting the building. We will be updated when information becomes available.

For the time being the Afan Lido karate club training sessions will take place at :-

BAGLAN COMMUNITY CENTRE
HAWTHORNE AVENUE
BAGLAN
SA12 8PG

Tel :  01639 – 813808

 Training Times
MONDAYS      7.30-  9.00pm  ( Note 7.30pm  start time – from 25th Jan)
FRIDAYS          7.00  –  8.30pm

 The first class will be on Friday 8th January 2010. All Senior Instructors from the Afan Lido will be attending the new venue. Also students registered for Dan gradings in March are reminded that they should attend the Baglan sessions to adhere to the Dan Grade Criteria.

 Anyone needing information please contact Liz

Kickboxing Info: The Welsh Bushi-Kai Kickboxing clubs / sessions have also been disrupted by the sports centre closure.  Training has been rescheduled as below:
Monday  7.30 – 8.30pm    YMCA Port Talbot.
Thursday  6.00 – 7.00pm   YMCA Port Talbot.
Friday  6.00 – 7.00pm YMCA Port Talbot.
All enquiries to our Kickboxing Chief Instructor Mark Watkins 4th Dan [  blue ] – Mob no: 07974951839

WKU Kyu Grade Tournament: Sunday 6th Dec:
3 Gold, 2 Silver and 8 Bronze medals were the reward for our small junior and university squad that attended the WKU Comp in Weston.

WKGB Welsh Squad Training News:
At the Welsh Squad selections held in Cardiff  last Sunday, Anthony Bridge and Jordan Harris were selected to represent Wales at the European Cadet-Junior-U21 Championships to be held in Izmir, Turkey in February 2010.