First web update for some time after what has been a very busy period for the Welsh Bushi-Kai and its students. What follows is a set of reports on the various events that have taken place recently.
Brown Belt Course / Grading
During the Month of April, two Brown Belt courses took place at the Baglan Dojo under the Instruction of Percy Brown and Paul Bridge.
These courses were structured so that all aspects of the grading were covered, with particular attention paid Ohyo and Kihon Kumite plus Advanced Kata. Course Intructors were very impressed with the effort and commitment shown by the students and significant improvements were noted. These courses were planned as the final preparation for the Grading held on May 11th.
The Grading itself, held at our Cwmafan Club dojo proved to be a great success, with some 28 students attempting their grade examination. We are delighted to report that there was a 100% Pass rate and passes by grade are as follows:
3rd Kyu: 6 senior, 13 Junior
2nd Kyu: 1 Senior , 7 Junior
1st Kyu: 1 Junior
WBK Squad Training
On April 28th, the WBK held the first in a series of Kata and Kumite Squad Training sessions, this one at our Neath Dojo, in Ysgol Hendre School, Bryncoch
Over 40 students attended the session which proved to be a great success. The Kata session was conducted by WBK Kata Coach, Mark Coleman, and was centered around the Pinan Katas.
For the Kumite Session, the students were put through their paces by Gareth Reynolds. Gareth has been one of the top fighters in the UK for well over a decade and we are extremely grateful to him for taking time out of his busy schedule and for traveling down from Bristol to instruct on the course.
WKU Invitational Tournament
On May 5th, Our Kumite Coach, Nigel Taylor, took a small squad from the Bushi-Kai to the Western Karate Union Event held in Weston-Super-Mare. This event has grown in stature and size over the years and is now one of the main events on the competition calendar which this year saw 750 competitors in action, including many National & International athletes.
Our Squad put in a great show and returned home with 1 Gold & 3 Bronze Medals.
Robyn Davies – Gold – Girls 5-7 yrs Kumite
Nic Hole – Bronze – Male Kumite 16-17 yrs
Rosie Irwin – Bronze – Female Kumite upto 4th Kyu
Lauren Stanford – Bronze – female Kumite -60kg
Photos of these and other events will be added to the galleries in due course. The “Photos” pages are currently being re-established after going AWOL due to a technical issue ….. around 50% are back on line, including Shihans photos.