Monday, 30 June 2014

Olympics: Time To Kick Taekwondo Into Touch?

Has Taekwondo run its course as an Olympic sport?

Is the grading system broken?

Is money more important than the ability?

Thursday, 26 June 2014

Wing Chun Kung Fu: Flight attendants learn kung fu

Unruly air passengers would be wise not to mix it with flight attendants on Chinese planes any time soon.

Celebration for black belt Tom Coleman as he joins elite list

Karate 'expert' could lose MBE

Karate expert warned MBE could be stripped if qualifications don't add up

Karate | Instructor convicted for sex offenses

Karate instructor who preyed on underage girls is jailed

Martial Arts Gear | Black Eagle extend their 33% promotion!

Black Eagle have extended their current martial arts equipment sale to include even more brands!

New judo club is looking for players

Cumbernauld judo club is a new senior judo club training in the Tryst Sport Centre on Wednesdays between 7 and 9pm.

Kung who? Mystery of the martial arts 'professor' handed an MBE

Kung who? Mystery of the martial arts 'professor' handed an MBE - even though no-one's heard of him

Taekwondo: Veterans are the inspiration

Helen Bennett gives you her thoughts on what it takes to become a strong taekwondo athlete in later life

The Black Eagle Martial Arts Sale Now On!

Martial Arts Supplies Sale

Black Eagle have just re-launched their new website with a massive 33% discount across the board!

That means basic Karate suits under £15, BJJ Gi under £40, and many other cracking deals.

No coupon needed we are told, the discount will be automatically done at the checkout before you pay

Happy days!

Wednesday, 11 June 2014

BJJ Technique | Half Guard Sweep

Half Guard Sweep by Oli Geddes

Sharing a video we found on the Black Eagle youtube channel. This is Oli Geddes showing how he performs the Half Guard Sweep.

MMA | McManus 'honoured' to fly flag for Great Britain

Josh McManus heads to Las Vegas to represent Great Britain in the World Amateur MMA Championships

Wrestlejitsu blogger Aaron Kampe looks at the evolution of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and asks; "Is it dead?"

Kickboxing and Karate | WKA Scottish International Open

Full contact Karate and Kicksboxing sparring feature at the upcoming WKA Scottish International

Luke Howard wins gold at the IKU Senior World Karate Championships in Iguaca Falls, Brazil.

Granddaughter Neve Ewing joins her Father, Christopher and Grandfather David as a Karate black belt

The Scottish Tae Kwon Do Open championships saw the least experienced squad scoop 10 Scottish Titles and nigh on 30 medals

Four students from Tigers Shotokan Karate Club all make the grade to 1st Dan

World Taekwondo Federation announces record participation for the 5th Para Taekwondo World Championships

Terminus Judo club, based in North Shields, saw seven of their young judoka bring home the medals in a recent Senior and Under 12 competition

The current winner of the Miss USA contest, Nia Sanchez, is also a 4th Degree Dan Grade in ITF Taek Kwon Do

A small Peterborough Tai Chi club won six medals, including two gold, at a major competition in London on Sunday (June 1)

Heather Mill's ex Personal Trainer wins Bronze at the PUMA Taekwondo World Championships

Team GB Judo athlete, Chris Sherrington, warms up for Glasgow 2014 with Silver in Havana

Kickboxing | The Nemesis Open Sunday July 20th in Orkney

Now, how about a bit of Kickboxing action and a nice weekend away with the family?

The Northants Open is being held on Sunday July 20th in Wellingborough and includes Kickboxin and MMA on the day!

Fancy some Kickboxing action? The Kwon Kids Open is being held in Birmingham on July 13th

This is a big one, the European Open Championships held in Ponds Forge, Sheffield, on Sunday July 20th

If you are in Turkey between the 4th and 10th August, why not see if you can get to this Summer Camp and enjoy some competition?

Karate | City of Liverpool Youth Karate Championships

The 12th City of Liverpool Youth Karate Championships took place on 1st June, with over 100 entrants.

Kickboxing | ICO Battle For Wales 13th July 2014

The International Combat Association Kickboixing Tournament, "The Battle of Wales" is being held on Sunday 13th July in Pontypool.

A Martial Arts expert is not allowing a mere Quadruple Bypass stop him from running a half marathon!

Judo | Glasgow European Open October 2014

The 2014 Glasgow European Open takes place at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on the 4th October 2014 and sees British Judo's top female stars take on some of the best judoka in Europe.

Hurry, if you want to enter this WTF Taekwondo Poomsae Competition, you have until 11th June to get your entries in!

Karate Competition | Wado Kata Championships 29th June

Wado Kata Championships

Karate sensation, 7 year old Tsuruhimeja of Japan, performs a flawless Kanku Dai kata with the grace and poise normally associated with someone many years her senior! Kanku Dai is famous for being the favourite kata of Master Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate.

Karate Competition | GB Open Sunday 12th October 2014

Get yourself along to this new event on the Karate competition calendar, the GB Open being held in Birmingham on 12th October 2014

The UK National Karate Squad Southern Zone scooped six medals in Italy at the weekend to finish third in the Barraco Cup.

Bit of a last minute notification on this one! Still spaces available if anyone wants to enter.

Scotland has announced the 14 athletes that will form their Judo squad competing in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

If anyone fancies a last minute competition, and can get to London, this one still has spaces available.

Karate | Leeds Karate Academy are Copenhagen bound.

Nine members of Yorkshire-based Leeds Karate Academy have been selected to represent Japan Karate Shotorenmei (JKS) England at the forthcoming European Karate Championships.

There is a great deal of publicity nowadays about obesity and the food we eat, with more and more people looking for ways to get fit and, according to the health reports, live longer!

Don't blink or you will miss this superb knock-out at a recent WTF Taekwondo competition held in Blackpool. Blackpool teenager Conor Bailey wrote himself firmly into Taekwondo lore and probably the record books for what must be one of the fastest knock-outs ever seen at a competition.

Connor was fighting at the Supreme Taekwondo Technical and Sparring Championships in Widnes, where he grabbed to sparring gold medals..

Team Wales have selected a team of 10 judo athletes to represent the Principality at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Team England have named the 14 Judo athletes who will represent them at Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014.

Gemma Gibbons, who won Silver at London 2012, is just one of a squad of 14 who will all be making their Commonwealth Games debut as this is the first time Judo has appeared on the games schedule since 2002.

Also joining Gemma will be London 2012 Olympians Ashley McKenzie and Kelly Edwards.

Below is the full Team England Squad.

Name	Event	Training Base	Born
Ashley McKenzie	U60 KG	Camberley	Queens Park
Colin Oates	U66 KG	Thetford	North Lopham
Jan Gosiewski	U73 KG	Bath	Hounslow / Poland
Owen Livesey	U81 KG	Camberley	St Helen’s
Thomas Reed	U81 KG	Bath	Devizes
Gary Hall	U90 KG	Bath	Bristol
Benjamin Fletcher	U100 KG	Bath	Wokingham
Kelly Edwards	U52 KG	Edinburgh	Telford
Nekoda Smythe-Davis	U57 KG	Walsall	Forest Gate, London
Faith Pitman	U63 KG	West Essex	Todmorden
Megan Fletcher	U70 KG	Bath	Wokingham
Caroline Kinnane	U78 KG	Walsall / Aylesbury	Winslow, Bucks
Gemma Gibbons *	U78 KG	Greenwich	Edinburgh
Jodie Myers	O78 KG	SKK	Moreton, Wirral

For more information, please visit the British Judo Website

Buffy inspired me to do Karate by Amanda Collins

Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer

By Amanda Collins

My name is Amanda and I'm a student and part-time assistant of TASKS (Traditional And Sport Karate Schools, a family run karate club that was set up by a good friend of mine and based in Upminster, Essex.

That friend had first introduced me to karate back in September 2006 when I was 19 years old.

I've always wanted to learn martial arts ever since I first watched the tv show called 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', and his where I get my inspiration from. So, in 2006 I had the opportunity to attend my first ever Karate lesson with my sister.

The style taught was Wado Ryu Karate. We progressed quickly to Red belt, and I way already entering the Kata competitions, where I had to perform Pinan Nidan and Pinan Shodan.

From January 2007 I received my orange, and attended a Yoshi Shinohara course. March 2007 I received my green belt. June 2007 I was happy to be awarded my blue belt and it was an honour to attend a course with Tatsuo Suzuki along with other students. September 2007 I won my first ever Kumite competition held in Shrewsbury.

During 2007, I had to stop training due to an injury to my knee. I remember during an assisted stretching session that suddenly my leg just 'popped', and the pain was incredible. I wasn't really sure what had happened, and tried to carry on with the lesson, but I ended up in too much pain.

I ended up leaving that club and followed my friend to her new club, where, in January 2008, after getting over the injury, I received my Purple belt. I also achieved Brown belt that same year, and started to help my good friend at her small club which she set up at a local school.

In 2010 my lovely friend of mine was going to be grading me. I knew she would make it hard for me, or at least I felt it would be hard because I felt I had to do more for her. I haven't been comfortable in front of others ever since school, so it was a nerve racking experience for me. But I got through it.

In 2010/11 my friend had her club well established and by then I had risen to 1st Kyu. I really do have to thank my friend for giving me the kick I needed and made me keep going. She knew how hard I had worked and wanted me to get my 1st Dan.

That year, my friend arranged a Christmas party for her students along with a fancy dress for the kids. I received an award for most improved student of the year 2011...I was speechless but wanted to cry as my friend and her family have done so much for me when it comes to Karate, and I'm thankful.

In October 2012 I was scheduled to do my Black Belt grading. My friend had been putting me through my paces, working me hard on Kata and Weapons drills, but I was a nervous wreck come grading day! On the 13th October 2012 I had my grading, arriving at the grading with my knee and wrist in supports due to more injuries. But, as they say 'no pain, no gain'.

During my grading I was taken aside to do Kata, Weapons (Tanto Kata), Basics and Combinations. I also had to help teach the class that day, so it was a real test for me

After the class according to my friend I got the highest results in a black belt grading (from brown belt you get graded based on points). My friend said that I had done so well that I didn't have to do her class afterwards so I spent the lesson asleep with exhaustion. But it was worth it, if you don't put the effort and spirit into things you won't get far.

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

BJJ Competition | Surrey BJJ Open July 6th 2014

Get yourself along to the inaugural Surrey Open, organised by BJJ Black Belt, Andy Roberts.

Andy has been training and competing in BJJ since 1998 and has competed all over the world including the IBJJF Europeans and IBJJF Pan American Championships.

Along with competing, Andy has organised and refereed at some of the biggest tournaments in Europe.

He is putting this wealth of experience to good use in organising the Surrey Open with the aim of it becoming one of the Première BJJ tournaments on the UK circuit.

Entries are limited to allow us to deliver a quality tournament that exceeds expectation.

The venue has been chosen to reflect our aims to host a fantastic tournament.

We hope you enjoy your experience and welcome all feedback.

Visit the Surrey Open website to register for this great competition.

Karate | Grading Success for Shikokai Karate Club

Shikokai Karate club is run by a Husband and Wife team, Steve & Pam Rawson. Shukokai was founded in 1990 by Sugosawa Sensie, and has gone on to enjoy wide popularity across the UK.

Shikokai Karate club recently held their Spring Course at the Osprey Leisure Centre in Portland, Dorset, where three of their younger students enjoyed grading success.

Young Karateka students Honey Deadman, Daniel Murphy and Max Hickman gained upper grades, to the delight of the Rawson's, who run the Weymouth Shikukai Karate Club.

The grading was held under the critical eye of Sensei Fumio Sugasawa, 8th Dan. Honey Deadman was awarded her 8th Kyu grade, and both Daniel Murphy and Max Hickman rose to the heady heights of 9th Kyu!.

Pam is herself a 6th Dan, and has been teaching Wado Ryu karate for over 35 years, and formed the club when they moved to Weymouth, which is based at the local swimming and fitness centre.

The grading was a new experience for many of the students, training and grading alongside Dan grades, and having to perform Kata in front of the senior members. Nerve racking for many a student, but the three youngsters did what they were trained to do, doing themselves and the club proud!

If you would like more information, please contact Shikokai Karate Club

London Judo Open | Samurai Judo Club Win 2 Gold and a Silver!

The London Open Judo Championships this past weekend saw big medal success for Kidderminster based Samurai Judo Club.

Samurai Judoka Leah Grosvenor and Bryony Griffiths both won golds with Nathan Gallagher grabbing a silver at the London Open.

Leah Gosvenor added her gold to an already impress medal haul for 2014, winning golds at the Midlands and Scottish Opens, and a silver at the British Schools Judo Championships.

The eventual winner of that final moved up a weight group, making Leah Grosvenor almost unbeatable at the London tournament. She began with a resounding victory over a Pinewood player before an impressive victory over a Wolverhampton opponent.

In the final, she came up against a dogged opponent from Tonbridge but it was still one-way traffic with Grosvenor constantly putting her opponent on the defensive, which secured gold for the Samurai player.

Bryony Griffiths took her first gold in a British cadet ranking event, rising to sixth place in the national Judo rankings. Her route to gold was a little more direct, with maximum point wins in all rounds, and a dominating final.

Nathan Gallacher was eligible for the under 34kg group but decided to move up a weight to under 38kg. After beating opponents for Dorset and London, he secured his place in the final with a winning throw against a player from Berkshire, setting up a final fight against an opponent from Leicestershire.

Gallagher dominated and was soon a point up, but whether it was complacency of just a lack of concentration, he opponent suddenly had him in a hold from which he could not escape.

For more information, please contact Samurai Judo Club

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