Hartlepool Wadokai Club Grading – May 2015
Sunday 17th May 2015
Our most recent club grading was carried out on Sunday 17th March, at Dojo HQ. We had 13 Little Ninjas and 21 Karate students all successfully achieving their next belts. Well done guys, it shows what can be achieved with hard work and commitment.
Karate Students
Lily F – Red & White
Ben T – Red & White
Joe C – Red & White
Natalia B – Red & White
Georgia B – Red & White
Jakub B – Red & White
Oliver TD – 9th kyu
AJ M – 9th kyu
Kai P – 9th Kyu
Alex C – 9th Kyu
Jack W – 9th Kyu
Alfie W – Yellow & White
Bailey T – Yellow & White
Alex W – Yellow & White
Dylan T – Yellow & White
Keira D – Yellow & White
Richard Chapman – 8th Kyu
Megan S – 6th Kyu
Leyton D – Blue & White
Mollie C – 4th Kyu
Joseph F – 4th Kyu
The next ‘catch up’ club grading will take place over w/c 15th June for selected students, full details are available at the club.
Hartlepool Wadokai Winter Championships
Sunday 1st February 2015
Last weekend the club held a small club competition to give our competitors a run out with the latest version of the WKF rules (Version 9, January 2015). This was primarily done for our older, more experienced competitors, and our club officials ahead of our March open championships and the English Karate Federation National Championships in April but the younger students also got some valuable experience on the day too, with many gaining medals for their efforts.
It was only a small competition as we only ran individual Kata, individual Kumite & Kick Master categories which meant that we were done within a few hours. We were also able to explain the rules and decisions as we went so that the parents & students could follow the day better.
I would like to thank all of the club judges, and table officials who gave up their afternoon to volunteer at the competition. I would also like to personally thank the students who were brave enough to enter the competition and support the club. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is stand up on the mat and give it a go, if students never rise to the challenge then they may never know what they’re capable of in karate. I personally think that competition gives us a fantastic opportunity to test ourselves and our skills under pressure, in a controlled setting, and those that never compete are missing out on a massive opportunity to learn and improve.
Click HERE to download the results.
The next club-run competition is the Hartlepool Wadokai Open Championships, Sunday 22nd March at Belle Cue Sports Centre, Kendal road, Hartlepool, TS25 1QU.
To prepare for this competition, the club is running a 6 week competition Karate course starting this coming Monday 6-7.30pm, see the club for full details and booking (club members only, 10yrs+). This course will cover Kata and Kumite training skills needed to perform well in a competition environment. There are limited spaces so make sure you book up as soon as you can.
Hartlepool Open Karate Championships, Sunday 22nd March 2015
Please see below for the entry form for our Hartlepool Open Karate Championships 2015. Once again we will be at the Belle Vue Sports Centre, Kendal Road, Hartlepool, TS25 1QU.
Click HERE to download entry form
Please note that WKF rules v9.0 (Jan 2015) will be in use on the day. There have been some changes in this latest rule update so please make sure you’re aware of them before the event to help ensure the day runs smoothly.
As always, please contact us if you have any questions, comments.
Carl
Christmas opening times @ Hartlepool Wadokai
It’s that time of year again, the days are shorter and colder and it becomes that little bit harder to rouse yourself in the morning for school or work.
The club will be open as normal until the end of year course & Christmas party and then only open Tues 23rd & 30th (different times), classes will resume as normal from Monday 5th January. See below for full details…
Christmas Opening Times
5th – 20th December All classes as normal (Karate & Little Ninjas)
Mon 22nd December Club closed
Tues 23rd December Club OPEN for the following classes only:
13yrs & Under 6-7pm & 14yrs & above 7-8.30pm
24th – 29th December Club closed
Tues 30th December Club OPEN for the following classes only:
13yrs & Under 6-7pm & 14yrs & above 7-8.30pm
31st Dec – 4th Jan 2015 Club closed
Mon 5th January 2015 All classes resume at their usual times
Little Ninjas Christmas Break
The Little Ninjas will be closed from 21st December until 4th January 2015. Classes resume from Monday 5th January. If you have any questions please contact Amy on 0792 6045935.
Hartlepool Wadokai 2014 dates
Federation European Wadokai Championships, Sat 1st & Sun 2nd November
Reading, UK
We would like to congratulate Lewis Muldown, Joe Flounders & Daniel Spires who competed as part of the Wadokai England team. Results: Daniel – GOLD in Team Kata, Joe – SILVER in Kumite, Lewis – SILVER in Kata. Well done guys. Those interested in trying for the England squad in 2015 need to speak to Sensei Carl or Amy ASAP.
EKF Northern Region Squad Training, Saturday 15th November
We were pleased once again to host the English Karate Federation Northern Squad training at our Dojo HQ. A number of fighters have no doubt been taking a well deserved break after a busy season so the attendance was a little down on the other sessions this year but the fighters were still put through their paces and given some fantastic coaching. We’re really looking forward to the next one!
Club Only AUTUMN Championships, Sunday 23rd November
We’ve posted the results on this blog already and will add photos of the day asap.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sensei Keith Walker Masters Course, Sunday 30th November
This is a fantastic opportunity to train with one of the top Wadokai instructors in the country, right in our own Dojo HQ. This course is also open to non-club members. (Address is: 126 Whitby Street South, Hartlepool, TS24 7LP – we’ll even have a cuppa waiting for you!)
12-2pm – 13 years & under, £10
2-5pm – 14 years & above, £15
Wed 3rd December – CLUB CLOSED – no classes. No other dates are affected
Club Grading, Sat 6th & Sun 7th December
Full details are available at the club
Wadokai England Squad Training Saturday 13th December
@ Dojo HQ, 12noon registration (12.30-2.30 – Kumite, 3-5pm Kata approx), £15
We are very pleased to be hosting a Wadokai England squad training session at our own Dojo HQ. It’s quite nice not having to travel to events sometimes. The course will be led by Sensei Lee Minion & Sensei Stennet Harvey and will count towards the 2015 squad selection attendance requirement. This session includes a Kumite session & a Kata session. Students can do one or both sessions for the same fee.
I can’t emphasise how good an opportunity this is for all students to gain some valuable competition experience, please support the course if you can.
Club End of Year Adult Meal, Saturday 13th December
Owton Lodge, 7pm onwards. £8 each (2 courses) £11 each (3 courses), 14yrs+
We would like to invite all of our students (14yrs+), parents and friends to join us at the Owton Lodge for bite to eat and a couple of pints of… pepsi to celebrate another successful year at the club. The menu can be viewed here. The meal will need to be booked & paid for by the end of November. We would also like to invite our Wadokai friends who may decide to stay over in town and make a night of it.
Club FREE End of Year Training Course, 12-2pm Saturday 20th December
All of our students are welcome to join us for our FREE end of year training course. We follow on with the Shiramizu (The Karate dojo that Amy & Carl trained with for a year in Japan) tradition of doing 1000 punches – it’s not as bad as it sounds :-). Little Ninjas – please see Sensei Amy for the times of your end of year session.
Club Christmas Party, 3-6pm, Saturday 20th December
The Christmas Party follow our end of year training course. Tickets available now: £3 each or £10 for a family (Same household)
Upcoming events
It’s been a busy year so far at the club but we’ve got loads of events coming up for you to enjoy.
Saturday 15th November – EKF Northern Regional Squad Training, Dojo HQ, Hartlepool
This is competition fight training for anyone 10 years & above, the course needs to be booked on to in advance. Please visit the EKF website to download the form. Note the form must be submitted by 5pm on Tuesday 11th November.
Saturday 20th November – Wadokai England Squad Training, Leicester
This training course is only suitable for selected students and is compulsory for all athletes wishing to be selected to the Wadokai England team. Please speak to Sensei Amy or Sensei Carl if you are interested in attending.
Sunday 21st November – Hartlepool Wadokai club-only championships, Dojo HQ, Hartlepool
This is our annual club-only competition. This is a perfect chance for students to try out Karate competition as it’s a really small, friendly competition – and it’s only our club. Categories are typically split by age/grade so that it’s fair. Please sign up at the club no later than Wednesday 19th November.
Sunday 30th November – Sensei Keith Walker Masters Course, Dojo HQ, Hartlepool
This will be a fantastic training opportunity for all of our students. We’ll be splitting juniors and senior sections so that the course can be specifically tailored to each group. The times & costs are to be confirmed but it is likely to be 12-5pm, 12-2pm 13 years & under, 2-5pm 14 years & above. The course fee will also be subsidised from the club fundraising pot to help keep the cost down (we know that a lot of events are going on!).
Wednesday 3rd December – CLUB CLOSED
This is just a reminder that ALL Little Ninja & Karate classes are cancelled for Wed 3rd Dec only.
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th December – Hartlepool Wadokai Grading, Dojo HQ, Hartlepool
Full details are available at the club. Please look at out for your letter this coming week…
Saturday 13th December – Wadokai England Squad Training, Dojo HQ, Hartlepool
We are really pleased to be hosting this course, which forms part of the 2015 competition season and the build up to both the Wado World Cup (Japan, August 2015) and the Wadokai European Championships (Oct/Nov 2015). We would like to invite ALL students interested in competition to this course. Again, this is a fantastic opportunity for our students to train with some of the best Wado instructors in the UK – without having to travel!
Saturday 13th December – Hartlepool Wadokai Adult Meal & Social
Full details and menus are available at the club but we would like to invite all of our parents, students & friends (14 years+) to join us for a bite to eat and a bit of a social.
Saturday 20th December – Hartlepool Wadokai End of Year Course & Christmas Party, Dojo HQ
Once again we are running a FREE end of year training course for ALL of our Karate students 12-2pm.
Our Christmas party is 3-6pm and tickets are just £3 each or £10 per family (same household). As usual we will have a buffet, disco and more importantly a ‘best decorated cake’ competition. The entries last year were fantastic & delicious!!!
EKF Northern Region Kumite Squad Training
On Saturday 3rd May, our club had the privilege of hosting an English Karate Federation Northern Region Kumite Squad Training at our Dojo HQ.
The 4 hour session was led by regional EKF fight coach, Sensei Gavin Foster, 4th Dan and was very well attended by clubs and athletes from all over the North of England.
The athletes were put through some great fight drills and exercises and given some really good advice about what it takes to succeed at the highest levels of Karate competition. I particularly liked the way this was put across by Sensei Gavin. It was no-nonsense but really friendly, basically he said ‘if you want to just do a little bit of competition, every now and then then that’s perfectly fine’, however, if you want to be the best of the best, and compete against the best in the world then you need to do x, y and z.
(The above photo’s were ‘borrowed’ from Sensei Ian Warwick from Penrith Chojinkai)
The feedback from the session has been great, so much so that the next Northern Region Squad Training has been booked for Saturday 13th September, also at Hartlepool Wadokai Dojo HQ (126 Whitby Street South, Hartlepool, TS24 7LP) 9.30am registration – Full details and registration forms can be downloaded from the English Karate Federation website.
Hartlepool Wadokai Open Karate Championships
Our annual Open Karate championships will be taking place on Sunday 29th June at Brierton Sports Centre, Catcote Road, Hartlepool, TS25 4BY.
We cordially invite our friends and colleagues to join us once more. We will have categories for all ages and grades including Kick Master, Individual Kata, Team Kata, Individual Kumite and Team Kumite events. Entry forms can be downloaded here.
Help Nominate @ Hartlepool Wadokai
The idea is pretty straight forward:
In Hartlepool, 28% (33% according to endchildpoverty.org.uk) of children live below the poverty line, so instead of necking a pint, like the recent #NekNomination craze going around (which has allegedly led to some deaths!), we would like our Karate kids and families to ‘Help Nominate’ 2 people to donate to our Food Bank.
You must be nominated first to be able to nominate others & once nominated, you have 24 hours to beat the challenge.
The idea was formed by one of our Karate club parents, Ann (Harry’s mam) who created the idea after being inspired by this video:
Hartlepool Wadokai have adopted this as the ‘Monthly Challenge’ for February and Carl kick started it tonight (Mon 3rd) at the club. Our monthly challenges are usually ‘fitness’ or endurance based exercies, Joe H won the January challenge by holding the Plank for a staggering 7 minutes! beating dancers, Karate athletes and iron man contenders in the process…Ann is also involved with Elwick Academy Northern arts Academy so it’s great that they are also supporting the campaign.
It would be great if some of our Karate friends throughout the UK tried a similar thing in their own neighbourhoods. Let us know how you get on… and don’t forget to Nominate!
