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T H E O N LY M A G A Z I N E D E D I C A T E D T O A L L K A R A T E K A

TRADITIONAL

KARATE Vol. Vol. 21 21 No. No. 10 10 July July 2008 2008

Peter Manning Old School - Modern values Kyokushinkai The Ultimate Truth

Adaptable Karate The 3 Technical Stages The 3 Technical Stages of Kata Analysis- Part 2

2008 EU OKINAWA CHAMPIONSHIPS Visit the Traditional Karate magazine website at www.karatemag.co.uk

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PETE MANNING An Old School Karateka with Modern Values Taken from an interview by Matthew Sylvester

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Peter Manning (6th dan) is the founder of the Traditional Shotokan Karate Association. The TSKA were recently running a course at the Haven Holiday’s Devon Cliffs holiday park in Exmouth, Devon and Traditional Karate took the opportunity to interview Peter and conduct an in-depth and interesting interview.

What prompted you to take up martial art?

PETE MANNING: I was bullied a lot as a kid and was becoming more and more upset at the thought of going to school the next morning. Nobody really knew about the martial arts then and my Dad tried to get me into a local judo club in a local Dorset school.

Unfortunately they would only teach pupils of that school. Then the father of Steve Rusbridge (who is now one of our senior instructors), told my dad about a karate club that had started in Frome, Somerset. So Steve and I went along to learn Shotokan karate under Peter Bull (KUGB). That was 35 years ago!

What was the training like?

PETE MANNING: Training was very tough! Us children were treated like adults, I guess because we weren’t really wanted in training. For example, push-ups on the knuckles were commonplace and so was being whipped with a belt at the same time if you weren’t doing enough! How I stuck at it I don’t know!

And did you get to use your karate technique against bullies outside the dojo?

PETE MANNING: I remember one day being on a school trip. I was coming up to 16 years-of-age and I recall one of the lads going on at me about my karate (which I tried to keep secret). I turned round and smacked him with an un-technical reverse punch and knocked him straight off his seat! That gave my self-confidence a boost and earned me some respect with the other kids.

And since then?

PETE MANNING: I’ve been involved in a lot of real-life situations partly through being employed as a door supervisor. You see, I’m one of those people who tend to be a target for people to have a go at. I didn’t fit the typical tough-guy tattooed doorman appearance.

What did work on the door teach you?

PETE MANNING: It gave me a slant on realism! Both myself and all the senior instructors originally belonged to JKA associations and practised Shotokan karate. Although we teach traditional karate, we’ve evolved enough to come to know what can actually help people in realistic situations. We use what we call ‘Cross-Over Training’ in which we teach the basic movement. Then we teach how you can use that basic movement in real life on the street if required.

Ultimately, though, it all boils down to whether you’ve got the bottle to do the job!

Which other instructors have you worked or trained with?

I’ve trained with Terry O’Neill (Shotokan Karate), Joe Ellis (TsuYoi Karate, a derivative of Kyokushinkai) and Gerry Bryan (TsuYoi Karate), all of whom have had a good influence on my fighting ability. I respect KUGB Senior Instructors Andy Sherry and Bob Poynton, and value the time I spent discussing techniques with them.

The late Gary Spiers taught me some of his tried and tested street techniques. I’ve done a lot of work too with Shane Redmonds from Bristol. Shane’s an excellent boxer and head doorman and bodyguard. He runs a chain of clubs. Shaun Tanner is an ex-police officer and now runs a company - Sensitive Security - that I am involved with.

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What works best for me and seems safer is to be pre-emptive, fast, deceiving and lucky!

Have you studied grappling techniques?

PETE MANNING: I’ve done various courses - several with Vince Morris, a kyusho-jitsu expert. I’ve also trained with Rick Clark and Harry Cook.

A lot of basic grappling techniques can be found in kata and we’ve always tried to let people know why they’re doing a technique in a particular way.

No disrespect to the Japanese but karate was watered down for school kids when it was introduced to Japan, so if you’re looking for the realistic side, then you need to look back to Okinawa.

Chris Dyer is well-known for his bare-knuckle ability and is well respected as a head doorman. People like these I call ‘hard men’!

So do you think that there is a real distinction to be drawn between martial arts and practical martial arts?

PETE MANNING: Nowadays, some magazines are full of MMA and grappling, and take the view that traditional arts don’t work.

I’m one of those who is living proof that traditional karate does work as long as your training is reality-based. You need to train for a street situation, which is very different from training to win a trophy!

Traditional karate works brilliantly providing you train the right way. For example, I’m a great believer in pad work. I don’t think you should just learn to punch or kick the air. I think it’s vital that you use pads to develop full-impact punches and kicks and to feel what it’s like to hit something.

So how do you feel about competition karate?

PETE MANNING: I think competition karate is excellent! I am not knocking competition at all because we hold competitions every year - but there’s a big difference between a tournament and a real situation.

How important and useful is the ability to grapple?

PETE MANNING: I think grappling’s an effective skill to learn but the last place I ever want to be - especially with my build - is on the ground! You need to know how to grapple because most fights start in close. On the other hand, if the guy you have grappled to the ground has three mates wanting to play football with your head, then reliance on grappling can very easily become fatal!

What parts of traditional Japanese karate practice do you approve of?

PETE MANNING: Shotokan, being a traditional style, is identified in part through wearing a white gi, using a traditional badge and practising the same basics. The Kihon of Shotokan Karate is the same around the world. The white gi is also a great leveler because it wipes out the distinctions of income. The gi and the bows when entering and leaving the dojo help create the right mind-set for the training to come.

I also agree with coloured belts though not with children grading for a high dan grade before the age of 18. To me, the belt represents attainment of ability - but its value ultimately depends on what kind of syllabus is taught and how genuine is the instructor.

I think the black belt has become devalued over the years. It’s worth less to me now than compared to, say, 10 years ago because nowadays, it seems that every man and his dog has one!

Do you think someone who trained five hours every day for five days out of every week could legitimately earn a black belt in a year?

PETE MANNING: Training in the JKA instructor’s class for several hours a day has to be the fast-track way to a black belt. I’d agree with that. As to whether this could happen in a year, I would definitely say ‘Not in our system!’

How does the TSKA train children?

PETE MANNING: All our instructors and assistants are CRB checked. We have a Welfare Officer in place and we operate a Child Protection Policy. We also train children according to a junior syllabus.

Why did you form the Traditional Shotokan Karate Association?

PETE MANNING: I was a member of the KUGB for many years and prior to 1993 I was a senior instructor with another Shotokan association. The senior instructor moved over here from Saudi Arabia but things did not work out and I left.

I didn’t know which way to turn and ended up speaking to Joe Ellis who helped me immensely in setting up the group. I was a 3rd dan at that time and didn’t want to run my own association.

But basically the TSKA was formed in May 1993 and we’ve been very successful.

John Euden is a 5th dan from Kent. He was with the JKA for many years, as was 4th dan Steve Rusbridge from Frome. We’ve all trained and graded with the top Japanese instructors and the

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TSKA at the moment is going great guns! We currently have around 1,500 licensed members.

What were your aims and goals when you set the group up?

PETE MANNING: Terry O’Neill told me to always maintain my own standards - which I’ve tried to do. I wanted a group that was technically proficient, was progressive in the way it taught karate and would work if you needed to use it. I also wanted a friendly group with a sensible grading structure.

Well Pete, it certainly looks like you succeeded in doing just that, and we at Traditional Karate extend our very best wishes for the future of your association. Thanks for the interview!

PETE MANNING: Thanks for the opportunity to speak with you and the readership.

This article is sponsored by havengroups.co.uk

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Tools of The Trade

By Albie O’connor Shime Waza

Choking Techniques Pt.2

Defences and escapes

Cautionary note: - Please take care should you practise the techniques in this article as injury may occur through missuse. This article is aimed at serious and responsible martial artists. Any defence you use must be with reasonable force and be reasonable to the circumstances.

The following techniques are practised by having your partner on their knees. This method is safer as you will feel your partner drop should they pass out. All students should have been instructed and acknowledge that they understand the practise of “tap-out”. Should you feel any discomfort you should immediately tap your partner who should then ease the pressure of the choke, strangle, jointlock or pressure point.

can then strike the jaw with a palm heel (Teisho) strike (Photo 3) to re-direct them so you can apply a joint attack on the opponent’s elbow (Photo 4). Further pressure on the joint will enable you to drive them to the floor (Photo 5).

Thanks for Dean Boswell & Martin Wallis for their assistance.

For further information on karate, Kobudo or seminars please contact: - SKK/IOKA, 33. St. James Avenue West, Stanford le Hope, Essex SS17 7BB. Phone 01375 640609 Email kobudo@blueyonder.co.uk Website www.sessenryukarate.co.uk

The following applying of the demonstrated chokes have been published in part 1.

As the choke is applied (Photo 1) you can seize your opponent’s groin who will grab the seizing arm (Photo2). You

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The Way Of Sanchin Kata

By Kris Wilder

Part 9 - Arm

T

his is the ninth of several articles investigating Sanchin Kata, its origin and application to traditional karate.

This material consists of excerpts of various sections from the book The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power by Kris Wilder. The goal of these articles is to illustrate some of the methods of training Sanchin Kata and making the knowledge of the past masters relevant and meaningful for modern karateka.

Striking The fist needs to stay relaxed. Some practitioners will keep a tight fist through the entirety of the punching motion; however, this conspires to make the arm tight and thus slow. Oftentimes the beginner will hold their fist too loosely through lack of focus or too tightly in the belief that a tight fist hits harder. The fact is the fist is held firmly, but relaxed through the punching motion and is clenched just upon contact. Compare a tight fist to a firm fist; the only detectable difference would be the yellowing of the flesh from squeezing the blood from the hand of the tight fist because the hand is held in the same position in either case.

This last-minute clenching is what Jack Dempsey, former boxing champion, calls “Grabbing Tension.” An act similar to that of a sneeze, it makes the body like one solid piece of wood instead of a rickety shack. As discussed in Part 7 of this column , the point of contact for the fist is the first two knuckles, the index and the middle finger; however, primary contact is made with the first, or index, knuckle.

Fist clenched too tightly

Another way to envision this is as if you have a fresh pea in your fist. The pea is held loosely, yet secure, in the palm. As contact is made, the pea is crushed in the palm of your fist.

When punching, the mind is placed not in the knuckles but in the wrist at the median nerve. The median nerve runs on the underside of the wrist, passing through the wrist and dividing into several smaller nerve pathways to service the fingers.

Thinking of the strike as originating from this nerve shortens your arm in your mind, giving your strike deeper penetration mechanically, and also keeps you from having to split a neurological impulse further. Your mind and energy need only go to the median nerve instead of spending effort going to the fingers that don’t need to play the guitar at this moment, so to speak.

The block of the Sanchin Kata is built around correct angles.

Striking: Test It I The ultimate goal of striking your opponent is to end any further confrontation. To that end, hitting harder and faster is a serious affair and the transference of energy from your body to their body is fundamental. To test this method you can use a large phone book, or a speed pad. As air shields are designed to diffuse the power of a blow they are not useful for this drill. A human does not have four inches of foam surrounding their body.

With you and your partner facing each other in the sanchin dachi stance, have your partner hold the phone book on their chest. The key to transferring energy from your body to theirs is clearly the integration of the body; however, in this drill we are going to work on the shoulder. The shoulder is among the most common places energy leaves your body and fails to transfer to their body. Strike the telephone book and at the time of impact tighten the pectoral and latissimus muscles, keeping your deltoid muscle as disengaged as possible. The deltoid muscle should have the consistency of ripe fruit, soft but not limp. Have your partner watch your shoulder; any backward movement indicates a loss of energy and is unsatisfactory. Repeat this drill until there is no movement in the shoulder.

First clenched on contact

Fist held loosely, showing pea in hand Median nerve on wrist

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Deltoid muscle (indicated by arrow)

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Standing in sanchin dachi with hand in chamber in preparation of strike

Standing in sanchin dachi pulling hand backward in preparation for strike

About the author Kris Wilder started practicing the martial arts at the age of fifteen.

Over the years, he has earned black belt rankings in three styles, Goju-Ryu karate, Tae Kwon Do and Judo, in which he has competed in senior national and international tournaments.

He has had the opportunity to train under skilled instructors, including Olympic athletes, state champions, national champions, and gifted martial artists who take their lineage directly from the

Standing in sanchin dachi with hand in chamber in preparation of strike

founders of their systems. Kris has trained and taught across the United States, in France, Canada and Okinawa. He is the author of “Lessons from the Dojo Floor.” (Xlibris 2003), co-author of the “The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide to Deciphering Martial Application,” (YMAA 2005) and author of “Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power.” (YMAA 2007). “The Way to Black Belt: A Comprehensive Guide to Rock Solid Results” (YMAA 2007), coauthored with Lawrence Kane, is scheduled for a November 2007 release. He can be reached at: Kwilder@quidnunc.net

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Your personal signed copy by Mrs Enoeda and the Author

AVAILABLE NOW Priority order form available by post from Karate-London PO Box 566, Waltham Abbey, EN9 3WU or by email

book@karate-london.co.uk website

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Adaptable Karate part 2 T h e t h re e t e c h n i c a l s t a g e s o f k a t a a n a l y s i s “When viewing a magnificent oak tree, don’t simply flutter your eyes around every visually pleasing leaf. Instead, gently pull your gaze back and accept all parts of the tree together as one entity. You will then come to realise just how it could have grown from a single solitary acorn.”

In the first part of this article, I suggested that kata should be an open and continuous process of learning, rather than a progression of movements holding comparatively little value. I then began to explain the classical threestage method of technically analysing the forms and described the first and second phases of omote and henka. In this second and final part, I intend to look at third stage of ura and discuss how we can proactively practice our forms as very potent learning aids that have virtually no limits.

The third stage: Ura _ The last stage of technical analysis is called ura. It is the opposite of the first stage, omote and means, ‘inside’ or ‘back’. Ura represents that which we cannot see unless expressed through

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physical movement. It represents the principles that surround the movements of the form and is based on the notion that I explained right at the beginning of this piece; that kata is a way of recording the most effective fighting principles of a particular style, system, strategy or individual. Ura is also very dependent on the way in which you focus on the form i.e. not as a collection of shapes, but more as a series of transitions or motions. There will never be any potential in static or discrete postures/techniques. In other words, it’s important to look at the journey, not the destination.

It is commonly understood that kata was originally practiced intensely for years at a time. For this to be so then the movements depicted in the form must represent something much more than just a handful of potential applications. A whole style couldn’t possibly be recorded within something that only takes minutes to perform unless there is something else that we should be focusing upon. This, I believe, is one of the main stumbling blocks that karate-ka come up against when studying bunkai.

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- By Chris Denwood

They focus far too much on the actual techniques of the form (believing these to be the most critical part), rather than the lessons that those techniques are actually trying to impart.

Techniques are literally ‘principles in action’ and it is these principles that we should always be more focussed upon.

Please consider the application shown in pictures 1 to 9. Now you may initially think that it shows something completely different from the movements that we’ve been previously looking at in part 1, but I beg to differ. This is still very much an application from the start of Pinan Godan kata! If we go back for a moment to the omote application (which I’ve shown again in pictures 10 to 16) and extract the principles, then we can start to ask the question, ‘what is this part of the kata teaching us?’ In this particular instance it is my own personal view that even at a fundamental level, the form is trying to explain that when seized; you can escape and shift to the outside of your attacker (a safer option), use the seizing arm as a temporary barrier whilst countering and then finish by attacking the throat.

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The form is thus teaching an effective strategy based on movement, timing, and distance, as well as gaining a fast initial and continuing advantage. The techniques used to express this within the form can and should then be appreciated as being a ‘typical effective example’ rather than ‘the only way of achieving that particular objective’. If a movement in a kata is teaching us the principle of attacking the inherent weakness of the elbow joint for example, we should then be actively asking ourselves, how else can we exploit the antagonist’s elbow joint in a similar fashion? As long as the principles of the form are followed, then the answers you’ll find will in no way differ from what the kata is originally trying to portray.

If you consider the principles of movement, we can see that the application shown in pictures 1 to 9 are not in any way different from what the start of the kata is trying to teach us through the

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superficial analysis of omote. The exact same principles are being used; they’re just being physically expressed in a different way - that is all. Once we appreciate the potential at this stage of ura, we can easily see how a single form could represent a complete system or strategy of fighting and why this was originally considered as so.

Now, some might say that the creators of the form may never have even considered many of the applications generated in this adaptable way and I have to admit that this argument more than likely holds elements of truth. But so what? As interesting as I may find this historic piece of information, I simply refuse to consider this as a barrier against the main objective for my study.

Above all else, I am a martial artist first and a historian second. For the kata to mean anything it has to be both a direct learning tool, as well as being a method to promote and increase further understanding as time and experience

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progresses. I strongly believe that this is what the founding fathers of karate would have wanted for us.

Everyone by now should have aligned to the fact that in karate, many things are not what they first seem to be. I’m sure you’ll have all heard that ‘a punch is not just a punch’ or ‘a block is not only a block’ - you may even be actively be practicing in that way now. In reality, everything that we accomplish in the art comes from the same source just like the acorn. That source is nothing ‘alien’ or for that matter, anything to do with karate. The art simply acts as a vehicle for the source to be expressed. That source of course, is you! The self-satisfaction you experience through your practice is proportional only to how honestly and thoughtfully you undertake each training session. Kata is exactly the same as this. If we can learn to view and train a form in an open and honest way without the restrictions of preferences,

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laurels, ideals or politics, its true potential will shine through and allow us to take what we need, when we’re ready to understand it.

It is my view (and I hope you agree) that the original masters of karate would be totally dismayed to see their beloved kata being reduced to nothing more than a restricted and ‘choked’ pattern of very limited value, just for the sake of maintaining what may or may not have been a historic truth at the time. To release the true potential of kata, I believe that all traditional karate-ka have both the opportunity and a genuine duty to study in an unrestrictive and adaptable way. This will inevitably help towards maintaining the original perceived intent of karate as an effective civilian self-protection system and ensuring that the art remains constantly fresh and alive.

In a practical sense, learning by equating to the principles associated with the form is very favourable. Instead of col-

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lecting a million unrelated techniques to cater for a wide range of attack scenarios, ‘principle-based study’ allows you to respond in a much more spontaneous way by limiting (to some extent) the mental ‘log jam’ that can occur when your brain is being forced (by yourself) to think or process precise information in a situation where your evolutionary instincts would ask it to switch off.

Combat is extremely hard to begin with.

Why would you even consider making it any harder through collecting what will inevitably become useless knowledge when depended upon?! I think that we should treat kata how it should be - as a vehicle to promote a greater understanding of the principles associated with combat and the art in which you diligently study and thoroughly enjoy.

If I was to give you one final piece of advice regarding the analysis of karate, it would be to think of using kata as your sensei. Try to appreciate what the form is trying to teach you and as with

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any kind of learning, don’t forget to ask questions. You should find that as long as you face those questions honestly, then the kata will answer them for you and more. It will become possible then to reach a little closer towards those great masters that left us these timeless masterpieces to benefit from.

Thank you for taking the time to read my words. I sincerely hope that they’ve succeeded to crack open at least one more door to help your own personal exploration within this lifelong learning process of karate.

Chris Denwood is the Chief Instructor of the Eikoku Satori Karate-Do Kyokai and a senior instructor with the British KarateDo Chojinkai. For more information about his particular approach to karate or to enquire about upcoming seminars etc, please contact the E.S.K.K on 07801 531 914 or visit www.eskk.co.uk where you can join their mailing list, read similar articles and download useful media.

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The Ultimate Truth Kyokushinkai Knockdown Karate Tournaments

By Richard Hinchliffe

In these days of Mixed Martial Arts and reality based combat systems, many traditional martial arts styles have taken a bit of a battering. Many serious practitioners of established styles are finally beginning to take a long, sober look at their training regimes and to re-appraise what they have learned And what they are passing on. Some, of course, will continue to bury their heads in the sand and convince themselves that all their untested techniques are the ultimate in self-defence. Some will blame the changing times and continue to tell us that everything was so much better ‘in their day’.

There are others, however, who will be able to continue pretty much as they are - not through sloth or self delusion, but through the knowledge that their methods work. They will be able to do so because that knowledge is tested beyond doubt in the cold reality of one of the toughest tests in traditional martial arts: The Kyokushinkai Knockdown Tournaments.

When translated, the word Kyokushin means ‘ultimate truth’. The style was created by Masutatsu Oyama, (1923 - 1994), a Korean by birth who had lived and studied in both China and Japan.

Throughout his life, Oyama was a keen martial artist, having studied Chinese Kempo as a child and later, Shotokan Karate (under Gichin Funakoshi himself) and Goju Karate.

In 1946, Oyama took his first sabbatical for isolated study. He was greatly inspired by the Samurai code and ethic of bushido, and in particular by the legendary Samurai warrior, Miyamoto

Musashi, one of Japan’s greatest folk heroes. This, undoubtedly led to his decision to spend long periods in isolation on Mount Minobi, and later on Mount Kiyasumi, where he worked tirelessly to perfect his technique and develop what would later become Kyokushinkai Karate.

Needless to say, the power of Oyama’s karate became legendary.

He travelled the world demonstrating this power with such amazing feats as killing bulls with his bare fists. Gradually, more and more people, impressed by Oyama’s skills, began to follow the harsh training regime needed to practise it.

Eventually, tournaments were organised that would suit the ethos of Kyokushinkai. The idea of simply touching an opponent with a technique and thereby winning was totally alien to the style, so the Kyokushinkai knockdown tournaments were finally born.

The first British Open Knockdown tournament was held in 1976.

From its inception, it became one of the most respected tournaments in the karate world.

Briefly, in knockdown rules, full contact kicks are allowed to the head and body, as are certain kicks to the legs. (Kicks to the knees, groin and throat are not allowed). Full contact punches are allowed to the body, but not the head. The object of knockdown, as the name implies, is not to score points, but to knock down your opponent, or leave them unable to continue.

In between bouts, competitors have to break boards using karate hand techniques. In the event of a draw, the number of boards broken will determine the winner.

It obviously takes a determined and dedicated fighter to even participate in such competitions.

In order to find out more about what’s involved, I tracked down my old mate Boback Khaladj who spent some years as a regular on the gruelling Kyokushinkai knockdown scene.

I first met Boback in the early 80’s when we both trained in Wado Ryu Karate. Even back then, Boback had a reputation throughout the Yorkshire area for being a formidable fighter, so it was interesting to meet him again and find out what inspired him all those years back to make the change to Kyokushinkai: How did you get into Martial Arts, and what led you to Kyokushinkai?

BOBACK KHALADJ: Well as a small boy in Iran, I used to do Kushti, the traditional Iranian Wrestling, Olympic wrestling. I also took up boxing for a while. Then, when I was at High School I was told one day that someone was coming to beat me up. It turned out that the guy that was supposed to be after me did

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Karate, so I decided to get prepared... I joined a Karate club.

Soon after that I moved over to Kung Fu and I graded up to black belt/sash. My instructor was part of the Iranian Special Forces at the time, so it was good quality training.

By 1978 I was out of Iran, and looking for somewhere to train regularly. I used to visit a few Kung Fu clubs, mainly for the sparring, and I’d heard about another guy who used to come ‘round to spar with the instructors. I was looking forward to meeting him.

That was Sensei Mick Firth. He did Wado Ryu Karate, but would visit other clubs for the sparring. He was one of the good guys; he’d fight properly. Soon after we met, I joined his Wado Ryu club. That would be about 1979.

I trained there in Wado Ryu and also in Jiu Jitsu under Chief Instructor Phil Milner’s ways of teaching until 1984. That’s when I went to Kyokushinkai, though I still used to come over to spar after that.

I got together with some friends who I had been teaching Wado Ryu and went to Leicester to train with Peter Kisby. From then on, it’s all been Kyokushinkai. It came about really when I went to a tournament in Birmingham and had to fight Sensei Liam Keaveney in my first fight. I learned the hard way that the rules of Kyokushinkai are slightly different from most other Karate tournaments. That was the turning point. I realised that I wanted a bit more than pulling back on contact. I wanted to hit things a bit harder. That’s why I joined Kyokushinkai, really.

Why is Kyokushinkai so effective? Is it a difference in the technique, or is it simply the severity of the training?

BOBACK KHALADJ: It’s really a bit of both. Definitely, you have to hit hard and also you have to adjust your technique to suit the occasion. If your opponent is attacking in a certain way you cannot defend the same way you would in a points competition. You must defend in a harsher way, stand your ground and prepare to attack harder. Your technique and your preparation will both be different because of the severity of the training.

How important is impact training in Kyokushinkai and do you think that modern Karate students are losing out by not using the makiwara?

BOBACK KHALADJ: It’s to suit the individual really. If someone wants to make their fist stronger of course, they have to use various means of conditioning it.

It’s not just an object hitting exercise, it’s also training the skin, the ligaments and the muscles through doing push-ups, friction training on canvas, moving around on your knuckles like we used to do in the Jiu jitsu sessions. They all help to deliver a strike that’s more effective than one using parts of the body that are unprepared.

Yes, I have fond memories of the heavy bag that you had in your first club at Wakefield YMCA. I remember how my shins felt after a session on that.

BOBACK KHALADJ: There’s a fine balance when you’re hitting a sand bag between hurting yourself and actually improving. If you hurt yourself too much you’re actually getting worse, not better. If you don’t hurt at all, then you’re not improving. The successful fighter is the one that finds out how much force is needed for him or her to improve. It’s different for everybody. It’s not a must, it’s just something you can use to condition yourself. For instance for toughening up the shins, instead of the sandbag, you can roll bottles up and down your shin, or you can do tyre hitting. That’s done a lot in Kyokushinkai. They often use truck tyres wrapped up with tapes. You’ll find them in many Kyokushinkai dojos.

The thing with the sand filled bag, if you’re going to use it is to

remember that the sand gets harder as you strike it, so as time goes on, you must reverse the process by turning the bag upside down to loosen it, or putting layers of carpet in between the sand to stop it dropping down to the bottom. When it all drops down to the bottom it becomes like concrete and then it’s no good to anyone. It’s a fine art to set up a bag so that everyone will benefit from it.

Can you tell us a bit about your experiences in Knockdown Tournaments?

BOBACK KHALADJ: They all made me nervous: every tournament, ever. They all made me excited, whether it was points tournaments, Kyokushinkai or whatever, but the Kyokushinkai’s just got a bit more edge to it. It’s a bit more nerve wracking because people are going to hit you harder. They’re there to knock you out, so the opponents are more determined.

I value all the tournaments, whether I actually managed to win or not. There’s a saying: “You only remember the ones you lose.” It’s true, really and you improve because of them. The ones that you win, you usually don’t remember. That’s what the trophies are there for: to remind you that you won that year.

My best years were 1989 and 1990. In 1989, I lost a tournament at the quarter-finals stage because I had not broken enough boards after the previous fight. I was determined not to let that happen again. The following year I set a record for lightweight competitors of four boards. That was also the year when I was runner up in the UK open tournament at Crystal Palace.

One of the best times was after a regional tournament in Scotland.

My opponent, a Dutch Kyokushin champion, won by clutching his groin and falling to the floor, even though I hadn’t kicked him there. Having witnessed that injustice, Sensei Jeff Wybrow suggested that I fight for England. I managed to stay in the team for a couple of years. That was a really great feeling, being chosen to fight for my nation and my association against all comers. I was so happy and excited when he picked me, I didn’t sleep for two days.

The other times are all important to me as well. The times I’ve managed to win fights with broken bones. The 1991 Welsh Open 3rd place is one of the most important trophies.

I remember hearing about that. It says a lot about Kyokushinkai spirit and determination, so please tell the readers about it.

BOBACK KHALADJ: It’s just testing yourself against the odds. I went to the tournament and felt I was ready for it, but maybe I wasn’t ready to fight someone like Steven Kisby. He was very fast and very strong. He had a very good jodan mawashigeri, which would clock something like 60 - 70 mph. I completely forgot about that and eventually he caught me. As I was trying to defend my WWW.KARATEMAG.CO.UK TRADITIONAL KARATE 121

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head, my arm was too relaxed and his shin broke my right forearm. It’s funny how so much can go through your mind in a matter of seconds. I knew that my arm was broken, but I found myself thinking: “Can I carry on? If my family were in danger or something like that, would I give up?” I decided to carry on and not let on about the arm. I had to fight him for another three and a half minutes before I managed to win by breaking his ribs with a chudan mawashigeri. So I had to be determined and not show any pain, or any signal that I was hurt. I was actually threatening to strike with the broken arm to get his guard to change and open up his ribs for the kick.

BOBACK KHALADJ: Well, from my own experience, I found that I did better if I didn’t have any sparring sessions with anyone for two weeks prior to the tournament. For the fortnight leading up to the tournament I used to forbid all the fighters in my club from taking part in free sparring. Instead I introduced timed, controlled sparring, using pre-selected movements against which they would defend or stand and get hit. This reduced the risk of injury to the hyper - keyed up fighters.

Eventually, when the fight was over, he reached out to shake my hand. I had to respectfully explain to him that I couldn’t, because he’d broken it in the first minute. He just smiled and said: “How come you didn’t tell me?” Of course, I couldn’t tell him or he would have hit it again.

BOBACK KHALADJ: Months before a tournament you do your hardest training with regards to sparring and things like that. Hitting the sandbag, preparing your knuckles, elbows, shins and everything.

That’s the way it is. You have to be ready for anything in Knockdown tournaments. You can’t afford to give up because the other person’s also giving it 100%. It could be happening to them.

They could be coming at you with injuries, but not showing it. You just have to fight on until it’s over. Even if you lose, the only way you know whether they’re hurt is after the fight when the other guy doesn’t show up for his next fight.

This is the whole psychology. If you get hurt, you don’t let your opponent know. The signalling of pain is not allowed, it’s forbidden.

It can be the cause of the loss of a fight, or even the tournament.

Can you tell us what the training was like in the lead up to a Knockdown tournament? I can remember that when it was close to a tournament, you didn’t come to spar with us. I’m assuming that’s because you would have hurt us?

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Did you intensify your other training leading up to the tournaments?

You also get hit. You ask other fighters to hit you with full force so you can get the feel of tournament. It all stops for two weeks before the tournament. Then all you do is stamina building exercises. For my particular group this was the norm. We were pretty happy with our standard on the day. We were virtually injury free once we started training that way. There was hardly any damage done to any of us. In the years prior to that, when we didn’t do it like that we would come back all bandaged up, so it was something that we learned as we went on. The hardest training should be four to five weeks before a tournament. From two weeks before, you should concentrate on hitting the soft bag, working the shins on the sandbag, but very carefully, with a lot of speed work. The last three days before a tournament, I didn’t do anything at all. I gave myself complete rest. Three days should make a new man.

In Kyokushinkai, did you place as much emphasis on flexibility and stretching exercises as you did in Wado Ryu and Kung Fu? I know that one of the things that impressed us all when we first met you was your flexibility.

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BOBACK KHALADJ: There have been Kyokushin fighters who have won tournaments without being flexible at all, so it’s not a rule that it’s there all the time. However, you get a better result from your fight if your opponent is worried about your flexibility. They think: “This guy might catch me out. He’s got a better range of techniques, so I have to watch out for this or that.” The not-so-flexible fighters have to work extra hard because everybody, even the audience, knows exactly what their next move is. So, psychologically, you have an advantage straight away if you’re flexible. For that reason alone, I think that everyone should try to find out how flexible they can become. You need to go in with a flexible attitude and as well as a flexible body.

Do you think it’s good for martial artists to practise more than one style?

BOBACK KHALADJ: It’s absolutely necessary to know what other styles are out there, and understanding that gives you an advantage. It’s something that I think instructors have a responsibility to do: to go and visit other clubs and pick up things to pass on to their own students in case they at some point come up against these other styles.

Just out of interest it’s also good to go to other systems and not just watch them: Join them. Train with them and feel like them. You’ll understand their strengths and weaknesses much better.

What’s your view on mixed martial arts and do you think there will always be a place for traditional styles?

BOBACK KHALADJ: Traditional Martial Arts as we know it was modern at one time in the past, so it’s a process of things coming in and out of fashion. I think that we keep coming back to traditional arts because it’s so simple to teach to everyone. I don’t think we’ll ever lose them because, done right, they’re such a good system for teaching newcomers. We always start them off more or less the same way and give them a good grounding. Of course, even traditional styles change: because of improvements in sports science and physiology, we now forget the not-so-helpful training methods like standing on someone’s leg while they’re trying to hold zenkutsudachi. The rest of traditional martial arts is very good for anyone who wants to practice it. It gives them discipline and understanding, and it’s the quickest way to explain what the student is doing. Once they fall into the traditional shape of understanding, then you can explain everything else to them better. The traditional styles will be around forever, I hope. They’re very useful.

The progression towards cage fighting has always been there; it’s just that it wasn’t talked about as much. There have always been people from different styles meeting up and trying to find out who’s the best. It’s developed into a more organised system now, but it’s always existed underground. We were doing something a little similar, long before it ever got on TV, when we were doing Karate and Jiu-jitsu with Sensei Milner. He’d bring Jiu-jitsu black belts to karate gradings and we’d have to fight using a combination of each other’s styles and go all the way until someone tapped out.

Yes, I remember Phil Milner had a very practical view on that sort of thing...

BOBACK KHALADJ: Absolutely, and he was right. After all these years, I’ve come to the same conclusion. You can’t restrict an opponent and say: “You can’t use that technique,” just because you don’t have a defence against it. You have to learn to grapple, lock and do takedowns as well.

people in Kyokushinkai. Both as fighters and as people generally.

It’s like a fraternity; there’s a lot of mutual respect amongst them. I could sit for ages and list them.

Outside of that though, the people I was most impressed with in the martial arts were the people that were the least money-minded and most interested in the actual training. One of them was Sensei Mick Firth. You’ll never meet anyone so helpful, understanding and supportive. He did everything he could to keep everyone in that club going and to motivate everyone. Even if he was getting hurt, he would just throw himself in and help everyone to improve their technique. He impressed me as well by not being too worried about the financial aspects of martial arts. A lot of people, it seems, are in it just for the money, but Mick was in it for the training, for the Karate itself and the people doing it. If you really wanted to train and put in the effort, it didn’t matter to Mick if you couldn’t afford your sessions that week, he let you train anyway.

Another was Sensei Peter Kisby of Kyokushinkai who told me that, because we travelled such a long way (from Leeds to Leicester), as a gesture of support and to help us, he would not charge us for the training. That was a great help, considering it was a 200 mile round trip and we were doing it three times a week. It would have been a lot for us to pay for on top of travel, dinner, bandages and things.

Both of those are great people. They were helping all the martial arts by not being selfish. You don’t see quite so much of that in the martial arts as there should be.

I remember that attitude carried on to your own club. I know it’s some years back, but I recall you charging 50p. a lesson, when many clubs in the area were charging at least four or five times that much.

BOBACK KHALADJ: You have to pass it on. When you see kindness you have to give some back. You need to have a feeling for the fighter that wants to train but maybe can’t afford it. In that sense I was very lucky to come across these people. There were times that I wouldn’t have been able to train if it weren’t for them, so I had to pass it on. My own club fees were there to pay for the fighter’s tournaments, for the travel, entry fees and such. I had a rule that my fighters wouldn’t have to pay to fight. After all, that’s what it’s about, the Karate itself.

Boback, thank you. It’s been a pleasure getting to talk to you again.

Who are the people that have inspired you in the martial arts?

BOBACK KHALADJ: Thank you. It’s been a greater pleasure having trained with you.

BOBACK KHALADJ: Well I’ve been lucky. I’ve met many great

Richard Hinchliffe Kyokushinkai Tel: 07748 570658 WWW.KARATEMAG.CO.UK TRADITIONAL KARATE 123

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Calling ALL

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SHOTOKAN HORIZON In a series of interviews shortly before his death, Vernon Bell, the founder of the British karate movement, described, in some detail, what he taught his earliest students, before his encounter with Master Tetsuji Murakami, in Paris, in August 1958. Shotokan Horizon, therefore, is concerned with the karate that Bell learned from Henri Plee and Hiroo Mochizuki, whilst under the auspices of the Yoseikan dojo, in Japan. The book thus concentrates on the period 1956-1958 and makes for a truly fascinating read.

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FEK001/06

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Caroline Smith

2007 NAS Champion

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How did you get into Martial Arts?

My brother Paul had someone knock on his house door to see if he wanted to join a karate club, he joined and attended his first class, when he got home he was buzzing and phoned me to tell me how great it was, I had always thought about doing a Martial Art but had never got round to actually doing something about it, so when he said I should go along I thought ‘why not’.

At my first class, I had so much fun and the instructor praised me on my round kick, which was such an encouragement, I was hooked and immediately started training twice a week.

What are your most effective scoring techniques?

My reverse punch is the technique I score most points with, it’s not a conscious competence with this technique anymore, I have drilled my reverse punch to the point that it becomes a reflex action.

I have worked tirelessly on my hips to get power and reach with this technique but the biggest secret with it is timing.

Good timing helps you to capitalise on your opponents weaknesses in offence and in defence seize the split second moment where your opponent is exposed.

A fast reverse punch is not enough it is the timing that makes it a winning technique.

Do your techniques change with each opponent/match?

I do watch my opponents as much as I can to see which leg they favour forward, if they always initiate an attack with a particular technique or always react in a certain way and I bear that in mind when I step into the ring, but for myself I don’t change my techniques too greatly between opponents I find sticking to my core skills and strengths gives me the specialist edge.

I do change my ringcraft, i.e. how I use the ring in the match, whether moving in circles to create openings or straight line attacks/counters.

I do have a number of combinations that I practice physically and mentally, picturing myself carrying them out with perfect technique and timing, and most tournaments I will pick 2 or 3 that I am consciously intending to use to create variation so I don’t become predictable to my opponents

How did you get involved in competing in NAS? I had heard a lot about the circuit in Australia and was inspired by the success of people like Renee Joyce and Angela Uytingco and loved the idea of testing myself against other Karate styles and other martial arts and seeing how effective my techniques were against such different dynamics.

What do you believe others can get out of competing?

Tournaments are one of the greatest lessons you can have on your Martial Arts journey, it’s all down to you, if you lose you must learn from that, you cannot blame the judges or other factors on the day, you have to look to what area(s) you have weaknesses, whether it be in your abilities or in your mental game. If you win you should allow yourself time to be proud of your achievement, don’t throw it in other peoples faces, be gracious, But do play back what you did in your head what made you the best on the day, remember what you did, how you felt, write it down if you can, then you will be able to return to that state when you are next in a tournament or in a tough training session even a situation not related to your martial art where you need to feel confident in yourself.

Secondly most people start a martial art with a main reason being the idea of learning self defence, and in that respect we are training for something we hope we will never have to use, we don’t walk down the street hoping to be attacked, but what if? We live in a world where increasing violence is a fact, if you were to be attacked what would you do? Would you freeze with fear? Would you panic? Unfortunately just going through scenarios in a class will give you ideas but without the adrenaline dump that you experience in the moment of attack you can never fully prepare or know how you will react, unless you enter a competition. When you step up to the line to perform your Kata (form) or fight you get an adrenaline dump into your system, you have butterflies and your heart beats right through your chest, the same physical effects you would get in a real self defence situation, but in a safe environment, this gives your body the opportunity to develop the ability to cope with this physical change and still be able to perform, it is the most valuable self defence lesson you can subject yourself to.

PROFILE. I started competing in 2002 and I was not one of those who enter and get medals straight away, I did terribly in both Kata and Kumite, but I was inspired, I remember looking at those that did win and although at the time they were so much better than I was, I said to myself ‘why not me’ and decided I was going to get to medal standard myself.

It took me a year of competing, but in September 2003 I found myself in my first final in a GKR regional tournament against Angela Kay (2006 NAS Champion of Champions) I took Silver and Angela was so humble in her success and outstandingly encouraging to me I was in awe of her, it’s therefore such an honour for me to follow on from her as NAS Female Champion of Champions.

I started entering NAS in the 2007 circuit as I wanted to concentrate 2006 on the GKR UK Nationals, and I did achieve GKR UK 2006 Female Opens Kumite first place.

So for 2007 I had two main goals, to place in the top three in the GKR World Titles and NAS Female Champion of Champions. The GKR World Titles came first, in June, and I finished in 2nd Place which I was hugely proud of and to top off the year, I have now achieved the NAS Female Champion of Champions.

The NAS Nationals was for me the best NAS tournament to date, in the Female Black Belt opens we had 3 Karate styles, Tae Kwon Do and Kickboxing represented so this was truly the NAS I had pictured and it was just fantastic to test ourselves against each other’s differences, one of the greatest memories for me on the day though was how friendly and supportive we all were to each other.

I was fortunate to fight Sabrina Annon of GKR in the Open Weight division, she had already qualified for her weight division as had I, so I expected to possibly meet her again later in the Champion of Champions final which I did, this gave me the chance to see which techniques of mine worked best on her, which techniques of hers scored and assess which legs she favoured forward and techniques she started with so I was going into the final fight of the day feeling prepared and confident, a huge mental advantage, the room was electric and the organisers do a fantastic job of creating a special atmosphere for the showcase events, I was honoured to be in the final and hugely honoured and proud to be 2007 NAS Champion of Champions.

NAS is clearly going from strength to strength and 2008 looks set to be a fantastic year, bring it on!

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2008 EU Okinawa

Championships Over the weekend of the 26th and 27th April, Ryukyukan Shorinryu Karate England hosted their two busiest events the year. The first event on Saturday the 26th was an open seminar with Nohara Koei Hanshi 8th dan on Kobayashi Shorinryu karate and kobudo.

Nohara Hanshi arrived in the UK on the 24th,. Usually Hanshi likes to go straight from the airport to the Dojo and start training. Unfortunately his flight was delayed so we had to wait until the 10:00 o’clock the next day. Friday’s seminar began with introductions from the two Okinawan students that accompanied Hanshi and the sixteen members of Ryukyukan USA that had also arrived on the 24th. The six hour training started session with Naihanchi Shodan, followed by basics, kata, kobudo, pad work and finished with Naihanchi Shodan. Hanshi places great importance on Naihanchi Shodan and starts and finishes every session with this kata.

The open seminar was held on the 26th at the Warren Sports Centre in Chadwell Heath. This event had been advertised in Traditional Karate/Combat so the response was good, with students from various styles and clubs attending. The format for this seminar was the same as Friday’s and although there was over eighty students training, Hanshi Nohara managed to spend time with each student making sure that everyone went away with something, especially the kobudo kata, Shishi No Kun, Tsukenshitahaku Sai and Hamagawa Nunchaku which was new to many students.

The 2nd EU-Okinawa Open Karate and Kobudo Tournament took place on Sunday 27th at Robert Clack School Leisure Centre, London. This event is part of three tournaments sponsored by Ryukyukan,( the All Ryukyu’s Karatedo Open Tournament, Okinawa, the US-Okinawa Open Karate and Kobudo Tournament, USA and the EUOkinawa Open Karate and Kobudo Tournament, Europe).

Nohara Hanshi’s tournament is the longest running tournament on Okinawa and is now in its 17th year. The US tournament, which is in its 7th year is organised by Jim Ernest Sensei. All three tournaments aim to promote Okinawa, allowing Karateka to perform non WKF kata and compete in Okinawan Knockdown Kumite (Kakidameshi).

Although the EU-Okinawa tournament is only in its second year, we managed to attract top competitors from Okinawa and the USA which gave a fantastic atmosphere to the event. Styles varied with competitors from Shorinryu, Shotokan, Kyokushin, Gojuryu and Wadoryu karate.

The most popular event of day was the Knockdown Kumite which was referred by Nohara Hanshi and Ernest Sensei, the standard of fighters was excellent, which made for some very exciting finals, one of which was between Ben Ernset (Ryukyukan USA) and Warren De Reuck (Bunbukan), both fighters had fought before, two years ago, at a BIKO tournament where Ben lost to Warren, this time Ben won the Men’s heavyweight advanced knockdown with a decisive victory over Warren. We are

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looking forward to a re-match at next year’s tournament.

Nohara Hanshi’s UK visit was rounded of with some site seeing and one last seminar at Canton’s Martial Arts Dojo in East Bourne were Richard Canton presented Hanshi with a beautiful certificate to commemorate his seminar.

Every time Hanshi visits England I am always amazed by his energy and hard work in promoting Okinawan Karate.

Nohara Hanshi will be back in the UK in September 2008 for an open seminar. For details on seminars or the 3rd EUOkinawa Open Karate and Kobudo Tournament, contact: Craig Finch at the Matsuri School for Karate Excellence on 07754 827431 or visit our website at www.matsuri.org.uk FORMS (Kata) Mixed Boys & Girls 9yrs & under: 1st K. Higgins Ryukyukan England 2nd A. Janata Ryukyukan England 3rd M. Teubes Ryukyukan England Mixed Boys & Girls 10-15yrs: 2nd Kyu & below: 1st K. Tully Ryukyukan USA 2nd A. Linsdall Ryukyukan England 3rd O. Cherrington Ryukyukan England Mixed Boys & Girls 10-15yrs: 1st Kyu & above: 1st C. Green Ryukyukan England 2nd H. Bishop Ryukyukan England 3rd P. Bishop Ryukyukan England

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Ladies 16yrs & above: 2nd Kyu & below: 1st K. Janata Ryukyukan England 2nd T. Eghobamien Hidayat Shotokan 3rd R. Tully Ryukyukan USA Ladies 16yrs & above: 1st Kyu & above: 1st K. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 2nd N. Umphenour Ryukyukan USA 3rd R. Collier Canton Martial Arts Mens 16yrs & above: 2nd Kyu & below: 1st N. Jones Ryukyukan England 2nd L. Tolken Ryukyukan USA 3rd C. Winchester Ryukyukan USA Mens 16yrs & above: 1st Kyu & above: 1st S. Sewell Ryukyukan USA 2nd B. Steadman Taifu Goju 3rd A. Tyrer Ryukyukan England WEAPONS FORMS (KobudoKata) Boys & Girls 11yrs & under: any Grade (Bo) 1st K. Higgins Ryukyukan England 2nd M. Teubes Ryukyukan England 3rd A. Janata Ryukyukan England 12yrs-15yrs Male & Female: any Grade (Bo) 1st D.Osman Ryukyukan England 2nd A.Verde Ryukyukan England 3rd L. Jollife Ryukyukan England 12-15yrs Male & Female: any Grade (Open) 1st D. Osman Ryukyukan England 2nd C. Green Ryukyukan England 3rd L. Jollife Ryukyukan England 16yrs & above Male & Female: any Grade (Bo) 1st O. Tamashiro Ryukyukan Okinawa 2nd K. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 3rd P. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 16yrs & above Male & Female: any Grade (Sai) 1st O. Tamashiro Ryukyukan Okinawa 2nd K. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 3rd P. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 16yrs & above Male & Female: any Grade (Open) 1st K. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 2nd P. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 3rd P. Bradley Bushi Do Renmei

POINTS FIGHTING (Kumite) Pee Wee (Mixed) Boys & Girls 9 yrs & under: below 4ft 2ins 1st K. Divine Ryukyukan USA 2nd L. Jenkins Ryukyukan England 3rd B. Nguyen Hidayat Shotokan Pee Wee (Mixed) Boys & Girls 9 yrs & under: above 4ft 2ins 1st A. Janata Ryukyukan England 2nd B. Divine Ryukyukan USA 3rd K. Higgins Ryukyukan England

Mens 18yrs & above: under 75 Kilo’s 1st S. Sewell Ryukyukan USA 2nd C. Ernest Ryukyukan USA 3rd J. Stafford Bunbukan Mens 18yrs & above: over 75 Kilo’s 1st C. Winchester Ryukyukan USA 2nd L. Tolken Ryukyukan USA 3rd n/a

Girls 10-12yrs: below 5ft 1st A. Linsdall Ryukyukan England 2nd S. Osman Ryukyukan England 3rd n/a

KNOCKDOWN FIGHTING (Kaki Dameshi Kumite) Boys 8-15yrs 1st J. Thoroughgood Kyoikenkai 2nd S. Linsdall Ryukyukan England 3rd W. Erwin Ryukyukan USA 3rd M. Chandler Ryukyukan England

Girls 10-12yrs: 5ft & above 1st P. Janata Ryukyukan England 2nd P. Bishop Ryukyukan England 3rd H. Bishop Ryukyukan England

Ladies Cadets16-17yrs 1st T. Dadar 2nd K. Tully 3rd n/a

Girls 13-15yrs: below 5ft 3ins 1st K. Tully Ryukyukan USA 2nd C. Nguyen Hidayat Shotokan 3rd S. Elamin Hidayat Shotokan

Ladies 18yrs & above: under 65 kilo’s 1st N. Umphenour Ryukyukan USA 2nd Katy Blezard Bunbukan 3rd DJohn Kyoikenkai

Boys 10-12yrs: below 5ft 1st A. Emin Ryukyukan England 2nd I. Elamin Hidayat Shotokan 3rd J. Bateman Hidayat Shotokan

Ladies 18yrs & above: over 65 kilo’s 1st K. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 2nd P. Huddleston Ryukyukan England 3rd V. Gray Kyoikenkai

Boys 10-12yrs: 5ft & above 1st H. Bateman Hidayat Shotokan 2nd M. James Ryukyukan England 3rd L. Vaughan Hidayat Shotokan

Men 18yrs & above: over 75 kilo’s Novice 1st C. Winchester 2nd L. Tolken 3rd P. Subherual

Boys 13-15yrs: below 5ft 3ins 1st C. Green Ryukyukan England 2nd M. Bateman Hidayat Shotokan 3rd A. Verde Ryukyukan England Boys 13-15yrs: 5ft 3ins & above 1st A. Emin Ryukyukan England 2nd T. Ingleton Ryukyukan England 3rd W. Erwin Ryukyukan USA Ladies 18yrs & above: 1st C. Collier Canton Martial Arts 2nd R. Tully Ryukyukan USA 3rd n/a

130 TRADITIONAL KARATE WWW.KARATEMAG.CO.UK

Kyoikenkai Ryukyukan USA

Ryukyukan USA Ryukyukan USA Kyoikenkai

Men 18yrs & above: under 75 kilo’s Advanced 1st O. Tamashiro Ryukyukan Okinawa 2nd H. Tanimoto Ryukyukan Okinawa 3rd C. Ernest Ryukyukan USA 3rd S. Sewell Ryukyukan USA Men 18yrs & above: over 75 kilo’s Advanced 1st B. Ernest Ryukyukan USA 2nd W. De De Reuck Bunbukan 3rd A. Tyrer Ryukyukan England 3rd J. Stafford Bunbukan

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LEADING SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY REPRODUCTION ORIENTAL MEDIEVAL AND MODERN ARMS AND ARMOUR

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U.K.’s longest established 100% Steel Bladed Marto and Gladius Samurai Sword sellers, Battle Orders now have a selection of Ryumon hand-made carbon steel cased Katanas plus a selection of Martial Arts equipment including Bokken, Tonfa, Sai and Nunchuku.

For collectors there’s the Movie Weapons section and much more.

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Visit our website www.battleorders.co.uk or call 01323 485182 for a free catalogue