Early in March students from all areas had the opportunity to further progress along their karate journey by taking their next grading. Most students were amply good enough; to those, well done. A few - not many to be honest - struggled with certain aspects of the syllabus.
All of us at some time during our training struggle to pick up the next series of skills whether it is a basic or Kumite set or an aspect of kata. To overcome any difficulty from around orange/yellow belt students should be going to the dojo twice most weeks. They should also allocate some time at home for private practice. An easy excuse for this, from most who don’t practice, is either they forgot or they didn’t have time. If something matters enough to you, you will both remember and find time to practice. Karate teaches self -discipline and ensuring dedicated practice is just one part of that.
Congratulations to all students who passed their kyu gradings. Generally the standard was good. Remember to visit your dojo as often as possible and practice as the work for your next grading has begun already. To progress, from yellow belt onwards, a student should be attending twice a week. It is worth remembering what Sensei Kidby said at the grading: “Practice because you do karate, not because you want to grade. You grade because you have practiced. You grade because you have become good enough to.”
For those students who were awarded the quarterly trophy, it was a real red letter day. The trophies, as always, were given out for a multitude of differing reasons. Congratulations to all recipients who were:-
CLUB TROPHY WINNERS
AMPTHILL VICTORIA MURFIN
BRICKHILL MATT HERBERT
BUSHFIELD HERBIE READ
CEDARS DOMINIC DAVIES
CLAPHAM CALEB ARMSTRONG
KEMPSTON MATTEO LOVELL-CATALDO
RISELEY MATTHEW BRADLEY
BLETCHLEY HANNAH SAMME
NEWPORT PAGNELL ANDY GILLIES
NEWTON LONGVILLE CHARLEY MACKRILL
WOLVERTON CONNER HALE
DAN GRADINGS
The following weekend senior grades met in Kempston for black belt dan-gradings. There were six students from across CFTS taking Shodan, first level black belt. To undertake any karate grading is daunting for us all but to take a black belt grading is even more so. One needs strength of character, mental strength plus a high level of fitness. To obtain shodan is the culmination of many years dedicated training and practice. Shodan is not the end; indeed it isn’t even the beginning of the end. It is simply the end of the beginning.
Congratulations to all who passed: Andrew Dyer (Clapham), Clive Betts (Clapham), Kieran Grant (Kempston), Betty Allison, Toby Spurrell and Andrew Handford all of Newport Pagnell.
Many congratulations to you all from the executive and fellow black-belts of CFTS.
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