August 28th, 2010 Sensei Stuart Wright
This was the 18th Summer Camp for me I had a great time training for the four days at Felsted School in Essex with Hanshi Steve Arneil and around 94 students from Australia, Belgium, Norway, Holland, Poland, Germany, Ireland and of course England and Wales. We train around 5 Hours a day covering everything from circuit training in the morning, basics, pad work, fighting and seminars in the evenings. There is a lot going on so everyone has a busy four days. The Junior Camp also trained at the School there was around 40 students, and watching them train they really go for it….! I will be back next year, and can only recommend everyone should go it is a great way to train, meet new students,and just think of nothing else apart from Karate….!
Darius was successful with his Black Belt Grading at camp,very weldone to Sanpai who trained very hard for his grade.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 7th, 2010 Sensei Stuart Wright
This was the 20th year the Chelmsford Dojo had gone Beach Training at Frinton Beach in Essex, to mark this occasion we ran the three miles to Walton pier. This was hard work but apart from the strong wind we all had a great time. Tradition of the Beach Training is that if a student is late or does something wrong no mater how small they have to do a forfeit….! That normally involves getting wet by going in the sea or doing Kata in the rock pools face down (Sanpai Sarah+Jack will not be late again). We had around 50 Students on the day as this is the only time the Seniors and Juniors Train together throughout the year it was alot of fun doing the Karate and the games.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
April 28th, 2010 Sensei Stuart Wright
Sanpais Sarah, Becky and Anna were the England Kata team at the England v Wales Tournament held in Newport Wales on Saturday 24th April. The England v Wales Tournament is held once a year with the venues alternating between England and Wales, this is one of the oldest International Karate Tournaments and has been going for 30 years. All our fighting disciplines are on display at the Tournament both Full and Semi contact fighting, as of the last three years Kata has been added. The Sanpais did an excellent job the standard as you would expect was fantastic, the scores were very close just narrowly missing out on the gold medal to the welsh team.
Sanpais Anna and Becky were also representing England in the Ladies Team Semi contact fighting(clicker) both the Sanpais fought very well, Becky just lost her fight on a very close decision, Anna wining hers showing great strength and fighting sprit against a much older experienced welsh fighter. The end of the contest the Welsh Ladies won the match but all the 5 fights were very close,and could have gone either way such is the standard of the fighting. A great day for our Sanpais I was very proud of them they are a credit to the Chelmsford Dojo and lead from the front with their dedication and commitment to their Karate. Thankyou to Harry, Michelle, Darius, Roy, and Julie (Who took the photos) for going to Wales to support the girls….!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
April 19th, 2010 Sensei Stuart Wright
The latest photos to go on the gallery give an idea of what sort of Karate training we do at the Chelmsford dojo, ranging from general fitness, Karate basics, pad work, circuit training and kumite. I hope the students enjoy looking at the photos, and also any Seniors or Juniors who would like to join the Karate club.
I would like to thank Gordon Flack (Greg’s Father) who is now the Chelmsford Dojo Website Master for all the hard work he has done in upgrading our Website, he has worked countless hours on the site without his dedicated work the site would not have been the excellent quality that it is a BIG WELL DONE…!
Sensei.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
March 29th, 2010 Sensei Stuart Wright
At the England team selection for the England v Wales Kata Tournament to be held in Wales on the 20th April we had five students went to the Kata course held at Dunmow dojo on Sunday 28th. The Kata course was instructed by the Great Britain Kata coach Sensei Sunil Taylor.
Sanpais Becky, Sarah, Anna and Jack accompanied by Greg went along to gain experience from the course and possible selection for this top international Kata Tournament. Sanpai Jack and Greg narrowly missed out on the England Team, Sensei Sunil being very impressed with their display of Kata. Sanpais Becky, Sarah and Anna got selected to represent England in the team event, this is Fantastic news, no other dojo has managed this all credit to the three Sanpais and following on from their silver medal win at the British Kata Tournament this year they are leading from the front with all the English Ladies. From the introduction of Kata at the England v Wales three three years ago it has now become a very big part of the Annual event Chelmsford Dojo has had students in the England team in all the three years, Sanpais Anna, Jack and now three times international Sarah truly a milestone in the Chelmsford Dojos History….!
Well-done to all of you.
Sensei
Posted in Tournaments | 14 Comments »
March 20th, 2010 Sensei Stuart Wright
The first Tournament of the year was a great success for the Chelmsford club picking up a Team gold, team silver and a first in the brown belt category.
Jenny and Vince gained a creditable forth place in the yellow and brown belt category, Sanpai Jack, Lee and Darius all preformed excellent in the Black belt senior and Brown belt junior section narrowly missing out on a place in the finals.
Sanpais Becky, Sarah, and Anna were outstanding in the Senior Team gaining a Silver medal, ahead of Crawley and Loughborough dojos who had three students that were selected for the World Tournament in Switzerland in their teams. The three girls all narrowly missed out on a place in the Ladies final by just point one of a mark.
Great display by our junior team of Darius, Lee and Greg who won the Junior High grade team event with an outstanding display of katas Gekisai Dai, Yantsu and Tsuki.
Greg was top of the pile in the Junior Brown Belt Category gaining a First place, Greg was the youngest competitor in the field and last years experience paid off for him to become the Champion.
A great start to the year, I would like to Thank all the Chelmsford Students and the Parents who travelled down to Reading for the Kata Tournament.
Osu.
Posted in Tournaments | No Comments »
September 9th, 2007 Sensei Stuart Wright
I went to the IFK European Knockdown Tournament in Samara, Russia, in May 2007. Samara is about 600 miles east of Moscow. The journey from London via Moscow took nearly 15 hours.
Surrounding Grounds of Hotel
Some of Sensei’s New Russian Friends (The Bear Failed to make the weight!)
The Tournament was fantastic; there were entries from all over Europe with, of course, a very strong Russian team. All the British fighters fought with true spirit and determination and lost on some very close decisions.
Entrance to the tournament & the Fighting Area
Sensei Darren Stringer in Action Against His 2 Russian Opponents
The Russian team won all of the titles on the day …. full credit is due to them for their fighting skills and stamina.
The Trophy Winners & Referees
As the delegation from the BKK; we were very well looked after by our Russian hosts in Samara, their hospitality was limitless.
The Sayonara party will go down as one of the best I’ve experienced.
Posted in Tournaments | 1 Comment »
September 6th, 2007 Sensei Stuart Wright
Gokokuji Temple is where Masutatsu Oyama’s ashes are enshrined.
The Entrance Leading to the Temple and the Garden
Standing where Masutatsu Oyama’s ashes are enshrined
Posted in Sensei's trips | 2 Comments »
August 31st, 2007 Sensei Stuart Wright
To any Kyokushin student the words Kyokushin Honbu needs no explanation or introduction. For me to go to Japan without seeing it would be unthinkable. I have many karate friends that have made the long trip to see the Honbu only to be disappointed that they could not get inside because it is closed to the public. I knew this, when I set out from my visit to Gichin Funakoshi’s shrine, but headed back north east of central Tokyo to the district of Ikebukuro to, at least, stand outside the Honbu.
Arriving at Ikebukuro train station was straightforward … I then flagged down a taxi believing that ALL taxi drivers must know where this famous building is! Not this one!! Every time I spoke he just started laughing uncontrollably at everything I said. Surely the Chelmsford accent is not that bad? Eventually, I managed to make myself clear as to where I wanted to go and after stopping off at two rice dealers to ask directions (apparently it is quite normal for Japanese taxi drivers not to know where they are going and rice dealers know everything!!!) we finally arrived at the Honbu building. He only charged me the minimum fare, as it took so long for him to get there, either that, or I made his day as this strange westerner who got in his taxi and made him laugh hysterically for all of the journey.
There it was ….. just as all the pictures I had seen; a small three storey, brick built, very plain building. You could easily walk past it not knowing what it was. As I viewed the building I could see the main door was open and three uniformed Japanese men standing outside. I walked up to them and gave the traditional Kyokushin OSU! which was returned with vigour. I asked if I could enter the building and was met with a very polite but emphatic ‘NO!’ as it is not open to the public. They pointed out a large sign on the door clearly stating that fact. I decided to try ‘Plan B’ and took out my IKO membership card, signed by Mas Oyama, that I finally received from the Honbu in 1979, and presented it to them. Would this prove to be my ‘golden ticket to gain access? One of the Japanese guys studied it then studied me and said it was OK to go in for 10minutes.
Thinking that I would only be allowed in the foyer; I was bowled over when the other two guys told me to take off my shoes and follow them to look at the dojo upstairs. I could not believe it and followed them up the stairs and there it was ….. all the pictures on the wall, the punch bags, makawara, everything that I had seen in photos. I walked across the dojo floor thinking of all the thousands of Kyokushin students that had trained there over the years. I wanted to soak up some of the Kyokushin Spirit that this training room had seeped into its floorboards. I asked if I could take photos and they said no problem. Still thinking I had only 10 minutes I clicked away at everything thinking ‘this is too good to be true’. Pushing my luck a little, but knowing this was probably my only visit to the Honbu in this lifetime; I asked if I could put on my gi and if they could take some photos of ME in the Honbu.
I’d taken my gi with me with a hope and a prayer that such a scenario would arise. I wondered if I’d pushed their hospitality too far when one of the escorts ran down the stairs to ask the guy in charge what to do. After what seemed an eternity he came running back, looked me directly in the eyes and said I had permission to put on my gi. Having set what must be the world record of putting on a gi; I then had some photos taken in the dojo.
All too quickly I was saying my goodbyes to the three Japanese guys and once again standing outside taking more pictures with my camera and video recorder. I still did not quite believe the experience I’d just had, I was very lucky indeed, maybe someone was looking down on me that day or it was just meant to be.
Not once was I asked what organisation I was from, what grade I was (clearly this was noticed when I put on my gi and belt, which was acknowledged by a bow and OSU! from my ‘minders’). It was simply clear that I was a Kyokushin student that had travelled to Japan to see the Honbu. I was treated with wonderful manners and respect from all three Japanese guys ‘on guard’. They could have not have done any more for me.
I never met Kancho, though, I did see him in London in the mid seventy’s, that was as close as I got to him. For me to stand in the Honbu in my gi, where Kancho had instructed for many years, taking in the atmosphere of the dojo was as good as it was going to get. Writing this now the memories all come back it was such a great feeling and one I will always treasure.
Sensei Stuart @ Kyokushin Honbu
Posted in Sensei's trips | No Comments »
