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Karate Commonwealth 2008 31st May/1st June 2008

An early start arriving at Stansted for 6am! Flight was quick and easy and we found sunshine waiting for us at Edinburgh airport. A short cab ride later and we were at Meadowbank Stadium in time to watch Reece Taylor and Clare Bonello compete in the senior section. Clare won Silver in the Female Open Kata category and a fantastic Bronze representing England in the Senior Female Elite Kata section. Reece was unlucky in the Senior Male Open Kata, other finals were overseen by 5 kata judges, but this mat was done with 3! Reece still managed to bag a Silver to add to his Gold at the previous Commonwealth competition. A big well done to both of Hanko-Ryu's senior squad. Another strange turn of events was that the seniors had no shitei rounds and could repeat kata's as often as they liked. This lead to competitors performing a lot of Suparimpei's - which got a little boring!

We stayed back to watch some of the senior kumite before heading back to our hotel and all meeting up for dinner. Dinner was enjoyed by all and a good chance for the squad to relax and bond as well as some of the parents. Day two of the competition and it was raining hard. The categories were very large and because of this there would be no repecharge, an unfortunate side effect of large numbers. SKA's squad joined Hanko-Ryu and EVERYONE from both clubs did fantastically well in their own way - medals or no medals, you were definately all winners. The small parent support group was in fine voice and definately made more noise than you would think possible from only a handful. Sian, Ellie and Chloe from SKA all made it through several rounds only losing to the eventual category winner in the girls 10-12 years individual kata. They more than made up for this later in the day when they won a fantastic team kata Silver, well done girls! Sean and James Davies were together in a category of 51 boys 10-12 years. James made it through two rounds before losing to the Silver Medallist. Sean went on to win through 5 rounds and earn himself a Commonwealth Bronze.

Jack was on his own in the boys 13-15 years kata section and made it through 4 tough rounds before losing to the South African competitor who went onto win Gold. At other competitions Jack would only have had to win through one round of repecharge to earn a Bronze but with no repecharge, Jack's competition was over. No medal but a worthy competitor going further than a lot of other English competitors. The hard work and effort is definately paying off for Jack. Lucy, Marjan and Minal were all in the girls 13-15 years kata section and Lucy did particularly well making it to the 4th round. No individual medals but the girls did pick up a well earned Bronze in the team kata category.

Unfortunately the categories were running very late on Sunday and we did not think that anyone from our association would get to participate in the team kata as they kept moving it back. James Davies had to leave by 3pm to make his flight which left Jack and Sean one down for the team. A BIG thank you to Michael Holmes of SKA at only 7 years old (and having earlier won a Bronze medal in the boys 9 years and under individual kata section) stepping up to give team kata a go. The boys grabbed a few minutes practice but were up against the South African B team in the opening round. The boys did really well considering and as it turned out, the B team went on to win Gold but with no repecharge there was no medal for them this time. Jack and Sean would like Michael to know that he did fantastically well and they are very proud of him for giving it a go, they really enjoyed it.

It was then a frantic dash to the airport with the girls not changing from their gi's until we had all checked in. A good flight home and back indoors by 10pm. Overall, a good weekend. Good company and some good results.

Click the thumbnail to view a few photos from the day


EKF Southern Regional Championships 25th May 2008

An early start to Sunday and with the rain it didn't make for the best journey but at least the venue was fairly local. This is the second EKF Regional competition that Jack and Sean have entered and I can't say that my initial impression at the Northern was improved on much here. Although there were six matted area's only three of them had mats that were anywhere near the standard you would expect from a governing body sanctioned event. There was a distinct lack of referee's and watching a kumite category being referee'd by an official wearing a t-shirt, jogging bottoms and 'bumbag' was NOT what any parent was expecting! With other competitions on the same day willing to recompense the referee's for their time and effort must have made an impact. The boys were only using this competition as a warm up for the commonwealth as the large age categories do not suit Sean but he is willing to give it a go. Jack has only just started to train properly again recently and his first round with Annan looked (and felt) rusty but he won 2 flags to 1. Next he was against Gary Reedman from Shinjiru (part of the Hanko-Ryu Association), Gary was suffering from a wrist injury and probably should not have been competing but kudos to him, his Nipaipo lost all 3 flags to Jack's Chatanyara Kushanko but earned himself a Bronze medal for his efforts. Jack was now comfortably into the final finding himself against the current English National Champion. Both opponents chose to perform Suparimpei with Jack winning Gold with all 3 flags. Sean was unlucky losing his first round on a split decision with his Chatanyara Kushanko. Sean was one of the youngest in the category and should feel proud of his effort. A special mention to all Jack and Sean's friends at Hanko-Ryu who were competing, in the boys 15 and under 3rd to 1st Kyu we had Harry Hudspeth, Matthew Taylor, Sam Maddams, Sadik Absar, Alex Williams and James Davies, James did very well in a large category to win a Bronze. The girls 15 years and under dan grade category had a very unpexcted result and Lucy, Marjan, Minal & Rosina all did well on the day but failed to medal.

Next were the kumite categories and Hanko-Ryu only had 3 competitors entered (most are competing in Scotland and did not want to risk an injury this close). Sean breezed through his first fight winning 7-2 and had no trouble in his second either. Now in the final and taking an early lead, Sean began to lose focus and control of his temper which undoubtedly led to him having to settle for Silver on this occasion. This is something Sean will really have to work on. Unfortunately Rosina lost in her opening round with Alex Williams making it through to the second round. Just as we were ready to leave, Tony had to help timekeep as volunteers were very thin on the ground. After helping with one category we quickly left before being nabbed for anymore! We were home before 4pm which is still quite a treat for a competition day.

Although both boys did well and came home with a medal and the competitors standard was good, there was nothing else oustanding about this event.

The Grove 24th May 2008

Tony's birthday and the Perry's headed off to The Grove for a demonstration on the 'beach'. The sun was shining and the boys were unlucky to have just missed the England Football team leave for training. After a quick game of lawn chess the kids met up with Paul and Nicole and got changed. Everyone soon realised how much harder training on the sand was. Luckily the sun was shining and a few of the hotel guest's children came over to put some gloves on and have fun. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning, with everyone playing volleyball, having fun in the sun and sand and then getting to take a swim in the outside pool. The adults enjoyed a quiet lunch in the conversatory and amazingly the Perry kids made it past midday without complaining they were hungry! Paul totally made Tony's day when a beautiful handmade chocolate cake designed by the hotels own chocolate maker was delivered (I think there were quite a few candles missing tho).

Click the thumbnail to view a few photos from the day


EKKA Championships 20th April 2008

A last minute decision (like 9pm Saturday night) meant an early Sunday morning breakfast followed by a quick run to Ipswich to the EKKA Championships. The venue was St. Josephs College where we met up with Sensei Clare and her squad. Lara decided at the very last minute (when she got up Sunday morning) to give a competition outside of Hanko-Ryu a go and it was great to see her try out her latest kata Seienchin. Lara scored 7.0, 6.9 & 6.9 to come 4th in 3rd to 1st Kyu under 15years kata category. She was not too disappointed and knows what it takes to do kata at competition level now and hopefully this will inspire her to try harder at kata class!

Next Jack and Sean were up and unfortunately there were only 3 competitors in the 15 years and below dan grade kata section. This did not mean that both boys would be able to sit back knowing they had a medal, instead it brought out a bit of sibling rivalry. Sean performed Chatanyara Kushanko earning a combined total of 21.4. Jack decided to perform Gojoshiho as this isn't a kata he normally does at competition level. Jack also scored 21.4 finishing a tie and meant both boys had to perform another kata. Jack was not too pleased as he is suffering with a groin strain and only competed because we told him he would only have to do one kata! Sean performed Suparimpei without any wobbles for the first time and scored 21.5, Jack was not feeling capable of performing Suparimpei with his injury and chose Annan. Turns out it was a good choice scoring 21.8 and winning Gold with Sean taking Silver.

Sean was hoping to use this competition as a warm up for the Commonwealth and get some kumite practise in. He was in the 4'2" to 4'8" boys dan grade category and after keeping warm for over an hour while all the other 4'2"-4'8" categories were fought out, he found out he was the only competitor in the category an awarded the Gold. The organisers were unable to merge him with a lower category as parents could claim a blackbelt in with lower grades is an unfair advantage, even though Sean was smaller than half the category - but this is understandable and its a shame that Sean got his trophy without stepping on the mat.

Final medal tally, Jack Gold Kata, Sean Silver Kata & Gold Kumite. Congratulations to Sensei Clare and the squad from SKA who will need a huge trophy cabinet soon if they continue to take home a bootful of trophies and medals at this rate. See you all at squad training.

EKF English Nationals 5th April 2008

Drove up Friday afternoon and checked into our hotel. Made our way to Rotherham to meet up with Nigel, Reece and the Davies family for dinner (unfortunately the Palmers & Hudspeths got stuck in traffic). Had a good nights sleep and left early to make sure we could park, which was surprisingly easy. No queues for tickets, went straight in - if only the rest of the day went this well. It was a good competition for Hanko-Ryu Association, the girls team kata claimed the first gold, followed by Sian and Ellie Barton's individuals from SKA, Michael Holmes earned a well deserved Bronze together with Marjan Jeddi.

Jack was not surprised to see he was drawn against the pool's strongest competitor in his first round, its becoming a familiar occurance. Jack has been training very hard and his seienchin looked good, but he lost all 3 flags. Sean won through his first round all 3 flags but then lost all 3 flags in the second, which did come as a bit of a surprise. Still, Sean had literally only moved into that category 4 days earlier and was not too deflated by the outcome. Jack set his sights on repecharge which he won his first two rounds all 3 flags with Annan and Chatanyara Kushanku. He performed a good Suparimpei in the final round for Bronze but lost 2 flags to 1. This defeat did hit Jack quite hard as it seems all his hard work and effort did not pay off this time. Sometimes thats just the way it is and its now time to set his goal on the next competition. Congratulations to Reece Taylor and Clare Bonello on their senior Golds. Special well done to Harry Hudspeth, James Davies, Minal Patel, Alex Williams & Lucy Palmer who all did well but unfortunately did not bring home a medal to show for it. Not forgetting all the students from Sensei Lavenders, Sensei Danielles & Sensei Clare's clubs.

Demonstration At The Grove Hotel 22nd March 2008

We all left home at 8.30am and headed off towards Watford in the snow! Last time we were at The Grove it was hot enough for the kids to take a dip in the outside pool. The Easter fayre had been thoughtfully moved inside today and just as well, it was cold and snowed on and off throughout the day. Jack, Sean and Lara joined Nicole and her Dad Paul to demonstrate kata and kumite and then help get the children staying at the hotel to try out some 'karate'. There were plenty of people milling around and several youngsters came over to try on some gloves and have a go at punching and kicking the focus pads and punch bags. Afterwards Sean & Lara got to have a go at some of the games on offer and came away with a handful of soft toys and more chocolate eggs. The Keats family then beat the Perry's at fussball and Jack & Sean enjoyed a few games of table tennis. Paul treated us all to a wonderful lunch in The Stables and presented the kids with an easter egg for helping out. We got to drive home in the snow again! A very enjoyable day once again. More photos in the gallery.

1st Hanko-Ryu Association Interclub Competition 15th March 2008

Leisurely start for the Perry's considering it was a competition day. We got to Mark Hall Sports Centre just after 11am to help set up (I say we - everyone but Mum!). It was the first time we had been at a competition where it started one time. Lara was first up in the 3rd & 2nd Kyu Kata category. No pinans were allowed but the children could repeat, Lara performed Kosokunsho twice winning her rounds before meeting the eventual winner (Alex Williams) in the third round. Lara knew she was not going to be able to beat Alex (14) so decided to try out Seienchin for the first time in a competition. Lara lost all three flags but had done enough to secure a Bronze. A good win for Lara and hopefully this will inspire her to train a bit harder at kata class!

Next was Jack and Sean together in a mixed Dan grade kata section. This was not going to be easy for Sean as most of the competitors were aged 14 or over. Sean came up against Lucy Palmer who it has to be said was looking extremely good on the day, and decided to try out Gojoshiho losing all 3 flags to Lucy but was happy to pick up a Bronze. Jack has been training very hard in preparation for the upcoming nationals and commonwealth and this has paid off as Jack went to the final after winning each round without dropping a flag. The final saw Lucy perform Haiku and Jack doing Suparimpei and winning Gold.

Sean was the only Perry entered into a kumite section - 3rd Kyu + Mixed. Sean won his first fight 9-0 in under a minute and got through his second to take him to the final. This time it was Sean versus James Davies a regular sparring partner. Sean must have really wanted the win after only picking up a Bronze at the clubs international tournament as both boys battled hard thoughout the entire bout. Sean added a Gold to his earlier Bronze for Kata.

Not a bad day for the Perry kids with the final medal tally at 2 Gold and 2 Bronze and we were home by 5pm!

Training Hard 4th March

Not much happening competition wise until the English Nationals just after Sean's 12th birthday and putting him into the same category as Jack (for the 19 days that Sean is 12 and Jack is 13) whereas in other years we would have attended 2 or 3 competitions already, but thats politics in karate for you! The boys have the Hanko-Ryu Inter-Club competition on March 15th but this is more for fun although a good chance to practise some kata's. Really missed going to Sweden, didn't seem right after 3 years but did find the You Tube Video showing highlights from last year's competition with Jack managing to get in on the action, although not as much as Reece!

Association Squad Training 24th February 2008

Today Jack, Sean & Lara went along to Mark Hall Sports Hall to attend a squad training session with a difference. This time we were joined by some of Sensei Clare's students from SKA. After the recent purchases of new fitness training equipment, the kids knew they would be put through the mill. There were core stability rolls, hurdles, ladders, those strange balls that bounce in any direction, footwork mats and a whole lot more that Mum couldn't see from her seat. The children really mixed up from the clubs to spar and although Sensei Clare's students are all quite young, they know their stuff and were not intimidated by the older more experienced fighters they came up against. Sean and Jack got to practise some Kata judging which made Sean's day, as the clubs youngest and smallest blackbelt he is not often chosen to do the flags. Mum said it was good to meet the parents from SKA and commented on how well turned out the squad that attended were. We look forward to training and competing with SKA more in the next year.

Open Training Session With England Squad 9th February 2008

This was the first time that Jack had travelled to Bisham Abbey and he joined Marjan, Alex, Reece & Clare from Hanko-Ryu. He enjoyed a Fit2Fight warm up and then went off for some kata training led by Jonathon Mottrom. Our thanks to Debbie Sell for emailing us copies of the photos (Dads just the chauffeur not a photographer!). Jack and friends stayed to support Clare with selections before heading back home.

Grading, Reunion Course & Christmas Party 15th December 2007

Probably the busiest end to the calender for students of Hanko-Ryu. The day started off with a grading, Lara finally had the chance to go for the elusive brown belt. Lara had been a blue belt since Summer School 2005 and it was beginning to feel like a long 2 years but the wait was over. This was the first time Lara has looked nervous at karate, even competitions don't really phase her as she doesn't really have the urge to compete outside of club competitions anyway, but today she was pacing and shaking a little bit. It was a long grading as Green, Blue and Brown were all in the hall at the same time but she got through her basics, combinations and fighting to earn herself a merit. I have never seen her so excited, she was jumping up and down trying to put her new belt on and even though it was cold outside, she took a bit of convincing to put a coat over her new belt! Well done Lara.

After getting home for a quick lunch it was time to head to the Stow to meet up with all the other blackbelts and 1st Kyu's from all over the association for a training session. This was the first time everyone had come together and the hour and a half flew by. Sensei Nariman presented all the blackbelts with a beautifully engraved presentation platter and then Reece Taylor got everyone warmed up well before the light sparring took place. Finally Sensei Nariman took everyone through Nipaipo and Sepai. It is hoped that everyone can meet up on a more regular basis to train together and the boys look forward to training with everyone from Hanko-Ryu London again soon. Congratulations to Sensei Lavender who was presented her 5th Dan at the end of the session.

Now it really was a mad dash home to get changed and load all the Christmas Party goodies into the car and be back at the Church Langley Dojo by 6pm. The evening kicked off with some of Sensei Lavender's talented students playing guitar and singing a few festive songs to get everyone in the right mood. A slideshow of photos from over the years was projected onto a screen which caused a lot of laughter and more than a little embarassment from most of the students who didnt realise that some very 'young' photo's of them doing karate were going to be shown! The DJ arrived and food was served and before long the End Of Year Presentations began. Both Jack and Sean received their Squad 2007 medal for representing the Association throughout the year and after coming runner up last year in the medal table, Sean found out he had won the Junior Medal Table this year and was presented with a very nice crystal award which he quickly took Jack's winning award off the light box when he got home and put his on it! A great end to 2007 and here's to a even more successful 2008.

EKF Northern Regional Championships, Bradford 25th November 2007

Jack and Sean travelled up late Saturday afternoon arriving around 9pm and being the only family staying in our hotel, it was a case of a quick dinner and back to our room to watch TV ("I'm A Celebrity") and an early night.

Sunday morning and an early breakfast at McDonald's and onto the venue. Here we met up with Nigel & Reece Taylor the only other competitor from Hanko-Ryu at this event. Considering this was a Governing Body sanctioned competition, half of the mats looked like they should be in a museum and the kata categories were evidently aimed at the older competitors with the first sections being under 16 years and on the day it was announced there would be no repecharge. However, if you were 15 you could also enter another older category 15-17 years so why it was necessary to have them in the first category (which they easily cleaned up) remains a bit of a mystery. Of course the criticism is not aimed at the older competitors but the organisers, how they figured 10 and 11 year olds going up against 14 and 15 year olds is a fair and level playing field is beyond me. Apart from how demoralising it is for the younger competitors to line up against 'young men' and its equally unfair on the older children in the section. How good must they feel knowing they reached the final having beaten a handful of 10-13 year olds! With the WKF announcing that 14/15 year olds are to be included soon in the world championships, shouldn't we be pushing our own 14-15 year olds in preparation?

That said Jack performed a good Seienchin in his opening round and he was prepared for the 3-0 flag loss to Alex who went on to win Gold. Sean earned himself probably his best medal of the year, to see Linden (10) and Sean (11) two of the youngest competitors stood next to the Gold & Silver medallists who both had several years on them was good and shows that these boys already show a lot of promise with another 4 years in the category.

Off my soapbox and onto the kumite. Jack and Sean were together in a large -35kg category. Jack was first on the mat and lets just keep it brief and say he lost! Sean, still not really enjoying the kumite side of karate had a bye in the first round, a win in the second, a 7-0 win in the third and then he had to face a familiar opponent - Linden Hamer in the fourth. It was a close fight with Linden winning 4-3 (Linden went on to win Gold) and Sean having to settle for his second Bronze of the day. With the section over it was time to head home which we managed to do without any major trouble and were in the warm again by 8.30pm.

BIKO Open, Cheshunt 7th October 2007

With this competition only a 20 minute drive away made up for the fact the kata was judged on scorecards and the category was very wide. Both Jack and Sean were together in the mixed 10-15 years 1st Kyu & Above category. In the first round Sean scored 21.5 for his Chatanyara Kushanku placing him 3rd. Jack scored 21.2 putting him 8th place tied with 4 others. It was decided that the top 7 would go through with all 4 in 8 place going out - end of the competition for Jack. Final round Sean performed Suparimpei scoring 7.3,7.4 & 7.6 and .2 behind the eventual winner. This was a good Silver for Sean as he was the 2nd youngest in the category. With the category over, we headed back to Harlow by 11.30am in time to see the end of squad training.

Hanko-Ryu 1st Internationl Tournament, Harlow 29th & 30th September 2007

All three Perry children were in action of day 1 of Hanko-Ryu's first open tournament. Lara was up first in the under 10 years mixed open grade section. If only Lara would put in as much effort in every class that she did on the day of the competition, she may have gone much further. As it was she made it into the second round and two rounds of repecharge missing out on a Bronze by one flag. On Friday night, Sensei Nariman asked the girls if they would like to try out team kata. Lara joined Chloe and Jessika but came up against a team who looked like they had trained together for much longer than one evening. The team from EKK rightly won the round all 5 flags to take the Gold but the Hanko-Ryu girls including Lara were very happy with their Silvers. Hopefully this will inspire her to train harder and maybe take up sport karate like her brothers.

Sean was up next in the boys 10-12 years 3rd kyu above category, which was predominantly Hank-Ryu members apart from a strong contender from EKK. Sean's opponent failed to show in the first round with Sean automatically going through to the second round where he faced fellow team mate Harry Hudspeth. Harry did extremly well against Sean, having only just turned 10 years old and with less competition experience. Sean performed Suparimpei winning all three flags and taking him to the final. Sean could not repeat a kata and decided to perform Chatanyara Kushanku against Suparimpei, winning all three flags and taking the Gold. Harry picked up a bronze as did James Davies.

Jack was competing in the boys 13-15 years 3rd Kyu and above and was by far the smallest competitor and possibly the youngest in the group. Jack was against fellow association member Christian Thomas in his opening round and his Seinchin safely saw him into round 2. This time he was against Gary Reedman of Shinjiru (again part of our association). Jack executed Chatanyara Kushanku well but lost to Gary's Annan. In repecharge Jack wasn't going to leave anything to chance and performed Suparimpei winning himself a well deserved Bronze. Jack has another two years in this category and can hopefully gain some ground.

The last event for the Perry's today was Team Kata. Hanko-Ryu had the only two teams in this section. Jack, Sean & James teamed up before the Swedish Kata Trophy but have not practised together since (March). The only other time was in Reading recently when they entered on the day and were pleased to get through one round! The girls on the other hand had been smart enough to brush up on their skills as they too had not practised much since March. This was very evident on the mat, the girls looked polished and their bunkai was striking and realistic. The boys did very well, they are a younger team and if they continue to practice together, could be a team to watch out for. However on this occasion the girls took the Gold and the boys had to settle for Silver.

Day 2 of the tournament was for Kumite. Lara was not entered into this part of the competition as she lacks experience (although if you saw her have a go at her brothers at home!). Jack & Sean were in the same category for kumite, boys 11-13 years -40kgs. Again it was another category dominated by Hanko-Ryu with the only outside competitor coming from EKK. Sean was up against James Davies in his first round and I am sure Sean will agree, not his finest fight yet! Round 1 exit. Jack was next against the EKK competitor, Jack has been looking much more relaxed in the dojo lately but this did not show on the day and EKK's Nathan Jay made it to the final. Sean picked up the first bronze with Jack having to fight once more in repecharge to secure the second. At least both boys picked up a medal, but they both have some work to do in this area.

Final medal tally for the Perry Kids: Lara 1 x Silver. Sean 1 x Gold, 1 x Silver & 1 x Bronze. Jack 1 x Silver & 2 x Bronze.

Northern Regional Open, Sheffield 29th & 30th September 2007

Jack and Sean travelled upto Rotherham on Saturday afternoon where we met up with James and his family for dinner and a few drinks. After a good night's sleep and breakfast we set off for Ponds Forge where we met up with Marjan, Minal, Lucy, Alex, James & Reece for the days competition. Sean and James were together in the 10/11 years boys kata section. Sean made it to the final where he performed Suparimpei but lost 2 flags to 1 to take the silver and some ranking points. James came back in repecharge to earn himself a bronze medal.

Jack and Alex were together in the boys 12/13 year kata section. Jack was very happy to make it to the final after his couple of kata outings had not been so successful. It was a familiar scene with Jack versus a very strong opponent with both boys performing Suparimpei. Jack won the Silver this time and also gained some valuable ranking points. Alex came back very strongly in repecharge to win his first medal at competition level. Well done Alex.

Both boys were entered into the kumite section and unfortunately both lost 1-0 in the first round ending the competition for them. The rest of the Hanko-Ryu Squad did particularly well too with every squad member winning at least one medal. Marjan and Minal were together in the girls 12/13 years kata section with Minal taking Silver and Marjan the Bronze. Lucy Palmer finally earnt a well deserved Bronze medal, long time coming Lucy but it was worth it. Big congratulations to Minal on a spectacular Gold medal in the girls 12/13 years kumite section. Reece Taylor did the business by winning the Gold medal in both categories he entered. Finally, we hung around long enough to see Josh Kirwan have to fight harder than he should have to win a well deserved Bronze.

If only the journey home was as successful as the competition itself!

Karate Demonstration, The Grove Hotel, Watford 4th August 2007

Jack & Sean were invited to the prestigious Grove Hotel in Watford to perform a demonstration to help promote their summer Karate Kids course. It was a glorious day and the demonstration took place in the sunken garden. Afterwards, thanks to Paul the kids were allowed to cool off in the members outside pool. Of course, they were not particicularly happy to leave but it made their day to see Prince Naseem the boxer and learn he was disappointed that his children missed the demo and class. Sean was upset at having missed Inter Milan leave the hotel just before we arrived! The hotel is stunning and so are the grounds, the kids really enjoyed their time there. Click HERE to view a bigger montage.

All England Wado Kai 2007 21st July 2007

Jack & Sean travelled to Reading with 3 other Hanko-Ryu team mates. The boys were both together in a mixed 11-15 years kata section for Shito-Ryu and Gojo. As it turned out, the category was quite small with Sean winning Gold and Jack claiming a bronze. On the day the organisers extended the categories and offered an open style 11-15 years mixed kata category, both boys decided to give it a go. This was a much larger category with it being split over 3 mats. Jack worked through 4 rounds to earn himself a bronze with Sean claiming the other bronze after 5 rounds. Sean has only just moved into this category and Jack is only halfway but the boys held their own against much bigger and older competitors. The boys teamed up with James Davies to give the team kata ago (again deciding on the day) just for fun, they haven't trained as a team since before Sweden. The boys made it through 2 rounds narrowly losing their 3rd 2 flags to 3 and then missing out on bronze losing 2 flags to 3 again. None of them were too disappointed through.

Finally congratulations to James Davies on your two golds and sportsman of the day award, Harry Hudspeth on your silver and Alex Williams for putting in a great performance.

Midlands Open Regional Championships 2007 30th June 2007

Jack & Sean along with their fellow Hanko-Ryu team mates travelled to Birmingham early Saturday morning. This was the first competition with the new ranking system in place and the sports hall quickly filled up. Sean was up first with James & Sadik in the boys 10/11 years kata. Sean won through his first two rounds to meet James in the semi-final. Sean performed Annan but lost to James' excellent Seienchin 2 flags to 1. Sean was very upset, but it was the right decision and he now had to make the most of repecharge as James went on to win the Gold. Sean performed Suparimpei winning the bronze with all 3 flags. Well done to Sadik who made it through his first round but lost out to a more experienced competitor from EKK in his 2nd round. Sean and Sadik were again together in the boys 10/11 years kumite category. Sadik fought well but unfortunately lost in his first round. Sean's fight was literally that, his opponent came out with so much aggression that he was eventually disqualified. Sean went onto win 1-0 in his 2nd round and took his 3rd round to extra time unfortunately losing out by 1 point.

Jack was in the boys 12/13 years category with Alex W. Jack had a bye in his first round and was drawn against his strongest competitor in the next round, this is becoming the norm that Jack and Mitchell meet before the final. Both boys performed Chatanyara Kushanku and unfortunately Jack lost 2 flags to 1. Jack has a lot of respect for Mitchell and was pleased that he went on to win the category (not only because it meant he had another chance in repecharge!). Jack performed a very strong Suparimpei with his opponent choosing to perform the same kata. Even though Jack's opponent missed out half the moves during the opening of the kata, he still went on to win the bronze 2 flags to 1. Jack was very deflated after this even though he had yet to compete in kumite. Well done to Alex W for winning through to the 2nd round. Congratulations to Alex S for your bronze medal in the boys 14/15 years kata section. Finally a lucky break for Jack, he is always one of the lightest in his kumite category and the organisers decide to split the pool into -35kg and -45kgs. Jack had the benefit of now being a good weight for his category for a change. Jack's won his first round 2-1 and came out to face the same opponent who beat him to bronze in the kata for his 2nd round. This time Jack won 2-1 taking him to the final for the first time. Jack still has a lot to learn in kumite and lost the final 4-0 but very happy to be taking home a silver.

With only one competitor left, we were not going to leave before Reece Taylor had taken to the mats (which brings us to the only negative of the day - the mats were really not upto standard). Our current European Kata champion obviously went onto win the Gold without dropping a flag. Before we left we managed to watch a couple of fights with Josh Kirwan of RSK. Unlucky Josh but good to see you in action.

Billy Brennan Kumite Training 13th June 2007

Jack and Sean travelled with 7 other students from Hanko-Ryu to Colchester for some kumite training with Sensei Billy Brennan. The weather was against us, it was the first day of the major rain & thunderstorms and a nasty road traffic accident had the A120 blocked both ways. After a detour and almost an extra hour of driving, we had all arrived. We are very thankful to Sensei Billy and all his students who continued their class until 9.45pm to ensure we got our full time. It was a great evening with Sensei Billy & Sensei Nariman demonstrating various techniques and we got to mix up with several different clubs. Its always good to get some sparring in with unfamiliar people.

Jack Petchey Award 13th June 2007

After 4 years of training Sean was finally old enough to receive the Jack Petchey Award for Outstanding Achievement. The Jack Petchey Foundation support youngsters aged 11-25 through various sports & community projects. Jack and Sean have been fortunate to benefit from the support of the foundation through their club Hanko-Ryu. Sean is pictured with some of the wednesday night class before the squad headed off to Colchester.

CM17 Magazine Interview 1st June 2007

Jack and Sean were interviewed by John Allen for a two page spread in a local magazine. To read the interview, click the thumbnails below.

BKF Youth Championships 2007 19th May 2007

Jack & Sean along with their fellow Hanko-Ryu team mates travelled to Sheffield friday evening. Saturday morning we arrived at Ponds Forge ready and prepared. Disappointment pretty much covers all angles, many regular competitors were nowhere to be seen as with many of the referees! This also became evident as the events started. Only 3 area's were used for kata against 6 in previous years. The disappointment continued for Jack and Sean as they made 1st round exits in kata. The same happened to Lucy, Minal, Jack Clover and Alex. Harry, James and Marjan made it through one round. Harry competing in his first national went on to claim Silver in the boys 8/9 years category. Alex, Lucy, Minal, Marjan and James got to come back in repecharge with James & Marjan picking up a Bronze for their efforts. Minal, Lucy and Marjan went on to win Bronze in the team kata event.

Next it was kumite, we had a few entries this year. Harry unfortunately lost his opening round but was still on a high from winning a kata medal. Jack and Jack Clover were both in the boys 12/13 years -45kg category with 34 competitors but were drawn in separate pools. Jack Clover won his first round followed by Jack taking a win in the second round after a bye in the first. Jack took the fight to extra time and still with no score managed to take all 3 flags in his favour. Jack Clover unfortunately lost his second round and Jack did not come out into his 3rd round with the same enthusiasm he showed earlier and also lost. Minal and Marjan did not fare much better in the girls 12/13 years category either with both making first round exits.

The only upside to the day was that we got to leave in daylight hours - in fact we made it all the way home with the sun still shining! Congratulations to Harry, James, Minal, Marjan and Lucy on their medals and best of luck to Lucy who is competing alone on Sunday.

AMA Southern Open 2007 31th March 2007

Just Jack and Sean were competing today for Hanko-Ryu as Sensei and Reece were over in Ireland - congratulations to Reece on his win. We set off just before 7am and had an easy drive to Reading. It looked at first as if the categories were going to be very undersubscribed and looking around several did seem a bit thin on the ground (including referee's). However, the boys 10-12 years open grade category had around 15 so at least the boys were going to work for a medal position. Sean is never happy being in the same category as his big brother Jack but today it worked in his favour. Sean worked his way to the final without dropping a flag performing Chatanyara Kushanku, Nipaipo and Surparimpei. Jack also got to the final without dropping a flag after performing Anan, Nipaipo and Chatanyara Kushanku. Now it was a Hanko-Ryu final, brother against brother and an exact re-run of the Hanko-Ryu Invitation at Christmas with both boys choosing the same kata's again. Sean was up first and performed a very strong Anan. Jack performed a good Suparimpei but this time the decision went Sean's way with him winning 2 flags to 1. Well done Sean, an early birthday present. Sean threw everything into his kata and although Jack said he tried his best, it wasn't his best Suparimpei. Of course Jack is taking a fair bit of stick at home just now! It was good to see Jodie Miles back on winning form, outshining most of the other girls in her category. Great to actually be home from a competition before 3pm and still have some weekend left.

Svenska Katapolken 2007 24th March 2007

We flew out of Stansted 2 hours after the rest of the squad on Friday 23rd March. Just as we arrived at the hotel, they were taking a stroll upto the venue to look around for those who were on their first visit. We took the opportunity to freshen up and unpack. An hour or so later everyone returned and we sat around for a drink and a chat waiting for Sensei Lavender to arrive with her squad. Around 8pm we headed into the hotel restaurant for typical Swedish meal (nope not meatballs) and a squad pep-talk. The kids had some free time then an early night for everyone. After a good breakfast we headed off to the venue which is about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. No snow this year and much warmer made the walk easier. Once inside the squad got changed quickly and started warming up. As with previous years the competition pretty much runs to clockwork. The boys under 16 years team kata event kicked the competition off for us and for the first time ever, we swept the board with London Team B claiming Gold and Jack, Sean & James getting a Silver for the 2nd year running. We also had London Team C collecting a bronze to make it a Hanko-Ryu 1,2 & 3!

Jack was competing in the boys 12 years over 2 years experience. Jack sailed through to the final winning each round all 3 flags only dropping 1 flag in the final. Jack performed Suparimpei against a Norwegian competitor to claim his 3rd Championship Gold in a row.

As Sean and James would have been in the same category, boys 10 years over 2 years experience and not wanting to go all the way to Sweden only to have them come up against each other in an early round, Sean moved up to the boys 11 years category. Sean like Jack sailed through each round and his Suparimpei earned him his 3rd Championship Gold without dropping a flag!

Congratulations to Marjan on her Silver and not forgetting Lucy, Nicole, Joshua, Noah and Paul - you all did great. Reece Taylor continued to show why he is the current European Kata Champion winning 2 categories Cadets & Senior Dan Grades one after another with hardly time to breathe in between!

Sunday morning started with a good breakfast and while the parents sat around chatting the kids managed to find a football and went off to play in the sunshine. As we were were not being collected till 18.30pm the Harlow squad headed off for a stroll around the harbour. I think the parents enjoyed this more than the kids, however the balance was restored once we stopped in McDonalds for lunch! A late flight back and straight to bed........back to school and work for everyone today!

AMA INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 24th February 2007

An early start for this competition, leaving at 6am and collecting Lucy and her along the way. We pretty much cruised there and so began another long day. Jack, Sean and James decided to have a go at team kata. First round and their Seinchin saw them breeze through taking all 3 flags. Next round and Bassai Dai - a kata they have not really practised - this time they lost all 3 flags and were all aware that this kata needs a lot of attention. Individuals next, Sean was competing in the dan grade section for the first time and due to low numbers of boy competitors the organisers merged the girls and boys together. Sean had a bye into the third round but for some bizare reason was made to perform a Shitei kata against a competitor who had already been up and was able to do a free kata! Sean lost 2 flags to 1 and was extremely disappointed as he knew his opponent would not make it to the final and with it his chance of repecharge!

Jack had moved into the boys 12/13 years dan grade kata section and his Seinchin saw him into the second round and his Nipaipo took him to the semi-finals. Jack performed Suparimpei against an opponent who did Empi. Jack lost 2 flags to 1 but knew he only had to get through 1 round of repecharge. Jack performed Chatanyara Kushanku taking all 3 flags to win the bronze. Jack's kumite category started and Jack waited and waited and waited. After 2 hours it was Jack's turn and unfortunately Jack lost the fight 1-0 but as it was now past 8pm he didn't want to wait and see if he had a chance with repecharge and we headed home, the last of our squad to leave again.

Congratulations to James Davies for winning a Bronze and a big well done to Harry Hudspeth for narrowly missing out on medals in both kata and kumite. Well done also to James Piggot, James Palmer, Lucy Palmer, Matthew Taylor and Jack Clover - next time guys!

BRITISH INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday 20th January

The first competition of 2007 and an early start. Instead of Crystal Palace we found ourselves in a hot and cramped sports hall in Kingston Upon Thames. This was the first time for Sean to compete as he has always been too young and he was disappointed. He said it didnt feel as important as stepping out at Crystal Palace. The kata got underway and Sean won through his first round of Bassai Dai with all 3 flags. His Seinchin saw him into the third round against the competitor who beat him to Gold at the English Nationals. Sean performed Chatanyara Kushanku well until the jump, a very dodgy landing left Sean almost 'kissing the mat'. He lost all 3 flags but had another chance in repecharge. First round Sean performed Annan and the final round of repecharge for bronze saw Sean perform Suparimpei winning all 3 flags and taking the Medal. Not bad for his first entry into this competition.

Jack was hoping to improve on his first round exit in 2006. His Seinchin and Bassai Dai shitei katas saw him through the first two rounds winning all 3 flags and boosting his confidence. The third round Jack performed a good Nipaipo and was unlucky to lose 2 flags to 1. His opponent went out a few rounds later dashing Jack's hopes of repecharge. No medal but Jack was pleased with himself for going through two good shitei rounds.

Sean was the only competitor from Hanko-Ryu in the kumite section. As with all previous British Internationals, the 10/11 years category was running late. His timeslot was 4.30pm - 6.00pm and Sean finally took to the mats shortly after 7pm. He was tired and it was hot. His first fight went well winning 4-3 and considering it was a large two pool category, he had just about got off the mat when he was called straight back on. This time Sean couldn't seem to score - as is the norm these days kicks that make contact dont score and those you pull dont score either! However, we were all glad to get out into the fresh air and keep our fingers crossed we still had enough change to pay for the parking!

Finally congratulations to Marjan on her Silver, Minal on her Bronze and Reece on his Gold. Well done to Josh of RSK on his Silver.