A good number trained in the 6.15pm session: Glen, an adult beginner training for the first time; a group of junior white belts; and a significant number of coloured belts. In usual circumstances the class would have been divided according to age and/or grade, but without an assistant instructor or any black belts in attendance, the whole cohort trained as one.
We worked on basic moves. These were manageable for the inexperienced, and were built upon for the more advanced students in the class. The basics led into gohon kumite for the goup of junior white belts and ippon kumite for everyone else – including Glen – who manfully tackled the exercise, assisted at certain times by his training partner Jason.
The 7pm session was more intimate in terms of numbers. Five black belts, one purple belt. We skipped; then we fought! But we did do some important preparatory drills before we fought: punching combinations with two different footwork patterns; maewashi geri practise with the emphasis on ‘sinking’ the shot into the body using a positive rotation on the supporting foot.
Two of our number, Teddie and Becky, were psyching themselves up for the National Youth Championship the following day, so we made sure that the drills we practised were likely to enhance their performances not detract from them. To this end we trained hard, but not in an injurious manner. The jiyu kumite was fast and light, not slow and heavy. With a few minutes of the session left we changed tempo: Jion kata to count, then lightly, then at full speed and power.
A good session. Small in numbers; big in spirit!
19 members trained in the 6.15pm session: Willy Astleigh; Thomas Leigh; Izzy Ponsonby; Joseph Mann; Sam McCallister; Archie Beardsley; George Coates; Glen; Jason Mann; Frank Dennis; Becky Cassapi; Steve Cassapi; Gregory Mills; Anthony Mills; Tom Hughes; Alex Hull; Alex Heather; Harry Heather; Darren Cockburn.
6 members trained in the 7pm session: Becky Cassapi; Tom Ludlow; Audrius Mikalauscas; Rory Cave; Teddie Henderson; Alan Lea.
SOUTH NOTTS KARATE 