An Interview with a young Champion.

Mitchell Barber, 17 of Noosa Heads in Queensland, Australia has recently returned from a visit to India where he competed in the Indian National Cahampionships in the Senior division for the first time and came home with Gold. Mitchell has kindly granted Karate World with this interview.

Mitchell congratulations on your success in India.

What was your impression of the Indian Athletes?

My impression of the Indian competitors was great. Compared to some of the competitors at home in Australia, their attitude is very good. As I was fighting my first match I realised that they have a lot of heart and determination to win, but even if they don’t they still have smiles on their faces and I think some Australian competitors could learn a lot from their attitude.

How did the competitors feel about you competing in their National titles?

Most of the competitors and spectators were ok with me competing in their tournament, but I often got bad vibes and weird looks from the fans of the guy I was fighting in the final. I think some of the older coaches weren’t very happy about an international competitor to start with but they gradually started to accept it and enjoy themselves.

What can the Karate Budokan India do to improve their results in competition?

I think that if the Indian students had a more variety of coaches to train them it would greatly benefit their competition skills in both kata and Kumite. Also if they had a high number of international competitors to train with them so they can get used to the way the rest of the world is fighting and performing kata. They need to know what standard the rest of the world is.

How did you feel going into your first senior Kumite division?

I was quite nervous going into the first match mainly because it was my first time fighting in the men’s division. I thought I was going to get the crap beaten out of me. But when the match started I realised that I had a chance, my best memory from all of the matches was when I won the second fight 8-0 it was the first time I had ever done that.

As a Sensei at the Honbu Dojo what is your tip for the Indian instructors?

One bit of advice I would give to the senseis of India is to include more variety into their dojo’s curriculum. Such as partner work and fitness exercises. Also, the kids would also enjoy training a lot more if an extra element of fun is added, this would also help with member retention.

Finally what feelings did you take away from this trip and championship?

I feel extremely privileged to be able to travel to India again, and to be able to win in the adults division and take home a trophy is the icing on the cake. I am amazed that I was able to win a tournament in another country and I don’t think it will ever sink in.
It was one of the best experiences of my life.

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Below is Mitchells Smile of Success!

The Japanese government is set to make Martial arts compulsory learning!

The government's plan to make martial arts a compulsory subject at middle schools has a small snag. There are not enough physical education teachers that have the skills or experience to properly instruct students in these arts. In a bid to improve the abilities of teachers in charge of martial arts at public middle and high schools, the government plans to set up "martial arts promotion associations" comprising experts in martial arts education in each prefecture from next academic year, according to sources. The government also is considering allowing teachers to study instructional methods at private dojo or sports-science universities that offer martial arts courses. A proposal to make martial arts compulsory was included in an interim report on school teaching guidelines released on Oct. 30 by the Central Council for Education, an advisory body to Education, Science and Technology Minister Kisaburo Tokai. The panel suggested the measure could be implemented in the 2011 academic year at the earliest. However, Tokai has suggested this date could be brought forward to the 2009 academic year. Middle school students can select the martial art they wish to study, with the current school teaching guideline mentioning judo, kendo and sumo as examples of martial arts. Some schools teach naginata (pike sparring), kyudo archery and karate, but kendo and judo are the most widely taught. If martial arts are made compulsory, a number of students, mostly girls, are expected to opt for naginata or kyudo classes. The ministry deemed it necessary to create a learning environment where physical education teachers acquire expertise and knowledge of a wider range of martial arts. The ministry has allocated about 50 million yen in its budget request for next fiscal year for setting up the associations and training teachers at universities.Wouldn't this be a wonderful concept to implement in schools worldwide, with the life skills & values that martial arts teaches we would be ensured of a better, friendlier & safer world.

Yours in Karate do,

Shihan

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Boy beats meningitis with Karate training.

A WORKINGTON boy who beat meningitis has now achieved his black belt in karate.
Sonny Smith, 13, of Rose Hill, Harrington, competed for the top belt on Sunday and passed the test.
He was given a slim chance of survival after contracting meningitis when he was seven and it left him tired and weak.
Sonny started attending karate classes with his friends at the Hokushinko martial arts centre in Workington and his confidence and strength grew.
His father David said: “It is a massive achievement. I never thought he would have got so far. After he came out of hospital he was so poorly.
“Now he has done so well. He has more confidence and more self belief. It is unbelievable how far he has come. We are the proudest family in the world.”
Sonny felt ill on Valentine’s Day in 2001 and went to bed with medicine.
David said: “We phoned the doctors because he wasn’t well. We gave him a bath before talking to the doctors. He was stiff as a board. You could see bruising on him. We called the doctor and they sent an ambulance.
“A paediatrician came down and got him to a children’s ward. For 48 hours we were never away from the hospital.
“We were told there was a slim chance of him pulling through. It was as if our life had been taken away. We didn’t know what was going to happen or if we were going to have a little lad by the end of it or what damage would be caused. There was no life in him. Things have been a struggle.”
Mark Hodgson, who teaches Sonny, said: “I treat Sonny the same as anyone else and the black belt is the pinnacle of what we do. He did really well, it is a long, hard test.”

Check out our site www.karateworld.com.au for more great info on Karate and it's benefits.

Until next time.

Yours in Karate do,

Shihan

Don't underestimate a Woman, She may know martial arts.

Here is some great feedback from Japan on the growth of Women training in the home of Karate.

A growing number of women, especially those in their 30s or older, are increasingly enjoying martial arts. Are they seeking effective self-defence techniques due to deteriorating public safety? Not necessarily. Many appear to believe they can acquire better mental stability as a result of tough martial arts training.
With loud kiai yells, a barage of powerful punches and kicks released by two dozen advanced karate students cut rapidly through the air at a dojo in Shinjuku, Tokyo, one Saturday evening.
Among the school's well-built men, you will spot several smaller physiques belonging to the female blackbelt students. Contrary to expectation that women practicing karate would be young and athletic, they are in their 40s and 50s, and most have no prior martial arts or sports experience.
"I joined this school with my three kids," said Chieri Takayama, 52, who has been practicing karate for about a decade and is now a second-degree blackbelt. "My husband wanted our kids to practice karate, but they were very small then, so I had to be with them in class and that's why I started karate."
However, she has never felt intimidated in class because the instructors use polite language and never push her beyond her limit, she said.
"Through hard training, I have become not only physically stronger but also mentally stable and able to control my anger," she added. "I would like to keep practicing karate as long as possible. The beauty of karate is that you can keep sharpening your techniques even as you get older."
For Kazuko Matsumoto, 44, a first-dan blackbelt, getting healthy was the primary reason to start practicing karate.
"I fell sick in my late 30s and had to go to the hospital regularly," Matsumoto recalled. "I wanted to regain my health and I also was very much interested in kata [forms]."
Karate has restored her health and makes her way of thinking more positive, according to Matsumoto. "Now I know my thinking will stay positive as long as I continue practicing karate," she said. "Also, karate class gives me experiences totally different from my normal day-to-day life and helps relieve stress and refresh me."
According to all Karate instructors, the number of female students started increasing about 10 years ago.
Now about 30 percent are women . There are two groups of women practicing karate. One group is young and started karate when they were in high school or college and kept practicing even after they started working. The other group comprises housewives who initially just sent their children to class but eventually became interested in karate themselves.
Asked if middle-aged housewives in average shape can really keep up with the intense training, Nishida Sensei in the Tokyo dojo said he is trying to make his class one that even such people can handle.
"In some ways, women are physically stronger than men," Nishida said. "Female members also have better attendance rates than their male counterparts. That enables them to obtain a black belt in three years or so, while male members take five or six years on average."
While karate is a traditional Japanese martial art, some women are interested in martial arts recently imported to Japan from the other countries, such as Russia.
Aya Watanabe, a 38-year-old graphic designer in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, is now practicing Systema three times a week. The martial art was initially restricted to the elite soldiers of the Spetsnaz or Soviet special forces.
"I had never practiced any martial art before," Watanabe said. "I love exercise but didn't want to be a member of any school sports club because there's usually a tight pecking order among members."
About two years ago, however, her boyfriend took her to a Systema class in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. There, she found the atmosphere was very relaxed, and even heard some laughter in the class, although the training was physically very challenging.
Systema is a comprehensive martial arts system that includes punching, kicking, throwing, grappling and using weapons. It began to be taught internationally only after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"I was impressed that an Australian instructor was unpretentious and told me to come back again after the first lesson," said Watanabe, who is the only female among about 50 members of Systema's Tokyo branch at present.
"Shortly after I started practicing Systema, I've got six-pack abs and bigger arms," she also said. "But, with my body changing, my mind is also getting stronger. Now I seldom become emotional and crack under pressure in my work."
In a recent class, she was pinned under five or six men and told to wriggle out from under them.
Watanabe said she would go on until she is old enough to be called "Grandma."
"Even then, I hope I can stay strong enough and flexible enough to knock out the average high school boy," Watanabe laughed.
Until next post,
Yours in Karate do,

Shihan


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