Our New Web and Social Site is up and running!

Have a look at our new website that incorporates its own version of social media where all students and fans of Karate Budokan can communicate with each other.
Just click on the lounge tab once you're on the site.
http://karatebudokan.com

Enjoy your time there!
Shihan

Olympic vote for Rugby & Golf and Karate gets a NO!

OLYMPIC VOTE - Rugby, Golf, not Karate

Most of you have heard the sad news:
The IOC voted Golf and Rugby in for possible 2016 inclusion, instead of Karate...

What next?

I have had the prize of Olympic inclusion dangled in front of me as an athlete since 1986!
Now as a coach it is extremely hard to maintain that desire for success in our athletes when we are faced with ridiculous decisions like this one from the IOC.

Is it all over for 2016?

Neither Golf nor Rugby have been confirmed they have only been recommended.
There is a final vote on the 8th of October where the IOC members hear the two "recommended" sports' presentations.
The bottom line is that while Golf and Rugby obviously have an advantage due to the obvious support from IOC President Jacques Rogge, this time it won't be just 14 people in a room voting that can be more easily swayed, but rather a much larger number that will hopefully give us a statistical edge over politics.

Karate could still get voted in for 2016 in October by a majority vote!

A Key factor in the application is that the WKF claims a membership of over 65 million participants worldwide.

So it is now up to the worldwide Karate community to ensure that our sport gets the coverage and hype needed to make it a popular sport for the viewing audience. Snowboarding and BMX worked dilligently to build their profile over the years until they finally achieved IOC selection, nothing is impossible. However the controversial events that happen at every Olympics within the Taekwondo (athlete kicks refereee) and the boxing decisions does make it tough for the WKF to be given an unbiased vote.

Fingers crossed for the 8th of October, however as we learn with our training "success is preparation on purpose". Has the WKF prepared satisfactorily for the bout ahead?

Only time will tell.

Visit our website to keep updated with future developments.

Yours in Karate,

Shihan

BECOME A VIP: A Very Involved Parent of a Karate Student

TOP WAYS TO BE A V.I.P. (Very Involved Parent)

The following is a list of five ways that you, as a Very Involved Parent, can take an active role in your child's journey toward becoming a Black Belt Champion in Martial Arts and in Life!









1. Teach your child the importance of being on time for class.
When it comes to regular classes, my Sensei always reminded us "It's better to be 15 minutes early than 1 minute late." This helps develop a sense of responsibility, with your child getting ready for their Karate lessons.
Help them get in the habit of getting into uniform early, and checking to see that they have all the required items. Such as their belt, targets, weapons or required safety equipment.
When a child comes late for class they experience a negative feeling for the start of their class. They miss out on the meditation and if allowed to happen over time, tardiness will develop into a habit that shows up in every area of their life.

2. Stop in to Watch and Observe your Child in Class.
We are all busy people and it may be tempting to drop your child off to class while you run an errand or two. While this may be acceptable once in a while, it should not become the norm. Your child will perform better knowing you are watching, especially if you are really watching.
Children like to please their parents; staying to watch your child will develop a sense of pride and accountability for their efforts in class.
By the way, PRIDE stands for...Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort!

Maybe you can let your child be the instructor, and you can be the student for a while. Then switch the roles. If children look at practice as something that's fun to do, they will do it without you having to push. Kids like accessories; invest in some hand targets and kicking shields that will allow your child to really get into their practice sessions with you at home. (Any equipment you see us use on the floor can be ordered and purchased at our pro-shop.) Plus it will help save your pillows and furniture in your home.

Follow the Praise - Correct - Praise formula when working with your child.

Getting too critical of your child's technique or detail will only put up a wall between you and them. Understand that with time and training, your child's skill will develop to unbelievable levels.
When correcting, be what we call a Good-Finder. That is to point out all the good you see and sandwich it around any corrections you may suggest.

You know the old saying, "You catch a lot more bees with honey than you do with vinegar!" Your child will respond to the positive praise much better than they ever will by pointing out all the areas they need to work on. Spoon-feed the corrections and smother them with praise and you'll see your child's confidence and skills grow at an amazing pace!

These are just a few ways be a V.I.P. even if becoming a student yourself is not right for you.
Remember to Team Up with us and never Give Up when it comes to keeping your child on track with their martial arts training and progress. Don't forget to visit www.karatebudokan.com for all of our latest news and advice!

Yours in Karate,

Shihan

Italian soldiers are facing the embarrassment of being beaten up daily by a 77-year-old Japanese grandmother.

This article is compliments of www.telegraph.co.uk I had to share it!



Martial arts expert Keiko Wakabayshi, nicknamed the "Samurai Granny", has been hired by the country's military to train recruits in hand-to-hand combat.

Miss Wakabayshi, who stands exactly 5ft tall, looks tiny compared to her charges who are mostly over 6ft.

But the pensioner is a trained master in an array of martial arts disciplines including jujitsu, jojitso, kenjitso, judo, kendo and karate.



She wipes the floor with soldiers of the Folgore brigade at their barracks in Livorno on a daily basis.

Miss Wakabayshi was born in Japan but now lives in Northern Italy.

She tells her students to look at her and believe that nothing is impossible.

After flooring an opponent she tells them: "Don't think it's unbelievable. The physique doesn't matter."

Sparring is regarded as the most effective method of teaching martial arts and senior Italian military officers hope the experience of being humiliated by Miss Wakabayshi will toughen up their soldiers.

Miss Wakabayshi trained for many years to achieve her level of expertise and believes she can carry on defeating brawny soldiers for years to come.

The term martial arts is synonymous with the Far East, but actually derives from Mars, the Roman god of war and literally means the "arts of war".

Don't forget to visit our sites: Karate World Karate Budokan & Karate Budokan India

Testing times in Noosa at Karate Budokan!

Day 1.

Saturday of the Karate Budokan International, Noosa Winter Black belt grading has come to an end with all of the candidates exhausted and also relieved to have completed 60% of the test.
The 1st day consisted of 90 minutes of Kihon (Basics) and Ido (combinations), this was followed by 60 minutes of Kata performance.
This grading we have 7 candidates for Shodan (1st Dan) and 2 candidates for Nidan (2nd Dan).

Some of the emotions on display were nervous anticipation, excitement, fear, confidence and of course focussed energy.

A lot of the friends and family in for support were displaying more nerves than the candidates!
Also completing the 1st day of the grading was Students testing themselves in anticipation of being invited to the Summer Black belt grading in December.

All of the Noosa members of the Queensland team trained as part of their preparation for the National titles in Perth.
The energy on the tatami was great and contagious.

3 candidates are testing for their junior Black Belt, these three young boys have come all the way through the KBI Little Legend program and are now on the last stage of achieving their long awaited Junior Shodan, this is a great achievement for these young Karateka to display the focus & determination required to reach this goal.


Day 2.



Sunday was an amazing climax to this fantastic test of endurance, skill & determination that is the Black belt. The day started with our candidates demonstrating their proficient self defence, covering defences against strikes, grabs, chokes, head locks, kicks & knives!

This was finished with a display of self defence against two attackers, very entertaining & inspiring. The self defence was followed by the kumite drills which is a very demanding effort displaying endurance & perserverance.

Then the test finishes with the required 5 one minute rounds of Jyu Kumite (Free sparing), awesome effort, courage, versatility & skill was on display. Some of our candidates had to contend with the best fighters KBI has, these are National & Australian open champions!

They came through with class, extremely exhausted, emotions were running high, as was sore bodies & fatique. However the smiles from the knowledge that they had made it was fantastic an memorable.
A Black belt is definitely something that you earn but more importantly it is something that you become, it's far more than just a cloth around your Dogi.

So as the weekend came to a close we had seven extremely tired deserving new Shodans and two new Nidans, with a Dojo full of family, friends and fellow Karateka cheering them on. It was also wonderful to see the look of satisfaction and pride on the faces of the Senseis that had helped our candidates achieve their Karate dream.

We would like to wish Jake Lowe, Patrick Gelling, Grant De Chastel, Lara Pogson-Manning, John Studdock, Aprile Nuske & Sophie Wrigley a warm welcome to our KBI Black belt family. Mitch Lollback & Luke Walker now as you are a Nidan the journey gets bigger & better. Well done everyone!


Until next time.

Yours in Karate,

Shihan

NOOSA'S KARATE STARS TO WEAR THE GREEN & GOLD!

Noosa Heads, Queensland Australia has cemented its position as a dominant force in the sport of karate by having six members chosen for the Australian National karate team at the Australian Open held at Caloundra on the 11th to the 13th of April.
The national team will be competing in the Oceania championships in New Zealand in September.

First time Australian team members Ashleigh Jones, Luke Walker, Matthew Shelley, Cheyenne Jarvis & Ruby Drew are thrilled at their selection. Zakaria Khalid & Harrison Fox have been named by selectors as reserves. 2008 is a big year on the international calendar with the Oceania championships to be held in NZ in September & the senior world championship to be held in Tokyo in November.

Karate Budokan chief instructor Wayne MacDonald was very impressed with the teams results at the selection event in Caloundra. Wayne said it was their hard efforts leading up to the event that secured their place in the team. Noosa has an amazing depth of talent in sport karate and this pool is breeding success. At the last Oceania championships in 2006 we had 3 members in the squad.

To make the Australian team is every athlete's dream, now these guys are ready to take the next step and turn that into an Oceania title.
As sport karate is a non-funded endeavour it is now up to our athletes to secure sponsorship and raise money for the cost of representing Australia, this includes travel, clothing, and entry & training fees.

KBI had 20 members contest the championships, 19 from Noosa & Scott Fletcher from Richmond. Scott was unlucky to miss out on National team selection after narrowly losing his fight off in extra time!

Congratulations to all of our athletes Zakaria Khalid (Bronze), Blake Walker (Bronze), Luke O'Meara, Jack Drew, Shelby Slade, Madeleine Blackman, Harrison Fox, Luke Walker (Bronze), Yohei Suzuki, Tyson McEwen, Aimee Avery, Ruby Drew (2 x Bronze), Matthew Shelley (Gold & Silver), Mitchell Barber (Silver), Scott Fletcher (Silver & Bronze), Charlotte Degiorgio (Bronze), Cheyenne Jarvis (Silver), Mitchell Lollback, Ashleigh Jones (Gold & 2 x Bronze) & Jessica Reid (2 x Bronze).

Ashleigh Jones & Matthew Shelley took individual gold medals and our 12 to 15 years girls kumite team took bronze and our 15 to 17 years boys kumite team came home with the silver.
Karate Budokan will be conducting a variety of fundraising events leading up to the championships. If you are interested in sponsoring our stars please call Karate Budokan on 54555222 or email sensei@karatebudokan.com, every little bit helps. Visit http://www.karateworld.com.au for all your latest Karate stories.

Shihans Training Tip to improve your kicks!