Adam Revisits Japan



Senpai Adam had the opportunity to train in Honbu, the Organisations world headquarters in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan recently. He was there attending an international conference organised by a Japanese group for European patriotic parties. As the hotel where he was staying was so close to the karate headquarters he decided that it would be a great chance to spend some time training to help 'build some international bridges', having lived and trained there for six years previously. “Temperatures at this time of year in Tokyo average around 35 degrees and the humidity is almost unbearable so after travelling for so long the training proved to be extremely harsh” commented Adam. After speaking with Japanese instructors at the headquarters, he was impressed with the various training and organisation methods, which he is hoping to implement at our club


Another Black Belt for Our Club

 Ten students from our club attended a winter training camp recently in a remote part of Scotland. It is the ninth year they have attended the camp which was organised by Kyokushin Scotland and is open to all members of the organisation. Due to its immense popularity there were students who attended from as far afield as Poland.

Craig was the only student at the camp to take part in the legendary Kyokushin Black Belt Test. He was tested on strength, speed, stamina and flexibility for the duration of the camp. The most gruelling part of the test was when he had to face twenty opponents and fight each of them for one minute in full contact bouts. Each of his opponents save one were much older and heavier.

Senpai Adam commented “Since I began karate in Japan in 1993 I have never seen such a display of fighting spirit against such difficult odds. Craig is a credit to himself, his family and our club. I am so proud of him and I am immensely happy. He is one of only six people in the North East of England who now has the honour of wearing the much coveted Kyokushin Black Belt”.

Big Freeze? What Big Freeze?

The recent 'big freeze' which brought the country to a stand still didn't stop members of our club from taking part in their annual new years training session recently. As the waterfall in Middleton-in-Teesdale was frozen solid it was decided that beach training and a swim would be the next best thing. After arriving at Seaton Carew nine members of the club ran along the beach and trained in the snow covered sand dunes. To finish off the session a hearty swim in the north sea ensured that everyone was ready for a well earned portion of fish and chips.

As well as celebrating the new year in this unusual way 17 students who took part in a grading recently also had cause to cheerful as they all passed with flying colours. Three of the seventeen students, Oliver, Bon and Demi-Leigh all doubled graded due to their fantastic effort. Senpai Adam Walker commented “I am so pleased that everyone did so well in their grading, they should all be very proud of their achievements. We have a high pass rate because I don't believe in letting students take their gradings until they are 100% ready”.

Karate Club Performance Wows the Crowd

What was thought by many to be just another normal Friday evening at Low Spennymoor Working Men's Club saw an event like no other recently. A demonstration by Spennymoor's very own Kyokushin Karate Club left audience members astounded. The purpose of the evening was to allow friends, family and members of the public to see for themselves first hand the type of training that takes part in this unique club, the only one of its kind in the North East of England.

As well as demonstrations of fighting techniques and breaking there was also a demonstration of Japanese drumming, performed by karate Master Martin Marlborough and his team from Scotland. Their performance was looked upon in awe by members of the audience. Towards the end of the evening Chief Instructor Adam Walker addressed the crowd and commented “It gives us great pleasure to be here tonight showing different aspects of Japanese culture". He also publicly thanked his students for their constant hard work and dedication which has helped to make the evening a very special one indeed.

Members of the club would like to thank their sponsors and all those who attended, especially the committee of Low Spennymoor Working Men's Club for allowing them to use their facilities.



Huge Success for Our Club

Members of our Club recently attended the Great British Kyokushin Open Karate Tournament in Ware, Hertfordshire. From the 16 competitors who took part in the competition 9 returned home victorious. The competition consisted of two main categories, Kata (pre arranged fighting techniques) and Full Contact Fighting.

In the Kata, Kenzie ranked second in the girls 15-17 year old category and in the women's category, Emma placed first and Gemma third.

In the Full Contact Fighting Ethen placed first in the juniors 8-9 year old category having had 4 fights. In the girls 10-11 year old category Jade placed third. Her brother Connor managed to gain third place in the boys 12-13 year old category despite this being the biggest category on the day. Taylor destroyed her opponents in the girls 12-13 year old category to gain first place. In the boys 14-15 year old category Damon gained first place by defeating all of his opponents. He also won the Junior 'Best Fighting Spirit' trophy. Last but by no means least, in the boys 16-17 year old category Craig managed to gain second place after having to pull out of the final due to an injury.

Chief Instructor, Adam Walker commented “ I am so proud of everyone who took part in this competition. They all did extremely well and are a credit to themselves, their families and our club. These types of results just go to show that hard work, the right training environment and dedication do pay off”.

Karate Club Success at World Championships

Two students from our club, the regions only Kyokushin karate club returned from Japan recently having competed in the World Junior Open Weight Tournament in Tokyo. Unlike any other competition they have attended this event saw over 1500 competitors from each corner of the globe vying for titles.

Craig and Damon both did exceptionally well against opponents who have had much more experience on the world circuit. In his fight against a Russian competitor Craig did very well and was only just beaten on a judges decision. Damon fought well against his opponent who was from Japan but also lost on a a decision by the judges having fought the full distance without being knocked down.

Both lads were so pleased to have been given the opportunity to represent Great Britain at such a huge tournament. “This was a great opportunity for me as I got to see what it takes to be the best in the world” commented Craig. Damon was overjoyed that he was able to compete at such a level and said afterwards “ entering this competition has made me want to train harder as I now know how hard it is to compete against people who are the best in the world”.

Members of the club would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible through various donations and fund raising events. Craig and Damon would like to extend a special thanks to Amanda without whom this trip would not have been possible




Emma Does Us Proud

Emma Craggs has recently returned from a trip to New York where she took part in the Kyokushin All American Open Tournament. The event was open to competitors from around the world, some travelling from as far as Japan, Australia, Romania, France and Poland. Emma took part in the 'Kata' section of the competition and despite fierce competition from more senior ranked entrants she still managed to place 8^th.

Emma commented; “This is my first international competition and I trained extremely hard for it, I am so pleased that I ranked 8th in the world. When I first started training at our club aged 14 I had no idea I would be competing on the world scene one day. This was a great experience for me and I am so pleased that I was given the opportunity to represent Great Britain”.

Chief Instructor Adam was elated at the results and is said to be over the moon that Emma did so well against so many experienced competitors, many of whom are paid to take part in such events and train on a full time basis.

Unlucky 4 Some But Not This 13

Thirteen junior students from our Club in attended an annual summer camp recently. The camp which is open to all GB organisation members took place in Nottingham . The camp is an opportunity for students from many different clubs to meet and train together. Six of those who attended from the Spennymoor Club took part in a grading which was conducted by the Great Britain number one ranked Kyokushin instructor Master Jose Claronino 7^th Dan. After a vigorous test involving basic movements, self defence techniques and full contact fighting all six passed.

Damon and Connor both achieved brown belt status whilst Adam Foster gained his blue belt black stripe. Raegan , Ethan and Charlie Harris were all awarded blue belts.

Chief Instructor Adam Walker commented “I am so pleased that everyone who graded did so well. It is good to see all of the hard work pay off. It's also great to see the kids meet up with friends they have made previously from different areas around the country”.

Trips away like this would not be possible if it were not for the individuals and organisation that sponsor the club. Therefore, members of the club would like to thank M.W Anderson, Taylors Newsforce, Mayfair Cars and the Green Tree Pub for their continued support.

Nationwide Success for Local Club Brings Worldwide Recognition

Fifteen students from the Chikara Dojo of Kyokushin Karate performed fantasticaly at the English Full Contact Karate Championships earlier this month in Derbyshire. From 10 different clubs around the UK, Europe and as far afield as Japan, around 100 competitors vied for titles in two categories, knockdown fighting and Kata (patterns). In the boys Knockdown Category under 5's James Harris gained 3^rd place and in the boys 8 to 9 yrs Ethan Walton came 1st and Charlie Harris 2^nd James Wilkinson and Connor Colledge won second and third place in the 12 to 13 year old category. Craig Mayhew won second in the 16 to 17 category and Damon Gallone gained a 1^st in the boys 14 to 15's.For the girls 8-9 yrs Knockdown Category Raegan Briggs came third and in the 10-11 yrs category Jade Colledge gained 2^nd place. For the 12 to 13's Taylor Murphy gained a first and Rachael Shaw came third. In the girls 16 to 17's Kenzie Williams came second and in the Women's heavyweight division Gemma Ryder beat off all other opposition to gain a well earned first place after a grueling battle with her final opponent.In the womens Kata, Emma Craggs 21 from Ferryhill, also came first impressing the judges and winning her self the opportunity to represent Great Britain in the New York championships next month. Emma who has been attending the club for 7 years commented “ I am delighted that I have been asked to represent my country in New York. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am very proud to have achieved this.”Adam Walker, who runs the club commented “We had an excellent and very successful trip. It is wonderful to see the students progress through sheer dedication and determination they are an asset to the region and great role models to their peers. It adds to the success of a grading which took part at the club in April when everyone who took part passed with flying colours”.Attendance at the competition was made possible through our sponsors who helped towards the hire of the mini bus. We would therefore like to thank The Green Tree Pub, M.W Anderson, Mayfair Cars, Conservatory World and Taylors Newsforce for their continued support. For more details on joining or supporting this unique club contact Adam on 07713 411198

Kyokushin Club Branches Out

Spennymoor's Kyokushin Karate Club has branched out into Durham University thanks to the efforts of one of its instructors. British Kata Champion, black belt and Durham University student, Emmal, was approached by the Principle of St. Cuthbert's Society to use her teaching and karate skills in order to form an outreach programme. The programme will consist of special lessons prepared by Emma which will focus around self – defence techniques. The lessons will be taught within the local community and aim to help female victims of domestic violence re-gain their confidence. Emma was also asked to teach karate to other University students every Saturday morning and has enlisted the help of Gemma. “This is a very exciting opportunity and I am looking forward to the challenge, it is not every day you get the chance to make such a positive contribution to your community”, commented Emma.

Six students from our club braved the winter elements recently when they swapped their usual New Years beach training and swim for a trip to the countryside instead. Senior Instructors thought that winter waterfall training would be a new and novel way of seeing in the New Year. Gibsons Cave in Middleton in Teesdale was chosen as a perfect location as it was reasonably easy to access. After a ten minute jog from the car park, with the riverside ice thickening and having got nicely warmed up, students took it in turns to brave the freezing temperatures, break through the ice that had formed on the lake and swim to the waterfall.

Once there they performed basic movements whilst having the force of the freezing water beat down upon their heads. Some onlookers from Scandinavia could not quite believe their eyes and having photographed the event commented that our members “must be crazy to do such a thing when the water is very cold and there is so much ice”. It must be noted that waterfall training is typical of the more extreme types of training undertaken by club members and was entirely voluntary.

A great day was had by all who attended and it is hoped that next year the water will be as equally cold.

A karate student from our club recently made it into the top three in his category (Bannatyne Group Award for Remarkable Achievement) in the prestigious Northern Echo Local Heroes Awards. Fourteen year old Damon who trains regularly at the Club was overjoyed that he was shortlisted from hundreds of nominees to attend the awards ceremony at Hardwick Hall. Chief Instructor Adam commented “Damon trains very hard four times per week and I am so pleased that he is taking the lessons he learns about respect and discipline outside of the club and is using them to better his life and the lives of others”. It was a fabulous evening attended by over 1000 people from various sporting backgrounds. Damon was very happy at being able to attend the event and said afterwards “this has been one of the best nights I have had, I am so pleased that all of the hard work and effort of everyone involved in my training has paid off. I look forward to studying and training even harder from now on”.