Hai Karate Episodes

Unfortunately the Hai Karate Episodes are not currently available from CBBC, These are the best links I could find. Some of the Japanese links throw up a page with a funny little character in a helmet holding a broken cable… Have patience, when the countdown timer finishes they do actually play!

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Shodan Grading:- My Teachers

After, well during actually, grading, my mind wondered.
It shouldn’t have done, though I felt considering all those who had got me to where I was yesterday was slightly useful at times. I suggested to Damian on Saturday afternoon that resorting / reverting to Airfix models was a much easier hobby, we could sniff the glue to perhaps get the same endorphin “fix” that training gives you. Kevin Duff suggested though that us Brits are slightly bonkers, and we are a little un-natural in our desire to be   “beasted” by Sensei George.  Apparently in some classes in the US if your Sensei demanded something you weren’t happy with, it wasn’t uncommon for people to walk out of the class… There were times over the weekend I considered walking out, but thought the better of it. I’m now looking forward to doing it all over again for my Nidan, fingers crossed before my 50th birthday, unless of course the Airfix models get the better of me.

So, my journey to Sunday 4th March 2012 was led by the following people. It’s all their fault and I thank them very much 🙂

Michelle ??              Knocked on our door and taught my first class
Eduard Symonds    Taught the 2nd class I was in. Very scary and a constant inspiration to this day
Jo Edwards             With husband Mick got me hooked line and sinkered 🙂
James Boardman    Mentored me in my early days, taught me everything I needed to know, and encouraged me to switch to Goju and go it on my own.
Joe Estrada            Gave me my first Black Belt in 2007
Sam Karagiannidis Got my hips working!
Neville Kinghorn     Showed me the “hard stuff” 🙂
Terry Reed             Showed me “The Way”

Martin and Louise Stockley   Worked really hard with me over the past year to get me to Shodan. Thank you so much for your diligence and patience. It’s very much appreciated 😀
Malcolm Howlett      An inspiration amongst the perspiration of Martin’s classes. Thanks Malc 🙂

George Andrews    Thanks for pushing me and believing in me 😀

I’d also like to thank all my students over the years, I’ve learnt so much from teaching you, thanks for letting me and thanks for coming back 🙂

Willie – In the groin!!

Sensei was giving Willie a hard time on Saturday. Thankfully for me Willie hadn’t actually hit me in the groin, yet, but that’s where the strike was intended, on the bladder in fact having just “opened it up” by twisting me round as I fell.

Some people have normal hobbies, some people don’t. My girlfriend just aquired two new falcons, so we often sit and chat as she feeds them. The rips open a baby chick – dead and a bout a day old – and either pulls bits out to feed to the birds or lets them get stuck in for themselves.

But back to Saturday at Sensei George’s and the 6 hour session from 10 to 4, with a short break for lunch. It’s now Monday and my legs, stomach and shoulders still ache. The good news is that some things have been removed from the grading syllabus, press ups, situps and star jumps. However, as a student of Okinawan Traditional Goju Karate you will still be required to demonstrate them. Sensei was unspecific about how many, but we were all still laughing as he mentioned a couple of other things also removed from the syllabus that “However comma as a student of …..”

We laughed, partly because he told us after we had demonstrated them to him, and well, some people have normal hobbies, some people don’t.

June 2011 Grading

We have purple belts!!!!

Sensei Martin Stockley of Cambridge Goju Karate came over to help test our first three 5th kyu students, Mark Vogel, Paul Middleton and Jason Keeble.

Andrew MacKenzie also graded to Blue belt (at last!) and after a nervous start Luke Bastow became our youngest Green belt.

Thanks to Christina Vogel for taking the photos 🙂


From June 2011 Goju Ryu karate grading, posted by Mark Vogel on 6/11/2011 (106 items)

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