14.02.10

The latest Black and Brown Belt Course ‏
 
Thirty-eight SCUKO black and brown belts gathered in Walsall for the quarterley free course.  Instructors on the course were SenseI Ken Organ 6th Dan, Sensei Steve Carless 5th Dan and Sensei Steve Spence 4th Dan.

 
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10.01.10

The Second SCUKO Winter Course‏
 

The second Winter course was agin with Sensei Matt Price 5th Dan.  Matt Sensei travelled down from Leeds for the session.  Areas Covered:

Kihon - Combinations focussing on hips & Heel/toe pivot work.

Kata - Gyaku zuki no kata and Heian Godan.

Kumite - Various combinations from standing and from the ground.

Thanks to everyone who made it.  A fantastic course that had something for everyone!

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20.12.09

The 2009 SCUKO Senior League Champions‏
 
After three rounds of competition in 2009 the champions were crowned.  The awards evening was on Saturday 19th December.  Congratulations to all athletes.

Womens Kata Champions

(L-R): 

Cheryl Sanders (Walsall) 3rd Place

Jackie Jones (Kaizen No-Michi) 1st Place

Natasha Meredith (Tamashii) 2nd Place  

Womens Kumite Champions

(L-R): 

Natasha Meredith (Tamashii) 3rd Place

Jackie Jones (Kaizen No-Michi) 1st Place

Krissy Griffiths (Walsall) 2nd Place 

Mens Kata Champions

(L-R):

Steve Spence (Walsall) 3rd Place

Antony Steventon (Walsall) 1st Place

Howard Taylor (Tamashii) 2nd Place 

Mens Kumite Champions

(L-R): 

Antony Steventon (Walsall) 3rd Place

Howard Taylor (Tamashii) 1st Place

Yasha Bobash (Tamashii) 2nd Place 

 
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22.11.09

Great result for the SCUKO team at the JKS (GB) National Open Shotokan ‏
 

On Saturday 21st November the SCUKO Team travelled to Nottingham to compete in the 2009 JKS National Shotokan Open Championships.  The Team of 10 consisted of the organisations top 3 Senior Males, the top 3 Senior Females, the top Junior Male, the top Junior Female and the top 2 under 18 athletes.  Unfortunately Womens Captain Jackie Jones was unavailable to compete on the day.

The team competed against the other Shotokan organisations from the UK and had a fantastic day.  Of the ten events the team entered we medalled in seven events with eight medals in total.  These included 2 Golds, 4 Silvers and 2 Bronzes.  This included Silver and Bronze in Senior Mens Kumite and Silver in Senior Mens Team Kumite.

The success at this event proves the standard in SCUKO is continuous rising and we are raising the bar all the time, competing strongly against other UK organisations.

L-R): Jack Brown, Adam Wigley, Adam Ward, Yasha Bobash,

Howard Taylor (Captain), Antony Steventon, Tanya Handley

Natasha Meredith, Cheryl Sanders, Krissy Griffiths

 
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16.11.09

Congratulations to Sensei Jackie!
 

Sensei Jackie Jones from Kaizen No-Michi in Grimsby passed Sandan on Sunday 15th November.  Jacie is the highest grade female in SCUKO and is a great role model for our many up and coming female students.
 

The Dan grading panel consisted of Sensei Ken Organ 6th Dan and Sensei Steve Carless 5th Dan.  It followed the one day Black and Brown Belt Course with Sensei's Ken Organ, Steve Carless and Howard Taylor.

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17.08.09

New Dan Grades
 

Congratulations to the following students who successfully passed Dan grading examinations on Sunday 16th August:
 
Gary Ward    2nd Dan
Kirti Patel    2nd Dan
Adam Wigley    1st Dan
 

The Dan grading panel consisted of Sensei Ken Organ 6th Dan and Sensei Steve Carless 5th Dan.  It followed the one day Black and Brown Belt Course with Sensei's Ken Organ, Steve Carless and Steve Spence.

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01.08.09

The 2009 SCUKO Summer Camp ‏
 
This year was third year of our annual Summer Camp.  Thirty three SCUKO members gathered together for a 3 day training course at the Torbay Leisure Centre, Paignton, Devon. 
 

 
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28.06.09

The 2009 Senior League Championship - Round Two - Results‏
 
This competition is for our elite senior athletes.  It determines our Annual Champions and our senior SCUKO team for Open competition. 
 

Here is the SCUKO Senior League after two rounds:
 

 
There is one round on Sunday 27th September.  The Annual Champions will be determined at the end of the three rounds based on league positions and Trophies will be awarded at Year end.

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22.06.09
Great performance by Howard at the WUKF World Championships!
Well done to Howard Taylor who narrowly lost out in the Kumite quarter finals at the WUKF World Championships inm Ukraine.  Howard was selected to represent FEKO at Championships.

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15.06.09

SCUKO Win medals at the FEKO 2009 Children and Cadet National Open Karate Championships

The tournament was held at Harvey Hadden stadium in Nottingham on Sunday 14th June.  Congratulations to the following SCUKO athletes who won medals at the Championships.
 
Tayla Birkett

1st Place - Kata 13-14 years up to 4th Kyu

3rd Place - Kumite 13-14 years Female - Under 45kg

Adam Wigley

2nd Place - Kumite 13-14 years Male - Under 55kg

2nd Place - Kumite 13-14 years Male Shobu Ippon - Open Weight

Jack Brown

3rd Place - Kumite 13-14 years Male - Under 65kg

3rd Place - Kumite 13-14 years Male Shobu Ippon - Open Weight

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19.05.09

New Dan Grades
 

Congratulations to the following students who successfully passed Dan grading examinations on Sunday 17th May:
 
Natasha Meredith   2nd Dan
Natalie Evans    2nd Dan
Anna Green    1st Dan
Natalie Golding    1st Dan
Jake Meredith    1st Dan
 

The Dan grading panel consisted of Sensei Ken Organ 6th Dan and Sensei Steve Carless 5th Dan.  It followed the one day Black and Brown Belt Course with Sensei's Ken Organ, Steve Carless and Howard Taylor.

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29.03.09

The 2009 SCUKO Senior League Championship - Round One - Results‏
 
This competition is for our elite senior athletes. It determines our Annual Champions and our senior SCUKO team for Open competition. 
 

Here is the SCUKO Senior League title standings after one round:
 
Mens Kata
Howard Taylor   10 Points
Antony Steventon   8 Points
Tim Wilde   6 Points
Matt Evans   5 Points
Yasha Bobash   4 Points
Christie Roe   3 Points
Adam Ward   2 Points
Mark Turner   1 Point
 
Womens Kata
Jackie Jones   10 Points
Natasha Meredith   8 Points
Cheryl Sanders   6 Points
Krissy Griffiths   5 Points
Natalie Golding   4 Points
Tanya Handley   3 Points
Elaine Broadhurst   2 Points
 
Mens Kumite
Howard Taylor   10 Points
Antony Steventon   8 Points
Matt Evans   6 Points
Yasha Bobash   5 Points
Mark Turner   4 Point
Tim Wilde   3 Points
Adam Ward   2 Points
Christie Roe   1 Point
 
Womens Kumite
Jackie Jones   10 Points
Cheryl Sanders   8 Points
Natalie Golding   6 Points
Krissy Griffiths   5 Points
Tanya Handley   4 Points
Natasha Meredith   3 Points
Elaine Broadhurst   2 Points
 
There are two more rounds on Sunday 28th June and Sunday 27th September.  The Annual Champions will be determined at the end of the three rounds based on league positions and Trophies will be awarded at Year end.

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31.01.09

First Winter Course with Sensei Matt Price, 5th Dan
 
The first SCUKO winter course was held on Sunday 25th January in Walsall with Sensei Matt Price, 5th Dan.  Sensei Price is a KUGB Grand Champion, ESKA European Champion and WSKA World Team Champion.
 
The first session of the day consisted of Keri-waza practise, followed by Kata which focussed on perfecting Heain Yondan.  Sensei Price completely broke the kata down focussing on tips to develop speed and power in  particular movements.  The session then moved onto partner work with basic Kumite movements being practised.
 
The second session of the day consisted of Kumite with techniques and strategy being looked at.  The techniques from the first session were developed into combinations including some interesting twists on ashi-barai.  Sensei Price also had the course participants practising effective defense against certain techniques.
 
SCUKO would like to thank Matt Price for time taken.  The feedback on the course was fantastic.  Sensei Price demonstrated a real passion for Shotokan Karate and is a fantastic motivational instructor who got the best out of everyone who attended.
Sensei Price is pictured below with the 25 particpants on the course.

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11.11.08
New Dan Grades

Congratulations to the following students who successfully passed Dan grading examinations on Sunday 9th November:

Antony Steventon   4th Dan
Jack Brown   2nd Dan
Amy Hickinbottom   2nd Dan
Stacie Roberts   1st Dan
Holly Norton   1st Dan
Alex Rayner   1st Dan
Charlie Ives   1st Dan
Philippa Taylor 1st Dan
Rachel Jones   1st Dan

The Dan grading panel consisted of Sensei Ken Organ 6th Dan and Sensei Steve Carless 5th Dan.  It followed the four hours of training under Sensei's Ken Organ,
Steve Carless and Steve Spence.

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11.11.08
JKS (GB) National Open Shotokan Championships
On Saturday 8th November we entered a small SCUKO squad into the JKS (GB) National Open Shotokan Championships held in Nottingham. It was the second year of us entering and came away with 3 medals.

Mens Team Kumite - First Place - Howard Taylor, Tim Wilde, Matt Evans
Mens Veteran Kumite - Third Place - Steve Spence
Boys Kumite (13-15 Years) - Third Place - Adam Wigley

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27.07.08
Matt off to the WUKO World Championships!
Good luck to Matt Evans who has been selected to represent FEKO at the 2nd WUKO Children, Cadets and Juniors Karate World Championship. The Championships will be held in Jesolo Italy from 17 to 19 October 2008.

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20.05.08
FREE Black and Brown Belt Course
The latest Black and Brown Belt Course was held at the Oak Park Leisure Centre in Walsall. Thirty five Brown and Black belts were in attendance for the day comprising of two 2-hour training sessions followed by a Dan grading.

The course consisted of two 2-hour sessions and instructors for the day were Ken Organ 6th Dan, Steven Carless 5th Dan and Kelvin Rayner 5th Dan.

Congratulations to Walsall member Mark Turner who passed his Nidan following the course.

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21.03.08
Charity Update
Over 20 members complete Sponsored Cycle Ride to raise money for the Oncology Department at the Diana, Princess of Wales Children's Hospital in Birmingham.

The cycle ride took place at Tissington Trail, Ashbourne, Derbyshire on Sunday 17th February over 28 miles. The event was organised by Mark Turner and Ron Ashby.
The money has now been collected and counted and a total of £1,602.80 has been raised which is fantastic. A cheque will be handed to the Hospital very shortly.

A special thank you must go to all those who completed the ride and those who kindly sponsored the cyclists.

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21.03.08
National Champs Success
The First NNGBEK (New National Governing for English Karate) Championships were held at the Harvey Hadden Sports Centre in Nottingham on Sunday 9th March 2008.

Howard Taylor, Matthew Evans and Chris Roe were all selected to represent FEKO. Unfortunately Chris could not attend due to injury. Howard lost in the Over 75K event to the eventual winner Dan Hollister from Shikon. He did go on to win Bronze in the team with FEKO losing to Shikon in the semi final.

18 Year old Matt was competing in the Junior (18-20) Under 65 Kilo category. Matt took Gold in this event winning all his fights convincingly. Well Done Matt - National Champion!

Matt's result helped FEKO finish second on the medal table in front of KUGB but behind SHIKON who were the squad of the day.

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12.02.08
Three New Black Belts
Congratulations to the following students. The grading followed the latest Free Black and Brown Belt Course at Oak Park Leisure Centre in Walsall on Sunday 10th February 2008.

Peter Ashby (Walsall)
John Bruton-Holmes (Tamashiil)
Amy Jones (Walsall)

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13.11.07
FREE Black and Brown Belt Course

The latest Black and Brown Belt Course was held at the Oak Park Leisure Centre in Walsall. The courses are held quartely and are free to all Shotokan.co.uk registered Black and Brown Belts.

The course consisted of two 2-hour sessions and instructors for the day were Ken Organ 6th Dan, Steven Carless 5th Dan and Kelvin Rayner 5th Dan.

The picture below shows course participants.

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13.11.07
JKS (GB) National Open Shotokan Championships
Success for team at prestigious tournament, against competitors from Shotokan federations across Great Britain and Ireland.

On Saturday 10th November the Shotokan.co.uk Karate Organisation participated in the JKS (GB) National Open Shotokan Championships held in Nottingham. It was the first outing for the newly established team, with some members getting competition experience for the first ever time. The Shotokan.co.uk squad, comprising of 17 junior and senior members, competed in several different categories achieving a very encouraging total of 5 medals including one gold and four bronze awards.

Veteran Steve Spence lead the way with a Gold Medal in the Veteran Individual Kumite. This followed Bronze medals for Holly Norton in Kata, Adam Wigley in Kumite and Bronze medals for both the Boys Kumite Team (Scott Daniel, Adam Wigley, Jack Brown) and the Mens Kumite Team (Chris Roe, Howard Taylor, Steve Spence).

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14.08.07
BROWN AND BLACK BELT COURSE REPORT & DAN GRADING PASSES

Latest Free Black and Brown Belt Couse held on Sunday 12th August 2007 followed by a Dan Grading.

Black and Brown belt students from Shotokan.co.uk affiliated dojos gathered at Oak Park leisure centre, Walsall for four hours of spirited training with Sensei's Ken Organ, 6th Dan, Steven Carless, 5th Dan and Howard Taylor, 4th Dan.

Training begun with a vigorus warm up by Sensei Howard followed by a 1 hour kihon class for all students with Sensei Ken. The emphasis for the Kihon session was around Kime and the true understanding of it. Some invaluable knowledge was shared by Sensei Ken on how to push different parts of the body depending on which direction movement was happening. As usual Sensei Ken's session was a perfect balance between pure physical hard work and technical diagnosis. With the odd spot of humour thrown in for good measure!

After a short break Kata training commenced and students were split into three groups. Brown belts were put through their paces with Bassai Dai under the watchful eye of Sensei Ken. 1st Dans worked with Sensei Howard Tayor on Bassai Sho and Sochin. 2nd Dans and higher worked with Sensei Steven Carless, 5th Dan on Sochin and Gankaku.

Following the break Sensei Steven took the warm ups and the Kata sessions then continued with the instructors rotated. Sensei Ken took charge of the Nidan+ group, Sensei Steven worked with the 1st Dans and Sensei Howard took brown belts. The students were first tested on the katas learned prior to the break followed by one additional kata.

The final hour of the day was dedicated to Kumite. Sensei Steven handled the Childrens class and worked on Jiyu Ippon Kumite. A particular focus was made on correct attacking and the importance of keeping to the correct line with a properly positioned foot placement to avoid giving advantage to the opponent. The defence focussed on Tai Sabaki training and exercises to improve the childrens movement. Sensei Ken looked after the Ladies class putting them through their paces with some Jiyu Ippon Kumite and Jiyu Kumite techiques to improve timing. Howard took the mens class which focussed, in the main, on competition Kumite combinations - And getting them into a sweat!

Following the four hours of training all students were left with tips on developing what they had learnt during the courses before being thanked for attending by all Sensei.

The dan grading then commenced with the grading panel consisting of Sensei Ken Organ and Sensei Steven Carless. Congratlutions to the following students on their success:

Natalie Morris (Shodan)
Cheryl Sanders (Shodan)
Richard Moore (Nidan)

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01.08.07
FIRST SUMMER CAMP A SUCCESS !

The first Shotokan.co.uk Summer Camp was held in Torbay, Devon on 13/14/15 July 2007.
Instructors for the course were Sensei Ken Organ 6th Dan and Steven Carless 5th Dan. All aspects of Kihon were focussed on during the 3 days. Kumite classes were split by ages groups for additional focus and Kata classes had a special focus on Sochin and Unsu for black belt students.
After training on Saturday afternoon all students enjoyed a summer BBQ at Walsall member Ed's holiday home, just over the road from the sports centre. Even the
weather was fantastic to us - A great weekend!.

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01.07.07
SHOTOKAN.CO.UK GOES LIVE !

We are pleased to announce the launch of Shotokan.co.uk.
After months of planning, compiling building etc, the shotokan.co.uk website is now live.
The site will be an information area, giving the user info on all areas of shotokan.co.uk as well as being an active resource for members and instructors.

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01.06.07
NEW SHOTOKAN.CO.UK DOJO !
Shotokan.co.uk spreads it's wings with a new dojo opening in Grimsby.
Andrew & Jackie Jones have opened a shotokan.co.uk dojo in Grimsby, Lincs.
For info on training times see the locations page or contact andy@gradely.co.uk