Dokan Karate Club

With the world cup uncertainty and me just returning from Croatia, organising this years summer party was manic. I did not dare push it until after England lost on the Wednesday night as if they had made the final I would have been forced to cancel the whole thing. 

Taking this into consideration, the night was very successful in terms of how many families attended and on how many tombola and raffle prizes we collected. After all expenses were subtracted we made £602.00 for the funds which I think is excellent.

Thanks to everyone who attended and to all those who donated prizes. The party was busy thanks to many new families attending. 

Read my notes, listed below on who and why won the accolades. These were what I had with me on the night.

Student Awards Summer 2018.

Fighting Spirit

To earn this accolade, you need to have proven yourself worthy by a feet of bravery or just sheer grit.

• Laila Hunnam, started fighting in under nine years sections aged 6. Still only 7 years old she entered and dominated one of the toughest seven-year-old sections I have ever saw at the Central England Tournament down Worcester in July. Laila has had fabulous success this year.
• Maddison Taylor, Read the report on the chojinkai tournament Penrith from March. Madz is a fighter and a character.   Would not withdraw even when ill.
• Eve Palmer. Eve told me when she was 12 that she was quitting kumite aged 14. Not only has she not quit but she seems to have discovered a new level of aggression. For someone who declares she does not like fighting she is doing damn fine. AND SHE NEVER LETS HER TEAMS DOWN.
• 2 more trophies will stay with me till next presentation night, I am not here to award things for nothing, I want these trophies to be earned by valour and to mean something. Everyone who fights in a tournament is brave, but it is the extra step that these will be awarded for.

Most Improved

It is what it states = for the students that have improved the most since December.

• Faye Johnson

Most Potential

• Archie Mcguire
• Daniel Hewitt
• James Hiles
• Eve Sproat

These are little fellows all aged below 8-year-old. The three lads are only 7 and all train 5 hours a week which at that age is as much as I would dare hope for.  I have a fantastic set of 9 to 11-year olds but most lack the vital ingredient of commitment and devotion. Only really Emma Ali and Francesca Sawkill have anywhere near the correct level of dedication to make it to the top.

GRADING TROPHIES                                                                                       

SCHOOL STAR CHART                                                      WINNER                               EFFORT MEDAL

GET ELEISHA AND ALEX UP ON THE STAGE. AND EVE AND EMMA

My second wave of karate superstars started with this girl. Eleisha. With her I created the strongest under nine years then 10 to 12 years, girl competition squad in the country. I had a large squad then all about the same age and all female.

My next wave was spearheaded by these two girls,  Olivia and Eve and again I built the strongest female squad in England. With these girls I still have the best female 12 to 15-year-old female squad in the country.

When I created both these squads, the comradeship and team spirit was built on regular attendance only. I did not have squad sessions back then which specifically targeted talent and ambition. THESE SQUADS WERE BUILT ON REGULAR ATTENDANCE and frequent attendance. I am not talking 3 or 4 hours a week, I am talking 8 hours by virtually everyone involved in these squads.

What I have today (& this does not include those 7 years and under) is an abundance of really nice kids some of whom are quite good but all of whom lack the commitment level of these earlier squads. My mid age girls are competent, some are a little bit better than competent, but none have the dedication to replace my earlier squads.

I will try my best to make these kids super skilled and hope to convince them and their parents it is worth the effort to make karate your main sporting activity.

Last week we entered the Youth K1 in Croatia, this is the biggest and hardest junior tournament in the world. I have nothing to boast about and nothing to be ashamed of. We made a few third rounds and second rounds only. In sections of 90 plus students for 90 nations around the world. The entire English contingent of about 50 students won only one bronze medal between them all. WE DOKAN had five girls entered and all were at the lower end of their age groups. I will be planning each elite student training and we will return to these K1s and see how we do next year.

I am telling you this because at this club we can train together, learn together, becoming the best in the country and have fun while doing so. Dokan is unique.