Master McKenna will continue to teach 2 Classes on Saturday mornings with themes for those getting ready for Gradings or just wanting to remain training at home.
9.30 - 11 September - Wanshu
10.00 - 11 September - Pyong Ahn Oh Dan
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9.30 - 18 September - Bassai Cho
10.00 - 18 September - Bassai Dai
Purchase the code each week for only £5 in our online shop - www.martialartsforlife.co.uk/shop
We are back at Harewood!
As we finish our weekly online offer we reopen Harewood as Pannal and Roundhay restart in September
Come back to training this September
Classes are
Tuesdays 6.30 Harewood Village Hall - restarts 7th September
Thursdays 5pm St Andrews Church Roundhay - restarts 9th September
Thursdays 7.30pm Adults Class at Calcutt and Forest Moor Village Hall
Saturdays 10.30am Collingham Memorial Hall
Sundays 5pm Pannal Village Hall restarts 12th September
For locations and map links go to the Classes page.
Book your space in the Shop.
Welcome to the News Pages.
Take some time to look at the other posts and the amazing artwork our students did during last years lockdowns.
We are a Karate club with fantastic members. Covid has challenged us all but we are so proud that we have managed to keep going and changed our training to keep people safe. This summer as normal we have reduced the face to face classes and increased the number of classes online.
Our Face to Face classes are
Collingham 10.30am Saturday
Calcutt 7.30pm Thursday
These are bookable via the online shop. We welcome new starters and returning Karateka to both these classes. The halls are at the biggest we use but we still have to limit numbers.
Online Classes with Unlimited participation. A weeks online classes costs you only £5 for everyone in your house.
Tuesday 5pm all grades and beginners welcome
Thursday 5pm all grades and beginners welcome
Thursday 5:30pm everyone welcome Upbeat class with fitness
Saturday 9:30am Cho Dan Bo and above
Saturday 10am all Grades and beginners welcome
Sunday 5pm all grades and beginners welcome
You can book into the face to face classes or buy an online passcode each week by visiting our shop
We have some simple rules for online training which you can find on the events pages.
Gradings
Yes we will be organising a Grading for September/October date TBC, so don’t let up in your training. We can now incorporate our full syllabus in class so will be able to guide students through their one and three step moves along with grabs and applications.
Safety
We are still operating Covid protections such as limiting numbers, Venting the dojang (room) regularly using hand sanitiser during class, sanitising pads and encouraging those with any respiratory conditions to refrain from training. If you have any questions or concerns please speak to an instructor or email the enquiries email. We want you to be safe and feel safe when you train.
T-Shirts - those who ordered T-Shirts should have received an electronic invoice and as soon as they arrive they will be distributed.
Autumn Classes
We hope to add additional face to face classes in the Autumn. We are aware that Roundhay at 5 on Thursday is a challenge to many who liked to train at 6 but we lost our slot to the trampolines. As soon as we know about new classes you will read it here.
Master McKenna Seminars
We hope to deliver some unique seminars with the Chief Instructor this summer to add to the face to face classes above.
Thats all for now
Pil Seung!
Its been a long time coming but we are back!!
Collingham and Pannal have capacity of 20 and 15 respectively and have been booked out quickly. Roundhay has a capacity currently of 18 and was not full this last week. Please book in early to avoid losing out.
We are mindful that students will be disappointed if they cannot book a place and if this happens to you please email enquiries@martialartsforlife.co.uk and let us know. The online booking system does not tell us how many unsuccessful bookings occurred and we will add extra hours or establish additional locations if we see the demand.
It was brilliant to see our students coming back alongside some new beginners and even Karateka returning from years ago ready to step back into training.
If you know someone thinking about giving karate a go, there is no greater honour bestowed upon the club than your recommendation. We cannot offer free taster sessions in Dojangs currently but they can have a free online session. Remember also that Master Amin has created 7 starter sessions which are free on our Vimeo pages. They are a great way of building someones confidence before walking into the Dojang.
We have already opened up Collingham Memorial Hall for under 18s and because we need to manage attendance this is currently booking only through the online shop.
After the 17th May we hope - if the Government allows - to restart our other 2 main classes in Leeds and Harrogate. These will be mixed adult and children and again will have to be booked in advance. There will be more information about this as we complete the risk assessments required by the venues and we consult further with the instructing team.
Thank you all for remaining with the club through this very difficult time. We know what a challenge it has been to retain some form of ‘normal’ and appreciate your continued support.
Once we have an idea of commitment and class sizes we will look to either add additional hours or reopen some of the more smaller venues we use.
Regards
Master Crocker
The karate Hyung Seisan (十三) (alternate names Sesan, Seishan, Jusan, Hangetsu) literally means '13'. Some people refer to the Hyung as '13 Hands', '13 Fists', '13 Techniques', '13 Steps' or even '13 killing positions'. However, these names have no historical basis.
Seisan is thought to be one of the oldest Hyung, being quite spread among other Nahate schools. Shito-ryu has its own version similar to Sanchin and different versions are now practiced even in Shuri-te derivatives like Shotokan (called Hangetsu) and in Wado-ryu (called Seishan). Isshin-ryū also adopted this kata. This kata was adopted by Korean Tang Soo Doand is called either by its original name Sei-Shan or Seishan, or Ban Wol which is the Korean translation of Han Getsu ("half moon"). Due to its difficulty, this kata is often reserved for advanced students.
There are numerous theories regarding the name of the Hyung / kata. These include the number of steps originally in the kata, the number of different types of 'power' or 'energy' in the kata, the number of applications, or that the kata represents defence against 13 specific types of attack. The most likely explanation is the number of non-repeating techniques contained within the kata. It is believed Seisan derives from Yong Chun White Crane Boxing from Fujian Province in Southern China, where the form is known as 'Four Gate Hands'. (This is completely unproven and uncorroborated. There are some other Chinese styles having a form called 'Shisan' (13) in their curricula. According to research conducted by researcher Emanuel Giordano, the kata would derive from the Chinese form 三戰十字 San Zhan Shizi, as demonstrated in the article "Seisan's origins" .
Rōhai (鷺牌) meaning “vision of a white heron” or “vision of a white crane” is a family of kata practiced in some styles of karate. The kata originated from the Tomari-te school of Okinawan martial arts. It was called Matsumora Rōhai, after Kosaku Matsumora, who was presumably its inventor (not to be confused with Sokon Matsumura). Ankō Itosu later took this kata and developed three kata from it: Rōhai shodan, Rōhai nidan, and Rōhai sandan. In Shorin-ryū and Matsubayashi-ryū this kata introduces Gedan Shotei Ate (Lower/Downward Palm Heel Smash) and Ippon Ashi Dachi. (One Leg Stance) It contains a sequence of Tomoe Zuki (Circular Punch) exactly the same as the one in Bassai, although the ending of the sequence chains into Hangetsu Geri/Uke (Half Moon Kick/Block).
In Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do unlike most of its forms which can be traced back to Shotokan, their version of Rohai was based on the Matsumora version. Over the years practitioners have made numerous changes to the form including the addition of a board (or brick) breaking element, which can be performed using either a downward punch or palm strike.
This week we are looking at Wanshu the Flying Swallow.
It was originally called Wansu. Funakoshi Gichin changed the name to Enpi when he moved to the Japanese mainland in the 1920s. Funakoshi changed the names of many of the kata, in an effort to make the Okinawan art more palatable to the then nationalistic Japanese. The most commonly accepted theory about its creation and development is that a Sappushi Wang Ji, an official from Xiuning, transmitted the kata while serving on Okinawa. Legend has that Wang Ji had the habit of throwing and jumping on his adversaries. Because of this dynamic form of combat, this kata resembles a swallow in flight.
Last week was a difficult. Drawing horses is notoriously challenging and for our Naihanchi (Tekki) week we drew or made an Iron Horse and there was some fantastic artwork sent in.
send any artwork to enquiries@martialartsforlife.co.uk
See our artwork on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MartialArts4LifeLLP/
This week we have a slightly easier challenge but with a great story.
is the original name of the form and is represented by the Crane on the rock but this is not what it means.
Chintō (鎮東) (In Shotokan, Gankaku (岩鶴)) is an advanced kata practiced in many styles of karate. According to legend, it is named after a stranded Chinese sailor (or pirate), sometimes referred to as Annan, whose ship crashed on the Okinawan coast. To survive, Chintō kept stealing from the crops of the local people. Matsumura Sōkon, a Karate master and chief bodyguard to the Ryūkyūan king, was sent to defeat Chintō. In the ensuing fight, however, Matsumura found himself equally matched by the stranger, and consequently sought to learn his techniques.
