Chuldow Martial Arts Black Belt Academy

Presenting - THE KARATE BLACK BELTS!

2009-04-23T16:25:00.002+01:00

Well what a tough act to follow for the Karate potentials, after such an exhausting start to the morning for all the kickboxing students!

Stepping onto the mat, the heat was stepping up too, quite literally! as the sun glared outside, the afternoon laze had kicked in and after a steady run, some gentle persuasion, the potentials went into overdrive!!

Some exhausting lengths of Techniques, superb displays of Kata and excellent effort and skill on the day, made this into one of the best black belt graduations we have seen here at CMABBA.

A special BIG BIG mention to the Adult potentials that day, Phllipa, Helen, Christine and Tony, who each had their own personal demons to beat and their own reasons for being on the mat that day. WOW!! superb, keeping up with the Cadet Potentials and even exceeding them at some points! fantastic effort and an inspiration to us all, without any doubt.

Each candidate pushed on to the last sprint at the end, achieving their well earned Black Belt!

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me present

Jonathan, Jel, Phillipa, Helen, Christine, Tony, Vivek, Shanice, Darryl, AJ and Cameron...

Welcome...

To Chuldow Martial Arts BLACK BELT ACADEMY!!

We salute you all for your effort and discipline on the day.

Mr Bedford

PS if anyone has any photos of the whole day, please send them to me and I'll put them on the website and on here for everyone to share in the moment.

Presenting - The KICKBOXING BLACK BELTS!!

2009-04-22T22:47:00.007+01:00

Well Sunday the 19th April was a day not to be forgotten, at least not by the men and women of Chuldow who came to step up to the mat and show us what they had got....

Years of hard training, discipline and dedication shone through, along with some of the best team spirit every displayed within the martial arts.

The morning kicked off with the Ladies of Kickboxing along with Mr John Lill, hitting the mat as the potential black belts, and hitting it running...literally! 2 miles in 20 minutes or that was it, the graduation was over for them. Some moaning, some pain, some tears along the way in the first 15 minutes, people wanting to quit, as they knew many hours of gruelling work still lay ahead of them.

Pushing on, they moved onto gruelling fitness work, completing some 1,000 situps, pressups, star jumps, knee tucks, squats, you name it, they probably did it! Everything the colour belts had to do, the potential black belts had to DOUBLE!

Another two mile run, saw them moving onto gruelling bag work, with constant pressure from the instructors, to never stop, not once, just keep on pushing!

Another mile run and onto the fighting section, bout after bout of fighting and takedowns, to submissions and holds. Mr Lill was even sick, but that didnt stop him getting back on the mat and finishing his graduation with the same spirit and determination he had started it with!

Then another mile run to see them off, some 3 hours or so after they had originally started, with all those tears and disbelief now just a memory, we saw fresh tears, friendships made, team spirit built and some of the best bonding and encouragement moments we've ever seen at Chuldow Martial Arts Black Belt Academies.

John, Lauren, Charlotte, Hannahlease, Lucia, Stacey, Rosie, Sophie...

I humbly bow to you, it was a privelege to watch you that day and Im proud to have been there. Thank you and congratulations on a very very well deserved Black Belt for each and every one of you.

Let us not forget all those who graduated for their coloured belts, joining in with what proved to be a real tough graduation, so well done all you guys!!

Mr Bedford

Its 2009!!

2009-01-06T16:33:00.000Z

The team at Chuldow would like to wish every one a Happy and Prosperous New Year. We look forward to another year of progression, achievement and excitement within our Martial Arts Community that we know so well as Chuldow.

Firstly we would like to recap on 2008, we ended the year on a high with Graduations in Kickboxing and Karate. Those students who achieved Black Belt in Kickboxing were Louise Bardon, Kane Emmerson, Erik Atkinson and Harrison Finlay, they all showed amazing spirit and determination to achieve their belts. The Black Belt graduations for Karate were held on the same day and again every candidate gave their all, we would like to congratulate Sean Couldwell, Abigail Couldwell, Nathanial Couldwell, Mick Clements, Jennifer Chapman, Nicholas Robinson, Andrew Woods, Harry Jackson,Hunain Shiwani, Luke Mctiernan, Shannon Empsall and finally Simon Walker who attained 2nd Dan.

The following week the karate graduations were held for kyu grades the whole day was hard going for all students but everyone reached their goal through determination, it is our pleasure to observe and support your progression. Two ladies achieved distinction, well done to Helen Gelder and Carol Rock.

Throughout last year we worked together as a team on our journey for knowledge and enjoyed each other’s company on first aid and weapons courses, even the little ones were included with a weapons course of their own and the much loved summer camp at which the instructors undeniably had more fun. Well done to all CIT it has been a pleasure working with you all your professionalism is outstanding, we are looking forward to 2009.

Lastly a mention of the End of Year Party, a great time was had by all, especially the children, the room was buzzing, the dance floor was packed not just with children but adults too (you know who you are). Later that evening the presentations kicked off with the raffle draw, third prize went to Lewis Wright, second prize Sophie Deal and first prize was won by Jake Normington and I take this time to congratulate them all especially young Jake, welcome to CIT. Student of the year was then announced, well what can we say Keith Gale. Mr Hauer was right in saying you deserved it and you are an inspiration to us all, you have so much spirit and come to every lesson with so much enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Student of the Year from Netherton Academy was awarded to Thomas Gomersall and Student of the Year from Morley Academy was awarded to Jean Burton. Well done you all deserve the recognition you got on the night !

As you all know the E news goes out at the beginning of each month so now a quick reminder for what is coming up in January 2009. Throughout January we have three events, two of which being the first aid courses held on the 18^th and the 25^th( places are limited so if you require a place please see a member of the team before the 10th Jan). We will also be hosting a bring a buddy/friend week starting on the 19^th until the 24^th, everyone is welcome to bring a friend throughout this week into the lessons to train along side of you, remember for Chuldow to keep growing we must keep sharing the Martial Arts with others

To finish on a high we would like to announce the opening of two new locations for January 2009. One of which is a full time Academy opening in Knottingley we wish Mr. and Mrs. Walker the best of luck with their academy and we are sure we are going to have yet another professional academy on the map.

Mr and Mrs Bell will be opening another franchise academy in Walton in the New Year and also in the New Year Miss Jade Drexler will re launch the current Sandal Academy.

We wish all of the academies, students, parents and carers the best for the new year !

Kind Regards

The Chuldow Team

Monthly goss

2008-08-19T14:00:00.002+01:00

Hey everyone, well little quiet at the moment, but we have a bit f news for you to keep the Chog alive.

Ok first congratulations and welcome to Mr Ben Thatcher, the newest recruit to CIT.
Then we have had the news of the next new Franchise owner, Miss Sophie Deal, who will be opening up the first Chuldow LEEDS academy in Morley in October. Assisting her will be Miss Jade Drexler, so I know you will all join me in wishing them the best of luck. And Miss Deal, CIT are a team and a family, so any help you need, just ask any of us.

staying with Franchise news, Chuldow Netherton are now going to be running four classes a week from the 1st September, including Kickbxing now in their timetables as well as an extra class of Karate.

ok so Graduations are coming round again for everyone, we have Karate Dan grades and Kickbxing graduations on Sunday 14th September with Karate Kyu grade graduations on Sunday the 21st September. Netherton and Sandal Graduations are on Saturday the 13th September and we hope to include your Students Miss Deal in the following franchise graduations on the 6th December! Look forward to seeing them there!! Exciting times!

Ok s moving on a little further up the calendar, we see the weapons seminar on the 19th October, always a great day and then the big event of the year, the Chuldow Championships on Sunday 2nd November, this will be the first one to see the new academies entering, so it will be an even bigger event than last year, which was absolutely fantastic. Definitely a day to put in your diary and look forward to whether you are competing or simply spectating and supporting.

Ok see you all at training and wherever you are and whatever you are doing, have a great day/night.

Mr Bedford

Hello world!!

2008-07-14T16:49:00.003+01:00

I was born today Monday 14th July 2008 at 3.49pm. I weigh 8 pound 2 ounce. My parents are called Ary and Sarah Hauer. I have a sister called Liv and a brother called Cam. I am a very healthy boy. My name is Rome!

I hope you will all join me in saying a massive hello and welcome to the latest addition to the Chuldow Family, here is the first message and Picture of Baby Rome Hauer. A massive congratulations Mr and Mrs Hauer from everyone at Chuldow. He's gorgeous and cute, have fun Liv and Cam, fussing over him, and congratulations to you both on your new little brother!

Mr Bedford

CIT First Graduates!!

2008-07-09T09:46:00.009+01:00

Well after 12 months of hard work, getting up to train at half seven every Saturday morning and training long after everyone else has left the mat and are at home with their loved ones, we have the first graduates of C.I.T. to pass through the doors of Chuldow Martial Arts Black Belt Academy.

The 12 month modular course is intensive and requires a lot of devotion to see it through, so its not for everyone, in fact its only for those with the determination to see it through. And these first graduates, have shown that determination and more, to make Mr and Mrs Hauer proud and to be the first fruits of their very hard labours this last 12 months, as lets not forget, that if CIT are there, then so are the Hauers, passing on their time, knowledge and experience to us, to enable us to become the future. The future of Martial Arts Tuition is CIT. Have no doubt about that. The difference it makes to your life is quite overwhelming at first, it gives you an advantage in just about everything you will ever do and over everyone you will ever meet. As Mr Hauer often puts it, ' Just because we leave school, are we then teachers?' The answer of course is, no we are not. To teach, you have to learn HOW to teach. It matters not how good a black belt you are, or how much knowledge you have attained, unless you know HOW to get that knowledge across to other people, then you will never know how to truly 'teach' the martial arts. At Chuldow, we dont teach, because we are black belts. At Chuldow we teach because we are CIT...Or should I now say CI?

The following seven people, now know just how to do that, Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, I give you Chuldow Martial Arts Black Belt Academy's first CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS.

Miss Nichola Rock, Miss Sarah Moss, Mrs Julie Carr, Mr Darrel Bedford, Mr Ashleigh Hudson, Miss Katie Walker and Miss Jade Drexler

On behalf of all CIT (sorry CI too - I love it, the novelty will stick for some time....) could I please extend a warm hand of Gratitude to Mr and Mrs Hauer, for everything they have done. EVERYONE of us would NOT be stood in these pictures, would not be wearing our sparkly new badges in class on Thursday if it wasnt for you. CIT has often been referred to as a family and it is, and (with no bad intentions), you have been the mother and father of that family, through the sweat, tears and even blood (in some training sessions lol) that has come from us all and you have stood side by side us and pushed (pulled = ) and encouraged us from day one. For that we thank you and we hope we can do you proud both now and in the future.

Finally on a personal note, im sure most of you will feel that though it now feels like its all over quite quickly, think back to each module, every training session, teaching, weapons courses, staying late, starting early and see just how much we have actually done and achieved in this 12 months and you will remember just what a long, hard, but enjoyable journey it has been and equally for those of you on CIT now, enjoy it while you can and put your heart and soul into it and everything you want from it will be yours and more.

Ok, thank you for listening guys and gals, see you all at training.

Mr Bedford

Chuldow Kickboxing Black Belt Graduations, Karate Dan Gradings!

2008-06-24T17:19:00.005+01:00

Well Monday the 23rd June saw quite a few stiff aching bodies after Sunday's gruelling day of graduations. In kickboxing we saw 8 new blackbelts! they were in no particular order Mark Wrightson, Ben Thatcher, Damien Williams, Zoe Catt, Sarah Brennon, Darrel Bedford (C.I.T.), Sarah Moss (C.I.T.) and Ashleigh Hudson (C.I.T.). It was a hard graduation for all involved but team spirit and morale really helped with hundreds of exercises, round after round of bag blasting, miles of running and with some punishing rounds of fighting to finish off, including Full Contact and 2 on 1 sessions. Very hard work, but very very worth doing, I can tell you. Then came an equally impressive performance from the Karate students who were graduating for dan grades. New Dan grades are Mr Martin Bell (C.I.T.), Rory Bramley and Chloe Robinson. And a special well done to Jake Normington and John Leeming who both achieved their 2nd Dan grades. A very impressive display from the karate students in a graduation that had every single one of them in tears at some point it was that tough on them, sheer willpower saw them all through it in one of the best graduations I have ever seen or had the opportunity to be on the panel of.

Usual thank you to all the CIT team and Mr and Mrs Hauer. Also special thank you to Mr Simon Walker for his participation in my kickboxing graduation and his assistance in the Karate Dan graduations. I'll happily repay the favour soon Mr Walker = )

Introducing Miss Sarah Moss - Chuldows 4th Dan!

2008-06-17T14:26:00.005+01:00

On saturday the 14th June, C.I.T. member Miss Moss stepped onto the mat, for what would be the hardest grading of her life. After waiting four years and stepping up her training to a new level in the last several months, she finally got her chance to show us what she was made of.....

Miss Moss certainly didnt disappoint. From starting her first kata, it was all go. Finish her kata and run to a bag for punishing bag work, then straight back to do her next kata then straight to a bag. Can any of us imagine how punishing that must feel to do hard bag work between every kata? And that was only the beginning of her grading. Under careful scrutiny all the way and having to demonstrate her vast knowledge of the martial arts, she lasted several hours in her grading to eventually come to the last test. After all that she had to fight constantly for ten minutes without rest and a fresh fighter every minute. This was the hardest test for her as she was so tired from the graduation itself, yet she knew what was at stake here. She had to win at least 8 out of the 10 fights or she would fail her whole graduation. In the first few seconds she recieved a blow to the nose from Miss Rock, that made her reel and her eyes water and her head spin, but again if she gave up, she failed. So she carried on. When the last fighter stepped on the mat, she had only seconds before Shian Hauer himself was kicking her. Remaining focused on the task, she fought back hard and fast and she remained so focused that when Miss Rock finally called time on the ten minutes she continued to hit Mr Hauer! He had to wrap his arms around her to finally tell her it was all over....

We are very proud to call you our friend and extremely proud to train alongside you Miss Moss and everyone of us thinks you were an inspiration to us all, that day.

Personally, I am amazingly proud to call you my friend first and foremost and my life partner. I know how hard you have worked for this and there isnt a single person at Chuldow that deserves this grade more than you. You're amazing and I have told you before you are my idol at karate and you only reinforced that feeling in my heart on Saturday. Thank you.

Mr Bedford

Full set of pics will be up on the main site this week.

History of Kata - Part 4

2008-06-05T00:21:00.006+01:00

Kushanku

Kusanku, was a Chinese martial artist who lived during the 1700s. He is credited as having an influence on virtually all karate-derived martial arts.

Kusanku learned the art of Ch'uan Fa in China from a Shaolin monk. Around 1756, Kusanku was sent to Okinawa as an ambassador of the Ming Dynasty. He resided in the village of Kanemura, near Naha City. During his stay in Okinawa, Kusanku instructed Satunuku Sakugawa (picured left).

Sakugawa trained under Kusanku for six years. After Kusanku's death (around 1762), Sakugawa developed and named the Kusanku kata in honor of his teacher.

Kusanku is a cornerstone of many styles of karate. It is personified predominantly in these styles by the use of very flowing techniques that have ties to White Crane Kung Fu as well as its wide variety of open handed techniques.
The Pinan kata contain sequences taken from Kushanku , as a result of Anko Itosu's efforts.

Chinto

Chintō (In Shotokan, Gankaku (岩鶴)) is an advanced kata practiced in many styles of Karate. According to legend, it is named after a Chinese sailor whose ship crashed on the Okinawan coast. To survive, Chintō stole from the crops of the local people. Sokon Matsumura, a Karate master and chief bodyguard to the Okinawan 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.
It is known that the kata Chintō was well known to the early Tomari-te and Shuri-te schools of Karate. Sokon Matsumura was an early practitioner of the Shuri-te style. When Gichin Funakoshi brought Karate to Japan, he renamed Chintō (meaning approximately "fighter to the east") to Gankaku (meaning "crane of a rock"), possibly to avoid anti-Chinese sentiment of the time.

The kata is very dynamic, employing a diverse number of stances (including the uncommon crane stance see left), unusual strikes of rapidly varying height, and a rare one-footed pivot. Bunkai generally describes this kata as being useful on uneven, hilly terrain.Today, Chintō is practiced in Wado-ryu, Shukokai, Isshin-ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shito-ryu, Shotokan

Kata History - Part 3

2008-05-16T15:44:00.004+01:00

Naihanchi

Naihanchi (or Naifanchi, Naifanchi, Tekki, Tekki) is a Kata, performed in straddle stance (naihanchi-dachi / kiba-dachi ). It can be translated to 'sideways fighting', or in the kase of Tekki it means ‘Iron Horse’, because of the stance. The form makes use of in-fighting techniques (i.e. tai sabaki (body evasion)) and grappling. There are three modern kata derived from this (Shodan, Nidan and Sandan(Master Ohtsuka dropped Nidan and Sandan from Wado Ryu, possibly because he thought the had little function)). Some researchers believe Nidan and Sandan were created by Anko Itosu, but others believe that it was originally one kata broken into three separate parts (probably due to constraints of space). The fact that only Naihanchi/Tekki Shodan has a formal opening suggests the kata was split.
It has been suggested the kata was originally developed when fighting against a wall / ledge / narrow confined space which is unlikely; however, it could be used for this purpose. Whilst the kata is linear, moving side to side, the techniques can be applied against attackers at any angle. The side to side movements in a low stance build up the necessary balance and strength for fast footwork and body shifting. The kata are intricate strategies of attacking and defensive movement, done in the kiba dachi, for the purpose of conditioning the legs to develop explosive power.

Itosu is reported to have learned the kata from Sokon Matsumura, who learned it from a Chinese man living in Tomari. Itosu is thought to have changed the original kata. The form is so important to old style karate that Kentsu Yabu (a student of Itosu) often told his students ‘Karate begins and ends with Naihanchi’ and admonished his students must practice the kata 10,000 times to make it their own. Before Itosu created the Pinan kata, Naihanchi would traditionally be taught first in Tomari-te and Shuri-te schools, which indicates its importance.

In the earlier days of karate training, it was common practice for a student to spend 2-3 years doing nothing but Naihanchi/Tekki, under the strict observation of their teacher. Motobu Choki (Pictured to the left), famous for his youthful brawling, credited the kata with containing all that one needs to know to become a proficient fighter.

Kata Names - Part 2

2008-05-06T22:15:00.005+01:00

All

Having received some nice feedback from some in regard to my last article on kata, in particular from some of our newer members, I have decided to expand on my article Kata Names - What do they mean and write another article for them based on the kata they have / will be learning over the coming year or two. In this article I will concentrate on the Pinan series of kata. Thanks again for the good feedback, I hope you find this as interesting and useful as the last.

OSU

Pinan

The Pinan kata are a series of five kata taught in many karate styles. The Pinan kata originated in Okinawa and were the brain child of Anko Itosu (see photo), who was one of Gichin Funakoshi's teachers. It started when Itosu learnt a kata called ‘Chaing – Nan’ from a Chinese martial artist living in the Tomari area of Okinawa, and this kata is said to be the basis for the Pinan katas. Itosu simplified ‘Chaing – Nan’ into the five Pinan kata we know today. It can also be noted that the Pinan series contain many moves and sequences from the longer kata “Kushanku”.

The Pinan kata were introduced into the school systems on Okinawa in the early 1900's, and were subsequently adopted by many teachers and schools. Thus, they are present today in the curriculum of WADO RYU, Shito Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shorei-ryu, Shotokan, Matsubayashi-ryu and Shukokai.

Pinan can be translated to mean "peaceful way" which it has been universally known as for many many years, but some historians believe now it can be translated into “safe from harm”. In his book “Karate - Do Kyohan” Gichin Funakoshi said that the name “Pinan” was chosen because once these kata’s had been mastered, the karateka can be confident in their ability to defend themselves in most situations, hence, be safe from harm. This translation comes about by translating the name in Okinawan into Chinese (rather than Japanese) and then to English. When translated to Japanese first we get 'Peaceful Mind', and when translated into Chinese we get 'Safe from Harm'. Again this is just thoughts and no one now will ever know the true meaning as meant by Itosu.

The Pinans are taught to various beginner ranks according to their difficulty, but the more advanced karateka can take things to the next level and apply the moves learnt in the katas into a more advanced fighting system. The kata are all based at least loosely on an I-shaped embusen or shape.

We actually learn / practice Nidan first as this is the easier form to learn and perform. When Funakoshi changed the name from Pinan to Heian he made Pinan Nidan become Heian Shodan and vice versa.

I hope this little post has been useful, next time Kushanku and Naihanchi.

Graduations

2008-04-27T14:13:00.002+01:00

Last weekend CMABBA held its Kickboxing graduations as well as its Karate Dan graduations. Well as ever the standard of these graduations was of an extremely high level. You just have to read the guest book on the main site to confirm this.

As ever the organisation by Mr and Mrs Hauer, Miss Rock and the CIT team was first rate, again true sentiments on this came from everyone who has mentioned this on the guest book.

There are too many names to mention everyone’s name (sorry, as you all deserve a mention) but a few names stick out in particular, these being:

Sophie Thompson and Cameron Finlay and Miss Katie Walker on getting their kick boxing black belts, they were very hard graduation and you all passed with flying colours. Which is testament to the hard work you have put in readiness for this event, well done one and all.

Well done also to: Ellie Jeffries, Frank Spacey, Callum Broughton, India Pierre, George Beaumont, Jack Wilson, Aaron Gelder, Wendy Leeming and James Cook on passing their 1st Dan black belts in karate- again the standard was terrific.

And finally a word on Miss Sophie Deal who passed her 2nd Dan Black Belt in Karate, a superb achievement in what is not an easy graduation. The following comment on the guest book just about sums it up.

“MISS DEAL YOU WERE SUPERB! As it turned out you were worried about nothing you wowed everybody who saw you and let no-one down”.

Each set of students seem to up the bar of performance when graduations come around, which just goes to show the level of dedication you have to the martial arts and the level of instruction you are receiving at CMABBA.

PICTURES WILL FOLLOW

Keep checking for updates on this weekends graduations, all the best to the franchise academies (Netherton and Sandal) and the Chuldow kyu grade graduations

Kata Names - What Do They Mean?

2008-04-11T20:02:00.008+01:00

On a recent short break to Northumberland I got to wondering further about kata names. Am I a sad individual for this, well yes probably I am, but it was a visit to Bamburgh Castle which is right on the coast and seems very hard to attack from the sea (as you can see). I then got to thinking about Bassai, which can translate to mean 'to Penetrate a Fortress'. I was even going to take a cheesey photo of me doing a yama zuki against the wall (An idea totally plagerised from another blog, and by no means my idea at all, more of that at the end). I thought then that I would research this meaning of the kata and try to find out where its meaning came from and why. The following is a little description of what I have dug up, and is by no means gospel, but just a collection of thoughts and reasonings by various people. I have also done the same for Jitte and Seishan. This might come in useful for the new Dan grades who might be learning these kata over the next year or so.

Bassai

Passai (披塞) is the name of a group of kata practiced in different styles of martial arts, including karate and various Korean martial arts. There are several variations of these kata, including Passai sho (minor) and Passai dai (major) . In karate, the kata are known as Passai, in Okinawan styles, and Bassai in Japanese styles

The origins of this kata are quite unknown, however there are several theories as to its history. Some researchers believe that Passai is related to Chinese Leopard and Lion boxing forms, with some sequences bearing a resemblance to Leopard boxing (the opening blocking / striking movement in kosa dachi ) whereas others are more representative of Lion boxing (open handed techniques and stomping actions).

The name may also be a reference to a fortress. In Japanese, Bassai (披塞小 or 抜砦大) means "To Extract From A Castle" or "To Remove an Obstruction." The name is often mistranslated to mean "to penetrate (storm) a fortress," because, 披 (batsu) means to extract or remove, not to penetrate, but the kata has many strong powerful moves with good solid stances which enhances the translation of storming a castle.

So as you can see the translation of the name is up for debate, but this little insight might shed some light on things.

Jitte

Jitte translated means 'Ten Hands' and should in theory enable one to face ten adversaries. Its origin is from the Tomari-te school. Some claim that the name, Jitte, is derived from the position of the raised fists, resembling a type of sai known as a jitte, which occurs a number of times in the kata. This rather short kata of only 24 movements contains a number of defenses against the bo. Also known in some styles as Sip Soo.

Up until seeing how a bo can be used properly I fully believed that this kata was a defence against the bo, but having seen the likes of Miss Varley and Miss Rock perfoming bo kata, the only good defenc against the bo is to leg it out of the way. However the defences might have worked a hunred years ago, but this we will never know

Seishan

There are numerous theories as to the naming of the kata which relates to the number 13. 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.

The most important thing though in all this is to make sure the kata is performed to the best of our ability, it is just nice to have this knowledge of the history of the kata.

Unique kata Blog

As previously mentioned I have come across a blog that solely has pictures of moves unique to one kata, i.e. this is the only time that move appears in their particular style. There is one beautiful picture of someone doing the suri ashi dachi form Gankaku (chinto) with a breath taking view behind. It is just a bit of fun. If anyone wants to view it just follow the link below.

http://uniquekata.blogspot.com/

I hope this post has been informative and interesting to some. Please let me know if there is anything you want to see posted here

OSU

Mr Culpan

Weapons Course

2008-04-02T14:44:00.002+01:00

Chuldow has once again held a very successful weapons seminar this past weekend. Once again the standard was very high as was the effort shown by ALL involved.
As usual Kama, Nunchaku, Bo/Jo, Sai and the Sword were taught and the photo's are in the gallery on the main site

www.chuldow.com

A special congratulations to Miss Walker who graded to black belt 1st dan in Bo/Jo and Mr Reid who graded to black belt 1st dan in Iaido. Both have worked long and hard in the run up to their gradings so please when you see them give them a pat on the back.

Once again Mr and Mrs Hauer, Miss Rock and the rest of the CIT team on the day put togehther an excellent course that could not have run any better.

See you all at the next course

Updates and stuff...

2008-02-08T15:34:00.000Z

Firstly, just to say hello to some of our Netherton and Sandal students, who I think maybe having a look on the main site, so if you've made it to here, then welcome to the CHOG, where everything chuldow happens, latest news etc!

Chuldow Netherton now has a myspace at http://cid-b4bffd58c50316ad.spaces.live.com/

So please go along and sign the guestbook, check back for any Netherton specific issues etc.

Firstly to EVERYONE, sign the main chuldow guestbook!! and use the forum, its there for you to use and its great fun!

Guestbook - http://www.freeguestbooks.net/mg/multi.pl?5909:12:0

Forum - http://www.freeforums.in/phpbb/index.php?mforum=chuldow

So Graduations are nearly on us again, Sunday 17th, Saturday 23rd February and Sunday 24th February are all Graduation days! The Forum has now got two posting boards SPECIFICALLY for Graduations. Any worries, things you want to know etc, go post it there and a member of CIT will answer it as soon as they can.

More updates to follow

PS remember Mr Hudson is the OFFICIAL CHULDOW MARTIAL ARTS LOVE DOCTOR for Valentines day this year, any cards you wanna pass onto that loved one in secret, just pass them to him and let him know who its for and he'll make sure they get it in complete secrecy!!

STOP PRESS! new C.I.T. and more....

2008-01-27T22:14:00.000Z

Hi there, Mr Bedford here, just wanting to wish the latest additions to C.I.T. all the best for starting their new 12 month intensive instructor course.

First up, Mr Simon Walker, having recently joined us @ Chuldow C.I.T. he has an extensive knowledge of the Martial Arts and has already acquired many people skills through his job in management and he is a valued addition to the team. Welcome on board Mr Walker.

The newest recruits as of tomorrow (28th Jan) are

Miss Zoe Jarman
Mr Martin Bell
Miss Sophie Deal

Hello and welcome to you guys, congratulations on getting onto C.I.T. the C.I.T. team will see you on Tuesday at your first session!

(of course they dont all realise that at some point they all have to have a HUGE photo taken and put on the wall.....he he he)

Lastly but by no means least, a quite belated welcome to Miss Jenny Ship. She's been with us a fair few months now, but never really got an official welcome, so here it is!

You're one of the C.I.T. team now Jenny, and a valued member of Chuldow, so Hello and welcome.

Next just to recap that the two new Chuldow Academies have been open around 3 weeks now and both are continuing to flourish in both strength and numbers, for more information see the main site (http://www.chuldow.com/) but basically for those that are unaware they are

Chuldow - Sandal
Chuldow - Netherton

We trust you will all join us in wishing the best of luck to these two new Academies and all the best to everyone involved in them.

Ok onto a few upcoming dates in the calendar

Sunday 17th February - Chuldow Kickboxing and Dan Grade Graduations - Chuldow, Smythe Street, Wakefield WF1

Saturday 23rd February - Chuldow Sandal and Chuldow Netherton **1st Graduations** - Chuldow, Smythe Street, Wakefield WF1

Sunday 24th February - Chuldow Karate Graduations - Chuldow, Smythe Street, Wakefield, WF1

And don't forget before any of these we have VALENTINES DAY!! so spread the love people and let that special someone know how you feel for that one day of the year!! Mr Hudson is the LOVE DOCTOR this year and any cards you may want to pass onto that someone special without them knowing its you, just give them to Mr Hudson and tell him their name and he will see that they get it completely anonimously!! GUARANTEED!! What a guy!

ok see you all next post!

Hironori Ohtsuka

2008-01-25T13:54:00.000Z

This month in 1982 saw the death of Wado Ryu founder and grand master Hironori Ohtsuka. Over 90 years his dedication to martial arts and to the development of Wado Ryu karate was phonomenal. All though the vast majority of todays wado karaeteka never actually trained with him we still draw inspiration from those that have and have past their knowledge down through generations of karateka. Below is a link to some footage of Grand Master Ohtsuka performing kata

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbOxEVrne8U

Master Ohtsuka was born on 1st June 1892 and was later was introduced to martial arts by his uncle who was a Jujitsu instructor. Then in 1897 Ohtsuka started to study Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujitsu under the leadership of Shinzaburo Nakayama Sensei who was 3rd grand master of this style. This style was synonemous with the nature and grace of movement and the versatility and flexilbility of force without damage. These elements play a major part in todays Wado karate, where techniques can use your opponents body and direction to play as much a part of defeating your enemy as your own.

Ohtsuka carried on this study whilst at University as well as study of other styles of Jujitsu. He developed the techniques of his existing style and combined them with others he lernt. As a result of his hard work and dedication on 1st June 1920 Ohtsuka was awarded the highest degree in Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujitsu, allowing hime to suceed his masters position and become the 4th Grand Master of the style.

Then in 1922 at a sports festival in Tokyo Ohtsuka witnessed a demonstartion in Okinawan karate by Gichin Funakoshi Sensei. Ohtsuka was impressed by what he saw and visited Funakoshi many times to discuss techniques and other aspects of karate. Funakoshi was impressed by Ohtsukas enthusiasm and detemination to understand Karate and agreed to teach him all he knew. Within the space of a year Ohtsuka studied all the kata that Funakoshi had brought from Okinawa, but Ohtsuka found some moves and techniques difficult to understand and apply, which led him to practice kata with Mabuni Sensei (the founder of Shito Ryu Karate).

By 1925 Ohtsuka was chief instructor of Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujitsu and was Funakoshi's assistant instructor at his dojo. By 1929 Ohtsuka started to feel that attack and defence was, in the true spirit of Budo, missing from Okinawan karate, which mainly concetrated on kata up until then. So to this end Ohtsuka had been debeloping Yakusoko Kumite to compensate for this. He thought that there was a need for a more fluid type of karate, so he decided to leave Funakoshi and concentrate on founding and developing his new style 'Wado Ryu'.

In 1934 not only was Ohtsuka's son born but also Wado Ryu was officially recognised as an independant style. Over the years Wado Ryu has grown from strength to strength, 1944 Ohtsuka was appointed Japans Chief Karate Instructor.

In the 1963 at the request of Master Ohtsuka a team of 3 of his top students went to America and Europe to spread Wado Ryu, which became recognised world wide for its merits.

In 1972 Ohtsuka Sensei was awarded a title never before awarded to a karate master, the president of the International martial arts federation, who was amember of the royal familt, presented Ohtsuka with the title "Meijin" - the first excellent martial arts instructor in Karate (10th Dan) it was the greatest title possible to be bestowed on him.

In Jan 1982 Grand Master Hironori Ohtsuka passed away, but his spirit and teachings go on in all who follow his path and the way of Wado Ryu.

OSU

I'm sure you will agree that the Grand Masters dedication to martial arts is inspiriational. Below is another link to Ohtsuka performinf Tanto Dori, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY8K_IYLbZ8

Chuldow Campionships

2007-10-23T21:50:00.000+01:00

I have created a sub blog called http://chuldowchampionships.blogspot.com and will put this link in the side bar of this main CHOG. It will function as a blog, but will be updated over time on the events and categories from the great event that we were all part of last Sunday. The first post is up and is a little thanks to all who were involved. As soon as I get pics and complete write ups, I will post them, blog style for all to see.
There are obviously some sections I did not see because I was either competing on the mat ,or refereeing at the same time. I do not want to miss anything out and want to do the tournament justice by providing as good a write up, and its own blog as it deserves. Keep watching http://chuldowchampionships.blogspot.com for all the latest updates as well as this CHOG.
For all non Chuldow members who read the blog, please keep watching for updates, and we can share what was a wonderful day with you all

Osu

Mr Ian Culpan

Chuldow Championships - October 21st

2007-09-23T18:26:00.000+01:00

The time is drawing nearer to the Chuldow Championships, which will be held on October 21st at Light Waves Leisure Centre in Wakefield. During training we are working toward this event so it would be nice if everyone were to enter at least 1 section.

Sign in will be from 09:00 to 09:30 prompt. The leisure centre has a cafe, so food and drink will be available throughout the day.

Prices are £10 per event and £5 for spectators. Trophies will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and joint 3rd place and all competitors will receive a medal.

The following category's will be run;

Creative Kata
Weapons Kata
Adult Kata
Junior Kata
Junior Fighting Points Continuous (Light contact)
Junior Fighting Points Stop (Semi contact)
Adult Fighting Points Continuous (Light contact)
Adult Fighting Points Stop (Semi contact)

There will be male and female categories as well

The events promises to be a very enjoyable day. Our instructors have put a lot of effort into the organising of the championships so lets show our support and gratitude to them by turning up in numbers and performing to the very best standards we can.

Karate and Kickboxing Kyu Grades

2007-09-16T10:13:00.000+01:00

Over the last two weekends CMA has held its karate and kickboxing kyu gradings along side its dan gradings. As ever the standard was exceptional, with each and every student doing themselves and Chuldow proud. Everyone from beginner to pre dan showed effort heart and determination. A special well done must go out to those who gained distinctions; the were for kickboxing Mica Keating, Mr Stuart Carter, Mr Ben Thatcher and miss Lisa Wainright and for karate Mr Mike Reid, Mr Shaun Cauldwell and Miss Shanice Ahmed, you have now upped the standards required.

Pictured above are the new 1st kyu's and Pre Dan's along with CIT Students and Instructors.

Back Row Left to Right: Mr Ash Hudson - CIT, Mr Phil Dyson - Guest Observer, Miss Racael Lloyd - Pre Dan, Mr David Morgan - Pre Dan, Miss Frances Murphy - Pre Dan, Mr Ian Kelly - Pre Dan, Miss Gemma Wilkinson - Pre Dan, Mr Mike Fisher - Pre Dan, Mr Frank Spacey, Mr Darrel Bedford - CIT, Miss Sarah Moss - CIT and Miss Nicola Rock - CIT
Front Row Left to Right: Miss Katie Walker - CIT, Mrs Sarah Hauer - Owner and Director of CMA, Mr Cameron Fox - Pre Dan, Mr Ashley Turner - Pre Dan, Miss Emma Ibbetson - Pre Dan, Mr Jack Wilson - 1st kyu, Mr Aaron Gelder 1st kyu, Mr Callum Broughton - 1st kyu, Miss Jade Drexler CIT.

Thanks to the commitment shown by the CIT students for all the effort that they put in during the long day, and we must not forget the parents, carers and partners who support us in our training.

Last but not least thanks to Mr and Mrs Hauer who make it all happen, make sure all paperwork is up to date and legal and most of all who shape the way CMA is. Without them there would be no Chuldow Martial Arts Academy.

New Dan Grades

2007-09-12T09:50:00.000+01:00

On 2nd Sept Culdow held Dan gradings in karate and kickboxing, and I am pleased to announce all passed.

Above: Mr Phil Dyson - 2nd Dan Karate, Miss Caroline Lee - 1st Dan Kickboxing, Mr Jamie Gelder - Cadet 1st Dan Karate and Miss Jemma Wilkinson - 1st Dan Kickboxing.

The grading were extremely hard (as you would expect) and mentally taxing. Mr Dyson even required stitches, but thanks to Mr Hauer the stitches were applied and Mr Dyson had the courage and indomitable spirit required to carry on the grading. A big well done to all, you have set the standard required that bit higher with your supreme efforts.

Bronze Medal Success in World Championships

2007-09-12T09:37:00.000+01:00

As most of you are aware by now Miss Rock and Miss Watson have returned from the WKA World Championships in Germany and have brought home 3 bronze medals in the following categories

Miss Rock - Musical Kata

Miss Watson - Light Continuous Kickboxing and Semi contact points - Stop

Everyone here at Chuldow is proud of there achievment and wishes them all the best for next years tournament

Here is a picture from a party after there return from Germany.

Miss Watson is on the far RHS and Miss Rock is next to her

We must also wish Martin Ziozweski all the best in his quest at the national kickboxing championships in Poland where he is fighting for a title belt. Martin is one of our assistant kickboxing instructors and always helps push us that bit further (particularly when he is demolishing us in sparring) with Martins skill in the class whoever fights him always manages to get that bit more out of themselves. He is a big asset to CMA and we wish him well and hope he returns as champion.

Back to Training

2007-08-27T20:50:00.000+01:00

Having been absent from CMA for a month I am now back starting tomorrow. For two of the last five weeks I have been covering for my boss at work, so have not been finishing until 7:30 at night so have not been able to train. Instead I have been getting home from work, grabbing a beer or five from the fridge and not training at home. I know this is a blog about Chuldow and NOT about me but I felt the need to write this for my own benefit to realise the mistakes I have made over the past few weeks.

After 2 weeks of sorting out personal issues, I will start back training on Tuesday. I have however become determined to step up the pace in readiness for Novembers gradings. If I do not act I will not be ready.

I will describe the self training I intend to do on non Chuldow nights, this is training I did do in the very recent past and it did improve fitness levels and improved technique. I just intent to stick to it more rigorously.

Firstly I will start with a warm up on the treadmill and work my way up to 30 minutes of running on the flat, and walking up inclines. When I get my weight down by about 1.5 stones I will also start wearing my Beargen (rucksack) with the military standard 42lbs of weight in it (I used to do 10 miles in 1hr 45 with this on).
Following this I will then do some bodyweight excercises until failure, for more information on bodyweight excersises see http://www.bodyweightculture.com/ (lets face it I have a lot of bodywieght to use), I am currently only at level 3 of the 20 level plan.

Added to this I will do sledge hammer training, which is basically hitting a tyre with a sledge hammer for 30 secs non stop for 3 to 5 sets (times will increase when fitness allows).

Then I will either go through the entire syllabus of techniques and combinations, full speed and power or go through every kata full speed and power with no rest in between.

Then comes the dreaded tube training, I will use resistance bands to do certain techniques, such as, gyaku zuki, mae geri, oi zuki, and general moving forward in freeestyle stance and execute a variety of techniques. This generally leads to me not feeling too well at all. (see below gyaku zuki with resistance band)

When I can achieve the above I will further intensify my training, and will post more on that when it happens.

So the main point of all this is to get ready for November, If I fail in my training regime I might not be ready to grade so it is important that I publish this plan so people know what I want to do and can chastise me when I slack off or see no improvements.

Coupled to this I need to loose 2.5 stone before November, which is just over two months away (a very hard target to achieve), but non the less it is one I would like to achieve. So I will regularly update my weight loss success (See side bar for results). I know that I am probably the only student who realy needs to loose weight, but if anyone wants to join me on the weight loss quest, we might be able to have our own little weight loss club at Chuldow and help each other out.

Remaining Dates Added in Side Bar

2007-08-16T19:28:00.000+01:00

All

I have just added the remaining calendar dates into the side bar. I will add nexts years dates at the beginning of the year for all to see. Obviously I will update them if changes occur

In Memorial of Tetsuhiko Asai

2007-08-15T20:45:00.000+01:00

One year to the day today (15th August) the world lost one of the great karate masters, Tetsuhiko Asai (10th Dan). Sensei Asai was the World Chief Instructor of the Shotokan karate association that I was a Member from 1990 to when I stopped training. Although I never had the priviledge of training and meeting him, I feel I must write this little section on the blog dedicated to him. He was the head of our association and if not for politics he would have been the headmaster of Shotokan karate. Even though CMA karate is Wado Ryu and we take our inspiration from Master Ohtsuka, it must be said that which ever style of karate we study, we all try to uphold the true spirit of Karate Do, we are all part of the greater martial arts fraternity and respect to others should be given.

I have recently viewed some footage of Asai Sensei on youtube and watching it saddened me to think that he is not alive today doing what he loved. Even though I have no relationship to him except the one mentioned above it is a sad loss to the world as whole when someone of honour and integrity passes away, whether karate related or not.

RIP: Tetsuhiko Asai

If anyone is interested in seeing the footage on youtube, just search the site for Tetsuhiko Asai and be prepared to be amazed by this 70 year old master doing what many younger people will never be able to do