Members of the World Shotokan Karate Federation (WSKF) South Africa recently returned from Japan where they attended the 12th WSKF World Karate Championships.

Seminar

During the two weeks the team spent in Japan, members also attended a rigorous three-day karate seminar presented by renowned karate master and World Chief Instructor WSKF, Kasuya Sensei. During the seminar, members got the opportunity to train with top karateka from around the world.

Dan grading

Another highlight of this trip was definitely the dan gradings which were held after the seminar. Kasuya Sensei once again conveyed his satisfaction with the excellent standard of our members who graded. Congratulations to Martin Pretorius Sensei who graded to Yondan (4th Dan), and Muhammad Lala, Tristan Basel and Zanro Burger who graded to Shodan (1st Dan).

Their performance in these gradings exhibited good technique and karate spirit and drew many positive responses from the attendees from other countries. We congratulated the karateka expressing the hope that they will endeavour to train harder so as to achieve their goals in karate.

Referees course

Senior members, Mike Sensei, Andrio Sensei and Martin Sensei completed a high-level referee course. They officiated during the World Championships where they executed their refereeing duties in an outstanding manner.

Championships

The championships, which were held at the Tokyo Budokan – the world-famous arena for martial arts – went well for most of our members.

      

The standard of the competitors, representing 35 countries, was very high.

Congratulations to all WSKF South Africa team members who once again showed that the standard of our karate is comparable to the best in the world and whose excellent behaviour gained us a lot of respect from our hosts and the other competitors.

Congratulations also to the following members on their individual achievements:

Bryan Sensei              Silver medal in Men’s Open Kata
Simone Sensei            Silver medal in Women’s Kumite
Elize Sensei                Bronze medal in Women’s Veteran Kata
Jéan Roodt                 Competed in the finals of the Men’s Open Kata

And then two exceptional achievements that made us all very proud:

•   Mike Sensei was awarded a medal as “ Best Referee”  at the Championships.

•   WSKF South Africa received the trophy for “Best Branch 2015”.

Congratulations to all who helped to make this achievement a reality. WSKF South Africa is very proud of this achievement.

Sayonara party

After the championships Kasuya Sensei and his staff hosted a prestigious function on the 58th floor of the Sunshine Prince Hotel in Ikebukuro in celebration of the 25th year anniversary of WSKF. This event was attended by dignitaries and team members from the participating countries.

   

More training and some sightseeing

The team members also got the opportunity to attend a few special training sessions -amongst others with the University Team in Yokohama. Some of the members were also privileged to meet Ibusuki Sensei. A true legend and one of the few remaining students of Gichin Funakoshi – the founder of Shotokan Karate.

Tokyo is a beautiful city to explore and in the little free time, we had everyone enjoy some really good times, eating out, shopping and exploring Tokyo and its surroundings. Amongst many others, we visited Meiji Shrine, Kamakura (where there is a memorial to Gichin Funakoshi), Asakusa and Harajuku (a favourite shopping and hang-out spot for teenagers).

This was truly an unforgettable experience and I am sure that all the tour members will want to extend a special thank you to our Shihankai and especially Sensei Mike and Sensei Bryan who made this trip of a lifetime a reality. Domo arigato gozaimasu!

The future

We received the exciting news that Kasuya Sensei will be visiting South Africa in May 2016. This will present a unique opportunity to train with – and even for some to grade with – our WSKF Chief Instructor.

We are looking forward to the next WSKF World Championships in 2017. The team selected to participate in this event should be announced early in the New Year. There is an only a limited number of places available so be sure to start training now and book early.

Congratulations to all our members who made us feel so proud…. We take this opportunity of thanking all our members for being so well behaved on and off the floor.

Our karate etiquette is something to be proud of!!

The three day training Seminar was very tough, but was enjoyed by everyone who took part in it. Kasuya Sensei was, as always very inspiring. It was great to train with karateka from other countries. New friendships were formed during this time – this is always the bonus that comes with such an event!

 

Tokyo is a fabulous city to explore – a city full of history and beautiful culture. Everyone enjoyed the sightseeing during their free time (not a lot of free time available!!) – great fun was had by all members – despite the heat and humidity.

Grading:

• Marius Jordaan Sensei Rokudan (6th Dan)
• Christo Riekert Sensei Yondan (4th Dan)
• Andrio Lombaard Sensei Yondan (4th Dan)
• Brandon Shepherd Sensei Nidan (2nd Dan)
• Ewald Van Zyl Sensei Nidan (2nd Dan)
• Elandre Strauss Shodan (1st Dan
• Daniel Nunes Shodan (1st Dan)
• Marelie Botha Shodan (1st Dan)
• Wenette Jordaan Shodan (1st Dan)

The people who graded proved that we have a high standard of karate. Kasuya Sensei was happy with our results. Congratulations to all of you.

Referees Course:

Mike Sensei and Marius Sensei completed the course.

•    We have just received a letter from Kasuya Sensei thanking all our members for the help given to the organizing committee in cleaning up after the championships.  This just proves what kind of members we have in our dojos – thanks to all of you.

Demonstration:

Mike Sensei and Bryan Sensei demonstrated Sochin Kata during the championships.

What a successful tour our team had in Japan. We are so proud of every one of the members who took part in the WSKF World Championships and also the Technical Seminar. To the parents that toured with the group, all I can say is that you have now experienced a karate tour – not full of luxuries, but good camaraderie and karate spirit!

Herewith some feedback on the sequence of events:

Technical Seminar conducted by Kasuya Sensei was conducted in true Japanese style. Kasuya Sensei was very strict on the floor but friendly off the floor. It was a great experience for all who attended and everyone felt that they were “beginners” again!

Werner Pretorius and Brandon Shepherd graded for Shodan (1st Dan) under the Japanese Instructors and the comment from Kasuya Sensei (WSKF Chief Instructor) after our boys graded was: “Standard of a very high level”.

We are very proud of them both.

Congratulations to the two Individual Kata medalists:

Chezan Nel who won a Bronze medal and to Palesa Mafereka who also won a Bronze medal. You girls are both stars.

Well done to the participants in the Team events:

Boys Team Kata – Bronze medal i.e. Brandon Shepherd, Johnny Kuhn and Daniel Nunes.

Girls Team Kumite – Silver medal i.e. Chezan Nel, Wenette Jordaan and Marelie Botha.

What a wonderful surprise we had when the award was announced for the “Best Competitor of the Tournament” and it was won by our own Bryan Sensei. Bryan Sensei commented later that the award meant more to him than the 2 medals he won i.e. Silver for Kata and Silver for Kumite. What an achievement!

To all parents and karateka, please believe me when I tell you that good basics will deliver results. Bryan Sensei is a true example of good basics.

To all the other competitors who did not win medals – please remember that we are very proud of you as well. Experience gained will make you stronger for future events. Remember what I always say “Learn to lose gracefully and then it is easy to win gracefully”. Keep training.