Angelo

Sunday practices are turning into something very special. We have all groups taking lessons in one day now. First with kids class, then with lady's class then to finish with regular open class. People get to meet each other between classes and you can really feel the strong sense of companionship between all the students.

Today was the first time Angelo to assist in the kids class. He will eventually go back to New York in a year's time and would like himself to teach karate to kids. Angelo was very popular today with the young ones working with Yamaguchi-sensei. I am sure he will be a fantastic instructor and I wish him all the best in his future as a Mugen Ryu Sensei.

Wayne.

Light Sunday

There was a large turn out for Sunday's class today at the Azubu Juban Dojo.
It was a really fantastic practice session packed full of energy, excitement and of course safety. It must be the start for the new year with everyone wanting to work hard and get their skills up.

Yamaguchi-sensei mentioned that at the next tournament that it will be a charity event for 3/11 earthquake victims and also that there will be some interesting prizes for the tournament winners. Win or lose, I look forward to that.

Hope to see you all at the next practice!

Wayne.

Final Challenge 2011

Today was the last of the Mugen Grading Tests for this year. It really was a very intense and emotional time for everyone. Today's black belt challenge was Nozawa-san. He fought extremely well in all his 10 rounds with the line up he was up against. Also today we saw many white belt challenges, though showing their nerves, they all did so well especially in the 'Kihon' I must say.

Anounced today was assignment Hotta-san who will join Mugen Ryu Karate as staff and also with the anouncement from Ken Shida that Shidax will be involved heavily in promoting kids karate with advisory input from Yamaguchi-sensei. This is wonderful news and I look forward to the advancements of Mugen Ryu Karate to the youth of Japan.

Congratulations to all challengers today and thank you so much again to Yamaguchi-sensei for helping us all realize that anything is possible so long as you believe in yourself and are showered with support from your fellow friends and family.

Wayne.

Sweat and Tears

Today's tournament was surely something to remember for a long time. I have never felt so much emotion and I have never seen so many people cry, it truly was a great day for everyone. Win or lose, it didn't matter. All that mattered was the amount of effort and support everyone gave. There was so much of these two things, it really made the event such a special one.

Congratulations to Miku-chan and Naoka-chan for receiving their black belts today. Both of them really fought so well and deserved it.

Congratulations to all the other kids and adults who won their events. There was so much team effort and friendship building today it really proved that these kind of events are not just about winning. It's about bonding and it's about support for each other efforts and goals.

Thank you to Shidax president Ken Shida and Shidax staff for providing the location and supporting the event . Also thank you to all the helpers and judges for making sure everything went smoothly. And last but not least thank you to Yamaguchi-sensei for organising and producing yet again another wonderful  tournament.

Wayne.