Latest news
Christmas and New Year Schedule
23 December
Tonight's class was the last one before a short break over the festive season.
Latest news
Press release: European Champion visits Backwell
19 December
Karate practitioners from across the region got an early Christmas present on Sunday
when former European Karate Champion, Sensei Matthew Price, visited Backwell for a special training course.
Sensei Price shared some of the techniques and training methods that helped him build an
international reputation both as a competitor and instructor – including some of the
latest thinking being taught at both his successful home club, Leeds Karate Academy,
and to international competitors on the all-styles English team.
Latest news
Updated: Former European Champion to teach in Backwell in December!
5 December
We are delighted to announce that Sensei Matthew Price will be teaching a special Christmas
course at Backwell Karate on Sunday 18 December, replacing our normal class.
10.00am-11.30am (below bown belts)
11.30am-1.00pm (brown and black belts)
Sensei Price ippon at European Championships
Sensei Price demonstration at JKS World Championships
Press release: Backwell youngsters in the medals
28 November
Under 16s from Backwell Karate club had a reason to celebrate last weekend as they brought home the medals from a youth Karate competition in Bath.
Club members Aaron, Fergus and Jake took home all the coloured belt first and second place trophies between them at the Bill Winfield Memorial competition, which saw children from clubs from across the Avon area take part.
Both Aaron and Fergus were awarded as ‘best overall junior competitors’, winning a place each at a week-long special training course next year.
National squad member and club instructor, Tim Griffiths, said, “The success of all members is testament to the hard work they've put in since we introduced our beginners classes at the start of the year, so it's great to see everyone perform well in both the competition and the coloured belt grading earlier that day.”
Backwell Karate have recently announced the extension of their beginners’ classes – held at Backwell Parish Hall - into 2012. Classes are open to children and adults from 7 years upwards.
Change of venue on Friday 16 September
13 September
On Friday 16th September the Parish Hall will be unavailable, so training is moving
to the Backwell Budokan Hall at our usual training times of 6.30-7.30pm for below brown
belts and 7.30-8.30pm for brown and black belts. To get there, use the Rodney Road entrance to Backwell Recreation Ground. The Budokan is
immediately behind the Scout and Guide Hut. Take a look at the map to see
where it is in relation to our usual dojo.
Date announced for next coloured belt grading
13 September
We're pleased to let you know that the final coloured belt grading of the year will be on Sunday 20 November, again hosted by Bath Shotokan Karate Club. The venue and times will be confirmed nearer to the time.
At the last grading of each year, a small, friendly Karate competition - the Bill Winfield Memorial - is held for junior club members. We'd encourage all our students to take part, so if you're interested, please speak to one of the senseis before or after one of our training sessions.
Backwell Karate club members train with the champions
8 August
Last week, club members Toby Ballard, Jim Mateer, Aaron Mateer and club instructor Tim Griffiths took part in an annual Karate Summer School, held at Lancaster University. The course saw Karate students from around the country train with English Karate pioneers, Senseis Sherry, O'Neill, Poynton, Rhodes, Higgins and Brennan.
The course was a week long, consisting of nine Karate sessions, two 'bo' weapons classes and a brace of lectures on the physical aspect of Karate and also its history.
Club members threw themselves into the week, with Jim Mateer and Tim Griffiths also taking part in an extra grappling session, kindly given by former European Karate Champion, Sensei Matt Price.
We would like to thank all the instructors for a week of enjoyable classes, and also to congratulate Toby Ballard for passing his red belt at the end of the course.
Those people wishing to 'train with the champions' closer to home will be interested to know that we expect to host Sensei Price at a session in Backwell later in the year. More details as soon as the training session is confirmed.
Next coloured belt grading
4 June
The next coloured belt grading will be held on Sunday 17 July, hosted by Bath Shotokan Karate Club. As there is an all-grade training session before the grading, we will not be training at Backwell Parish Hall on this day. Training will start at 12 noon, with the grading following after this.
Please note that although the grading will be held at Bath University, as usual, we will be using the Founders Hall, not in the main sports village.
To be able to grade you will need to have completed a minimum number of training sessions and be at the required standard. If you're hoping to grade, please speak to one of the instructors in the next few weeks.
45th KUGB National Championships
14 May
On Saturday 14 May, the KUGB's showcase event, the 45th KUGB National Championships took
place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Clubs from across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland took part in this major event which has to run simultaneously across 12 'tatamis',
or mats, to keep this event to just one day.
Three Backwell Karate club members took part, with Tim Griffiths competing in Kata and both Ian Connell and Devon Troskie taking part in both Kata and Kumite disciplines. The standard of the tournament was high, meaning that placing in the event was always going to be challenging. Both Ian and Devon put in guttsy performances in both their events. Tim was eventually put out of the competition by former Welsh champion, Christian Whale.
Backwell Karate would like to congratulate the following winners of this year's KUGB Nationals:
Excellent effort at grading by Backwell Karate members
3 April
At today's coloured belt grading, Backwell Karate members put in a solid performance as they represented the club and took their next step towards black belt. Instructors Tim Griffiths, Chris Denny and Bryan Gideon would like to congratulate all those that passed, with special mentions to both Aaron Mateer and Jake Devereux for grading straight to red belt.
Well done to the following members;
New beginners' course starts from 8 April
2 April
The latest beginners' course starts from 8 April, running at Backwell Parish Hall on Friday evenings from 6.30-7.30pm. We also run an all-grade training session on a Sunday morning from 10-11am. We're currently offering your first 2 lessons for the price of 1, so come along and give it a go.
Visit the Join us page for more information about joining as a beginner. Space is limited, so get in touch to book your place.
Coloured belt grading
2 April
Don't forget that the coloured belt grading takes place tomorrow at Bath University Sports Village, Bath, BA2 7AY.
As usual, we will holding a pre-grading session in the morning from 10am at the Parish Hall, finishing promptly at 11am, before heading over for a 12 o'clock start in Bath. There will be a pre-grading training session with Sensei Bob Poynton, who will be taking the grading. The training and grading costs £20. For those not grading, the training is £5.
KUGB Squad Selections
12 March
Local Karate instructor, Tim Griffiths (pictured far right), was delighted to take a place on the Karate Union of Great Britain’s national Kata squad last month.
No training this Friday - club curry night
12 March
There will be no training on Friday 18th March, due to the drama club taking our usual booking slot. Instead, we'll be holding a club curry night at Britannia Spice on Backwell crossroads, diagonally opposite from the club.All club members are welcome. We'll be sitting down at our usual training time of 7.30pm. If you can email us beforehand we'll be able to make sure there's space for everyone who'd like to come.
Order one of our new club jackets
29 January
The brand new Backwell Karate club jackets are currently being finalised for orders. Jackets come complete with 'traditional, progressive' Japanese kanji (characters) embroidered on the left chest. They're ideal for travelling to and from the club, as well as for staying warm at competitions and gradings.
To help make sure you order the correct size we'll have samples to try within the next week and we will be placing our order very shortly after. If you're interested in placing an order, please speak to one of the senseis within the next week.
29 January: Date for next Kyu grading announced
The next coloured belt grading will take place on Sunday 3rd April and will once again be hosted by Bath Shotokan Karate Club. As soon as the timings and venues are confirmed we will announce them at the club.
As usual, we will be a pre-grading session in the morning at the Parish Hall before we head over to Bath.
Those of you wishing to take a grading, please make sure you've completed enough sessions and also speak to one of the senseis over the next few weeks.
20 December: New training session on Fridays
We’re pleased to announce that training on a Friday night will now be split into two classes: 6.30-7.30pm for novice to purple and white belts and 7.30-8.30pm for students who are 3rd Kyu and above. Both sessions will be held at the Parish Hall on Backwell crossroads.
The new class means that both novices and senior grades will receive training that’s tailored to their level.
Our new Friday training session starts in the new year, from Friday 7th January. Sunday morning training continues to be for all grades from 10-11am.
20 December: Christmas break
We're taking a break over the Christmas period. There will be no training on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve or the 2nd January.Thank you for your support throughout 2010. Have a fantastic Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in the new year, when training resumes on Friday 7th January (6.30pm for beginners to purple and white belt and 7.30pm for 3rd kyu and above).
12 December: Club members make the grade in Bath
On Sunday 12th December, Backwell Karate club members took the trip over to Bath University’s state of the art Sports Village for a special training session and coloured belt grading, taken by Sensei Bob Poynton (7th Dan, KUGB). With ten of us there, the club was well represented in the two hour training session, where we were taken through a number of kicking drills on our own and with a partner. Sensei particularly focused on picking an appropriate target 100% of the time. We then moved on to kata, where the senior students were put under the spotlight in front of the rest of the class to demonstrate correct form and performance of katas including Bassai Dai.
The training was followed by a coloured belt grading. Congratulations to Mark, Fergus, Jim and Adam for successfully passing their gradings and thank you to Bath Shotokan Karate Club for organising the day.
The next coloured belt grading is expected to be at the end of March. More news as soon as this is confirmed.
12 November: Training with a Karate legend – Shihan Hirokazu Kanazawa, 10th Dan
Written by Chris Denny, 2nd Dan (Instructor, Backwell Karate)
Sensei Kanazawa is the World Chief Instructor of the Shotokan Karate International Federation (SKIF) and had recently announced his retirement from world travel.
On Sunday 7th November 2010, I attended Watford Leisure Centre where Sensei would be leading a ‘good bye’ course, joined by his sons, Nobuaki Kanazawa (6th Dan) and Daizo Kanazawa (5th Dan), along with the Chief Instructor of Nara Prefecture, Japan - Sensei Ohigashi.
The event was ticket only and had sold out well in advance, due to Sensei’s popularity. The venue was completely filled with around 300 students. As soon as the Senseis entered the hall, there was complete silence and everyone bowed with respect.
Sensei Kanazawa initially addressed the importance and the correct procedure of seiza, using left then right knees and hands.
The course went on to kihon (basics) starting with correct punching and keeping the elbows in. This progressed to short combinations of punches, stressing the use of hips with each punch and block. All the while, Sensei Ohigashi was walking around, reminding everyone of ‘hikite’ (correct use of your ‘reverse hand’).
Whenever we were shown a new combination, Senseis Nobuaki and Daizo Kanazawa would demonstrate these with precision timing and flawless technique. We learned combinations with kicks, punches and blocks and used these with a partner before going into groups of three and using four blocking combinations against two attackers.
During the course, we were privileged to a display of numerous counters to jiyu ippon kumite attacks displayed by Senseis Nobuaki and Daizo Kanazawa.
Sensei Nobuaki Kanazawa also performed the kata Gankaku Sho. This was a highly intricate kata that included moves I had not seen demonstrated in a kata before. It was absolutely fascinating and I joked with a fellow student that we’ll be doing that next. And then we did! Several times. It was excellent and I was glad Sensei Kevin Leigh (from the hosting club) trained in the crowd near me to show us the moves.
I cannot express how honoured I felt to have trained with all the Senseis on this momentous day. After receiving a long standing ovation, Sensei Kanazawa and his colleagues made themselves available for everyone to have their photo with them and an opportunity for Sensei to sign his famous signature on books students had brought with them.
It was truly a memorable occasion and a chance to say goodbye to one of the foremost Shotokan Karate masters in the world.
12 November: Change of venue on Friday 19 November
On Friday 19th November we’ll be back at the Backwell Budokan Hall at our usual
training time of 7.30-8.30pm, due to a drama performance at the Parish Hall.
Use the Rodney Road entrance to Backwell Recreation Ground. The Budokan is
immediately behind the Scout and Guide Hut. Take a look at the map to see
where it is in relation to our usual dojo.
7 November: Grading and Bill Winfield Memorial Children's competition
On Sunday 12th December Sensei Bob Poynton (7th Dan, KUGB) will be taking a
training session and grading at Bath University's sports village, hosted by our friends at Bath Shotokan Karate Club. Training starts at
12 noon and the grading will follow.
Although the training is open to all Backwell Karate students, you'll need to have attended enough sessions in order to be allowed to grade. Please speak to one of the senseis to check if you will be eligible.
After the grading the day will continue with the annual Bill Winfield memorial children's competition. Sensei Bill Winfield was the man responsible for bringing KUGB Shotokan Karate to the Bristol area and was the instructor of Sensei Bryan. The competition is a friendly event that's free to enter for KUGB members, so I'd encourage any under 16s to take part. If you're interested, please speak to one of the senseis.
7 November: Training and grading with Sensei Sherry & Sensei Brennan in December
The final southern region brown and black belt course of the year will
be held in Egham Leisure Centre, Vicarage Road, on Saturday 4th December. Tap TW20 8NL into
your sat nav or Google Maps. Training
is free for KUGB brown and black belts and will be followed by a grading for 1st & 2nd dan.
Times are as follows:
Black belts: 12.00pm-1.30pm
Grading: 2.30pm onwards
This is a great opportunity to train with two of the UK's most respected exponents. For more details speak to one of the Senseis
10 July: Celebrating over 30 years' dedication to Backwell Karate
At the end of June, Backwell Karate paid tribute to club founder, Sensei Bryan Gideon, for over 30 years’ dedication to the club.
Club members past and present joined for a celebratory meal, following a well attended training session. Club instructor Tim Griffiths presented Sensei Gideon with a new Karate suit (gi) as a thank you from the club for his ongoing efforts to develop Karate in the community.
Sensei Gideon’s outstanding contribution has helped many local people and families achieve their goal of reaching their coveted Black Belt.
Tim Griffiths, a member of almost 20 years said, "It’s an amazing achievement to have taught Karate non-stop in Backwell for such a long period and today’s turn-out of members who have trained for up to 30 years shows the appreciation of Sensei Bryan’s dedication. The club has always had a great atmosphere driven through traditional martial values which continue to thrive today."
Sensei Gideon founded Backwell Shotokan Karate Club back in 1978 with brother-in-law Bob Padfield.
Backwell Karate always welcomes new members from 7 years upwards and continues to run classes on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings.
20 April: KUGB National Championship entries
The KUGB's flagship event, the British National Championships, will be held in Birmingham's National Indoor Arena on Saturday 15 May.
If you'd like to enter, or you're interested in finding out more, speak to Sensei Tim Griffiths by Sunday's lesson on 2 May. Entries have to be returned in time for the tickets to be sent back out to clubs.
8 April: Kyu Grading, Bath Sports Centre
Bath Shotokan Karate Club will be hosting a Kyu Grading at Bath Sports Centre in the evening of Thursday 22 April. If you're eligible to grade then one of the Sensei's will let you know over the next few days.
For more details about the venue and timings, visit the Bath Shotokan Karate club website