Life is full of what I call 'crossroad moments'—decisions that present different opportunities for the future. Decisions where the consequences can be briefly pondered but never fully predicted.
At the beginning of this year, I realised that the first WUKF British open of the year would clash with this year’s ‘Legend Open’.
I have fond memories of the Legends as I first competed in that tournament in 2002, and it was the first post-lockdown event that we took our dojo team to. If we had attended this year, it would have been the third consecutive year, and I could have reviewed and appraised our development with a clear lens.
However, as our team has been gaining confidence and experience, we took the decision to expose our athletes to the world of multi-style competition. Since June 2023 we have competed at some WUKF (world united karate federation tournaments). This has exposed our team to increased diversity, more pressure, bigger numbers and different challenges.
So, the clash in dates meant a decision had to be made.
During lockdown I wrote a great deal about my aspirations for my future work in karate. I also realised that to genuinely invest in the future I had to not be anchored by my past.
As a result, I discarded all except two of my medals and trophies. I decided that my focus must be on the future of my students and not any perceived glories I may have been holding on to.
I decided to consider opportunities carefully going forward to ensure I wasn’t plotting a path that was personal to me rather than considering the preferred journey for our team.
But sometimes these decisions are hard to make!
Back in 2008 I drove to Heathrow to collect my brother-in-law Dave Galloway from his honeymoon. He had to leave his new bride Natalie at arrivals with her family as we departed for the JSKA world championships at the Manchester Velodrome.
I drove us up-country in my fiancé’s trusty silver Volkswagen that we had nicknamed ‘Tallulah’. We arrived at our hotel and met up with our SEKU coaches and team-mates.
The event was attended by Abe Sensei’s group from across the world and had a large contingent of UK based teams that we were familiar with from the ‘circuit’. It was very well attended and a unique environment to compete in. As I remember you had to warm-up outside of the arena and enter via a tunnel that took you under the cycling track to emerge ‘trapped’ in the middle of events like gladiators in a coliseum.
I can remember getting through a few kumite rounds and was memorably awarded ippon by Abe sensei himself (I must dig out the photo). But then reality kicked in!
Suddenly we were faced with a different class of competitor. They had some extra speed, a faster twitch and seemingly more movement and options than we were used to. Dave turned to me and simply said ‘I think we have found another level!’ ….. He was right!
We didn’t medal that day although I seem to remember our veterans did very well in the kumite and came away with some silverware.
For me, the gift of that day was the exposure to the next level. The inspiration of the bar being set higher and the motivation to step up to the challenge.
Instead of being dejected I returned to the dojo with a new sense of direction and purpose.
Having decided to attend the British Open as our preference this year I then set to work with Sam who managed all the logistics and comms while I focused on selection and goals.
Having spoken with my friend Colin Parker of Mo-Ichido Karate in Epsom, I knew the standard over the weekend would be high. So, my biggest consideration would be who it was appropriate to take to the event.
I considered who could face the challenge of the ‘step-up’, remain safe on the mats and therefore have an experience that would propel them forwards.
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu is quoted to have said; “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.
So, I decided that if one of our students was keen and fit our selection criteria, I would select them but make it clear that their goals were to gain experience and invest in their future potential.
After selecting our team, we had work to do and we set about our competition preparation with a distinct focus on timing, movement and repertoire. I also decided that we would enter the youngsters for both kata and kumite, but on this occasion the older teens would purely focus on kumite. I was keen to see if this singular focus afforded us a different mind-set over the weekend.
Sadly, during the build-up Ronnie Ross Sensei, the founder of the Highland Karate Association passed away and I discovered his funeral was the day before the competition.
I had a very difficult decision to make as the first flight back on the Saturday morning was scheduled to arrive at 8.20am. Our youngest team members Betty, Jessie and Jacob were due on the mats at 8.30am. Instantly I was conflicted.
Thankfully my good friend Kevin Slaney Sensei of the HKA was a wise council as I am not sure I could have decided on my own. I sent my respects to Ronnie Sensei’s family and made plans with Sam to travel up in convoy and meet at the K2 in Crawley at 7.45am.
As always it is the wider support of our team that is crucial when we compete. Massive thanks to Jon Watson Sensei for leading the classes while we were away and to Jen for managing ‘front-of-house’ and all the admin.
Roy Okane Sensei is an incredible organiser, and it was no surprise that the event opened bang-on time and sure enough roll call for events began in earnest.
Day one was for us the day of the youngsters with all those selected aged under 13 competing. Our goals for the younger members were for them to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the day, stay safe and not get overwhelmed.
As a parent myself, it is not lost on me just how important these skills are for life and how formative these experiences can be. And as Pat Summitt once said; ‘winning is not the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point.’
Betty-Rose has been keen to be selected for competitions for quite some time and her dedication to training has been excellent. Whilst nervous she managed herself very well and always has a grin and some space for some wit.
B put in a solid showing in kata and understood the benefit of feeling the mats under her feet. Jessie delivered her typical assured performance but for both, the kata event was an opportunity to benefit from the experience rather than hunt the silverware.
Jacob was up at the same time and had a slightly nervous start. His karate kicked in after his first kiai and we could see his stances lengthen and finish sharpen as nerves began to leave the body. JJ has excellent potential and is learning well how to manage himself on the mats.
Jaimee has become a firm favourite with our young beginners, and she is a solid role model. Given the chance she would live in her karate suit. Her stances were beautiful and her form solid, but the competition was strong.
Next up was Jake Lander our twelve-year-old who should probably carry ID to prove his size eleven feet and commanding presence don’t belong to someone years older. Jake is a proud Uncle to his young nephew and has a wonderful maturity at these events.
His performance of Bassai-Dai was powerful and fluent. Whilst not medal winning on this outing his calm and assured display will serve him well when he takes his Shodan exam.
The Uventex system is an innovation that I enjoy. All entries, events and timings are live and referenceable meaning that competitors and families can proactively ensure they are informed of running orders. This empowers the coaches to focus on the ‘live’ events on the mats.
As the youngest members prepared for the sparring Jake was so wonderfully kind as he asked me if he could help them warm up and build their confidence. It would be easy for any competitor to prioritise their own preparations, so it was fabulous to see Jake sincerely focused on the wellbeing of his less experienced teammates.
First up in kumite was Jaimee whose new nickname should perhaps be ‘lightening’. She scored four sharp points in 20 seconds and progressed to the next round with style.
Jaimee progressed though several rounds until she met her match in the quarter finals. She was sharp and fluid and shows great potential for the future. A top-six finish was unexpected at this level and everyone was thrilled for her.
Jessie and Betty were in the same category which would have pleased these two as they are joined at the hip. This was Bettys first ever competition outside of our inhouse events and she showed incredible courage with a committed attitude and good movement.
It is hard for young members to be reflective, especially when consumed by the frustrations of loss. But as a coach I saw a great deal of potential in B’s spirit, commitment and will to win.
Jessie has taken her smooth fluency from kata and adapted to kumite very well. Considering the shy little dot she used to be, it is great to see a confident kumite competitor emerging with sass! Jessie did well and won her first fight. The second was a trickier affair but again she kept her head, moved well and was not overwhelmed.
Jacob had a long wait before his first fight as he was in a big category. This too was the case in his kata. He is such a polite human who always seems to consider others. He stepped up for kumite with focus and a great attitude. He had good movement and was unlucky that some of his headshots went unnoticed. But he did not get frustrated. He plugged away and put in a solid shift. He later mentioned that second only to the birth of his sister, this was the best day of his life! Mission accomplished!
Next up was Jake the legend Lander, looking like a gladiator in his headwear borrowed from our friends in Inverness. (Massive thanks to Josh for bringing this down for us in his luggage).
Jake has a wonderful personality. He is cheeky but never rude. Life is delivered with a smile. His big brother is his hero, and he cares about others. Jake is one of life’s ‘Good Guys’.
Jake had a great energy, and you could feel it was going to be his day. He started with rapid punch combinations and then finished his first match with an epic jodan mawashi off the back foot. Humble and kind post execution, Jake was looking classy!
Sure-enough Jake progressed through the rounds having seven or eight matches. He showed fantastic maturity and a good sense of timing. His category was big, very big and he just ran out of gas in the final against a talented athlete from Kanzen Scotland.
We have taken Jake to three WUKF events now, and he has placed 2nd on all three occasions. Well done Jake! The gold is coming!
We departed the K2 around 5pm on the Saturday and the car was full of fun as Jessie managed the spotify play list and I took my reponsibilty to introduce the team to Meatloaf seriously. Oh yes and the Vengaboys! 😊
The sound of my alarm at 4.30am for the second day running was a slight shock, but nonetheless I was soon up, showered and on the road to collect Wayne Lee Sensei who had kindly agreed to help coach for day two.
After arriving at the K2 we set up stall in our favoured position on the bleachers and set about being ready for Big Sam to appear full of his stoic presence on the mats at 8.30am.
Our teenagers are a great group, and they are genuinely invested in each other which is so important. It is a challenge to rock up and start fighting at 8.30 but Sam never seems fazed. That said he was soon involved in a tough match and the shobu-ippon was soon over for Reacher.
Wayne and I shared responsibility for coaching and we had already distributed events between us. Consequently, I cannot give a detailed run down of every team member performance, so instead I will provide a brief overview.
Bremner has shot up recently, out growing gi’s and looking more mature by the week. With this growth came an increased maturity and calmness on the mats. A real return to form on the WUKF circuit for Brem. He won a number of matches and worked in an epic sweep (ashi-barai).
Jacob C had been frustrated by injury during the build up and was also unwell and had missed a couple of classes. He is a wonderful counter-punch fighter and moved well and responded to his clear goals with typical focus. Whilst he was frustrated with his own performances, we saw a good sense distance and timing against strong opposition.
Will Ivey has wanted to get ‘out on the road’ for a long time now. He is big for his age and strong. Our concern was that he would get overwhelmed by the new experience, so his goals were clear. Keep moving, stay safe, keep your feet on the floor and have fun!
He worked all these goals except for trying a couple of rebellious mawashis. He took a couple of heavy shots and stayed on his feet. He did well and his movement was significantly improved. Now he will want a jacket 😊.
We had worked with Anna on using more combinations and an increased variety. Anna has incredible movement and potential. She was sharp and unlucky to not get further on the day. But as always, she was keen to listen to instruction and improve. Annas future is bright, and her dad Kev was on time 😊.
Beau like Bremner seems to have shot up all of a sudden. He has increased speed and longer range. Beau always puts himself under a tonne of pressure, so his goals were to relax, have fun and work his process. He moved well but needs to utilise angles more at this level. His commitment and team spirit (as always) were exemplary.
This was the first non-AKA event for Rafael, so it was a daunting first outing. He was visibly tighter and stronger than normal which is to be expected. Rafael won his first match, and the timing is there to be seen while a couple of jodan kicks were only slightly off target. We felt this was a great first run-out at this level. Now Rafael knows what to expect we are keen to see how he develops, he has incredible potential!
Big Sam faced the same opponent in Sanbon as he had in Ippon kumite. He also did not have the best preparation for the event as he was in the corridor writing a politics thesis when his name was called. Thankfully Sam Siddall saved the day and got him to the mats. On this occasion Sam was a little too keen to mix it when his well-timed punching from distance could have been the answer. As always mat time and experience are the solution here. And it will be easier once his coursework is in! 😊
Ice Man Elliott seemed to have to wait for years to get on to fight, and suddenly for both him and Tommy they were called in events on two areas at once. This can be a problem when running orders change.
However, both Els and Big T have matured a great deal over the last two years, and both took the challenge in their stride. They both faced sharp opponents and held their own. Els finally lost in the ippon kumite to the eventual winner but only by a single wazari.
At this point I was grateful for a break in proceedings and took the opportunity to have a coffee with Kevin Slaney Sensei and say hi to both Josh and Callum who were busy competing. It was good to see Aidan too who we met in Inverness last November.
Massive thanks to all the members from Sensei Anthony’s Kensho dojo in East Sussex that came up to watch the proceedings on Sunday. I hope you enjoyed it, and it gave you a feel for what you could aspire to.
Next up for our teenagers was the rotation kumite event. On this occasion we had a team led by Elliott with Tommy and Beau, while Bremner captained the other team with Jacob and Rafael. Bremners team faced a strong Dokan team with an individual fighter whose incredible forward attitude and experienced proved too big a step up this time.
Elliots team had an exciting first round and Tommy was unlucky not to score with a well timed and flamboyant Ura Mawashi. Unfortunately, it skimmed off, rather than snapped back, but it was encouraging for the lads that they aren’t afraid to attempt the big ippon techniques when under pressure.
Elliotts team finished third after meeting a very strong Karate England team in the semi-finals. As always, they were gracious yet reflective in defeat. We just need a little extra explosive power and speed!
The day ended and Sensei Wayne was happy to join Sam and her family for the drive home while Sensei Slaney and I left together so that we could plan our next project.
Another great weekend of benchmarking our development and pushing forward. As we are gaining experience in these events it certainly feels like we are making good progress.
As ever I was proud of everyone’s effort, team spirit and the manner in which they conducted themselves over the weekend.
The decision to compete at this event was indeed a crossroad moment and I feel we made the right choice for all involved.
Ganbatte. (頑張って)
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