Karate kid's father makes the grade
From left; Michael Watson, Terry Oliver& Ben Harris
Local resident, Michael Watson, has followed in his daughter Sophie's footsteps and passed his first karate grading. Both students are members of Chikara, which is part of the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) England.
The grading took place on Saturday 14 May, at IBM, Hursley. And was led by JKA England's Chief Instructor, Sensei Ohta (grade: 7th Dan). The day consisted of two parts: a training session followed by the examination.
In March, eleven year old Sophie Watson was awarded a double grade at her examination. Now two months later, her father Michael passed his first karate grading alongside fellow white belt Ben Harris. Both students had to perform in front of Sensei Ohta; demonstrating Khion (basic blocks, punches, kicks and combinations), Kata (a set sequence of techniques) and Kumite (controlled sparring). Michael and Ben were awarded orange belts (grade: 9th Kyu).
Chikara's Chief Instructor, Sensei Rob Sibley said: "We have several families training at the club and it's great to see Michael following in Sophie's footsteps. Over the last few weeks we've welcomed a lot of new beginners to the class. And Michael and Ben are great role models for what the others can achieve with a bit of hard-work and dedication."
Chikara is always open to new students. The club trains on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7pm-8:30pm, at the Brighton Hill Community College, Basingstoke. And the first lesson is free. For more information, please contact Rob Sibley: 07917 595129 / info@chikara-basingstoke-karate.co.uk
