LATEST NEWS...

Due to circumstances, we no longer use this blog.

For information regarding Okasan Karate Club, please click on the link below to visit our website:

https://okasankarate.wixsite.com/okc-home

A Devastating Loss of Our Student, Scott Anderson

Scott Anderson 1972-2012

We are all clearly shocked & devastated at discovering the dreadful news of our student, Scott, aged 39, suddenly passing away on Thursday 7th June, 2012.

We understand Scott became ill during the day and was taken to hospital unconscious, where doctors discovered a brain tumour, which tragically was inoperable. Scott never regained consciousness and passed away that evening.

Scott started training with us back in February 2011, along with his young son, Jake (pictured to the left). Scott very quickly became a well respected member of Okasan, in particular with other Dads training with their children. He was always keen and very much valued the time he shared, learning the art of karate, with Jake. He was a very active, hardworking, gracious, and proud family man. His karate was very impressive, especially his kicks! Due to take his 5th Kyu (blue belt) next month, we had visions of him not only passing, but one day gaining a 1st Dan Grade (black belt) alongside Jake.

Scott will be mourned and greatly missed by everyone at Okasan.

We send our whole hearted sympathies, thoughts and prayers to his wife Caz, and two young children, Jake, and daughter, Kallie, and to the rest of the family.

Our Presentation to Chestnut Tree House.

Okasan are delighted to present Chestnut Tree House with a cheque for £200, which members raised at out Christmas Hamper Raffle! Tracy Bowdery, from Chestnut Tree House gave a short speech about the hospice and expressed their sincere gratitude in recieving our donation. Thank you everyone!

Chestnut Tree House is the only children's hospice in Sussex and cares for children and young adults from 0-19 years of age with progressive life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses from all over the county. Completed in 2003, the hospice provides a 'home from home' environment with 10 children's bedrooms plus eight family rooms, a wet and dry play area, computer and music rooms, a multi sensory room and hydrotherapy pool. The house is set in beautiful gardens within an area of outstanding natural beauty.There are potentially 400 families with life-limited children in Sussex. Chestnut Tree House offers support for the whole family including psychological support, care in bereavement therapy, end of life and respite care and sibling support.

Okasan Karate Club hope to raise funds in the future for this valuable cause!

Bo Course at Okasan Karate Club...

The Bo course started at 2pm and was well attended by both junior and senior students including Sensei Samantha Hughes from Staffordshire Wado Ryu. In addition, for a couple of students, it was their very first weapons course.

Sensei Ray made the introduction to the Bo, which was followed by a warm up session paying particular attention to arms and wrists. The course continued in basic handling of the Bo and Bo strikes, which was then put to use in pair work.

The second half of the session was taken by Sensei Roy, demonstrating and teaching the basic Bo kata Shuji no Kon Sho.

Everyone worked hard at the Bo and a good afternoon was had by all.

The day finished at a local pub enjoying a meal before, what was to be, a long journey home to Birmingham for Sensei Ray & Roy, in the snow!

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Okasan Karate Club's first visit to Roffey Karate Club.

Every one was up and about early as we were setting of to visit Roffey Karate Club in Horsham to meet Sensei Phil Smith and join in his Saturday morning training session.

Okasan Karate Club Sensei Ciaran Alexander, Sensei Jess Harrison and Steve Alexander joined Sensei Ray & Roy, as well as Sensei Sam Hughes from Staffshire Wado Ryu.

On arrival everyone was made very welcome by Sensei Phil and his students, the session started with the obligatory warm up taken by Sensei Roy.

After the warm up, Sensei Ray took the morning session with demonstrations of close quarter hand techniques and centering strikes to the body. This led into the techniques put into pair work which was a nice challenging exercise.

As  time beat us, once again, we finished of with a small kata session. Our thanks are expressed to Sensei Phil Smith and his students for the warm welcome shown to us.

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Okasan Students Train with Wayne Otto OBE

The annual Wayne Otto Seminar came around quick this year!

As always, our students were made welcome in Aldershot and mixed well with other new faces.

Training was the 4 hour session was again hard, but we expected that! Our students gave 100% and  listened to the guidance of Sensei Wayne and gained additional techniques that comes in handy not just within the competition circuit.

We look forward to next year!

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Our End of Year 2011 Celebrations!

Fantastic night tonight with our students at our Christmas Party! We hope all our students enjoyed the evening as much as we did!

May we thank everyone who bought tickets for the Christmas Hamper Raffle!

We managed to raise an impressive £64.00 for The Chestnut Tree House children's hospice...well done! As well as matching the money raised, Okasan have decided to round this figure to £200.00 for a well deserved cause...hopefully to be presented in the New Year.

Please take a look at The Chestnut Tree website, below.
http://www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/

In addition to the fundraising at our Christmas Party we were also proud to present our 2011 Awards...

Okasan Karate Club 2011 Awards went to:

Student of the Year - Jake
Students' Student of the Year - Steve
Attendance Award - Toni
Best Newcomer - Isabella
Most Improved Student - Bryony
Achievement of the Year - Jessica

We wish all our students & club friends a very Merry Christmas and Happy & Healthy 2012!

Grading Success!

Congratulations to those of our students that graded for their Kyu grades this evening....you all did exeedingly well and well done in passing!

Jessica Passes her Dan Grade!

Jessica's 110% commitment to Wado-Ryu over the past 6 years has paid off, and we are very proud to announce that she has passed her 1st Dan with the English Wado Federation. Jessica has trained extremely hard has waited very patiently to accomplish her Dan Grade. She graded in front of a panel of six highly experienced Wado-Ryu examiners including Sensei Ray Field, 5th Dan, president of the EWF.

The day began very early for Jessica, leaving home at 6.30 in the morning to travel to West Midlands, to arrive around 10am. After a pre-grading training session, Jesssica's Dan Grading started at 1 and finished 5 hours later. Her grading partner, Ciaran, guided and supported her, having been through the process himself in 2010. Her grading was understandably, incredibly tough. Her parents and friends were overjoyed on hearing her grading result.

Of course, Jessica was not only exhausted afterwards, but overwhelmed with it all. She finally reached home at 10.15 at night.

Congratualtions, Jessica!

Well done students!

Many congratulations to Kai, Tom, Bryony, Steve, Joe, Scott, Holly, Charlie, Isabella & Theodore on passing their gradings!

We are very proud of the high standard shown during grading...keep up the fantastic work you have all achieved!

Tatsuo Suzuki Sensei has passed away.

It is with sadness and regret to announce the passing of Suzuki Sensei in the early hours of Tuesday 12th July 2011.

Born in Yokohama, Japan in 1928, Tatsuo Suzuki moved to Europe in 1965 and was in much demand as the only Japanese Instructor in England. He can be credited with founding Wado-Ryu Karate in England and Europe and his dedication to his students and to Wado-Ryu were unsurpassed.

A highly respected karate-ka who will be missed, not only for his wisdom but his character will be sorely missed by all practitioners of Wado Ryu Worldwide as one of the last links to the founder of Wado Ryu, Hinori Ohtsuka.

We send our sympathies and prayers to his wife Eleni and to the rest of Suzuki Sensei’s family.

EWF Squad Training comes to Pagham, Bognor.

We were delighted when English Wado Federation came to Pagham, Bognor for it's squad training, on the 19th June. Even though it was Father's Day, the turn out was good, with some students travelling at least 3.5 hours to train along side our Okasan students.

Kata and kumite were covered over the 3 hour session. Two of newest students, Isabella & Theodore, came along to experience their first EWF training session and managed extremely well, showing great potential!

Refreshments were offered afterwards as the students had worked up an appetite; all the food was eaten!

EWF plan to visit our area regularly in the future for further squad training sessions. Unfortunately, many of our students were either on holiday, had Father's Day commitments or too new to attend this session, but are keen to attend future dates!

And finally...

Congratulations to Colin in passing you grading after substaining a leg injury!

Grading Night

Congratulations to Scott, Jake, Lucy, Joe, Rosie, Glen, Steve & Kai on passing their grading!

Helping Our Heroes...

Seven Okasan students travelled to Dudley Territorial Army Centre, to participate in a fund raising event for Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The valuable funds raised will be used for military patients to receive world class healthcare at the Queen Elizabeth through the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.

Instructors from Birmingham, Devon and Essex offered their expertise for all to experience. This included self defence, Nunchucks and kung fu. Soldiers from the centre joined in to pick up new skills.

KNIFE DEFENCE

NUNCHUCKS

KUNG FU

The day ended with a session in Zumba with all students and soldiers having great fun and giggles!

2011!

Okasan wish to all of their students, instructors and karate friends a very Happy New Year!

Christmas Hamper Winner!

With Christmas just around the corner, we would like to congratulate the lucky winner of our raffle Christmas Hamper to one of our student's Grandmother!

We sincerely hope she enjoys her prize!

Grading Night

Grading students did exceedingly well and we are extremely proud to congratulate all those who succeeded in passing their Kyu grading on the 12th November!

KAI - 3rd Kyu
LAURA - 6th Kyu
BRYONY - 6th Kyu
TOM - 6th KYU
COLIN - 7th KYU
STEVEN - 7th KYU
JOE - 8th KYU
ROSIE - 8th KYU
LUCY - 9th KYU
Keep up the superb standard we witnessed on Friday…well done!