It’s been a big year for GKR Karate and we’d like to thank everyone who continues to make the club what it is today, students, families, instructors and management…everyone plays an integral role in the success of our amazing club.

The year started off strong and the last few months of 2024 has been no different with plenty of events, milestones and cause for celebration.

Stop Domestic and Family Violence Campaign

After a very successful Stop Domestic and Family Violence Campaign, we re-opened purple belt orders for the month of October in preparation for our second awareness month in February 2025. Thanks to everyone’s support we were able to donate $72,040 to RizeUp, $19,490 to Shine and £6,242 to Refuge. All Purple Belt orders placed in October will be mailed out mid-January 2025 in time for the next awareness month in February 2025.

National and State Champs

New Zealand and the United Kingdom recently held their National Championships with Australian State Championships also being held last month. It was a great way to wrap up what has been a big year on the tournament circuit. Congratulations to everyone who competed and thank you to the officials who ensured the tournaments ran smoothly. Now is a great time to speak with your instructor and start setting goals for 2025 and beyond!

Black Belt Camps

Black Belt Camps have wrapped up for the year with many higher grades enjoying a weekend of specialised karate training with GKR’s top instructors. These weekends are a valuable addition to regular weekly training and provide higher grades the opportunity to train with people they might not get the chance to otherwise. Keep an eye out next year for a Black Belt Camp near you.

Major Achievements

This year, GKR had the honour of assessing and progressing four longstanding and dedicated instructors to very special grade levels. Most recently, Bob McCracken from the United Kingdom and Mark Case from Australia were both graded to their 6th Dan and bestowed the title of Renshi Shihan by Kancho. They join Brett Vanderwiel and David Gugich, who were recognised in our September newsletter, as grading to 6th Dan and Renshi Shihan too. A very big congratulations to all of our Renshi’s on their outstanding achievement.

We also had a number of students grade to 4th Dan and 5th Dan during our end of year black belt grading. Click here to see GKR’s most recent Yondan’s and Godan’s. Congratulations to everyone on their new rank!

Christmas Message

By now, you will have received a Christmas email from Kancho- if you haven’t read this, please take the time to do so as it contains some noteworthy information. If you haven’t seen this email in your inbox, please check your spam folder or click here to read online. Best wishes to our GKR family for a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.

The post GKR News – December 2024 appeared first on GKR Karate.

Wow!  What a month it’s been.  We have just held our biggest ever World Cup, including our 40^th Anniversary Celebration and Merch release; saw special new grades awarded to some of our most senior instructors; and completed our very first RizeUp ‘Homes’ project.  Here’s a quick recap for you.

World Cup

With our biggest ever World Cup taking place at Netball Central in the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct – it was great to see everyone competing in the true spirit of Karate-do.  With more than 1440 competitors, the stage was set for some epic showdowns.

We crowned new World Champions, broke competitor records and had an amazing time doing it. Click the button below for a full list of results from the weekend. We also had a fantastic crew of volunteer photographers taking photos at the event and suggest, if you haven’t already, check out the action shots from the World Cup by clicking the button below.

World Cup RESULTS  World Cup photography

Once again, we would like to thank all our officials and management team, and our sponsors; Dependable Strata; 5^th Avenue Jewellers; Sir Properties; Aviso Broking; and Conroy Removals, for their support in helping us make the 2024 World Cup the huge success that it was.

40^th Anniversary

More than 650 people danced the night away with the Party Anthem Band at our 40^th Anniversary Celebration and World Cup After Party.  There was plenty of entertainment for the kids (big and small) with arcade games from Arcade Machines Australia and a photobooth that was kept busy all night. In fact, we’re told that our celebration had the most amount of photos taken on that machine at an event ever…GKR folk are definitely not camera shy!  Complete with a birthday cake and sing-a-long, it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the end of a very successful World Cup and 40 years of our amazing club.

Our 40^th Anniversary commemorative merchandise previewed at the World Cup and was the talk of the town.  With a sleek design that celebrates our 40 year history, we’re excited to let you know that we have opened orders for our 40^th Anniversary merchandise for a limited time only.  So, if you thought you’d missed out, fear not, we have your back, front and head (and wrist) covered with our limited edition 40^th Anniversary hoodies, tees, caps, beanies and watches! Orders close Sunday 6th October in Australia;  Sunday 13^th October in New Zealand and the United Kingdom and will be available to collect at class in November.  

Order Yours…

Australia click here ; New Zealand click here; United Kingdom click here.

Stop Domestic & Family Violence Campaign

In late July, Kyoshi Gavin and a small team of volunteers met with RizeUp CEO Nicolle Edwards and Business Lead Debbie Kennedy, to participate in a ‘Homes’ set-up.  It was a great insight into the valuable work that RizeUp does and an opportunity for GKR to offer practical support to our charity partner.  Click here to read about the set-up and see some photos from the day. If you are in Australia and would like to volunteer as part of our GKR team in any future Homes projects, then please email us at charities@gkrkarate.com

Purple Belt orders have closed for now and will be delivered to you mid-late September, in time for you to wear to class at the start of October.  We can’t wait to see photos of you in your purple belt shared on social media with the hashtag #GKRPurpleBeltCampaign #GKRCommunity

Okinawa Karate-Do Seminars In Australia & New Zealand

Kancho James Pankiewicz from Okinawa is visiting Australia (QLD, NSW and VIC) and New Zealand (Auckland and Wellington) in September/October to conduct seminars on Okinawan ‘Tomari-Tei’ techniques, kata self defence applications, principles of combat and much more.  For more information on seminar locations and dates, please click here.

Major Achievements

On Wednesday 14th August we conducted a special 5 hour seminar for our senior instructors and their karate leadership teams.  With more than 120 of these key people in attendance, we are proud to announce the progression of a number of these longstanding instructors to special grade levels.

In amongst these gradings were 2 very special recipients, both of whom graded to 6th Dan and were bestowed the title of Renshi Shihan by Kancho.

Special congratulations to our new Renshi’s – Brett Vanderwiel from Victoria and David Gugich from Christchurch (NZ).

Our other special grades were awarded to Daniel Zivanov (5th Dan); Sharon McGregor (5th Dan); Jenna Sinclair (4th Dan); Andrew Howell (4th Dan); Josh Saunders (4th Dan); Neil Boddington (4th Dan); Ray Bettridge (4th Dan). Congratulations to all!

The post GKR News – September 2024 appeared first on GKR Karate.

We are excited to bring you the first GKR World Cup since 2019, and even more thrilled to announce that we will be streaming the event LIVE and for FREE on our official Facebook page, Facebook event, and YouTube channel. This allows our global community to join in and witness the premiere event on the GKR Karate International calendar.

Official Streaming Details 

• Where? Our official Facebook page, Facebook event, and YouTube channel. Ensure you have joined the event and subscribed to our Youtube channel to access these streams. (will put links in for all channels)
• When? A variety of selected events will be streamed across all 3 days of the tournament. Stay tuned for the official streaming schedule, which we will post closer to the event.
• Cost? Absolutely FREE!

Important Notice: Protect Yourself from Fake Accounts and Streams

While we celebrate this exciting event, we want to ensure your safety and security online. Recently, we have identified numerous fake accounts, groups, and profiles on Facebook that are attempting to impersonate GKR Karate and promote fraudulent streams, or sell fake spectator tickets.

Key Points to Remember:

1. No Friend Requests from GKR: GKR Karate will never send friend requests on Facebook. If you receive a request from an account claiming to be us, please block/report it immediately & inform any fellow GKR members you see interacting with these profiles for their safety.
2. Official Streams: The only legitimate streams of the World Cup will be on our official Facebook page, Facebook event, and YouTube channel. Any promotion asking for payment to view the streams is fraudulent.
3. Stay Informed: Keep an eye on our official channels for updates and the streaming schedule.
4. Only Official Tickets: We are aware of an increase of spam accounts offering fake tickets for sale. Spectator tickets can only be purchased from the official site here. Do not purchase any tickets from other users online. Anyone with tickets they will not be using is encouraged to contact the ticket issuer 02 9951 5000 for a refund. Returned tickets will be added back into the available pool for purchase by other members.

Help us combat these fraudulent activities by spreading the word and staying vigilant. We look forward to making this event accessible to everyone. If you can’t be at the event, we look forward to seeing you online!

Click Here to be taken to the World Cup ’24 information page.

The post Exciting Announcement: Free Streaming of the GKR Karate World Cup appeared first on GKR Karate.

Have you heard….?

There’s certainly a lot happening in the GKR world this year as we celebrate our 40^th Birthday as a club and prepare for the fast approaching GKR Karate World Cup. In the last month alone, there’s also been a number of new initiatives launched, announcements made and achievements recognised, so we thought we’d take a minute to catch you up in case you missed some of it.

World Cup Entries

With the World Cup 2024 only five weeks away, the excitement is building in dojos across Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.  We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Netball Central in the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct in August, but don’t forget…entries and merch orders close this Sunday 7^th July.

Click here to enter & purchase your merch

World Cup After Party and GKR 40^th Anniversary Event

At the end of the World Cup on Sunday evening, we will be holding a celebratory after party open to all GKR students and families. The event runs from 5pm to 10pm and will be held at the World Cup venue. Due to catering requirements, all tickets must be pre-booked and the deadline for RSVP is Sunday 28^th July.

Click here for more information

World Cup Photographers – Expressions of Interest

Are you passionate about karate and photography, and have access to a digital SLR camera? Will you be attending the GKR World Cup in Sydney in August?

We are seeking expressions of interest from photography enthusiasts attending the World Cup this year who would like to use their skills to photograph competitors and upload them to our event image platform. We have a limited number of positions available for event photographers with income opportunities available for those photographers selected.

If this sounds like something for you, or, someone you know, please click the link below.

World Cup photography information

Stop Domestic Violence Campaign

In June, we launched our ‘Stop Domestic & Family Violence – Purple Belt Campaign’ and announced our support for the following domestic violence charities; RizeUp in Australia, Shine in New Zealand and Refuge in the United Kingdom.  The support from the GKR community towards this very worthwhile cause has been heartwarming and we look forward to seeing a sea of purple belts in all classes in October.  To read more about our chosen charities and how to order your purple belt, click the button below

Stop Domestic Violence Campaign Information

GKR Stories

We also premiered our first chapter of ‘GKR Stories’ hearing from Josh Nixon and then soon after from Jenni.  Josh and Jenni’s courageous stories have inspired countless people in and out of the dojo, and we are grateful for their willingness to share with us.  If you haven’t seen ‘GKR Stories’ yet, or, if you have your own story you would like to tell, click here.

GKR Stories

TikTok

GKR is now on TikTok!  You may not see your favourite instructor taking on the latest ‘TikTok challenge’ but you will see all the latest GKR content @gkrkarateofficial

GKR Karate on TikTok

Acknowledgements

Lastly, we would like to acknowledge and thank the following sponsors who are supporting the GKR Karate World Cup 2024:

GOLD SPONSORS

The post GKR News – July 2024 appeared first on GKR Karate.

A message from the GKR Karate UK National Championships Tournament Director – Sensei Ryan Marvin:

“Dear Competitors & Spectators,

What an amazing day we had at the GKR UK NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS! I wanted to take the time to personally thank you all for making the day a huge success. The standard of Karate that was on display was outstanding, and I speak for all of the Instructors and Officials for the club when I say it makes us proud to be a part of your Karate journey.

The only thing that stood out above the talent on display was the attitude and camaraderie that was shown throughout the entire event. It was wonderful to see smiling faces cheering on each other – regardless of our own results on the day.

The true reflection of a Karate-Ka isn’t how many medals you win, but the person you become! Even if you didn’t get to take a medal home this time, you showed the attitude and behaviour of a champion! And that puts you in good standing to be able to focus, improve, and take home a medal in 2023!

If you did win a medal – a massive congratulations! Your hard work and perseverance paid off, and that is what earned you your result on the day! Keep up the great work! Click the button below to view the results page, where your name and achievement will be remembered forever!

View Results Here

To our spectators, again I want to thank you for the time and commitment that you all put in, not just at the nationals, but throughout the year supporting your friends and family members. I’m sure you have all spent a lot of time driving around, sitting at the back of classes and even watching Kata performances in your living room! You are all as much a part of GKR as the students you support.

And finally thank you to our officials who give up so much of their time to study and improve as officials, as well the time they give on tournament days to help these events run smoothly. It is truly appreciated.

At the tournament, we had DE Photos – our professional photographers who have been taking photos at events now for over a decade! If you didn’t get chance to see your pictures and buy a momento on the day, you can follow the link below, find your ring, and get your pictures sent directly to you! Competing at a National tournament is a HUGE achievement, and having a professional photo of your events and achievement will be something to be proud of and cherished for many years!

www.DEPhoto.biz – EVENT CODE: GKR

And finally, if you took any photos, or filming on the day, please share them to our Facebook page or on Instagram using the hashtags #gkrukchamps22 and #gkrkarate to have them added to our album on Facebook and the gallery below. Of course, those who were brave enough can also use the #shihanselfie hashtag too!!

Kind Regards,

Ryan Marvin
National Tournament Director
Zone Director & Senior Instructor”

Please wait while the photo gallery loads below or click here to view the photos on Facebook. 

The post GKR Karate UK National Championships 2022 appeared first on GKR Karate.

Dear NSW and ACT students and instructors,

Whilst the Coronavirus threat level in NSW is gradually declining and class timetables are back to normal, there are still a significant number of restrictions in place with regards to holding large indoor events like tournaments.

Given that the State Titles invites students from all over NSW, we felt it inappropriate at this time to be promoting an event that encourages attendance from such a wide variety of places across the state. With the well-being of our competitors and officials in mind, and given the many extra rules and personnel required to conduct such an event with the current Covid-safety regulations in place, we have decided not to hold the NSW State Titles this year.

We apologise to those students who have been looking forward to this competition but we hope you appreciate the reasons behind our decision. Please note that there may be some regions in NSW who conduct their own localised competition days prior to Christmas so keep an eye out for any news of this via your branch instructor.

Hopefully we will continue to see Covid conditions improve in the coming weeks/months and we look forward to hosting our next large combined event in NSW in the first few months of 2021. Thank you for your understanding.

The post NSW State Titles – Important Announcement appeared first on GKR Karate.

THREE months may have elapsed since she wowed judges to win gold on the international stage, but Kyra Gaiger still feels as though she has not fully awoken from her World Cup dream.

Speaking to Shimbun Magazine on her return to the competitive ring at the end of September, GKR Karate’s kata queen said: “I’m still in shock – what happened in Milton Keynes hasn’t really sunk in yet.

“Being called champion is an odd feeling and feels a bit surreal. I remember reading Shimbun years ago and thinking how cool it would be to be in there and now I am. A dream from when I was little has come true.”

There was, however, nothing sleep-like about Kyra’s bid to claim the women’s senior open South & West London kata title.

The World Stage

Demonstrating the poise that propelled her to the top of the podium at the World Cup, the 20-year-old saw off the challenge of Becky Andrewartha (silver) and Bianca Cohen (bronze) to add another highlight to her golden year and book her place at the UK championships in Sheffield on November 16th.

Kyra continued her winning habit alongside Bianca Cohen and Holly Kirwan, with the trio beating Sarah Boorman, Mary Pitt and Anne Sadler to team kata glory.

Reflecting on the latest additions to her gold medal collection, the university student insisted that winning at the World Cup had not diminished the delight of impressing regionally.

“I did not want to go to the worlds, do well and then not qualify for the national championships,” she added. “I was probably more nervous going into this tournament because there was a bit more expectation that I would do well.

“A lot of that was self-made pressure and came from knowing I have not done much training because of moving north to go to university. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks – when I’m fully settled – I’ll get some training in up there in time for the nationals.

“I’ve always trained a lot so not having been able to do anything over the last month has been an odd feeling. Sitting there on a Tuesday or Thursday and not being in a dojo feels weird!”

This article originally appeared in Issue 2 of Shimbun Magazine in 2019.

The post Dream Run Continues – Kyra Gaiger appeared first on GKR Karate.

NSW RUNS IT’S SECOND BLACK BELT OPEN

On August 25th, Sydney, Australia hosted it’s 2019 NSW Black Belt Open. Inviting Black belts from nine Regions across NSW to take part in a round-robin tournament, this event-concept was born last year and following it’s success, cemented a spot once again on the 2019 calendar.

A stand-alone event last year, 2019’s was run in conjunction with the NSW State Titles (for Kyu grades) giving our budding future black belts the opportunity see our current crop of elite in action.

HOW KATA DIVISIONS WORKED

All competitors would have four rounds of kata. Gold, silver and bronze was decided on those who accrued the most wins. If multiple competitors finished with an equal number of victories, then the competitor who had accrued the most flags across four rounds would win; this meant it was best to win 3-0, and one did lose, to go down 2-1. If that still couldn’t split the difference (which at times it didn’t), we had a Kata off.

HOW KUMITE WORKED

Once again all competitors had four bouts and medals were decided by the number of wins. When multiple competitors were on equal wins, the winner was decided by the best For-and-Against aggregate. So it was best to win by a large margin, and if one did lose, to go down narrowly.

BLACK BELTS SHOULD NOT BE GENERALISTS

We intentionally kept each division on a single ring (bar women’s Open Kata which had its kata divided into two pools with a Finals to decide the winners). The reason for keeping them on one ring (even if it meant 25 bouts of kata and 25 bouts of kumite were required to finish the division) was to give competitors time to refuel, but more importantly, observe all their competitors.

Tournament Director, Shihan Anthony Ryan explains, “Black belts should not be generalists; meaning they shouldn’t simply have ‘their way of sparring’. The way a black belt fights should be governed by their opponent: their opponent’s timing, their distance, their tactics, their favoured techniques, their strengths and weaknesses. A black belt should be able to observe an opponent, assess and adapt to the situation – much the same way a professional poker player will beat you regardless of the 5 cards they are dealt out”

“Yes you should be able to do this on the fly (in the ring) but the development of this skill starts by having the opportunity to sit ringside and really watch people fight, or even do kata! If someone’s kata is more dynamic than yours, when you meet them in the ring, choose a kata where you are demonstrating your fluency, strength, circular techniques and core work. So judges are now comparing apples with oranges. Of course this is a lesson for life. Whatever hand life deals you, adapt and strategise to find happiness, success or the most positive outcome possible”.

Competitors were even emailed their draw days prior their event, so they knew which other competitors were in their division, when their division was on, who all their bouts were against, whether they would be Aka or Shiro for each, even who the three Judges would be for their division. We wanted to give them the best opportunity to go in with a plan.

NOTABLE MENTIONS

The women’s Open Kata was up first, over two rings with six competitors in each vying for a top two finish to make the semi-finals. Former World Open Kata Champion, Claudine Chicheportiche was back in the ring for the first time since 2016. As a side note, Claudine left to focus on making the Australian Boxing team for the Olympics and narrowly missed out on this incredible dream. She won her pool, then her semi-final, but was ultimately pipped at the post for a fairytale return by a red hot Kirsty Gregory (Newcastle R14) who took Gold.

The women’s Open Kumite was all on one ring and hosted a powerful field. Among those were Claudine (mentioned above, who also happens to be a former World Open Kumite Champion), recent World Cup finalist, Eliza Burgess and even the newly crowned World Champion, Olivia Deans.

Sadly for the spectators, the stars didn’t align and they never met in the ring. Ultimately, Claudine got her fairytale return winning Gold as the only fighter to go through undefeated. Olivia won silver losing just one bout.

In the male open kumite, competitors also fought it out on one ring. At its conclusion we had three fighters who had all gone through undefeated (Jack Marstaeller, Clint Mares and newly crowned World Champion, Samuel Penton). All three had really shone in a highly skilled division so it was decided that we would run an A,B,C finals scenario rather than use the count-back system.

In the end it was the World Champion, Samuel Penton who prevailed. But despite winning 6 fights, Sam failed to meet another challenge; that anyone who score with a spinning back, spinning side or spinning hook kick (the legal variety) would win two free movie tickets.

Despite multiple attempts at spinning hooks (keeping the crowd engaged) he never quite landed one, going home with the trophy but no tickets.

THANK YOU

We would like to thank all Judges, Referees, Ring Marshals, Time-keepers and Score-keepers for their help. We would also like to thank Kancho Robert Sullivan and Shihan Gavin Samin for coming down to help make it a special day.

Finally a big thank you to all the competitors for supporting the event. We’ve got some exciting new ideas we’re keen to implement for the 2020 instalment. Until then, train hard and inspire others.

LEADERSHIP BOARD

Amongst the 9 Regions competing, bragging rights go to:

RESULTS

View Results Here

HIGHLIGHTS

The post NSW Runs Its Second Black Belt Open appeared first on GKR Karate.

With State/Zone Titles coming up featuring many children competing in a tournament for the first time, we wanted to put together a list of ways that children can improve their chances of getting a medal.

Here are some tips for tournaments that are sure to help their performance.

Tournament Kata Tips

When you do kata, you are not only being judged on your technique. There are other things that the judges are looking for, so keep in mind the following:

Look Sharp

Looking neat and tidy will give the judges a good impression, and it will also help your confidence. Be sure to have mum or dad give you a clean, ironed gi. If you have long hair, have it tied back neatly and try to keep your fringe out of your eyes.

Finally, tie your belt nicely so that both ends hanging down are the same length.

Louder Is Better

Most of you would be used to your parents telling you to keep your voices down. The good news is that in the tournament ring, these rules don’t apply, in fact, in a tournament, louder is better!

When you hear the judge call out your name to come up and perform, respond very loudly with “Hai” as you get up. When you enter the ring and call out the name of your kata, call it out very loud and clear. This tells the judge that you are confident, and when it’s time to kiai in your kata, do it so loud that everyone at the tournament hears you.

Put On Your Kata Face

One thing the judges are looking at is your focus. The better your focus the better the score they will give you. You can show them that you have good focus by putting on your ‘kata face’.  This is one of serious concentration, and NEVER looking around. When you finish your kata, stand still (without fidgeting) while waiting for your score.

Get Down Low And Go, Go, Go

Sometimes we do all our punches and kicks as fast as we can but we forget about our stances.

When the judges are deciding what score to give you, they pay close attention to your stances. Make the decision that before you go up, you will try your hardest to do the longest, lowest and neatest stances you can do.

Be A Good Sport

Manners and respect are important parts of karate. So when you are at a tournament, after each person has completed their kata, be sure to join in and clap and cheer for them. Even if you don’t know them, it shows everyone that you are a good sport. Plus I’m sure they tried his or her hardest and for that, they deserve your applause.

Finally, if you get a medal, that is awesome. But if you don’t get a medal, don’t worry, because as long as you tried your best then you should be proud of yourself and happy.

Tournament Kumite Tips

To Do Well, You Need Energy

Kumite requires lots of energy so be sure to get a good night’s sleep and have a good breakfast. Even if you are a little nervous and don’t feel hungry, eat a bowl of cereal anyway. Also, pack a bottle of water or Gatorade to bring with you to sip between rounds.

Pull Your Punches

It’s not how many punches you throw that scores you points, it’s the quality of your punches. If you want to score points, make sure that after every punch you pull your hand back to your hips.

Kiai Loudly

Every time you punch, you need to yell out a nice, loud kiai. This tells the judge that you were trying your best to punch hard and fast. If you forget to kiai, your point won’t be scored.

Step Forward When You Punch

The most common reason that kids don’t score is that they are too far away from each other. The trick is to take a big step forward with your front foot each time you punch. This will get you close enough to score… but remember it’s non-contact! Another trick is to step forward after each kick.

Keep Up Your Guard

When competing, you have two goals. To try and score points for yourself AND to stop your opponent from scoring points. This is where your guard comes in. You need to keep your guard up high and out from your body. When your opponent throws a punch, move your guard to block as fast as you can.

Have Fun!

Whether you win or lose is not as important as to whether or not you tried your hardest and had a great time. So decide before you start that you are competing for fun. Winning is just a bonus!

The post Kids Tips For Karate Tournaments appeared first on GKR Karate.

Preparing for a Major Tournament

As the 10th GKR Karate World Cup is drawing closer, we take a look at the story of David and Goliath, which if studied, can unlock principles that can help us to take on our own ‘Goliath’ and win.

David was the youngest of eight sons. He took care of his father’s sheep and, at times, would bravely fight off wild animals that tried to eat his flock. David was fit and strong and as he cared deeply for his sheep, he developed his martial arts prowess through necessity, by way of the sling-shot and practised regularly for the safety of his sheep. Once he killed a lion, and another time, a bear that was carrying away a lamb.

David’s three oldest brothers were soldiers in the army of King Saul. His country of Israel was in a desperate battle against the army of the Philistines. Both armies were camped for many months despite no fighting taking place. This was because both armies were weary and had no real desire for battle. One day David was asked to take food to his brothers on the battlefront. When he arrived, a Philistine giant named Goliath, marched up the hill and yelled to the soldiers of Israel “Choose a man from among you to come fight me. If he can kill me, the Philistines will be your servants. If I kill him, all of you will become servants of the Philistines”. This thundering giant who stood over 9 feet tall struck fear into the hearts of King Saul’s soldiers and the entire army fled, including David.

This went on for days where Goliath challenged the army and no-one accepted. So King Saul offered an incentive, that he who killed Goliath would become a Prince and marry Saul’s daughter. Still, no soldier took up the challenge, focusing not on the reward, but on the certain death that awaited anyone who took on Goliath.

Yet David found much incentive in the title of Prince, marrying a princess and saving his country from war. He had taken up the sling-shot for the self-defence of his sheep, but now it could do far more. So David walked out to face Goliath, carrying with him only his sling and five smooth stones. Breathing a quick prayer, David placed a stone in his sling, drew back his well-trained hand and slung the stone quickly straight into the forehead of the giant. The giant fell face down onto the ground and David ran quickly to his form, grasped the sword from Goliath’s sheath and finished the task. The Philistine army fled in panic for they knew the promise Goliath had made and the people of Israel shouted, danced and sang for joy because of David’s victory.

SO WHAT PRINCIPLES CAN WE TAKE FROM THIS STORY?

Anyone Can Win

David had only ever taken up his martial art for the self-defence of his sheep. He was no war trained-solider, but still had the tools required. Likewise, while you may not have tournament experience or train specifically for tournaments, this by no means says you cannot prevail. You receive all the necessary tools to win, just by training in your dojo.

Perfect Your Arsenal

David had no elaborate array of arsenal. He had his sling-shot. Yet in a second he had killed a giant and won a war. Winning a kumite title is not dissimilar as it does not require all the techniques, just a carefully selected few, or even one (as in David’s case). Bruce Lee always said the two most important ingredients for sparring are ‘timing’ and ‘distance’. A carefully timed, well-placed and clean technique can win any confrontation. Don’t go to work on sixty different techniques. Instead, focus your energies into developing a few attacks and counters and then perfect them through massive repetition and analysis. Aim to minimise telegraphing by every millimetre and develop explosive speed and you are on your way.

Road Test It

David knew he could kill Goliath because he had killed a lion and a bear. Nothing will prepare you better than hours spent road testing your techniques in a tournament scenario. Whether during, before or after class, or even at home with fellow students, make time to tournament spar every week. Create a ring so you are comfortable sparring in a confined space and be strict on all the scoring criteria: form; Kime; stance; control etc.

Develop Your Body

Much is written for kumite on developing self-belief, and for good reason (visualisation, affirmation etc). Developing your body is not only for physical sake, but yet another way to strengthen this. By taking up a physical exercise routine (running, strength training etc) the physical improvements may only be minimal, but the mental benefits are often enormous with new-found confidence. Before taking up the sling-shot, David had to wrestle wild animals. He had a fit, strong body which gave him confidence to do so.

Purely from a physical viewpoint, when the body is tired, the mind soon follows. When the body is weak, the mind will be weak. For every second you are thinking about your tired legs then that is a second you are not thinking about your tactics or your opponent. If a tournament bout runs for two minutes, practise your tournament sparring in four-minute intervals. Become so used to going well beyond time, that come the day, focusing for the entire two minutes is easy.

It Starts With An Incentive

The first time Goliath challenged the Israeli army, all fled, including David. It was not until David had the incentive of the title of Prince that he decided to take on Goliath. An ardently desired goal will move you to train harder, train more often and face your fears. While David focused on the title of Prince, focus on the title of World Champion.

Focus also on what it will make of you, just by doing the training – do this and you will be disciplined. Focus on the sacrifice required or the thought of losing and you will lack the discipline. It is said in life, we live either with discipline, or we live with regret.

Entry to the 2019 GKR Karate World Cup is now open!  For more information regarding the most prestigious event on the GKR Karate calendar, including location, dates and qualification criteria – head to the event page here 

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