The Path to Black Belt
Seido Karate Where Difference doesn’t Mean Deficit By Sei Shihan Roger Thyer-Jones, WSKO UK 6th Dan. Ever heard of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome? I suspect that you haven’t. Ever heard of Richard Parker? The answer is also likely to be negative unless you are part of our Seido Karate organisation or have read ‘Life of Pi’. Now combine Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) and Richard Parker (not the tiger from ‘Life of Pi’) and this leads you to a remarkable event that took place on Wednesday 17th October at Tylers Green Village Hall. Richard Parker took the final part of his black belt promotion, and passed. [caption id="attachment_534" align="alignleft" width="225"] Richard receives his black belt[/caption] The syndrome that he has to cope with is a rare condition that affects many different parts of the…
Trying for your black belt
Extract from 'Dogs on the Runway' Roger Thyer-Jones Chapter 23 Mountains to Climb The study of martial arts, particularly karate, has consistently been a part of my life. The benefits of this consistency have been enormous for me in terms of health and happiness. I was extremely fortunate to stumble on Seido Karate during my time in Jamaica. My research then led me to discovering its roots which were linked with the legendary Kancho (meaning Founder) Masutatsu Oyama, of Kyokushinkai Karate. Kyokushinkai was synthesised from the elements of Goju-Ryu (meaning Hard-Soft Way), a style of karate that originated in Okinawa, Shotokan Karate (meaning Shoto’s House) developed by Master Gichin Funakoshi, and elements of Chinese boxing. At one time, Kyokushinkai was believed to be the strongest form of karate in Japan,…
Seido Karate – Our History
Seido karate began in 1976 when our Founder and Chief Instructor, Kaicho Nakamura emphasised that karate should be for everyone: “The Human Face of Karate.” This was at a time when most martial art schools were focusing only on punching, kicking and physical power. They were forgetting about Karate-DO: a way of living. Along with physical strength Seido practices develops spiritual fortitude, generosity and true sincerity. By training the mind, body and spirit together we strive to realise the potential that is in all of us. The dojo then becomes a way of developing your character as well as developing your body and mind. I first studied Seido Karate in Jamaica in 1981 when I was posted to Kingston to work with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (F&CO) in order…
Difference Does Not Mean Deficit
LMBB Syndrome. Ever heard of it? Well I hadn't until one of my instructors, Stuart Wilson, rang me to say that he had been approached by a woman in search of assertiveness training and confidence building lessons for her 27 year old son, Richard, with LMBBS. Stuart rang me knowing that I sometimes teach privately at my studio which is part of my house. He told me that Richard was blind but that he had other problems apart from his blindness. Could I help? My first reaction was that I was interested in seeing him but could make no promises until I had assessed him. I have previous experience of putting together courses on self-protection for the blind and visually impaired so I was not too concerned about the teaching part.…
Seido UK Tournament 2017
With nearly 250 competitors over a two day event and 400 spectators we were hard pushed to cope on two of the hottest days of year but our referees, judges and officials did a first class job at the High Wycombe Judo Centre on the weekend of the 17 and 18 June. Nearly 30 supporters and competitors joined us from Seido Poland and although this was not an international event, we had over 20 nationalities competing. [caption id="attachment_397" align="aligncenter" width="776"] Seido Bucks Team[/caption] Day one was for the adults and junior black belts and not only included point fighting but full contact events. We saw a great display of skills and there were no incidents for the medical team to cope with other than the odd bruise. Day two was…
Seido Israel Summer Camp 2014
WHAT AN AMAZING TRIP. We arrived on Sunday evening and were met at the airport by Shuseki Shihan, Sensei Hagai, Sensei Erez and Senpai David and then taken on a tour of Tel Aviv before going to the dojo located in Ra'anana, about 25 minutes away. We then drove down to the Summer Camp located in the Kibbutz and had dinner and a walk before going to bed. We had been up since 4.00 am that morning. The weather was bright and hot and our training started at 10.00 a.m the next day when the 50 students arrived by coach from Tel Aviv. We were lucky to be able to use a purpose built martial arts centre which was only 2 months old. Shuskei Shihan warmly welcomed us and was…
Black Belt Promotions 2014
What a great day for new Shodans, Dave Austin, David Bryant, James Hallam, Thessa Van Der Kyup and new Sandans, Mark Cartlidge, Brian Massey and Dario Crispini. The dojo was packed with supporters. The Sandan grading started at 6.30 am under examiners Jun Shihans Roger Thyer-Jones and Brandt Letich, Kyoshi Mike Knight and observer, Kyoshi Stephen Fincham. The candidates all agreed that it was a most positive experience for them. [caption id="attachment_401" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Sandan Grading Group 2014[/caption] At 10.00 am the Shodan candidates started their grading under Kyoshi Matt Sherratt and Kyoshi Aaron Mackintosh finally completing their 40 fights at the end of the 3 hour promotion. Said Jun Shihan Roger, " I was really pleased with the standard of preparation, technique and spirit shown by all candidates on…
Senior Promotions 2014
Wow! What an amazingly inspirational experience. I am filled with a sense of gratitude to my family, my friends, my husband, Seido and of course Jun Shihan Roger, without whom I would not have been a part of this. [caption id="attachment_487" align="alignleft" width="200"] Sensei Karen[/caption] I was nervous, but then I always am. I felt overwhelmed at times but I worked through it, and everyone was in the same boat. The grading is a marathon, a test of endurance. It is not about being the strongest or the fittest. It is designed so that you do battle with yourself. A time to reflect upon your strengths and weaknesses. By the time I returned home I had had had 4 hours sleep in 48 hours. Nidaime told us we would need…
Black Belt Promotions 2013
What a great day we had on Sunday at our Fulham Dojo. It started at 10.00 when Nidan candidates Peter Grant and Shinya Nishitani prepared to take their promotion without their colleague, Daphne Yao who had suffered a severe injury to her knee. Daphne had come along with all our Seido black belts to support them. She had reconciled herself to having to wait until next year to complete her grading. Jun Shihan Roger, however, clearly had other ideas. He decided that it was our job to ensure that Daphne participated safely in her circumstances and participate she did. She completed her kata with her limited mobility both standing and lying on the floor. Every time a new demand was thrown at the candidates Daphne completed her own in a…