Latest News
December Club Grading
Our final grading of the year saw over forty students up before the panel with excellent results all round.
A huge congratulations to all who passed!
Kata Buddies 2025
Each year, our friends at Sonchō Karate Club in Cheltenham host the Kata Buddies competition, where entrants join up to compete in pairs Kata raising money for the FairFight Foundation.
This year, we were delighted to submit various entries via video, and the results were great:
Pippa and Sophie – Heian Sandan – Gold
Issac and Oscar – Kihon Kata – Bronze
Kelly and Ana – Heian Sandan – Bronze
Corey and Paula – Heian Godan – Bronze
However, the best news is that the event raised £600 for FairFight. Hopefully we can help raise even more next year!
Training with Julie Nicholson and John Holdsworth and Dan Grading
Vicar’s Cross hosted a fantastic course with HDKI GC Squad Coaches Julie Nicholson Sensei and John Hodsworth Sensei.
We had an in-depth look at Bassai Dai, and various kumite techniques.
We are delighted to announce Kelly passed her Shodan assessment, earning her black belt, and are all very proud of her.
HDKI GB Kata Squad Training
Joe and Ana spent their Sunday at the HDKI National Squad session in Dudley.
It was a heavy session on the legs, working on coordination and timing, and stability in stances to allow fast and fluid movements. These were put into practise in Heian Nidan and Sochin.
An excellent experience, and all who took part showed a great attitude and effort.
HDKI National Championships 2025
We were proud to take our team to the HDKI Nationals in Birmingham this year — an excellent and exceptionally well-organised event.
A huge congratulations to Pip, who earned a silver medal in Kata, performing Nijushiho competitively for the very first time.
Stuart Amos Sensei delivered an outstanding performance, winning both the Senior Kata performing Unsu and Senior Kumite, and becoming HDKI-GB’s first-ever 2× Male Grand Champion. To top it off, he was also honoured with the Palma Diosi Award for Most Spirited Senior Competitor.
We’re incredibly proud of everyone who took part — your effort, spirit, and dedication truly represented our club at its best. Well done to all competitors at this year’s Nationals!
Budo Mindset Article – Written by Ana
One of our kids, Ana, has written an article for the Budo Mindset Magazine.
Her article can be found here
