Sensei Lesley 6 th dan Wado-Ryu

to organise and administer instruction in karate including participation in courses and tournaments throughout the United Kingdom and world-wide. to promote and enhance the image of karate and encourage participation in the activity; o r g a n i s e a c t i v i t i e s w h i c h w i l l b e o f b e n e f i t t o a l l I K C m e m b e r s ? establish and encourage the participation of all in the activities organised by IKC regardless of age, race, gender or disabilities and e n c o u r a g e a n d d e v e l o p K a r a t e i n t h e l o c a l c o m m u n i t y . to improve the standards of karate and self defence skills of all members of the IKC. to offer support and listen to the needs of all member organisations of the IKC in all aspects of karate from Sport to Traditional, from the youngest beginner to the most senior instructor.

We take the welfare of all children seriously and have a comprehensive Safeguarding Policy which has a clear framework outlining the legal requirements regarding working with children and vulnerable adults. ALL of our Coaches and Assistant Coaches of IKC clubs have been checked with the DBS and have recieved ‘Safeguarding’ training..

Sensei Lesley Darrington (Constable) BA Hons 6 th dan Wado-Ryu Sensei Colin Constable BA Hons QTS 4th dan Wado-Ryu

IKC was originally known as Ilford Karate Clubs. Sensei Colin started the first club under the Bushi- Kai banner at the Frenford Club, Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex in 1986. Sensei Lesley started the second club soon after at the Mildmay Youth Centre, Ilford, Essex in 1987 as part of B.O.S.K.F.

After affiliating to other karate organisations over several years, Ilford Karate Clubs eventually went on to form their own association; ‘Independent Karate Clubs’. IKC is now an Association Member of the English Karate Federation (EKF). IKC provides Club and Group membership opportunities for ‘ALL STYLES’ where support, advice, guidance, training and senior gradings are available to everyone. The IKC is a friendly, approachable association with many years of experience between its instructors and member groups.

T h e f o u n d e r s o f t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n , L e s l e y D a r r i n g t o n ( C o n s t a b l e ) 6 th d a n a n d C o l i n C o n s t a b l e 4 th d a n , have b e t w e e n t h e m , o v e r 6 0 y e a r s ’ e x p e r i e n c e i n K a r a t e . S e n s e i L e s l e y i s a w o r l d c l a s s K a r a t e p r a c t i t i o n e r w h o h a s m a n y W o r l d , E u r o p e a n a n d U K t i t l e s i n b o t h K u m i t e a n d K a t a ; and Sensei Colin qualified as a British Karate Referee. Both are qualified School Teachers.

C har ac t e r is t ic s of Wa do - Ry u K ar ate

Born: June 1, 1892 Shimodate, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan Died: January 29, 1982 (aged 89) Japan Other names: Hironori Ohtsuka Residence: Masaru_Shintani Style: Wadō-ryū Karate Teacher(s): Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, Chōki Motobu Rank: 10th dan karate Notable Masaru Shintani Tatsuo Suzuki students:

T h e m o v e m e n t s i n W a d o - R y u a r e g e n e r a l l y s m a l l e r t h a n t h o s e u s e d i n o t h e r K a r a t e s t y l e s a n d c a n b e s e e n i n t h e K a t a s p r a c t i s e d . S t a n c e s a r e a l s o g e n e r a l l y s h o r t e r a n d h i g h e r . O t h e r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f W a d o - R y u i n c l u d e e v a s i v e a n d d e f l e c t i n g t e c h n i q u e s . M a n y o f t h e t e c h n i q u e s p r a c t i s e d h a v e d e r i v e d f r o m J u j i s u a n d S h u r i t e t y p e K a r a t e ( S h u r i t e i s a n a r e a o f J a p a n ) .

IKC is a multi style organisation, however, th e s t yle o f Kar at e the founder clubs p r ac t ic e a t I KC is: ‘ W A D O - RY U ’ . W ad o - Ry u Kar at e w as fo u n d e d b y: S e n sei Hi r o n o r i O h t su ka (1892 - 1 982) an d h as b e c o me t h e mo st p o p u lar ly t r ain e d st yle in t h e w o r ld . WADO-RYU W a = p e ac e , h ar mo n y. D o = w ay , me t h o d . Ry u = st yle, in d ic at e s a so ft s t yl e .

Kar at e is a M ar t ial A r t s sy st e m i n w h ic h a ll t h e p o ssib le mo v e me n t s o f t h e h u man b o d y a r e u sed . T h is make s Kar at e a n id e al ex e r c is e fo r p h y sic al fit n e ss ; it c o u ld b e sa id t h at Kar at e is: A Ph ys ic al E xe r c ise A Se lf D e fe n c e A Sp o r t A W a y o f Li fe It is imp o r t an t t h at p r o gressio n in K a r at e is n o t r u sh e d b u t d e v e lop e d a t eac h s t age . T ake t im e t o le ar n t h e t e c h n iq u e s an d mo v e me n t s an d b u il d a go o d kn o w le d ge o f Kar at e - Do. There are many other styles of karate, including both traditional and sport.

“There’s not much difference between traditional and sport karate”. Basics, in any style of karate, is the same. Whether it is Shotokan, Wado-Ryu, Kyokushinkai or any style. The difference starts in the ‘performance’ of the techniques. Not just the body, but actually the mind behind the performance. Traditional Karate: is focused on self-defense, the killing blow or survival. Every move in traditional karate has a meaning, it’s meant for survival. The mind controls the moves, while the action itself is purely self protection or self- defense. Sports Karate: is set on scoring a point against an opponent, with a well placed, well timed technique in order to become a champion or to get a trophy. Sport karate also has a set of rules which determin what is needed to win.The traditional idea of self defense is gone. The “winning” comes in the first place. Reality and surviving has gone. Each aspect of karate supports and enhances the other. Traditional trains the mind and body to be technically competent and strong, whilst Sports allows you to train for speed and stamina as well as many other things.

The four earliest karate styles developed in Japan are Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Goju-ryu. The first three styles find their origins in the Shorin- Ryu style from Shuri, Okinawa, while Goju-ryu finds its origins in Naha. Shuri karate is rather different from Naha karate, drawing on different predecessor influences. Shito-ryu can be regarded as a blend of Shuri and Naha traditions as its kata incorporate both Shuri and Naha kata. When it comes to individual karate styles: Shotokan involves long, deep stances and powerful long range techniques. Shito-Ryu, on the other hand, uses more upright stances and stresses speed rather than power in its long and middle range techniques. Wado-Ryu too employs shorter, more natural stances and the style is characterised by the emphasis on body shifting to avoid attacks. Kyokushin, a hard style, involves breaking more often than the other styles and full contact, knockdown sparring as a main part of its training. Goju-Ryu places emphasis on Sanchin kata and its rooted Sanchin stance, and it features grappling and close-range techniques

IKC coaches ensure that every participant that attends our sessions, irrespective of their level, receives the same levels of respect, support and common courtesy.

The role of the coach is also about creating a trusting relationship where athletes feel able to share relevant and personal information. A coach must support athletes to be the best by considering their physical, social, cultural and emotional needs.

We know that coaching encourages people to start in sport and physical activity such as karate, improves enjoyment, maintains engagement, improves fitness, develops skills and builds lifelong connections to sport and activity. This means that our coaches and instructors play a critical role in the development of karate and other activities and in the lives of the people they coach. Our coaches strive to ensure participants have positive experiences, so they are more likely to continue and achieve their potential.

Our club instructors have the following: A black belt grade in the style of karate being taught A recognised sports coach qualification £1 million Professional Indemnity Insurance DBS (was CRB) enhanced disclosure Basic First Aid Safeguarding training Health & Safety Coaching Children & Adults Lesson Planning Club Management

Instructors will have been trained in the following:

The MON and KYU grades Before the Black Belt grades, their are several MON and KYU GRADES. They are represented with coloured belts. This system allows the student to develop over time and helps to identify their grade. You will see many variations of this system with different styles of karate and different organisations using different numbers of ‘Mon’ and ‘Kyu’ grade levels and many different combinations of couloured belts.

The techniques and information the student needs to learn and understand to be able to progress, is in the ‘Syllabus’. The syllabus is available from the instructor.

Anyone can practise Karate. People train for many different reasons, however, the benefits will include the following: Fostering self discipline Boost socialisation skills Encouraging Physical Activity Learning to Set and Achieve Goals Increased Self Esteem Instilling a Sense of Respect Improving Listening Skills Developing Team Skills Improvement in other areas of life SELF DEFENCE Karate students will be taught the ‘Basics’ of Karate during their lessons. And at the start of each lesson, the students will be told ‘what’ they will be expected to learn and understand by the end of each lesson. To ensure learning and understanding takes place, our lessons follow the ‘SMART IDEAS’ format as described earlier. If you don’t already train, why not go down to your local club and try out a few lessons?

Looking after your Karate Suit (Gi)

Would you leave your sweat soaked tee shirt in your training bag after training ready for next time? Probably not. Looking after the Gi (Karate suit) is a special part of Karate training as it shows that you have respect for and care yourself.

Punching, Striking, Blocking, Kicking, Throwing, Sweeping, Stances and fighting are just some of the things to be learnt. BUT, is learning enough? During lessons, students are regularly monitored and assessed to ensure that its not just LEARNING which is taking place, but also, and more importantly, UNDERSTANDING. This is especially important with young children. Ultimately, GRADINGS (like a practical exam) are taken by the student where they will perform what they have needed to learn and understand for the GRADE they are working towards. As the student progresses through the grades, what they need to be able to do and know, becomes more technical and challenging.

As well as techniques and drills, students will learn about some of the traditions which have been adopted by western Karate practitioners. There are of course many simple things to learn; you should know the name of the style of the Karate being practised, the name of the suit being worn during training and other important but simple things.

Blocking

Kicking

Punching

Flexibility training or stretching will be an integral part of every session during ‘warming up’ &‘cooling down’. It’s a myth that you need to ’do the splits’ like Bruce Lee or Jean-Claud Van Damme to be able to do Karate. There are several benefits of flexibility training. It increases range of motion. Flexibility training helps improve the range of motion of your joints and muscles. Next, it decreases your risk of injury. When your muscles are flexible, you are less likely to become injured during physical activity. It also reduces muscle soreness. Flexibility training can help reduce muscle soreness after training. Stretching after you exercise keeps your muscles loose and relaxed. Lastly, it improves athletic performance. When your joints and muscles are flexible, you use less energy while in motion, which improves your overall performance. Done correctly and regularly over time, your flexibility increases providing all the benefits of better performance and technique.

So you want to do Karate! But how FIT do you need to be? The simple answer is that as long as there are no medical reasons preventing you from training and doing exercise, your level of fitness should not be a barrier to starting training. Each individual who attends the class will be assessed by the instructor who will ask questions to get an idea of their fitness level. A short questionaire will indicate if there are any conditions such as asthma that needs to be monitored and if there are any concerns the advice is always ‘ask your G.P. first before starting any exercise. The needs of everyone across all age groups are diverse. Practising Karate in the club environment will provide opportunities for individuals to start to improve their fitness levels. Beginners to Karate will be encouraged to push themselves initially at their own pace. As the student progresses through their grades, a certain level of fitness will be expected; obviously taking into account any disabilities or personal medical conditions. Below are examples of the types of training students are encouraged to strive to do to complement their Karate training: (The following is not exhaustive) Weight Training for the whole body Cardiovascular exercises to improve endurance Core Training - Core Strength Core Training - Core Stability Plyometrics (Jump Training) Flexibility

Through participation in sport and physical education, young people learn about the importance of key values such as: Honesty, Teamwork, Fair play, Respect for themselves and others, Adherence to rules They will learn how to deal with competition and how to cope with both winning and losing. In terms of physical and health aspects of child and youth development, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that focuses on the (mostly positive) effects of sport and exercise on physical health, growth and development. We also focus on the development of the individual and not only on the development of technical Karate skills. While the physical benefits of participation in sport are well known and supported by large volumes of empirical evidence, sport and physical activity can also have positive benefits on education. Sport-based programmes have been shown to improve the learning performance of children and young people, encouraging school attendance and a desire to succeed academically. It has also been shown that children who train regularly gain higher grades at school.

Karate training will contribute to the holistic development of young people. Children take part in fun and creative Karate activities.

1 Contact a Family (www.cafamily.org.uk/professionals/research/statistics.html)

Statistically speaking; There are 6.9 million disabled people of working age in the UK representing around 19% of the total working population. In addition, there are 770,000 disabled children under the age of 16 1 IKC coach people from all backgrounds and of al abilities. Our coaches differentiate, to individualise their coaching, ensuring that every participant, that attends their session, irrespective of their level, receives the same levels of respect and support. IKC coaches have an open mind and are not afraid to ask the relevant people the relevant questions. We have members with cerebral palsy, who have developed their Karate to an extent that they overcome some of their condition and gained so much more confidence. There are three keys areas which provide the greatest impact on participation, namely disability, gender (women and girls), and race & ethnicity. Whilst our focus is on women disability, race and ethnicity we recognise that as coaches we should be aware of the impact of faith, sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy and maternity of participants.

As the parent of your child training at our club, you have already been involved in their wish to do Karate and taken them to the class. But that shouldn’t be the end of your involvement. As a parent, you are in an advantageous position of being a positive part of your childs participation in their chosen activity, Karate.

As coaches of young children, we are well aware of their desires to please and do well. The following are just some of the ways we help them to achieve their desires: we respect young people in karate and how they want to train. we get to know the children we coach. It makes the session easier and more fun. we adapt the sessions for the participants. we ensure young people with disabilities are included in everything. we get the children to share ideas, get the children talking and solving problems for themselves. we make sure our instructions are clear and precise and ‘KISs’ (”Keep it simples”) to make sure they understand. we ask them what they think, keep them involved and keep checking they’re enjoying and understanding it. we don’t just coach, we also join in ourselves, have a laugh and have fun with the children. we have perseverance with them. we have fun! always enthusiastic and give the children no option but to come back and learn more.

Exercise is great for every kid. But children with learning and attention issues can have a hard time finding a sport or physical activity that suits them. They may not have the social or physical skills to participate on a team. They may not have the coordination for activities like skating or ballet. They may find it too hard to follow rules, or they may be bullied or left out. Many families discover that martial arts and Karate in particular, are an excellent option. Read on to learn about what Karate can offer children with learning and attention issues.

Exercise is great for every kid. But children with learning and attention issues can have a hard time finding a sport or physical activity that suits them. They may not have the social or physical skills to participate on a team. They may not have the coordination for activities like skating or ballet. They may find it too hard to follow rules, or they may be bullied or left out. Many families discover that martial arts and Karate in particular, are an excellent option. Read on to learn about what Karate can offer children with learning and attention issues.

There are lots of reasons Karate can be a good match for kids with learning and attention issues. Here are nine potential benefits:

KOGUMA is the mascot Bear Cub of the IKC He is a hard working, tough but caring bear cub who is here to help all the young children develop their skills and knowledge. He is very often seen on the certificates given out to students after lessons for excellent effort and presentation (appearance - neat Gi etc.) As he develops, he will be seen more and more giving children tips and discussing all things Karate.

When setting goals for our Karate activities, we try to make sure they are ‘SMART’ goals: Specific: a specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. Measurable: we need to be able to measure if the goal has been achieved. Achievable: we want to stretch our students but the goal still needs to be achievable within the activity. Realistic: we need to set a goal that is realistic to the level of the students we are coaching and how they are progressing within their grade. Time specific: by setting a timeframe to achieve the goal, we give the students time to reflect at the end of it.

We deliver our planned activities to students using ‘IDEAS’. Introduce: when we introduce a new Karate activity, skill or technique it is important for our students to understand what they are learning and why they are learning it. Demonstrations: demonstration is a vital part of coaching a new skill in order for our students to form a picture of what they are going to be doing. Explanations: providing a good demonstration with an effective explanation helps the students to clearly understand what they are going to do. We use simple terms when possible and make it all relative to where the skill fits into the Karate grade and the age and skill level. We would then ask our students to explain the skill back to us before trying it for themselves. Activity: during the activity, we will draw on all our coaching skills to ensure students understand what they're doing and remain engaged. Summary: at the end of each session we summarise what has taken place, and to feed back to our students and gain feedback from them.

‘SMART’ Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time specific

‘IDEAS’ Introduce Demonstrations Explanations Activity Summary

When at home, you can help your child with their training. Use the following points as a guide; they will have plenty to practice.