 We're very proud to announce the following rank promotions after our grading day held yesterday in Egremont. Around 65 members took their test and performed to the best of their abilities, some of whom pushed beyond what the panel expected. This always gains our utmost respect. This marks a very postive end to yet another uncertain year - let's hope that 2022 is kind to us all and allows us to get back once again to unrestricted training. However, with every cloud there's a silver lining and we're pleased to say that our focus toward solo attributes has further increased general standards, as we had aspired to. A note to members who were unsuccesful... We understand that it's never easy to push hard, try your best and still not make the cut. However, you can respond to this in one of two ways. The first will make what happened today a negative catalyst for failure. The second will make what happened today a positive stepping stone toward your success. It's totally up to you which road you choose to take. Our advice would be to lick your wounds, listen to the panel's feedback, be honest about what you need to do to improve, get to work and prepare for a re-sit in a few months time. Rest asured, you have our full support to help you get there! We will be presenting new belts and certificates in our classes this week to the successful candidates listed below. Special recognigiton goes to Sola Takeda-Holmes and Olivia Johnston, who both earned first class passes for exceptional performance! On behalf of us all...CONGRATULATIONS and keep up the great work! Big thanks to black belt instructors John Smallman and Lewis Cullen, who asissted on the grading panel - they're time, expertise and advice was much appreciated. Amelia McMillan 9th Kyu P (Red Stripe)
Antonio Carlos 9th Kyu P (Red Stripe) Emmeline Ditchburn 9th Kyu P (Red Stripe) Jack Ditchburn 9th Kyu P (Red Stripe) Joey Allison 9th Kyu P (Red Stripe) Myles Barwise 9th Kyu P (Red Stripe) Owen Wilson 9th Kyu P (Red Stripe) Andrew Noble 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Dominic Grove 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Ethan Dacre 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Ethan Watson 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Florence Kerr 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Harry Dickson 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Isabelle Denwood-Ling 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Isabelle Dacre 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Jude Ponsonby 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Kyra Green 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Logan Thompson 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Olivia Johnston 9th Kyu (Red Belt) FIRST CLASS PASS! Rachel Ward 9th Kyu (Red Belt) Sola Takeda-Holmes 9th Kyu (Red Belt) FIRST CLASS PASS! Adam McConnell 8th Kyu P (Yellow Stripe) Dominic Branney 8th Kyu P (Yellow Stripe) Heidi Mair 8th Kyu P (Yellow Stripe) James Hattrick 8th Kyu P (Yellow Stripe) Jack Branney 8th Kyu (Yellow Belt) Jamie Fowler 8th Kyu (Yellow Belt) Joshua Smallman 8th Kyu (Yellow Belt) Leon Penn 8th Kyu (Yellow Belt) Robert Hagan 8th Kyu (Yellow Belt) Bea Evans 7th Kyu P (Orange Stripe) Benjamin Whitworth 7th Kyu P (Orange Stripe) Christopher Whitworth 7th Kyu P (Orange Stripe) George Borrowdale 7th Kyu P (Orange Stripe) Arlo Sutton 7th Kyu (Orange Belt) Chloe Long 7th Kyu (Orange Belt) Jackson Merrett 7th Kyu (Orange Belt) Mike Branney 7th Kyu (Orange Belt) Reggie Mcgrady 7th Kyu (Orange Belt) Imogen Freeman 6th Kyu P (Green Stripe) Jackson Borrowdale 6th Kyu P (Green Stripe) Max Hodgson 6th Kyu P (Green Stripe) Oliver Mair 6th Kyu P (Green Stripe) Greg Fowler 6th Kyu (Green Belt) Jessica White 6th Kyu (Green Belt) Josh McDowell 6th Kyu (Green Belt) Kian Dunstan 6th Kyu (Green Belt) Lucas Lavin 6th Kyu (Green Belt) Nisha Merrett 6th Kyu (Green Belt) Stephen McDowell 6th Kyu (Green Belt) Grace Hanratty 5th Kyu P (Blue Stripe) Ricky Gao 5th Kyu P (Blue Stripe) David Mason 5th Kyu (Blue Belt) Leon Gibson 5th Kyu (Blue Belt) Shaun Taylor 5th Kyu (Blue Belt) Dylan McDowell 4th Kyu P (Purple Stripe) Campbell Sutton 4th Kyu (Purple Belt) Rebecca Hanratty 4th Kyu (Purple Belt) Abbie Long 3rd Kyu P (Brown Stripe) Simon Chilton 3rd Kyu (Brown Belt) Ian Sessford 2nd Kyu (Brown Belt) Natasha McDonald 1st Kyu (Brown Belt)
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 It is with great pleasure that we announce the following rank promotions from the karate grading we held yesterday at Egremont. We have been very proud of the way with which our members have pushed the boundaries of their training so far during the pandemic, persisted despite being under restrictions and worked hard to improve together no matter what. It is times like this that show us those who truly understand the message we strive to deliver in our classes. The message that the periods of discomfort and the barriers we face represent a huge potential for growth, should we only be strong and tenacious enough to pursue. Giving up is easy...holding steadfast despite the challenges ahead is what traditional martial arts was born from. We can make the choice to only associate negativity to the recent COVID restrictions, or we can continue riding the waves of uncertainty and strive to find a positive way forward. That's what we've tried to do here at E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness, to lead by example, and it's amazing to see so many of our members joining us with unwavering strength and resilience. Indeed, it is through our incredible members that we are where we are now. Congratulations to everyone for what were some excellent performances. We always aspire for high standards so that members can be assured that the ranks they earn with us are very well deserved. This is even more apparent here, as the members listed below have not only met those standards, but have also achieved under additional challenges that the current pandemic has forced upon us. Please wear these new ranks with pride! Chris & Jenny x Promotion to Provisional 9th Kyu - Red Stripe:
Promotion to 9th Kyu (Red Belt):
Promotion to Provisional 8th Kyu (Yellow Stripe):
Promotion to 8th Kyu (Yellow Belt):
Promotion to Provisional 7th Kyu (Orange Stripe):
Promotion to 7th Kyu (Orange Belt):
Promotion to 6th Kyu (Green Belt):
Promotion to 4th Kyu (Purple Belt):
Promotion to 3rd Kyu (Brown Belt):
Promotion to 1st Kyu (Brown Belt):
Apologies that we were unable to take pictures of the whole event, but here are a few from the day, plus a little kata montage we managed to film...  Huge congratulations to our members who were presented with one of our 2021 member awards last weekend! In addition, we also crowned our 2021 Students of the Year - Simon Marley and Shaun Taylor (pictured above) - more information on their achievement HERE >> Ten of our members also received special recognition certificates for their sterling efforts and showing exceptional qualities throughout the year. These were:
Especially given the challenges we've al faced this year wrt coronavirus, I'm sure you will join us in congratulating the above members for what are truly well deserved awards 🙏🙇♂️
There's only two more weeks to wait until we are able to resume our face2face karate classes for children and teenagers up to 17 years old 👍
Unfortunately, adults will have to wait until 17th May before they can return, but please don't worry - we have you covered 👌 For the five weeks between 12th April until 16th May, we will be releasing a hybrid class timetable. Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays will be online, with Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays being face2face at Egremont, Workington and Whitehaven respectfully. We will have a virtual karate class every week that everyone can join regardless of grade and we will also hold a special weekly class dedicated solely to adults (again, all ranks). In the adult classes we will focus on more 'mature' content, important principles and short lecture segments, with a view to using those five weeks to enhance your understanding of the history, theory and application of Okinawan Karate. All our face-to-face classes will initially be based on our social distanced model with curriculum adaptations to suit. Then all being well, we may be able to move towards a controlled contact/partner training environment in time for the summer. All exciting times and a long time coming, so fingers crossed this will be the start of some form of normality returning for us. We'll be in touch with all our members next week to share our new hybrid class schedule and procedures in preparation for Monday 12th April. But if you have any questions in the meantime, then please don't hesitate to drop us a line. How do I prepare for face2face classes? Easy - spend the next two weeks participating in as many virtual classes as possible! Get stuck into the fitness class as well as the karate classes and this combination will get your body, mind and spirit ready to go! 🥋💪 As always, thanks so much for your amazing support - we simply couldn't have survived this long without your continued kindness, enthusiasm and encouragement. We will never forget those members who have stood firm beside us during what has been for us all, an incredibly challenging period... #eskk-family #kicking-corona-together Best wishes, Chris & Jenny x Following the recent government announcement, it looks like we have a prospective road map out of lockdown and towards meeting again face2face. This is obviously great news, but we want to make certain the details before sharing any plans with you for the coming weeks and months ahead.
Our national governing body (BMABA) along with NEST Management, are working hard to interpret the latest guidance so that we can fully understand what it means for our martial arts and fitness training. Rest assured, we will continue to keep the safety of our members and their best interests number one priority during this next transitionary period, be sure to follow all recommended guidelines and share with you regular updates as things progress. Once again, our sincere thanks to all our members for their incredible support during this time and we're looking forward to the day (hopefully soon) where we can once again practice what we love together in an unrestricted face2face environment. What a milestone that will be to celebrate! In the meantime, we encourage our current members and any new beginners looking to take up our martial arts or fitness classes (we've enrolled a number of the past few months) to take advantage of our comprehensive virtual training platform 👍  Lockdown hasn't stopped us from delivering world-class martial arts and fitness training to families here in West Cumbria! 🥋💪 Fancy trying out something new from your own home, then why not join us virtually? This is a great time to start 👌 We have classes almost every day of the week including karate for all ages, bodyweight fitness, Pilates and kettlebells! We also have literally hundreds of hours of past lesson content to catch up on, learn at your own pace, plus a supportive community of awesome instructors and members to help guide you along the way! Furthermore...if you join us during this lockdown, then we'll upgrade you to 2-months of UNLIMITED training when we return to face2face classes 👍  Despite the restrictions and challenges that have tested us this year, we were determined to hold a winter karate grading for all of our members who have been working so hard, both virtually and face2face in our COVID controlled classes. Over 50 members took on the challenge and presented their competence against our specially adapted COVID Curriculum, which as usual for us, is no less demanding than our standard grading requirements...and in certain aspects even more so! The challenge included fundamental karate techniques, footwork and combinations, kata, solo pad drills and simulated sparring, knowledge, written essays and even technical video submissions. It was a proud moment to see this all coming together in what were some excellent displays of skill, determination and tenacity. Members of the grading panel (big thanks for their assistance) were delighted with the standards, which proved that with enough passion and enthusiasm, even a global pandemic cannot stop those who look for ways to embrace the opportunity to learn, develop and grow. What a fantastic end to the year and a great platform for us to rise even further from into 2021! Please see grading results below - extra congratulations to Michael Branney, Jessica Wright and Shaun Taylor for attaining fist-class passes for what were exceptional standards. #kicking-corona-together Jenny I would like to wish all our members, instructors, parents, and supporters a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours and we look forward to seeing everyone again in January!    So from today, the U.K. is back on national lockdown after coronavirus rates have increased past the point where action is once again necessary.
This is unfortunate for everyone and although not ideal, we at E.S.K.K Martial Arts and Fitness will strive to maintain positivity for all our members. From Monday, we will transition once again to our virtual training framework, which will offer three karate classes plus three fitness classes per week. All our members and others within their household (parents, brothers, sisters, wives and husbands etc.) are very welcome to join in. Given that everyone has worked so hard over the past couple of months, our plan is still to hold our grading in December, whether that be face2face (hopefully) or online. So, although he country may be on lockdown, our training is certainly NOT! We will continue to offer inspiring classes, support all our members and hope that they will be encouraged to make the best use of this time to get involved, practice and improve to help make sure that we end this very unique year on a high. Best wishes, Chris & Jenny x  We are very pleased to announce that we have now opened up a traditional Okinawan karate club in Cockermouth at The Kirkgate Arts Centre!
Classes run every Wednesday evening from 5:30pm in accordance with our strict COVID-Control procedures to help ensure a safe and productive environment. Every student has their own 2x2 metre training space and does not come into contact with anyone else during the lesson. As with all our locations, we've adapted our training methods to accommodate this particular way of operating to ensure that essential skills can still be taught within a inspiring and supportive environment. So if you or your child is interested in starting their karate journey wit us at E.S.K.K Cockermouth, then please feel free to get in touch!  We wanted to update everyone following the COVID-19 Government Announcement on Wednesday introducing a new “Rule of 6” to be implemented as of Monday 14th September... Please rest assured that this guidance does not affect our School in any way. As a COVID-19 secure establishment following strict guidance and protocols, we will not be required to restrict training groups to 6, but rather continue with the strict social distancing rules and COVID controls we currently apply. To support this, please see below official guidance offered by Sport England which states: “The Government has confirmed that organised sports and activities that have been through return to play protocols can continue” We will continue to monitor Government guidance as and when it is released in an effort to make sure our School is 100% compliant meaning that both our students and staff are kept as safe as possible.
We look forward to seeing you in class! Chris & Jenny x |
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