Kids Karate Grading Report

Kids Karate Grading Balsall Heath 12^th Feb

This Saturday, 12^th Feb. at St. Pauls in Balsall Heath was the biggest grading we’ve had at Epic with 19 kids going for different belts. The grading included various tests from the epic karate syllabus, ranging from kickboxing to grappling skills and plenty of ‘conditioning’ tests, which is fitness to the rest of the world. We try to ensure that the grading includes tests beyond merely throwing a few punches in thin air!

Kids Kickboxing and Grappling Skills

Firstly, the graders had to work their way around the higher belts working the pads for them as they showed off their kickbox skills. This ranged from the basic – throwing a punch and punching round the clock – to the more advanced combinations – involving kicks, punches, elbows and knees. Specifics were tested too, with skills drills testing footwork while kicking – repeater round kicks and ‘Russians’ – while the higher belts had to show they could kick with their feet going backwards!

During the grapple section the graders were reminded that losing isn’t failing but quitting is! You can learn a lot through your mistakes and by having a go even if you lose a flooring or wrestling match, but if you don’t have a go you will always, always, always learn nothing. We were really pleased that everyone got stuck in and had a good go. It’s great to see people give it a try even when they haven’t had a go before.

Kids Fitness

The conditioning section started with the press up test, with everyone managing to make their allotted total, impressive, you all have been practicing, especially those of you who managed more than your target. Special mention to Finn who managed to push out an imposing 53?! Now that is a lot more than the majority of parents watching are cpable of, I reckon.

Mark Vesey and Ginja Ninja Award

The final part was the ‘gladiator’ circuit, well there was a gladiator element to it. This was a modified Tabata circuit, with 6 stations, one having a gladiator style nudging element to it. This involved two kids with kick shields trying to prevent the circuit karate kid getting across the mat. This is intended to test the dodging and movement skills of the circuit kid. Other stations tested fitness in a variety of other ways, with star jump burpees, sprints, punch and sprawl, sprint punching and bag hops. It’s tiring just typing that, but after the Tabata method of 20 seconds effort and 10 seconds ‘rest’ between stations everyone was huffing and puffing even if some were trying to stay cool!

Overall we were really impressed with everyone’s effort especially those who were going for their first grading. Well done all. There are two awards at each grading, the first goes to the person who has done the best between gradings and the other for the person who did best on the day. These went to Calum and Mark, respectively, huge well done to everyone and thanks for being such good karate students.

So keep up the good work ‘til the next time and remember to put the effort in to impress us, so keep up with the press ups training for the next grading!