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DURBAN K1 : KARATE PREMIER LEAGUE

KARATE 1 PREMIER LEAGUE DURBAN - REGISTRATION IS OPEN AT WKF.NET Four years after its creation the WKF Karate1 Premier League will for the first time step on the African continent, with the Open of Durban (South Africa). After Europe and Asia, it is the turn of Africa to join the league, as early as February 22nd & 23rd, with the South African Open. As with all karate 1, you will find the bulletin on sportdata.org. Do not forget to register online before 10th of February. The WKF Karate1 Premier League The WKF Karate1 Premier League (WPL) is the prime league event in the world of Karate. It is a series of world class Karate competitions recognized and supported by the World Karate Federation. Its aim is to bring together the best Karate competitors in the world in a series of open championships of unprecedented scale and quality. In addition to the World Championships, which are biennial events, the WPL provide a platform for staging world Karate events on a regular basis.

Merry christmas Karatekas around the world

Like all superhero's and mascots whether it is the Karate Easter Bunny to Shihan Jack Frost ...Today is Christmas and we honour this day to Hanshi Santa Clause LOL hahaha

Humility and Control

Karate is my life , and i am sure that if you are reading this blog Karate means alot to you as well.I have been doing karate since age 2 with my Father Kyoshi H.Chiba. In all my lifes experience there has always been a time where someone finds out you are a karateka , and their first reaction is..........''Lets see if Karate works in a street fight'' or ''Lets fight , i will defeat you'' or other outrageous nonsense. We can all lie about certain things but what we cant lie about is this happening to us at one point in life. I am 100% sure! that more than once somebody asked for a fight or a challenge.That is why a karate should never boast or tell the whole world he does karate ..... AND! we wonder why our masters and sensei's lectured us about this topic over a hundred times , there is your answer. This event ends up conflicting and effecting with your social life and family relations. Karate is a means of self defence .... That is why the RYUKYU ISLAND (Okinawa today) people invented it... due to not being allowed weapons , they needed some other means of protection incase of harm. My advice on these actions of people is ... to just be humble and say (if you cant lie that you dont do karate) i dont fight outside the dojo. I hope this article has helped or will help you in the future. OOOOOSSSSSsssss!!!!!!!

WKF JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SPAIN 2013 A few of the pictures taken:

SPORTACCORD WORLD COMBAT GAMES Karate awarded athletes from all over the world in the World Combat Games 2013. With 90 participants from 37 different countries, the karate competition for this second edition of the World Combat Games perfectly illustrates the universality of karate. Coming from the 5 continents, athletes succeeded each other during 2 days, on the tatamis of the new Spartak Sports Complex in Saint Petersburg. For his second participation in two editions, karate has shown through its athletes and their commitment, the values of self-control and determination dear to SportAccord World Combat Games. SportAccord World Combat Games are an international multi-sport event featuring martial arts and fighting sports . The 2nd edition, held in St. Petersburg from 19th to 26th of October, features 15 Martial Arts and Combat Sports, Aikido , Boxing , Fencing , Judo, Jujitsu , Karate , Kendo , Kickboxing , Muaythai , Sambo, Savate , Sumo , Taekwondo , Wrestling , Wushu . For karate, competitors were qualified to participate in the WCG 2013 through the placing in the WKF World Senior Championships 2012 ( Paris ) and the Continental Championships 2012 ( UFAK , OKF , AKF ) and Continental Championships 2013 ( European Karate Championships, May 9-12 2013 Budapest, HUN , F , PKF, August 26-31 , Medellin , Colombia ) . As a result, the 8 best karatekas in the 12 individual categories, competed to win the World Combat Games Champion's titles. If in some categories, the leading karateka of these last years confirmed their status, in others the hierarchy has-been shaken up a little bit , with karateka fighting hard to challenge the leadership of the champions in title. The results of the competition awarded athletes coming from 21 different countries, showing the density and the high level of karate all over the World.

RESULTS Kata male: 1. A. Diaz (Venezuela) 2. R. Kiyuna (Japan) 3. I. Moussa (Egypt) 4. M. Dack (France) Kata female: 1. S. Scordo (France) 2. Y. Martin (Spain) 3. S. Kukomai (USA) 4. H.N. Nguyen (Vietnam) Female -50kg: 1. S. Ozcelik (Turkey) 2. H. Li (China) 3. A. Recchia (France) 4. B. Plank (Austria) Female -55kg: 1. M. Kobayashi (Japan) 2. Y. Atiya (Egypt) 3. T. Yenen (Turkey) 4. L. Ignace (France) Male -60kg: 1. S. Sergey (Russia) 2. K. Kalnins (Latvia) 3. D. Brose Santos (Brasil) 4. A. Kaya (Turkey) Male -67kg: 1. S. Ahmadikaryani (Iran) 2. K. Redouane (Morocco) 3. G. Ramirez (Colombia) 4. D. Triantafyllis (Greece) Female -61kg : 1. M. Arreola (Mexico) 2. K. Mah (Australia) 3. O. Stepanova (Russia) 4. A. Buchinger (Austria) Female -68Kg: 1. F. Mahmoud (Egypt) 2. I. Sheroziia (Russia) 3. C. Murphy (USA) 4. H. Burucu (Turkey) Male -75kg: 1. R. Agayev (Azerbaijan) 2. L. Busa (Italie) 3. N. Bitsch (Germany) 4. T. Scot (USA) Male -84kg: 1. K. Grillon (France) 2. R. Araga (Japan) 3. H.S. Keshta (Egypt) 4. A. Fadakar (Iran) Female +68kg: 1. M. Martnovic (Croatia) 2. N. Ait Ibrahim (France) 3. F. Aissa (Tunisia) 4. S. Savill (New Zealand) Male +84kg: 1. S. Atamov (Azerbaijan) 2. Z. Poorshab (Iran) 3. E. Erkan (Turkey) 4. S. Maniscalco (Italy)

THE HISTORY OF THE KARATE-GI & OBI

Over my years of training i've come across one of the most interesting questions which triggered me to tell them the truth of what my father had told me when i was a kid ........ the question was WHERE AND WHEN DID THE KARATE GI AND OBI ORIGINATE AND WHAT IS THE HISTORY BEHIND IT????

The uniform worn by karateka (someone who practices karate) is called a karategi and the belt worn around the waist is referred to as an obi. This is considered the traditional dress for the karateka. For us to better understand the origins and the significance of the karategi and obi, we must first travel back to the time when karate began to be taught in both Japanese and Okinawan societies. The karategi is a relatively new concept, having only been in use since the 1920's. On Okinawa, there was no karategi. Instead, the practitioners wore something similar to the traditional kimono, called a hakama. This resembled the kimono, but had pants legs for more freedom of movement and it's still worn today both on Okinawa and Japan. Japan during the 1920's was still adhering to very strict social class structure, which meant in order to set ones self apart from another class, there was a different way to dress. In Japanese and Okinawan society, there is a very strict social class structure. It is similar to America's "upper class", "middle class", and "lower class". In Japan, in the early 1900's, this social class structure was as strong then as it still is today. Karate was just beginning to be taught on mainland Japan even though it had been thriving on Okinawa for many years. Due to this social structure, you had all three classes training together. Some upper class students felt they deserved better treatment than the middle and lower classes. Funakoshi, Gichin, founder of Shotokan Karate sensed this problem from the very start. He felt that a uniform was necessary in order to make everyone equal in the dojo. The karategi is a combination of the hakama and the judogi. Traditionally, white was the only color and it was used to signify purity and also served to remove the class distinction in the dojo. Here in America, the concept of equality and unification among fellow karateka has somewhat been discarded. Practitioners have traded the pure white uniform for gis that have "stars and stripes" as well as many other colors and styles. In some classes, the gi top is left out in favor of T-shirts. One of the most frequently asked questions at any traditional dojo is, How does your "belt system" go? By this, the person is asking how do we show levels of achievement in our dojo. Of course, any information not known and any techniques learned is an achievement, but for some people, it was necessary to have visual proof of achievement. For both Eastern and Western cultures alike, the obi was introduced to the martial arts to award the practitioner with rank certification. Before an explanation of rank certification is given, it is necessary to discuss the history behind the obi. The obi is also a relatively new addition to the martial arts. In the beginning, there were no rank certifications, only titles. In China, one was considered a master, instructor, or student. On Okinawa, the titles of Renshi (trainer), Kyoshi (teacher), and Hanshi (Instructor of teachers) were the only certifications awarded. The man credited with inventing the Dan/Kyu System was Kano, Jigoro, who also was the founder of Judo. Judo has been practiced on Okinawa since the 1920's. Funakoshi, Gichin, had met Dr. Kano while in Japan. Funakoshi, himself a teacher and a very educated man, was very impressed with Dr. Kano and decided to use the Dan/Kyu system in his teaching and awarding of rank certification. In 1924, Funakoshi awarded seven men with karate's first Black Belt Dan. In 1937, Miyagi, Chojun, founder of Okinawa Goju Ryu, was the first karate expert to be awarded the title of Kyoshi. The next year, the Butoku Kai (butoku translates into "martial virtue") called for a meeting to discuss the standards for awarding rank certification. By the 1940's & 50's, anyone receiving a menjo (rank certification) had to have a member of the Butoku Kai sign the certificate recognizing his achievement. What this meant was any certifications issued were done so by an individual or organization that had set standards that were recognized by similar prestigious individuals or organizations. The Dan/Kyu System did not take hold on Okinawa until 1956, when Chibana, Chosin formed the Okinawa Karate Association. Chibana, Chosin is the first Okinawan to name his type of karate shorin-ryu and was the first president of the Okinawa Karate Association. Chibana and a man named Toyama, Kanken were the only ones recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Education to grant rank certification no matter what style of karate one was studying. In 1964, the Federation of All Japan Karate-do Organizations (FAJKO) was formed as the governing body for all karate, and by 1971, a standard system for issuing rank certification was adopted. This system is still in use today. The original colors used for the obis were white, brown, and black, but today, especially here in the United States, a rainbow of colors has blossomed. This sprang from the American need to see all levels of achievement, no matter how minor. In this dojo, the colors used are white, green, brown, and black. On each white, green, and brown obi, students are required to earn three stripes, which signify the different kyu ranks. Students are taught that the obi does not make the difference in the student. Wearing a black obi does not make one all knowing or make their karate better. In the end, it's skill and character that earn rank and turn the student into a disciplined karate practitioner.