One hundred and thirty four Karate-ka from the Bishops Stortford based Shotokan Karate Ryu met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre in Stansted Mountfitchet on 12 June 2022 to partake in the quarterly Kyu (coloured belt) grading.

The Grading was overseen by Sensei’s Michael Ring (6th Dan) and Sensei Donna Ring (5th Dan) who have over 40 years combined experience in teaching traditional Shotokan Karate .

The Kyu Grading commenced at 11am and concluded at 4pm and students were assessed against the Kihon (basics), Kata (formal exercises) and Kumite (Sparring drills) for their new grades achieving a 98% pass rate. A number of students also attended to undertake a mock grading for their black belts in October. Sensei Michael commented: “This was an extremely tough grading as we ensure that we aspire to maintain the standards of Karate expected of the late great Hirokazu Kanazawa Sensei. Students performed extremely well with a standout group at Yellow and Green Belt. As a family orientated club we are very proud of the DeCruz, Bowen, Haslett-Symonds and Harris family who graded together and passed their respective belts.”