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Successful Black Belt Grading: A Test of Skill and Determination

October 2023 DAN GRADING //3 successful Shodan passes //On Wednesday 18th October 2023 three Karate-ka from the Shotokan Karate Ryu faced a rigorous black belt grading under the watchful eyes of senior examiners Sensei Michael Ring, Sensei Donna Ring and Sensei John...

Unforgettable Moments: Highlights from Our First Championships in 4 Years

SKR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023 //Unforgettable Moments and Remarkable AchievementsWe are thrilled to announce the successful completion of our first championships in four years! After a long hiatus due to the challenges posed by COVID-19, our karate school hosted a...

Kyu Grading Success: Shotokan Karate Ryu Celebrates 100% Pass Rate

SEPTEMBER 2023 KYU GRADING //GRADING CANDIDATES //“This grading was a great demonstration of the dedication and hard work SKR students put into their training. Students and parents should be proud of their achievements.”Karate-ka from the Bishops Stortford based...

SKR Kyu Grading Results – A Showcase of Hard Work and Progress

JUNE 2023 KYU GRADING //125 GRADING CANDIDATES //Tiger Tots GradingAdult & Junior Grading“This grading was a great demonstration of the dedication and hard work SKR students put into their training. I was impressed by the level of Karate on display and look...

Father’s Day Fun at Shotokan Karate Ryu: Dads and Kids Learn Karate Together

FATHER'S DAY //MAKING MEMORIES //Father's Day Fun at Shotokan Karate Ryu: Dads and Kids Learn Karate TogetherThe Shotokan Karate Ryu celebrated Father’s Day this year in a special way inviting fathers to join their children for a free karate lesson, and it was a great...

From Dojo to TV: How Karate Helped SKR Students Become TV Stars

NATWEST "MAGIC" //TV Commercial //From Dojo to TV: How Karate Helped SKR Students Become TV StarsAppearing in a TV commercial can be a thrilling experience, as Sensei Donna and five SKR junior students discovered as they were cast in the Natwest TV Commercial,...

Exceeding Expectations: Outstanding Performances at Karate Black Belt Grading

APRIL 2023 DAN GRADING //6 successful Shodan passes //On 26th April six exceptional junior students faced a rigorous black belt grading in Shotokan Karate under the watchful eyes of senior examiners Sensei Michael Ring, Sensei Donna Ring and Sensei John Park, who...

Achieving Karate Dan Gradings Despite Lockdown: SKR’s Success Story

October 2020 DAN GRADING // SKR's COVID Success Story //Despite the considerable restrictions placed on training by COVID SKR was able to develop an online club portal for students to continue training at home in addition to online lessons hosted over zoom. This...

Successful Black Belt Grading: A Test of Skill and Determination

Unforgettable Moments: Highlights from Our First Championships in 4 Years

Kyu Grading Success: Shotokan Karate Ryu Celebrates 100% Pass Rate

SKR Kyu Grading Results – A Showcase of Hard Work and Progress

Father’s Day Fun at Shotokan Karate Ryu: Dads and Kids Learn Karate Together

Exceeding Expectations: Outstanding Performances at Karate Black Belt Grading

2022

Snowman Competition

BUILD A SNOWMANCLUB COMPETITION On Sunday 12th December, as we were packing up from a successful Christmas Party, the first snow flakes started to fall. An hour later, a blanket of snow covered the ground and Sensei Donna was hatching plans to launch our 2nd...

Tiger Tots Program: Building the Foundation for Karate Excellence

October 2022 DAN GRADING //Shodan & Nidan passes //On Saturday 8th October 2022 eleven students attempting Dan (Black Belt) gradings gathered at the SKR Hombu in Stansted Mountfitchet. The examination was Chaired by Sensei Michael Ring (6th Dan) with Sensei Donna...

2022 June Kyu Grading

JUNE 2022 KYU GRADING //134 GRADING CANDIDATES //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...

Celebrating New Achievements: SKR’s Latest Dan Grading

MAY 2022 DAN GRADING //Shodan, Nidan & Sandan pass //On 11th May 2021 twelve students gathered at the SKR Hombu in Stansted Mountfitchet with three students attempting Dan gradings. The examination was Chaired by Sensei Michael Ring (6th Dan) with Sensei Donna...

2022 March Kyu Grading

MARCH 2022 KYU GRADING //150 GRADING CANDIDATES //On Sunday 8th March 2022 over 150 students from across Hertfordshire and Essex gathered at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre to take part in the quarterly Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) Kyu grading for white to brown...

2020-2021

Unwavering Commitment: Celebrating the New Dan Grade Karatekas

October 2021 DAN GRADING //Shodan & Sandan passes //On 10th November 2021 eight students gathered at the SKR Hombu in Stansted Mountfitchet with five students attempting Dan gradings. The examination was Chaired by Sensei Michael Ring (6th Dan) with Sensei Donna...

Achieving Karate Dan Gradings Despite Lockdown: SKR’s Success Story

Earlier

From Dojo to TV: How Karate Helped SKR Students Become TV Stars

2017 | DECEMBER | Karate Snowman Competition

KARATE SNOWMAN COMPETITION FUN IN THE SNOW! Sensei Donna loves the snow! From snowball fights (even though I have a family of black belts with super hand-eye coordination!) to building snowmen to impromptu sledge races on kitchen trays in our garden - today has been...

2017 | OCTOBER | Dan Grading

OCTOBER dan GRADING3 shodan & 3 NIdan passESSaturday 7th October saw 6 anxious Karate players from the Bishops Stortford and Stansted Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gather at their Stansted dojo for a black belt (Dan Grade) assessment before a grading panel of Senior...

2017 | JUNE | Kyu Grading

June KYU GRADING 98% success rate On Sunday 11th June over 100 Karate-Ka met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre for the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) quarterly Kyu grading. Kyu Grade candidates had to perform their grading syllabus of Kihon (basic techniques),...

2017 | APRIL | Dan Grading

April dan GRADING 4 shodan & 1 sandan pass Wednesday 26th April saw 5 anxious Karate players from the Bishops Stortford and Stansted Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gather at their Stansted dojo for a black belt (Dan Grade) assessment before a grading panel of Senior...

2017 | MARCH | Kyu Grading

MARCH KYU GRADING 100% success rate On Sunday 12th March over 110 Karate players met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre for the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) quarterly Kyu grading. Also attending were 5 karate players attending a mock black belt...

Milestone 100th Black Belt for SKR

OCTOBER DAN GRADING 100th Black Belt Pass Wednesday 5th October saw 4 Karate players from the Bishops Stortford and Stansted Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gather at their Stansted dojo for a black belt (Dan Grade) assessment before a grading panel of Senior English...

September Kyu Grading 2016

to to all our students who successfully graded today. The standard of Karate goes from strength to strength within the club - keep up the hard training. We would also like to take this opportunity to extend a big to all our Sempai helpers. Their...

April Dan Grading

APRIL DAN GRADING 10 successful dan grade passes Wednesday 13th April saw 10 Karate players from the Bishops Stortford and Stansted Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gather at their Stansted dojo for a black belt (Dan Grade) assessment before a grading panel of Senior...

Autumn Dan Grading Success

On Wednesday 7th October 2015 five students from the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gathered at the St John’s Dojo in Stansted Mountfitchet to attempt their 1st Dan (Black Belt). Amongst their number was a student from the London based SKR club who had travelled for 2...

September Kyu Grading 2015

Over eighty Karate students from the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) clubs in Bishops Stortford and Stansted Mountfitchet gathered at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre on Sunday 13th September to attempt them next Kyu (coloured belt) grading. 20 Students from the...

2015 Championships

On Sunday 28th July, Over 65 students gathered for the annual Kata and Kumite Championships. The event was a great success, and enjoyed by both participants and spectators. Results Tiger Tots Kata Competition Tiger Tots Competition 1 Leo Papaefstratiou | 1st...

2015 June Kyu Grading

Congratulations to all our students that successfully grading to their new belts on Sunday 14th June. Photographs available to students on request - please email Sensei Donna. Tiger Tots Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5...

Dan Grade Success

22 April 2015 On Wednesday 22nd April 2014 seven students from the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gathered at the St John’s Dojo in Stansted Mountfitchet to attempt their 1st Dan (Black Belt) and one student to attempt his 2nd Dan. The examination (Grading) panel was...

2015 | March | Dan Grade Training Course

Dan Grade Candidates Training Course On Sunday 22nd March, SKR Sempai (brown belt and above) gathered for a bespoke course to practice advanced level Kihon (Basics), Kata (formal exercise) and Kumite (sparring). The course was designed to assist Sempai in their...

Dan Grade Training Course

On Sunday 22nd March, SKR Sempai (brown belt and above) gathered for a bespoke course to practice advanced level Kihon (Basics), Kata (formal exercise) and Kumite (sparring). The course was designed to assist Sempai in their preparation for the Dan (black...

March Kyu Grading 2015

On Sunday 8th March, over a hundred Kyu grades gathered to attempt their next belt. Proceedings started at 11am with the Tiger Tots grading, and ran to 4pm in the afternoon, with belt each level being assessed in small groups. Congratulations to all the students who...

Japanese Terminology Course

Japanese Terminology Course: Kihon & Kumite Often, students approach us with concerns over remembering the Japanese Terminology used in the Dojo for the sequences of moves. With this is mind, Sensei Michael designed and implemented a bespoke course to help...

2014 December Kyu Grading

2014 Bo Kata Course

Bo Kata 16th November 2014 A favourite course with students - Bo Kata featured earlier in 2014 in January and was back by popular demand on Sunday 16th November, as students once again got to grips with the Bo. Karate-Ka Sempai (brown belts and above) joined Sensei’s...

2014 Autumn Dan Grading

On Wednesday 8th October 2014 seven students from the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gathered at the St John’s Dojo in Stansted Mountfitchet to be assessed for Dan (Black Belt) status before a panel of Examiners with over 75 years combined Karate experience. The Chair of...

2014 Advanced Kumite Course

On Sunday 28th September 2014, Karate-Ka from the Shotokan Karate Ryu met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre in Stansted Mountfitchet for 2 hours of intense training in advanced kumite drills.

2014 September Kyu Grading

2014 Kata Championships

On Sunday 7th July 2013, over 50 Karate Contenders from Essex and Hertfordshire gathered at the Stansted Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre for the 10th Annual Shotokan Karate Ryu Championships. Sensei Michael Ring would like to extend his thanks to all competition...

2014 June Kyu Grading

Congratulations to all our students who passed their Kyu Grading on Sunday 8th June 2014.

2014 Happo Kumite Course

On Sunday 18th May, 26 Karate-Ka from the Shotokan Karate Ryu met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre in Stansted Mountfitchet for 2 hours of intense training in the traditional practice of Happo Kumite. Happo Kumite is an applied form of Karate training that...

2014 Spring Dan Grading

On Wednesday 2nd April 2014 twelve students from the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gathered at the St John’s Dojo in Stansted Mountfitchet to be assessed for Dan (Black Belt) status before a panel of Examiners with over 90 years combined Karate experience. The Chair of...

2014 March Kyu Grading

Congratulations to all our students who passed their Kyu Grading on Sunday 2nd March 2014.

2014 Kihon & Kumite Terminology Course

Often, students approach us with concerns over remembering the Japanese Terminology used in the Dojo for the sequences of moves. With this is mind, Sensei Michael designed and implemented a bespoke course to help students understand the fundamentals of Japanese...

2013 10th Anniversary Club Photograph

Students and Parents came together to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the club with a commemorative photograph. Copies available on request from Sensei Donna.

2013 December Kyu Grading

Congratulations to all of our Adults, Juniors and Tiger Tots that passed their Kyu (coloured belt) grading on Sunday 1st December 2013.

2013 Set Defence Course

On Sunday 17th November 35 Karate-Ka from the Shotokan Karate Ryu met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre in Stansted Mountfitchet for 2 hours of intense training in Kihon Ippon Kumite and Jiyu Ippon Kumite set defences. Kihon Ippon and Jiyu Ippon Kumite is an...

2013 Kumite Championships

On Sunday 20th October 2013, Karate Contenders from Essex, Hertfordshire and London gathered at the Stansted Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre for the 11th Annual Shotokan Karate Ryu Championships. Sensei Michael Ring would like to extend his thanks to all...

2013 Advanced Kumite Course: Sweeps & Throws

On Sunday 6th October 2013, 23 Karate-Ka from the Shotokan Karate Ryu met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre in Stansted Mountfitchet for 2 hours of intense training in advanced kumite drills and leg sweeps.

2013 Autumn Dan Grading

On Wednesday 2nd of October 10 SKR students gathered at the Stansted Mountfitchet Dojo for a Dan Grade examination with 5 students to be tested for their 1st Dan, 4 students to be tested for 2nd Dan and 1 student being...

2013 September Kyu Grading

Congratulations to all our students who passed their Kyu Grading on Sunday 8th September 2013. GROUP PHOTOGRAPHS

2013 Kata Championships

2013 June Kyu Grading

A big congratulations to all our Kyu grade students that successfully passed their grading hosted at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre on Sunday 9th June 2013.

2013 Spring Dan Grading

On Wednesday 24th April 3 Juniors from the Thorley Bishops Storford and Stansted Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) clubs attended a Dan Grading to be tested for their 1st Dan, Black belt with 4 other students who will be attempting black belts later in the year. The...

2013 Kata Course: Enpi

On Sunday 21st of April 2013 twenty six SKR Sempai, brown and black belts, came together for a special course to learn and practice applications from a fundamental Shotokan Kata from the 1st Dan syllabus named Enpi. Students practised various Bunkai (applications)...

SENSEI NORIO KAWASOE 1951-2013

Norio Kawasoe (8th Dan) was born in Saga, on the island of Kyushu, southern Japan and started training in Shotokan Karate in 1967 at Saga High School. He enrolled at Takushoku University in 1970 and joined the famous University Karate club where Kanazawa Kancho had...

2013 MARCH KYU GRADING

Congratulations to all our students who passed their Kyu Grading on Sunday 3rd March 2013.

2013 Bo Kata Course

Getting to Grips with the Bo Sempai John Neil Park reports on the latest SKR course The SKR is a traditional karate club and it's not often that its students get the chance to train with weapons. Sensei Ring runs several courses a year to help improve this situation. ...

2013 Happo Kumite Course

On Sunday 3rd February 28 Karate-Ka from the Shotokan Karate Ryu met at the Mountfitchet Romeera Leisure Centre in Stansted Mountfitchet for 2 hours of intense training in the traditional practice of Happo Kumite. Happo Kumite is an applied form of Karate training...

2012 December Kyu Grading

Congratulations to all our students who passed their Kyu Grading on Sunday 2nd December. Domo Arigato Sensei’s Michael & Donna would like to thank SKR Sempai who were helping on the grading day for their support. This was a particularly challenging grading...

2012 Movember: Team Karate-Mo

Four SKR sempai joined Sensei Michael in growing a moustache in support of Movember, the global awareness campaign that champions the moustache as a ribbon for men's health. The Movember campaign began seven years ago and challenges men to start the month of November...

2012 Autumn Dan Grading

On Wednesday 10th October 2012 four students from the Shotokan Karate Ryu (SKR) gathered at the St John’s Dojo in Stansted Mountfitchet to attempt their 1st Dan (Black Belt). The examination (Grading) panel was chaired by Sensei Dave Sharkey (8th Dan), one of the most...

2012 Kata Course: Bassai Dai

The SKR is a traditional karate club and firmly believes in the practice of Kata to improve mind, body and spirit. Alongside regular Kata practice in the lessons, Sensei Ring runs several courses a year to help improve students understanding of the moves. On 23...

2012 September Kyu Grading

Congratulations to all our students who passed their Kyu Grading on Sunday 9th September. Domo Arigato Sensei’s Michael & Donna would like to thank SKR Sempai who were helping on the grading day for their support.