ZEN Shotokan Karate Club hosted a charity event at Leigh Park Community Centre on Saturday 20th June and raised £1,035 for the Disability Karate Federation.
Throughout the afternoon 31 people took part and 26 completed four hours of karate training consisting of 100 ‘Kata’ – set forms made up of multiple strikes, blocks and self-defence techniques.
Club instructor and organiser Malcolm King said, “I thought the day went really well; a lot of people took part and more came along to support the event and help with serving refreshments, also selling the cakes and raffle tickets.
“Everybody really enjoyed themselves, but it was hard work – by Kata number 60 there were some aching limbs and feet! Most people reported they struggled the next day, but in a good way.
“Karate can help enormously with strength and fitness, and an event like this pushes you to your limits and beyond. Some of the younger members did really well to complete the challenge.
“We had only hoped to get near £500 but were amazed when one family managed to raise over £400. We are really pleased to have smashed the £1,000 mark. Ray Sweeney who runs the charity has said it is a fantastic result.
“We are already thinking of the next event!”
The money will be donated to the Disability Karate Federation, who promote karate for all, and focus on growing participation for people with any form of disability or socio-economic disadvantage.
Malcolm said, “It was a great opportunity to train together and learn from each other. Two of the most senior Dan graded fighters who participated have won various competitions so are of a very high standard.
“The community centre was provided for free so 100% of all money raised will go direct to the charity. We also had a cake sale, a raffle and a ‘name the Karate Teddy’ competition, with Care Matters (Wiltshire) Ltd in Warminster providing all the printing for free and donating some prizes. The Kata we performed are hundreds of years old and contain a massive amount of information. They are considered the heart of karate but need to be trained properly to be fully understood. To appreciate the meaning of Kata takes years of regular training, plus you only get out of karate what you put in; so just learning the moves is not enough.
“Each Kata lasts around one to two minutes and if performed correctly the student should be physically tired as they should be mentally ‘in the fight’ and using all of their strength.”
Other local clubs that took part included Westbury White Horse Karate Club, and Katsu-mi Kai Association in Melksham.
Zen Shotokan Karate are still collecting money for the Disability Karate Federation – you can contribute at www.justgiving.com/disability-karate.
For more information or to take your first step into karate, visit www.zenshotokankarate.co.uk.
