We all win...

It was yet another spectacular Mugen Tournament. This time at the Shidax hall with such a large space it made the event just more exciting. Again there were many great moments. What I loved the most was seeing the kids trying so hard and working as a team. Same for the adults, such comradery, support and laughter, it really made such a wonderful day for competitors and spectators.

My top moments:
- Hearing Adeta say to his mother  "I lost but got 4 points!"
- Mateo saying "I will try harder next time. I will join my dad in Sunday's class for the second hour training".
- Seeing Taka-sensei's inspirational smile when leading the shonen class Kihon.
- Watching Angelo compete in such gentleman fashion.
- To see Yamaguchi-sensei judge all matches hopping on his broken foot!


Thank you Yamaguchi-sensei again for organizing yet another wonderful event.
Everyone tried so hard today, to me we all leave as winners.

Wayne

Next - The Tournament

One big thing that makes Mugen Tournaments so special is the mix of adult and kids matches all happening at once. It's a wonderful gathering of friends and family filled full of cheering and laughter. Yamaguchi-sensei does such a good job of building a safe and fun environment for us that we all can feel comfortable and try our best. For me the best moments are to watching the kids matches and seeing all of them try so hard. It is such an emotional time, you not only see competitors cry but also supporters. The special awards part is also something very touching to watch. To see someone being recognized for trying their hardest is something that makes me proud to be a Mugen-kai member.

Hope to see you all at the next Mugen Tournament at the Shidax hall in Shibuya on February 27th. This is something I definitely will not be missing.

Wayne.

Map to Shidax Hall -> http://www.shidax.co.jp/ssv/access.html

2011 Mugen Karate Events 

Feb 27 - Team event tournament 

Mar 26/27 - Mugen-kai Kids Training camp 
April 24 - Grading day (Kuramae )
May 21 - Kids Grading day (Hiroo & Azabu-Juban)
Jun 26 - Mugen Tournament and Mugen's 5th year Aniversary party 
July 9/10 - Mugen-kai Kids Training Camp
Aug 7 - Adult's Grading day (Kuramae)
Sep 17/18 - Mugen-kai Kids Training camp
Oct 10 - Mugen-kai Exihibition
Nov 5 - Kids Grading (Kuramae & Akihabara)
Nov 12 - Kids Grading day (Azabu-Juban & Hiroo)
Nov 27 - Mugen-kai Tournament
Dec 18 - Adults Grading day (Azabu-juban)

Hiroo Dojo

My first visit to the Hiroo dojo and I have to say though it is totally different in look from the Azubu Juban Dojo, the vibe is exactly the same. It was a nice practice to observe and take photos. We had a nice mix of married couples and many women wearing black belts! A very safe class and lots of fun let yet again by Yamaguchi-sensei. Hiroo is a very nice place. I will definitely be back again and hope to practice with every one soon.

Wayne.

Total Control

I did not realize Pilates was about strengthening the mind and body with exercises from the core. It seems very similar to Karate.  Today at the Hiro Dojo, I had the pleasure of watching Valerie and Yamaguchi-sensei practice on some very structured movements. I definitely would like to try this out soon. Total concentration, total control and total fitness indeed.

Feb 5th - Change/No Change

It's been a while since taking photo's of the Juban kid's class. I notice a lot of changes and some things not changing. Lots of changes - we the level of of the kid's ability to focus and control their skills. No change - the kids still love having their photos taken! In today's class Yamaguchi-sensei (with new haircut) took on the kids in the breaks to see if they could pull him down with judo style moves. The kids loved that and it tired the sensei down for sure as I notice a lot of sweat in the breaks! Anyway today's class was lot of fun and I managed to capture some killer moments.

Wayne.

All photos ->  http://www.flickr.com/photos/59151236@N03/sets/72157625981424482/