LATEST NEWS

Latest updates from across the academy

TIM COMPETES AT JKS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Admin
01 August 2024 11:50 am

Congratulations to the JKS England squad, who return this week from the JKS International Cup in Tokyo, Japan.

Amongst the squad members were Academy chief instructor, Tim Griffiths who shared his experience of taking part.


“The experience of going away with the JKS England squad was an overwhelmingly positive one. We had a fantastic team of coaches and an incredibly talented group of competitors. It was a pleasure to spend more time with them and get to know them better.

From the day we arrived in Japan, the group was well-focused on representing ourselves and JKS England in the best possible way. With the help of one of the squad members and a good friend in Japan we found a brilliant dojo where we could go to blow away the cobwebs from the long flight over.

As a part of the JKS England senior male kata team it was important for Jason, Karanjeet and I to spend extra time together to refine our team performances ahead of the championship. This was of course on top of plenty of training literally right across the country: in Abingdon, Harrogate, Walsall, Milton Keynes and Bristol. We felt that we had a medal-winning performance inside us.

The tournament itself was phenomenal. Karate practitioners from 37 countries filled the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, which was a fantastic venue for both spectators and competitors alike. The elevated view meant that it was easy to see what was happening across all six tatamis. 

The standard of the event was incredible, with the Japanese team leading the way. But there were strong performances from so many countries, making for an exciting couple of days of competition.

For me personally, it was a case of “almost”. I achieved a 5th place finish in Veteran Kata, on a split decision. In Senior Team Kata we also achieved 5th place, just 0.1 points off of a place in the final. While in some ways, not medalling was disappointing, the performances were not far off. This gives me confidence that with the right training, improvements are there to be made. And I’ve already started working to make them.

From a JKS England squad perspective, it was incredible to see such brilliant performances across the championships, with plenty of medals for the team too. In particular, to watch Joe Rawcliffe, Kennedy Lambourne and Remi Jurgilaitis in the male team kumite final against Japan was a huge highlight and a big “team moment”. Who would have thought that we could get cheers for England echoing around the Yoyogi National Stadium, with many other nations cheering the team who eventually finished silver medallists, in a final that went down to the last fight.

I am so proud to have been part of such a brilliant group. We created a great team bond and I have memories that will live with me for a lifetime.  I can’t wait to see what the group can do in the future.”


While there will be many other tournaments for the team to take part in over the next 12 months, in terms of JKS international events, eyes now turn to Copenhagen. The JKS European Championships take place there from 10th to 13th September next year.

With team selections always in the minds of the JKS England coaches, let’s see what our Bristol Karate Academy squad members can do to step up in time for Denmark!