Duo pass black belt examinations

3 December 2016

Two new dan grade passes at the club

Congratulations to our newest black belt, Archie Newbury, and to our newest Nidan (2nd Dan), Fergus Puddy!

Archie and Fergus took their exam after a special training session where karate practitioners from across the South of England decended on Egham, Surrey, to train under the guidance of Sensei Andy Sherry (9th Dan) and Sensei Frank Brennan (8th Dan).

In the exam Archie and Fergus had to demonstrate their competence with punch and kick combinations, Kata (pre-arranged drills) and with Kumite (competitive fights). Their hard training over the last few months showed, as both were called out to fight second competitors and then, ultimately, awarded their grades at the end of a long, hard day.

Archie first took up Karate in the summer of 2012 and while having good technique right from the start, explosiveness and controlled aggression are things he’s had to work hard with. Saturday’s grading performance saw him demonstrate his improvement to the grading panel and showed how far he has come.

Two and a half years after passing his black belt, Fergus has gone from strength-to-strength with his Karate, winning a Silver medal at this year’s KUGB Southern Region Championships and now targeting the KUGB Junior National Squad selections. Fergus’ sparring at the grading showed great maturity, as he relied on his ever-increasing understanding of fighting strategies to pick off his opponents.

We hope this inspires our other students and also gives both Archie and Fergus the impetus to kick on and see what they’re truly capable of.