Train • Develop • Represent
On Sunday 21st June 2026, members of the SKIF-GB Wales & Southwest Regional Squad gathered once again at the Beaufort Centre in Newport for another productive development session under the guidance of Sensei Dave Griffiths (7th Dan).
Originally scheduled to take place at St Bede’s Catholic College in Bristol, the venue had to be changed several months earlier when the sports hall became unavailable due to the examination period. Whilst disappointing for our Bristol-based athletes, the Beaufort Centre proved an excellent alternative, offering a large open training area and, perhaps most importantly on a warm June day, a pleasantly cool environment in which to train.
Although the hall’s vinyl flooring offered little cushioning and felt noticeably cold underfoot, it provided a good surface for the session’s extensive footwork and kumite-based drills.
Attendees
Representing clubs from across the region were:
- Kayleigh (Newport)
- Liam (Newport)
- Alphie (Newport)
- Nick Bruce-Jones (Kyōtō / SKIF Devon)
- Phoenix Shelper (Kyōtō)
- John Sun (Kyōtō)
- Mati Olyzynka (Kyōtō)
Kyōtō Chief Instructor Steve Ashby attended in his capacity as Assistant Regional Coach.
Before the session began Dave Sensei kindly presented Kyōtō with a bottle of champagne and a card for their recent Business Award for Best Martial Arts Club.
Building Effective Movement
Following a warm-up led by Sensei Griffiths, the focus quickly moved onto practical kumite movement.
Training began with yori-ashi footwork, combined with a sequence of:
- Kizami-zuki
- Kizami-zuki
- Shift back
- Gyaku-zuki
Students first worked the combinations individually before progressing to partner drills. The defending partner was required to shift back against the attacking kizami-zuki attacks before timing a gyaku-zuki counter, encouraging correct distancing, timing and awareness.
Resistance Band Training
A feature of recent regional squad sessions has been the introduction of resistance band work, and this month’s session continued that theme.
One partner wore a resistance band around the waist while the other provided resistance from behind. The lead athlete then had to drive forward through the resistance whilst delivering attacking combinations, developing explosive forward movement and leg drive.
The exercises were then adapted so that practitioners punched while holding the resistance bands themselves, increasing the load through the punching action and encouraging stronger connection through the hips and core.
Several variations followed, each designed to develop power generation, stability and forward pressure in kumite situations.
Pressure Testing Defence
The squad then moved into line drills, with one defender facing a queue of attackers.
Each attacker delivered a kizami-zuki followed by gyaku-zuki, while the defender responded with a simple block-and-counter sequence. As attackers rotated through continuously, the drill increased both physical and mental pressure, forcing the defender to maintain concentration and composure.
A further partner exercise focused on defending against a single gyaku-zuki attack before immediately countering, refining timing and efficiency.
Feeling a Good Punch
One particularly memorable exercise saw Nick Bruce-Jones volunteer for a less-than-glamorous role.
Each squad member delivered a controlled gyaku-zuki into Nick’s torso. The purpose was not to test Nick’s toughness—although he certainly took it well—but to allow every participant to experience what a properly connected, well-structured punch feels like on impact.
Understanding effective technique is one thing; feeling it is often far more educational.
Testing Reaction Speed
Reaction timing was then challenged using focus mitts.
With two athletes facing Sensei Griffiths, competitors had to react instantly to a whistle signal and strike the mitts as quickly as possible. The drill rewarded concentration, explosive movement and fast decision-making, all essential attributes for successful shobu ippon kumite.
Shobu Ippon Kumite
The session concluded with several rounds of shobu ippon kumite, allowing participants to apply the technical themes developed throughout the afternoon in a more realistic environment.
With strong effort shown by everyone present, the training finished with a warm-down before the squad members headed home.
Kyōtō Perspective
Regional squad training continues to provide an invaluable opportunity for karateka from different clubs to train together, share experiences and raise their overall standard.
For our Kyōtō members, it was another excellent day of learning and development. Phoenix, John and Mati all gained valuable experience, while Nick once again contributed both as a senior practitioner and training partner throughout the session.
Our thanks go to Sensei Dave Griffiths for delivering another enjoyable and well-structured squad session, and to everyone who made the journey to Newport.
We look forward to seeing the continued progress of the Wales & Southwest squad over the coming months.
Topics
