Kata – Kyokushin International Martial Arts Australia

KIKO Kata & Kobudo Tournament – May 15, 2022

On Sunday May 15th, karateka from Turramurra Dojo competed in Kancho Doug Turnbull’s KIKO Kata & Kobudo Tournament in Tempe, Sydney.

Sempai Tony, Shihan James and Sensei Alex perform Seienchin.

Competitors ranged from the young to not-so-young, with entries in Kyokushin individual and group kata of various ages and belt levels, as well as Kobudo.

The day began with a Bo staff demonstration by Shihan Mark Shelmerdine and Sensei Alex Lloyd, performing Kihon and Ufugusuku. They had to adapt their 3-man drill to a 2-man performance last minute when the third practitioner was unwell on the day.

This was followed by a special demonstration by Sempai Tony Kuo and his sons, Ethan and Ryan. The three performed Naihanchi kata, showing how Karate is a discipline that reaches across the years in spirit and appeal.

Sempai Tony Kuo with his sons, Ethan and Ryan, performing Naihanchi.

After the opening ceremony, the first competition division was Kobudo. Shihan Mark and Shihan James Sidwell each competed with the Bo, Sensei Alex with the Sai and Sempai Stephen Runge with the Eku. Thanks go to Shihan Rick Cunningham and Shihan Mark for ongoing instruction in International Hokama Kobudo.

After the weapons, the individual and group Karate kata followed. Each student performed admirably in their category, displaying outstanding technique, excellent focus and calm under pressure. In the adults, Shihan James Sidwell, Sensei Alex Lloyd and Sempai Tony Kuo performed Kyokushin kata, and in the kids were Maia Brown, Ethan Kuo, Ryan Kuo, Sophie Shi, Aaron Goh and Ashlee Kim. The following video is a brief highlights reel of each entry, as well as the opening demo.

From the various categories, Turramurra Dojo (Honbu KIMAA) students scored the following placements:

Kyokushin Adult Black Belt Group Kata
1st place Shihan James Sidwell, Sensei Alex Lloyd, Sempai Tony Kuo (Seienchin)

Kyokushin 11-12 years Group Kata
1st place Maia Brown, Ethan Kuo, Ryan Kuo (Naihanchi)
2nd place Sophie Shi, Aaron Goh, Ashlee Kim (Tsukino)

Kyokushin Adult Black Belt Individual Kata
3rd Place Sempai Tony Kuo (Okinawan Seipai)

Kyokushin Intermediate Individual Kata
1st place Ryan Kuo (Gekusai Dai)
2nd place Maia Brown (Yantsu)
3rd place Ethan Kuo (Yantsu)

Congratulations to all who competed, and again to those who achieved placements. Thanks go to all instructors who helped students prepare for the day, with special acknowledgement to Shihan Idir Bahamid. It must be said that the most rewarding part of the tournament was not the day itself, but the lead up to it, for the Budo spirit in which each competitor prepared themselves week after week displayed true dedication to pursuing the martial way. The collegiality and camaraderie within the dojo is second-to-none, and head instructor and KIMAA Chairman Hanshi Howard Lipman could not be prouder of all his students.

Naihanchi – September 23, 2018

Naihanchi is a traditional Karate kata once practiced by Sosai Mas Oyama. Hanshi Howard Lipman has introduced Naihanchi as a grading requirement for 4th Kyu (green belt), for the KIMAA karateka to continue to train as per Sosai’s legacy.

This video was taken at the September 2018 Shihan Ken KIMAA Seminar.

Click here to see Shihan Idir Bahamid‘s demonstration of this kata.

Pinan Sono Yon Demonstration

In this video, Sempai Ben Ng and Sempai Don Cheong demonstrate the Kyokushin kata Pinan Sono Yon.

Sempai Ben and Sempai Don will be attempting the Senior Grading at the end of the month.

Naihanchi Video Demonstration

Sensei Idir Bahamid has introduced KIMAA students to the kata Naihanchi. The video of Naihanchi is available below for students to watch as a supplement to training in class.

Naihanchi is a widely practised kata in Okinawa, other parts of Japan and many styles of Karate. Kyokushin founder Sosai Mas Oyama trained in both Shotokan and Gōjū-ryū and knew this kata. Shihan Lipman has an old video of Sosai performing Naihanchi. Although Naihanchi was not formally incorporated into the mainstream Kyokushin syllabus, Shihan Lipman has introduced the kata for Shodan level KIMAA students. This allows KIMAA students to learn a traditional kata with much history behind it.

Sensei Idir demonstrates Naihanchi:

Click here to see a photo gallery of Sensei Idir training in his youth, as he demonstrates the power of Karate.

Black Belt Presentation & Kata Demonstration – May 7, 2010

Shihan Rick Cunningham, Sensei Peter Olive and Sensei Idir Bahamid were graded by Shihan Howard Lipman at a demonstration session event on 7 May 2010. Shihan Cunningham received his 6th Dan, while Senseis Peter and Idir received their 4th Dans. The evening was attended by several special guests. Read more about these instructors and their backgrounds in Karate here.

A number of demonstrations were provided by seniors on Kata and Ippon Kumite, videos of which are featured below. Bo, Sai and Eeku were also demonstrated – clips of these are available on the About Kobudo page. The evening concluded with a celebration dinner in Gordon.