Konnichiwa

English Karate Federation the Way Forward

Newsletter of the English Karate Federation

August 2008

Jonathan Mottram Secures

First Senior European
Championship Kata Medal

Read our Exclusive Interview with Jonathan Mottram

The EKF is set-up as a democratically elected body for English Karate to cover the whole
spectrum of our martial art and to further develop an understanding administration that
listens to the needs of all the many aspects of Karate from Sport to Traditional, from the
youngest beginner to the most senior instructor.
The EKF is a member of the World, European and British Karate Federations.

Page 1
EKF Board
Carl Lindley - Chariman
Mike Dinsdale - Vice Chair
Preface
John Gilliland - Treasurer The Board of the English Karate Federation present to you the 3rd
Les Cutting - CP Officer Edition of the English Karate Federation Newsletter - Konnichiwa.
Ticky Donovan OBE - Squad
Director
Andrew Genery - Coaching As within keeping of the board's intention to effect a more open and
Director transparent Governing Body for Karate in England, this newsletter affords us
Chris Thompson - Technical the opportunity to disseminate additional or more detailed information that
Director
may or may not be present on the new EKF website. Like many other aspects
Mick Billman - Director
John De Bono - Director of the EKF this newsletter will adapt and grow to suit the needs of its members.

Admin We hope you enjoy this newsletter and find the contents both interesting and
Debbie Sell informative.
Contact
Remember, this newsletter is for you so don't be shy, if you have any queries
07708 888 880
info@englishkaratefederation.com
regarding this newsletter or would like a story or news item published, please
www.englishkaratefederation.com send you items to :
admin@englishkaratefederation.com
Company Registered in
England and Wales.
Number 06527769
Contents
Page 3 - Sainte Maxine International Female Open
Follow the Female team on their South of France exploits.

Page 4 - Makiwara Training

The fundementals of Makiwara training explained.

Page 5 - Senior Europeans Estonia

How the England squad fared in Estonia’s Capital, Tallinn.

Page 8 - BKF Championship Opportunities

Update on BKF Championships and Sponsorship Opportunities.

Page 9 - EKF Licence Registration System

EKF Licence Registration System explained.

Page 9 - Tokyo Travel Update - New 7 Day Offer

New 7 Day travel Offer to Tokyo WKF World Championships.

Page 10 - Cover Story - Exclusive Jonathan Mottram Interview

Konnichiwa talks exclusively to the European Kata Bronze Medallist.

Page 14 - Karate Commonwealth Championships

Squad report on the Karate Commonwealth Championships, Edinburgh.

Page 15 - Events Calendar

List of courses and competitons for EKF members.

Page 16 - Squad Selection Details

Details of the next Open Training & Squad Selection session.

Page 17 - New WKF Face Mask

Details for new WKF Face Mask Protector being introduced for Cadets.

Page 18 - England WKF World Championships Squad

England Tokyo Squad announced & sneak preview of EKF clothing items.

Page 19 - EKF National Chief Referee Job Description

Page 21 - EKF National Coach Job Description

Page 2
 Sainte Maxine - Female International Open
Five Ladies were taken to The Kumite Team event was
represent England at the held on the Sunday and
International Open of showed promise but we lost
Female Karate - Sainte the first bout 2:1 to Eygpt.
Maxime which was held on Eygpt went on to to make the
21-22nd June 2008. final eventually losing to
Russia but this alowed the
The participants at this event girls to compete for bronze
were Ashleigh Kenny through the repechage
competing in the Kata event with rounds. The next bout the
Sarah Donnelly, Katie Hurry, team faced was against the
Gemma Marwood and Natalie
Netherlands but they failed
Williams all competing in the
Kumite events.
to win once again which
ended our battle for bronze.
The Sainte Maxaine I'll make no excuses here, we
tournament takes place in the just were not good enough.
south of France and hence The hunger, determination,
boasts great scenic value, desire and commitment were
weather and food. As it is not there in abundance and
positioned in the calendar a hence the countries that
few weeks after the Senior wanted it more got it. This
European Championships, one result gives me, as one of the
experiences great technical coaches, a good under-
ability and versatility of standing of how far away
techniques because the we are from winning as a
athletes reap the benefit of team and unless we
the preparation for the recognise this immediately
Silver Medallist Natalie Williams and do something practical
European Championships with
the added bonus of the relaxed about it, Japan may surprise
nature of the tournament. This versatile nature all the way to the us.
encourages the competitors to finals. She eventually lost after extra
perform without pressure, showing time to the Slovakian but stil claimed In saying that, let's all get together
genuine character and positive an excellent SILVER. and support these athletes in their
attitude, hence giving rise to lots of hopes and dreams for medals in the
flare and creativity. Ashleigh Kenny performed Annan coming tournaments, especially those
Kata with strength and precision, attending the World Championships.
As a nation we performed under par, losing to the eventual finalist. She
but with most of the individuals went on to compete for bronze and Train to be the cream of the crop as
achieving personal goals set in was nipped at the post with a 3:2 rubbing shoulders with the cream just
preparation for the World Champi- score going in favour of her makes you another contender.
onships: opponent. No medal this time but a
creditable 5th place overall. I
Natalie Williams fought with no believe that Ashleigh has great
negative tension which allowed her talent and positive attitude. So it's
to deliver her techniques in a relaxed upwards and onwards for her.
state of mind. This is important as one
has very little time to respond on the Katie, Sarah and Gemma all lost in
tatami and if you are not relaxed their first rounds and didn't get an
you hinder that ability to respond opportunity to compete for bronze
instinctively. She got through several via repecahge. Again, individual
rounds having minimal points scored goals were set and most of them ‘Find the Spirit’
on her and delivered high kicks, delivered and hence that is the
positive angle and focus that we Juliette Toney
punches and sweeps showing her true
need to drive on. Assistant National Coach

Page 3
 Makiwara Training
A makiwara is quite simply a
padded striking board. Its origins
are believed to be Chinese, but
this has never been confirmed. It
has been an extremely popular
training tool in Japan ever since
Karate first arrived on the
mainland in the 1920s, and
remains so today. Sizes of
makiwara vary, as well as the
padding, which used to be straw
wrapped around a wooden post.
Nowadays very stiff foam can be
used, and this can be covered
with rubber, canvas or even
leather.
Makiwara training is essential to
correct punching techniques. It is
especially good for developing
the wrist of the punching arm. It
is also important for hip
strengthening for punches, strikes
and kicks, and it helps the grip
strength for hands. Although not
used as much these days due to
the use of punch bags, I believe
Makiwara training is of huge
benefit to the improvement of
technique. The majority of the
dojo either have them mounted
on the walls or use portable
ones. It is important that the
body is kept relaxed when
preparing to punch the
makiwara. At the moment of
the impact, twist the fist, tense
the abdomen and feel the
strength flow through the
deltoid, shoulder, arm and
finally to the fist. It is essential
that the makiwara is struck
accurately and that, at the
moment of contact the hip is fully
twisted. This action will enable
the power of the body to be
concentrated in the fist of the
striking hand. Do not forge to
expel the air sharply on the punch.
This principle of the execution of
technique applies to striking and
kicking of the makiwara board, not
just to punching.
Tameshiwari means ‘spirit test’. In
Karate, it is usually associated with
breaking tiles, wood or stone. It is
a trial, which is the literal
translation of the Japanese word
tameshi. The trial is an experiment
is to see whether all the hard work
of continuous repetitive training in
Karate-do has paid dividends. In
the same way, tameshigiri (‘trial by
sword’) is used in kendo (‘way of
the sword’), to test the strength of
the blade - to find out whether the
sword has good weight and is
flexible, especially during an actual
cut.
Straw Makiwara
Makiwara training is
essential if Tameshiwari is
to be practised. Once the student’s
limbs are strong enough and
sufficient resistance strength has
been built up in the body,
Tameshiwari can be practised. A
Page 4
student must be of intermediate to
advanced level before attempting
to break items on a regular basis.
The technique is mainly a
confidence booster for students and
a way of demonstrating their
powers with their Karate technique.
It is not what true Karate-do is
about and does not reflect the
ethos of the martial art.
The goal for all Karate-la is to be
able to stop the opponent with one
technique - ikken hisatsu, or to kill
with one blow. A Karate-ka will
focus all his energy, both physically
and mentally, into one technique,
creating focused energy, kime.
One of the ways of practising this
manoeuvre is on the makiwara
board, then executing Tameshiwari.
It is not possible to actually use all
the skills learned in Karate on
another human being, which is why
inanimate objects are focused on in
order to test the ability of a
Karate-ka.
Pine Break Boards
Extract from ‘Black Belt Karate’ and
reproduced with kind permission
from Chris Thompson.
 Senior European Championships - Estonia
Sunday 27th April 2008 saw thirteen
Athletes fly out to Tallinn, Estonia in
the early hours of the morning for the
Senior European Karate Federation
Championships. The championships
were a three-day affair being held
2nd-4th May. The squad had flown
out early enough to give themselves
a few days preparation time as the
championships started in earnest on
the Friday commencing with the Kata
events.
Lauren Adams was our female Kata
representative, and was drawn against
Pruidze from Georgia in the 1st round.
Lauren performed Sepai Kata and
beat her opponents Jion to make the
next round. The second round saw
Lauren perform her final Shitei Kata
Seienchin against Ippolitova from
Russia but unfortunately lost out to her
Russian opponent. Ippolitova lost out in
the next round which denied Lauren the
chance for a bronze through the
repechage rounds.
The male Kata representative was
Jonathan Mottram. Jonathan had
drawn Novak from Croatia in the
opening round and both competitors
chose to perform Kanku-Dai. Jonathan
secured a 3 flags to 2 win to progress
into the next round. The 2nd round
pitted Jonathan against Dereani from
Slovakia who performed Kanku-Dai
against Jonathan’s Jion, but it was the
Jion that secured the votes 4 flags to 1.
The 3rd round and now into the free
Lauren Adams Kata
Flag Bearer Ritchie McMillan leads out the team
choice Katas saw both Jonathan and
Marcos-Neito from Spain perform Unsu
Kata. Once again Jonathan won the
round 4 flags to 1. In an unlucky draw,
the semi-finals had pitted Jonathan
against non-other than current WKF
World Champion, Luca Valdesi, from
Italy. Jonathan performed Enpi but
Valdesi’s Unsu won the round 5-0
leaving Jonathan in the repechage
final. Going for bronze with a final
Kata in repechage against the Finnish
competitor, Hirvonen, Jonathan
performed Kanku-Sho. Hirvonen
performed Suparimpei but it was
Jonathan who had finally came out on
top with a 3 flags to 2 win to secure
Senior Kata bronze.
Page 5
Day one also saw Collin Heath
compete in the Male U70kg category.
This event was extremely large and
split into two pools with Collin in pool
B. Collin received a 1st round bye but
then came up against Tychinskiy from
Russia in the 2nd round. The fight
between them was close but Collin
unfortunately came out on the wrong
side of a 2-1 loss. Tychinskiy went on
to lose 2-1 in his next round and
thereby scupper Collin's chances of a
bronze through repechage.
The Male U75kg category featured
England’s Alton Brown and like Collin
before him he also had his category
split into two pools. Following a 1st
round bye, Alton faced Basturk from
Turkey in the 2nd round and like Collin
he too lost out 2-1. Basturk also went
on to lose his next round fight thereby
leaving Alton out of the medal hopes.
The Male U80kg category soon got
underway and a familiar story with
Bakhtyar Khazaei receiving a 1st round
bye but losing out in round two, this
time to Hincir from Czech Republic who
won the fight 6-0. Hincir also lost his
next fight to complete the familiar
story that was hitting the squad fighters
today.
Davin Pack competed in the Male Over
80kg event and to complete the set for
the male fighters he too lost out in the

Jonathan Mottram Kata
2nd round following his 1st round bye.
Davin faced Hrachou from Belarous but
lost out 5 points to 1. Hrachou went
through another round before he too
lost out to deny Davin the chance to
medal through the repechage rounds.
With the distinct lack of success from
the Male fighters so far it was up to
the females to claim some glory.
Competing in the Female U60kg
category was Natalie Williams.
Natalie faced Switzerland’s Schwab in
the 1st round and in a close match
Natalie came out on top winning 3-2.
The 2nd round saw Natalie against
Sobol from Russia. The match failed to
produce a score even after extra time
and so the decision went to the judges.
Natalie had lost out. Sobol went all the
way through to the final leaving
Natalie in the repechage rounds.
Natalie won her opening repechage
fight 4-0 to make the repechage
semi-final where she faced Pecakova
from Czech Republic. Unfortunately it
wasn’t going to be Natalie’s day as
she lost out 2-0 as Pecakova went on
to claim bronze.
The final fighter of the day was
Melissa Lewis competing in the Female
Over 60kg event. Melissa fought
bravely but suffered an agonising 1-0
1st round defeat to Russia’s Zdobnova
bowing out early as Zdobnova went
out in round three.
Day two of the competition and up for
England first was Ritchie McMillan
competing in the Male U60KG event.
Ritchie faced Dona from France in the
1st round but instantly came unstuck as
he lost out 5-0. Dona lost in the next
round too denying Ritchie a route to
bronze via repechage.
The Male U65KG event was contested
by Tom Canham who had successfully
negotiated his 1st round bye. The 2nd
round pitted Tom against Kosevnikov
from Estonia. Tom fought a close match
but came out on top to win the round
2-1. The 3rd round saw Tom against
Huseynor from Azerbaijan. A fairly
Natalie Williams U60KG
Page 6
high-scoring match ensued finishing 8-4,
unfortunately not in favour of Tom.
Huseynor went out in the semi-final and
thus no repechage route for Tom.
The Male Open event featured Davin
Pack and having suffered defeat in the
Over 80KG event the day before, this
was a chance for him to redeem
himself and show his true potential and
put in a world class performance. Well
Davin received a 1st round bye as he
featured in pool B in this large event.
The 2nd round pitted Davin against
Portugal’s Dias. Davin did well and
secured a 4-2 win. The 3rd round saw
Davin face Rodriguez from Spain.
Another hard fought fight saw a similar
4-2 score-line, this time against Davin
who just couldn’t do enough to beat
him. Rodriguez went out the next round
sealing Davin’s medal fate.
Not so good for the boys then, maybe
the girls would have more luck?. Well
Gemma Marwood represented
England in the Female U53KG event
but unfortunately it wasn’t the start that
was hoped for as she succumbed to a
9-0 defeat at the hands of her Turkish
opponent, Ozcelik. Ozcelik made it to
the quater-finals before also suffering
defeat dashing Gemma’s bronze
medal hopes.
The large two-pool Female Open
Kumite event featured Natalie Williams
who had narrowly lost out the day
before and like Davin early was out to
make amends. After receiving a 1st
round bye, she went down straight
away suffering an agonising 1-0
defeat in a tight match which could
have gone either way again. Natalie’s
Belgium opponent, Pindeville, lost out in
the quater-finals. A familiar story once
again.
The remainder of day two was taken
up with the Team Kata events,
something that England has had little
representation in and it continued here
as the squad watched on and contem-
plated on their narrow defeats and
what could have been.
Day three and the final chance for the
squad to grab some glory in the blue-
ribbon Team Kumite events. The male
team consisted of Ritchie McMillan, Tom
Canham, Collin Heath, Alton Brown,
Bakhtyar Khazaei, Davin Pack and
Jamie Holt. The magnificent 7 -
competing in pool B secured a 1st
round bye but lost out in the 2nd round
against their Norwegian opponents
who subsequently lost out in the
quater-finals themselves.
Would the Female
Kumite Team fare
any better? No. The
team of Lauren
Adams, Natalie
Williams, Melissa
Lewis and Amy
Thomason faced
Croatia in their
opening round
match but lost out
2-0 bitterly disap-
pointed, especially
as the Croatian
team subsequently
Davin Pack 80KG+
lost out in the next
round too losing 2-0
themselves. Donovan OBE, and maybe the turmoil
of Karate in England over recent years
And that was the story of three day had taken its toll with the seniors.
championships, great news in the male
Kata event with Jonathan Mottram Thankfully Physio Dr. Surdhur Mohinder
constantly pushing the boundaries for didn’t lose anyone to injury doing his
English Kata but bitter disappointment job well looking after the athletes. The
in the Kumite events as these squad coaches, Juliette Toney, Wayne
boundaries have been crossed many Otto OBE and Ticky Donovan OBE
times before in the past but the squad worked extremely hard during the
just didn’t manage to step up to the championships and the build-up period
mark. ‘Ring Rusty’ was the description and hopefully the lessens learnt will
from National Squad Director, Ticky propel the squad forward.
Page 7
 British Karate Federation Championships
This year the British Karate Federation National Junior &
Senior Championships are being hosted by the English
Karate Federation with the Championships being held in
Ponds Forge, Sheffield, England, chosen as a
centrally located venue within
Britain. The two-day Champion-
ships are being held on Saturday
6th and Sunday 7th September
2008.
The British Karate Federation
National Championships represents the
Premier Elite Karate Event within the
British calendar. Elite athletes from all
the home nations come together to
compete in the most prestigious Karate
tournament available within Britain.
Top athletes from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and
England have their opportunity to compete amongst their
peers with home nation pride foremost in their minds making
the British Karate Federation Championships one of the most
eagerly anticipated and fiercely competitive tournaments
available for British Karate athletes.
The recent 1st English Karate Federation National Junior &
Senior Championships recorded nearly 600 athletes
competing over the two-day event making that one of the
largest National Karate Federation Championships ever to
be held. This coming British Karate Federation Championships
is on course to top this with competitor numbers over the
two-day event expected to be considerably greater.
This transpires into a great advertising opportunity and
sponsors for this major prestigious tournament are now once
again being welcomed.
Sponsorship Opportunities
We have three distinct levels of sponsorship opportunities
available for these Championships:
1. Tatami (Matted competition area)
2. Competition Event Category
3. Banner advertising - Business/Association/Club
Tatami (Matted competition area) Sponsorship
As a Tatami sponsor, you will be announced to the athletes
and spectators and the announcer will, on various occasions
during the tournament, make reference to your sponsorship.
As a Tatami sponsor you will also have the Tatami named as
per your sponsor name, e.g., Tatami No.1 would be known
as 'The Metropolitan Police Tatami. Each event would be
called to your 'named Tatami' throughout the duration of the
sponsorship period.
As well as having the Tatami named after your sponsor
name, advertising boards advertising your
business/association/club, etc may be placed adjacent to the
Tatami area subject to Health & Safety considerations.
Page 8
Tatami sponsors will be named in the relevant British Karate
Federation Championship write-ups reports which will be
distributed to English Karate Federation Newsletter, English
Karate Federation Website, Welsh Karate, Scottish Karate
and Northern Ireland Karate relevant Governing
Bodies.
All Tatami sponsors will also have the
opportunity to advertise their
business/association/club in the English
Karate Federation Newsletter free of
charge for one issue which is
distributed to each member
association and placed on the
English Karate Federation
website for general access.
Competition Event Category Sponsorship
During the course of the Championships, there will be 77
category events taking place, 65 of categories being
individual event categories with 12 being team event
categories. This represents a wide range of opportunity
opportunities for sponsors.
As a category sponsor, you will be announced to the athletes
and spectators and the announcer will, on various occasions
during the tournament, make reference to your sponsorship.
As a category sponsor, you will be invited to present the
trophies and/or medals for the specific category you
sponsored on the day and be announced to the spectators.
Category sponsors will be named in the relevant British
Karate Federation Championship write-ups reports which will
be distributed to English Karate Federation Newsletter,
English Karate Federation Website, Welsh Karate, Scottish
Karate and Northern Ireland Karate relevant Governing
Bodies.
Banner Advertising
Advertising banners for Businesses/Associations/Clubs etc,
may be strategically placed within the sports arena for the
duration of the two-day championships. The exact placement
of the advertising banner will be agreed with the event or-
ganiser prior to the commencement of the championships
where applicable.
For all sponsorship enquiries please contact: Debbie Sell -
07796924660 admin@englishkaratefederation.com
BKF Spectator FREE Entry
Following the resounding success of the 1st EKF National
Championships of FREE admission for spectators, the
board have listened to its members and have decided to
extend the FREE admission again to the BKF Champion-
ships. Your support is now even more important.
From the EKF board, working on behalf of its members.
 Tokyo WKF Championship Travel Update - 7 Day Tokyo Trip Offer
Inclusive price is £1250. Please contact Sensei Terry
Wingrove on 07708 888 880

Due to demand, an extra booking has been made for
the World Karate Championships in Tokyo.
This will include flights, hotel accommodation (including
breakfast) and 4 days entry into the World
Championships.
Please be aware that there are still a small number of
places left for the longer trip of 14 days. This is your
LAST CHANCE to join 100 people on the 'Trip of a
Lifetime'.

Depart the the UK 9th November - arrive Japan 10th

November. Depart Japan 17th November - arrive in
the UK 17th November.

EKF Licence Registration System

The following procedures
document the details of the
Registrations System in
operation within English Karate
Federation (EKF).

All associations MUST register

their members with the EKF.

The cost for Registration is £2.00

per person.

Members and Instructors

Personal Accident and Personal
Liability insurance is now
available through the EKF with
Worldwide Sports Insurance UK
Ltd and is one of the many
services being introduced for EKF
members. Instructors Professional
Indemnity insurance cost £55.00
whilst the Members Personal
Accident & Liability insurance costs
£2.15 per member. The insurance
cover does not have an upper age
limit and is one of the few policies
to provide this as we believe
Martial Arts are for life.
Registrations slips should be
purchased in advance, these are
available in packs of 100.
Any association currently operating
their own registration database, can
obtain unique numbers which they
can use with their registrations
system.
EKF Registration Return Form
Each individual must be registered
with EKF in the month their unique
number has been issued.
The purpose of registering with EKF
is to provide statistical information
to a variety of authorities, and to
maintain a register of members
which will not be disclosed other
than to official sources when
requested (i.e. Police or courts etc).
The registration database will be
used to check individuals when
entering official EKF events.
NO REGISTRATION - NO ENTRY
For the avoidance of doubt, any
individual who holds an EKF
membership slip, but has not been
registered with EKF, will NOT be
allowed to participate in any EKF
event.
This registration system is in
operation NOW, please ensure
you obtain your registration pack
as soon as possible.
Registration slips or unique numbers
can be obtained from:
EKF Membership Secretary.
23 Sidlaws Road, Cove,
Farnborough, Hants GU14 9JL.
Requests can be made via post or
email:
john@gakushuin.org.

Page 9
 Jonathan Mottram Interview
Born on New Years Eve 1980,
Jonathan Mottram is used to double
celebrations and recently as one of
England's top senior competitive
Karateka, he got the chance to
double celebrate a little earlier than
usual as he achieved major honours
in two major international Karate
championships. So hot off the back
of his WKF European Senior Kata
Bronze medal and his third
successive Commonwealth Karate
Senior Kata title, we thought we'd
see if his celebrations were still
ongoing and take the opportunity to
delve a little deeper and see what
makes England's most successful
Senior Kata exponent tick.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to

us Jonathan.

So when did you start Karate and why

did you start?
I started Karate in 1990 aged 9 yrs.
My parents took me to Crystal Palace
Stadium, London to watch the English
Championships. I sat and watched the
Kata and all the Kumite. When we
were leaving the championships my
parents asked me what I thought of it.
I said I liked the look of Karate and
when could I start.

When did you start competing?

I started competing in small competi-
tions in 1991.

What was your first major title and how

old were you?
I won gold at the Ishinryu National
Championships. This may not have
seemed a major competition but, for
me it meant so much. I won this at 12
years old, so for the first 3 years in
Karate I did not win anything, so this
was a big and special moment for me.
How old were you when you achieved
your first England badge?
I was 16 years old, it was in 1997. I
have now had my England badge for
11 years.
What would you say has been your
greatest tournament achievement to
date?
This is a tough one. Winning my 23rd
English Gold was a great achievement.
Winning the English Championships for
the 12th year in a row in individual
Kata was very special. I have also
won the English Championships 7 times
in team Kata and 4 times in Kumite so
it was my 23rd English gold medal,
which was important to me and for
Ishinryu. They were my main in
achievements in England. On the
international scene, winning bronze at
the Senior European Championships in
Estonia this year was my ultimate
achievement and I now feel it's taken
my Karate to another level.
How did it feel becoming the first Eng-
lishman to win a Senior European Kata
Medal?
(Big Smile). It felt amazing. Being the
first person to achieve something is al-
ways a great feeling. At Senior Euro-
pean level, five times I have just lost
out for the bronze medal, but I've
never given up or lost my enthusiasm to
get to the top. After training so hard
and then losing five times is heart-
breaking but to fight back stronger
and not give and train harder than
ever before shows the strength of
character and the determination I have
to succeed.

Page 10

In the 11 years I have held my England
badge, aside from my medals, I have
consistently been in the top 4 or 5 in
Europe. I hope this inspires anyone
coming up through the ranks to work
and train hard and never ever give up.
My motto is: 'WINNERS NEVER QUIT
'N' QUITTERS NEVER WIN'.
You were also the first person to win a
Kata medal at the Junior European
Championships where you won silver.
How did that compare to your Senior
medal?
In 1998 Athens, Greece aged 17
years I was in the cadet category.
I was the first Englishman to get a
WKF European Kata Medal. Later
in 2001 Cyprus aged 20 years again
in the Junior Europeans, I won a silver
medal. Now I've got a full set, Cadet,
Junior and Senior. I think anyone who
can achieve a medal, Kata or Kumite
at European or World level deserves
recognition and I take my hat off to.
So give us a run through of how you
medalled in Estonia at the 43rd Euro-
pean Championships? What Katas did
you perform and who were the opposi-
tion?
OK here goes. In the first round I was
up against a Croatian, he performed
Kanku-Dai and I matched him with the
same Kata winning 3 flags to 2. The
second round I was competing against
a Slovenian, he performed Kanku-Dai
and this time I performed Jion and won
that round 4 flags to1. With the Shitei
compulsory Katas out of the way,
things were getting tough now with the
free choice Katas. I was now up
against the Spanish competitor in the
third round quarter-finals. We both
chose to perform Unsu Kata where I
again won the round 4 flags to 1. I
was now in the fourth round semi-finals
where my opponent was from Italy,
none other than current WKF World
Champion Luca Valdesi. He performed
Page 11
Unsu Kata and I performed Enpi.
Unfortunately I lost out 5 flags to nil.
As that was the semi-final round I
automatically qualified for the
repechage final needing one more win
to claim a bronze medal. I'd been in
this position many times before, maybe
this time I'd succeed. I was up against
the Finnish competitor in the repechage
final. He performed Suparimpei, I then
followed with Kanku-Sho. I won a close
match 3 flags to 2 but I finally did it, I
was over the moon.
I could not have achieved this medal
without the support and
encouragement from my Sensei Ticky
Donovan OBE 8th Dan. Throughout the
pre-training Sensei gave me the
encouragement to believe in myself
and helped me prepare every Kata as
best as I could. On the day he was
there every step of the way, as he has
always been for the last 18 years since
I started Karate.
Also, a big thank you to the coaches
Wayne Otto OBE, Greg Francis, Ian
Cole and Juliette Toney for being so
inspirational and supportive, and not
forgetting Sensei Dave Hazard who
has coached and helped me through so
many tournaments and helped shape
me to become the person I am today.
Having gone so close to gaining a medal
at your last WKF World Championships,
where you lost 3 flags to 2 in the re-
pechage final, what was going through
your mind this time in Estonia?
Where do you begin….. So much was
going through my mind; I had a
rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions.
When the guy from Finland was
performing I kept thinking, all this hard
work, all this money spent, all the
effort the coaches have put in to me.
I must make this Kata count.
I must make this Kata count…
I think I said that maybe 10
times. Then I thought five times
I've lost for senior bronze, twice for the
Junior bronze, and once for the World
bronze, but not this time, no way. I shut
my eyes totally relaxed and said to
myself, I love my family, I love my
fiancée and this time IS MY TIME. I
performed the Kata with every single
bit of passion and energy I had.
When I finished I stepped back to my
line and thought to myself please,
please be mine, then up go the flags!
You secured your medal on day one of
the European Championships in Estonia.
What did that do for morale for the EKF
squad?
I think winning a medal on the first day
of the championships sends a great
vibe around the squad. Usually the
teams are on the first day and in pre-
vious tournaments where the teams
have done well it put me and the
squad on a high.
What was the feeling of the squad once
the championships came to an end with
only your medal to show?
When you are competing for your
country at such a high level, so much
preparation and sacrifice goes into the
event, some of the squad have children
and a family. So when you prepare
for this you spend more time in the
Dojo, in the gym and on the streets
running than you do with your friends
and family. So to sacrifice so much
and come away with nothing is natu-
rally disappointing and very tough to
deal with. The coaches gave all of us
good feedback and told us what we
need to change and develop to be the
best at this level so we can only come
back stronger. Disappointed but more
determined.
This year has seen you in blistering form
and medal at some very prestigious
tournaments. Luca Valdesi, the current
WKF Kata Champion is currently 32
years old. At only 27 years old yourself,
do you feel you are just coming into
your prime?
Luca Valdesi is a very good Kata ath-
lete and my aim is to beat him before
he retires. I think if you want to be the
best you should always tell yourself
you can be better. I think at the mo-
ment I'm only 50% of where I want to
be and what I want to achieve. I in-
tend to be around for a very long time
yet.
You secured your third successive Com-
monwealth Karate title in Edinburgh re-
cently how difficult do you find that?
After winning the last two Common-
wealth Championships, I was deter-
mined to win this event for the 3rd
time. This Commonwealth was a high
level tournament with five rounds, but
coming hot on the heels of the Europe-
ans, the momentum of that carried me
through.
That win in Edinburgh, gaining your
Commonwealth hatrick, must make you
one of the most celebrated Kata expo-
nents the country has ever known. Do
you feel this is a burden or do you revel
in the pressure this brings?
Page 12
I've competed in hundreds of competi-
tions and performed in many demon-
strations in front of hundreds of people.
There is an expectation from everyone
watching that I am going to walk on
the mat, perform well
and win. What they don't realise is the
amount of hard work and training I do
to be able to perform to the best of
my ability. This expectation brings un-
told amounts of pressure on me, how-
ever the pressure is what I thrive on.
When the hall is quiet and only one
tatami mat is running and I'm on that
mat I get on a high. The adrenaline
kicks in knowing everyone is watching
you and I try to raise my game even
more. It's important when you perform
that you are in control of your Kata
and your mind, not the Kata in control
of you.
How do your students feel about your
titles?
I'm a very humble person and I never
tell the students what I achieve as I feel
my club is about them not me. But in-
evitability they find out about some of
my achievements and are very pleased
for me. I hope to inspire my students
when they see me compete. Sometimes
they say to me "you're so good" and I
say to them "you can be better than
me, you can achieve more than me if
you work hard". My aim is to try and
progress my students to be better than
me. I know if I go Karate and all my
students are beating me at Kumite and
their Katas are better than me then I
have achieved what I set out to do and
they have reached their full potential.
Whats your next target?
My next target is to prepare myself
for the World Championships in Tokyo,
Japan later this year. There are sev-
eral international competitions which I
will be competing in as
part of my prepara-
tions and training pro-
gramme. I'm honoured
to be part of the team which will rep-
resent England for the biggest cham-
pionships of my career. The fact that
these championships are being held in
Japan where Karate originates will be
possibly the highlight of my career so
far.
What is your favourite Kata and what is
your least favourite?
I don't have a least favourite Kata, I
like them all, they all have different
aspects which I like. In saying that
though, Unsu is my favourite Kata.
You run a Karate club in Barking, Essex.
How is that progressing?
Yes, my Karate club is called Barking
Abbey Ishinryu. The clubs is
progressing really well and everyone
at the club gets on great. Karate is not
just about competition but we have a
lot of students that love to compete. I
have over 10 students that have won
an English or British title. On a
Wednesday I have an open class which
is for all styles, it's 3rd Kyu and above
and consists of a competition Kata class
followed by a competition Kumite class.
This is attended by many more English
and British Championships. So when
you have a group of students at such a
high level, they can only bring out the
best in each other and all take the
training and competition standard to a
higher level. I never forget that
competition is only one element of
Karate and I give as much time to my
students that do not want to compete
as I do to those that do compete. I do
believe that respect and loyalty is a
two way thing. I respect and do as
much as I can for my students and in
return they do the same for me.
What has given you the greatest
pleasure in Karate?
There is more than one thing, first, to
compete for England in Kata, as
competing for your country feels great.
Standing on the podium with the
England flag around your shoulders
and the national anthem playing, what
an amazing feeling. Secondly, having
the honour of being asked by Ticky
Donovan OBE and Wayne Otto OBE to
assist them in coaching the Junior
England Squad.
By all accounts you used to be a pretty
hot fighter too. What happened to make
you concentrate on Kata?
Yes I won the English National
Championships four times in Kumite and
I still train in Kumite now. A lot of
people don't realise that I do Kumite,
as they only see me compete in Kata. I
love Kumite and really enjoyed
competing in Kumite too. I was
competing in New York in an open
World Cup for all styles in 2001. This
was just after getting my European
Silver for Kata. I was in the semi-final
when I got punched in the eye and got
a shattered eye socket which kept me
out of training for six months. After
which I could only train lightly once a
week for six further months. I then
decided to take one year out of
Kumite to let my eye heal properly. In
this time I missed out on an English,
British, European and World
Championships in Kata. In order to
bring my level of Kata back up to the
Page 13
level it was I realised I need to
concentrate on Kata only.
What do you think about the standard of
Kata currently in England?
I think the standard of Kata in England
is at the highest it's ever been and it's
great to see many young and
dedicated Karate athletes pushing the
boundaries of Kata. More are
competing abroad and this can only
highlight the English talent coming
through.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Well you can plan the future but never
predict the future. At club level, I'd like
to always assist Sensei Donovan OBE
and keep Ishinryu going strong and
help my students become the best they
can be in all elements of Karate.
At England squad level I'd like to be
Kata coach holding regular squad
training sessions and build a great
England Squad as a force to be
reckoned with on the international
stage. I have so much enthusiasm to
help the up and coming talent we have
in Kata and try and help them reach
their full potential and to one day
dominate in Europe and the World.
Finally at a personal level I just want to
be an inspiration to all my students and
to encourage them to enjoy and be the
best they can in Karate.
Thank you very much for taking time
out of your busy schedule to talk to
us. Good luck and best wishes for
Tokyo.
 Commonwealth Karate Championships
Commonwealth Opening Ceremony
The 4th Commonwealth Karate
Championships were held in the
Scottish Capital, Edinburgh on 31
May-1st June 2008.
Following the initial
decision of the Scottish
Governing body to
make the Common-
wealth Championships
an ‘Open Champi-
onship’ the board had
decided initially not to
send a squad to
represent England. Ritchie
Subsequently, the
Scottish Governing Body who were
hosting this years Commonwealth
Championships segregated an elite
section for competing National
Commonwealth squads. The board of
the EKF then decided to support this
action but having little time to conduct
squad selections following this decision
subsequently allowed the squad that
had been selected for the Senior
Estonia European Championships, to
represent England at these champion-
ships.
There were nine countries competing in
these championships including the home
countries. South Africa, Botswana, New
Zealand, Canada and India had all
made the long journey to Edinburgh in
search of gold.
There were 1300 competitors over the
two day championships including the
open categories which were run along
side the Elite events. Given the high
turnout, the
venue was
bursting at the
seams with all
spectator seats
occupied. The
championships
were split into
two distinct
parts, with the
McMillan - Gold Elite and Open
Senior events
on the Saturday and the Children's
events held on the Sunday.
Saturday started off with the Kata
events for both Open and Elite sections
running simultaneously. England's two
representatives were Jonathan
Mottram, fresh from winning
European bronze in Estonia and
Clare Bonello who was repre-
senting England for the first time.
Jonathan sailed through his
Kata’s to meet a South African
competitor in the final. Jonathan
performed Unsu Kata and beat
his opponents Annan Kata 5
flags to nil to take his third
consecutive Commonwealth title.
Clare Bonello competed in both
the Elite and Open events. Clare
Page 14
narrowly missed gold in the final of the
open event settling for a silver and
took a well deserved bronze in the
elite event to become a Commonwealth
medallist.
With the Kumite squad it was very
difficult to keep track as some had
opted to compete in the open events
that were running at the same time as
the Elite events. Their results from the
Elite events are listed below. The squad
competed extremely well with some
close decisions with some pleasing
results.
Thanks to Wayne Otto OBE who was
coaching on two mats and to David
Inman our osteopath who stepped in to
ensure the squad were well looked
after. Congratulations to the squad
who will now be working hard towards
selection on the 5th July for the World
Championships later in the year. The
results of the elite competition are as
follows:
Female:
-53kg Gemma Marwood - Gold
-60kg Natalie Williams - Gold
+60kg Mellissa Lewis - Silver
Open Weight Natalie Williams - Gold
Kata Claire Bonello - Bronze
Female Team - Bronze
Male:
Kata Jonathan Mottram - Gold
-60kg Ritchie McMillian - Gold
-70kg Collin Heath - Bronze
-75kg Alton Brown - Bronze
-80kg Luki Khazaei - Bronze
Open Weight Collin Heath - Silver
Total 5 Golds, 2 Silvers & 5 Bronzes
Podium for Clare Bonello
 Events Calendar
08 to 10/08/08 04 & 05/10/08
Sensei Tatsuo Suzuki (PHD) Hanshi WIKF Summer Course Austrian Open - Golden League - Austria.
Avon High School, Alcester Rd, Stratford Upon Avon, War-
wickshire, CV37, 9DH. 10/10/08
Istanbul Open Karate Tournament
17/08/08 With 85.000 USD Cash Prize
AMA North West Karate Championships
Bury Castle Leisure Centre, Bolton Street, Bury, Lancs. 11/10/08
AMA-IWKA Irish International Open Championships
25-29/08/09 The Basketball Arena, Tallagh, Dublin 24.
23rd Grado Stage & 23rd Grand Open Kumite & Kata
Tournament - Italy. 12/10/08
3rd K.D.I. Karate Tournament
30-31/08/06 Barking Abbey School, Barking Essex Junior & Senior events
European Masters Games 2008
Malmö, Sweden . 18 & 19/10/08
Hankoryu Open International Karate Championships - Har-
31/08/08 low Essex.
EKF - Kumite/Kata Officials Course/Examinations
Forest Town Colliery Welfare, Clipstone Rd West, Forest 18/10/2008 - 12.00am-5.00pm
Town, Mansfield NG19 0EE Bunkai-Jutsu Seminar - The Practical Application of Karate
Kata With Iain Abernethy 5th Dan
06-07/09/08 Harewood Space Sports & Arts, Robert Atkinson Centre,
BKF Junior/Senior Championships Thorntree Road, Thornaby, Stockton On Tees, Cleveland
Ponds Forge, Sheffield. Open to ALL Styles / Over 16 years only

07-14/09/08 26/10/08
FIT2FITE All Inclusive Holiday EKF Northern Regional Championships
Club Alibey, Belek, Turkey. Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheaf Street (A61),
Sheffield. S1 2BP
14/09/08
Northern Open Classic 02/11/08
Leigh Sports Village, Sale Way, Leigh WN7 4JY International Open Championships
Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Ripple Road Dagenham Essex
14/09/08 RM9 6XW
Kumite National Squad/Open Training Selection for 36th
Junior European Championships in Paris, France 2009 13-16/11/08
Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre 19th WKF Senior Championships - Tokyo, Japan.

21/09/08
United Kingdom Open Karate Championships
Next Generation Sports & Racquet Centre
Pensnett Road, Brierley Hill, DY5 3YP, West Midlands
21/09/08
AMA North East Karate Championships
Temple Park Leisure Centre, John Reid Road, South Shields.
16/11/08
Meopham Open Junior/Cadet Karate Championships
22/11/08 - Beginning at 12.00pm
Taisho-Do Karate Association (T.A.S.K) presents Wayne Otto
OBE
Harewood Space Sports and Arts, Robert Atkinson Centre,
Thorntree Road, Thornaby, Stockton On Tees.

27/09/08 29 & 30/11/08

Junior Tournament Series ISHINRYU 2008 Open Winter Course
Disneyland, Paris. Train with some of the UK’s top Karate competitors
Oxclose Comprehensive School, Washington, Tyne and
27-28/09/08 Wear, NE38 0LN
German Open - Golden League - Germany.
30/11/08
28/09/08 Western Karate Union Kyu Grade Championships
Grand Open Karate Championships Weston-super-Mare
Vista Road, Clacton on sea Essex. CO15 6DB.

Page 15
 Events Calendar Contd.
30/11/08 28th February & 1st March 2009
AMA Yorkshire Open Karate Championships AMA International Karate Championships Seniors & Juniors
Richard Dunn Sports Centre, Rooley Ave, Odsal, Bradford,
North Yorkshire, BD6 1EZ 03/05/08
Western Karate Union Invitational Event Hutton Moor Leisure
07/12/08 Centre, Weston-super-Mare
YKKF (UK) Presents - The Kiyan Prince Foundation Kumite Na-
tional Championships 2008 10/05/09
In Memory of Kiyan Prince 'Removing the Knife Through the Southern Open Karate Championships
Power of Knowledge'. Rivermead Leisure Complex, Richfield Avenue, Reading.
Brunel University, Sports Complex, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Berkshire, RG1 8EQ
UB8 3PH

Events Calendar Disclaimer

All member Association's events advertised here have Association agreement that their events are in compliance
with section 21.9 of the World Karate Federation statutes.

All events advertised here are only open to EKF/WKF members.

Please check with organiser of events as these could be subject to change.

Members wishing to add their competitions to this calendar should email: admin@englishkaratefederation.com

National Squad Open Training & Selections

blank

14th September 2008

Ticky Donovan OBE (National Squad Director) Presents

KATA & KUMITE NATIONAL SQUAD/OPEN TRAINING & SELECTIONS

Selections for 36h Junior European Championships Paris France - Jan/Feb 2009
Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre.

MINIMUM AGE TO TRAIN 13 YEARS

· Cadets, Juniors & Seniors - Open Squad Training

· 10:30 - 11:00 Registration
· 11:00 - 12:30 Open Squad Training Kumite
· 12:30 - 13:00 Lunch Break
· 13:00 - 17:00 Kumite Squad Selections
·
Fee £10.00

There will be a further training/selection session in October 2008, again at Bisham Abbey. It
is extremely important whether you are training or selecting to fill the form out correctly
and fully. If only training you do not have to complete the passport section of the form. The
licence section has to be filled in too. Please bring licences on the day if you are selecting.

Training/Selection Forms available for Download from EKF Website

Page 16
 New WKF CADET ‘Face Guard’ Protector
The World Karate Federation recently
released a press statement stating
that from 1st January 2009, the ‘WKF
Face Mask’ protection will be
compulsory for the Kumite CADET
categories world-wide.

Recently they also released a

statement regarding the changes to
age categories for Cadet and Junior
competitors. The new age categories
are 14-15 year olds - CADETS and
16-17 year olds - JUNIORS.

Therefore, from 1st January 2009, all

14-15 Year olds will be required to
wear this Face Mask protector for all
future EKF National Championships and
BKF National Championships.

A copy of the letter from Antonio

Espinos, the WKF President is shown to
the left.

The Face Masks should be available

for purchase from October 2008 from
five main WKF suppliers, namely Adi-
das, Arawaza, Budoland, Sports Mas-
ter and Tokaido.

As yet the two main suppliers of

Tokaido & Arawaza (Kachi-Do) and
Adidas (Avasports) WKF equipment
within England have yet to release
details of the product or a pricing
guide so keep checking them for
updates.

Page 17
 England WKF World Championship Squad
The England Squad National
Karate Team to participate in the
forthcoming WKF World Champi-
onships being held in Tokyo have
been announced. The participants
and their respective categories are
as follows:
Female England Squad
Female Kata - Ashleigh Kenny
Female U53kg - Sarah Donnelly
Female U60kg - Natalie Williams
Female O60kg - Katie Hurry
Female Open - Natalie Williams
Female Team - Amy Thomason
Male England Squad
Male Kata - Jonathan Mottram
Male U60kg - Ritchie McMillan
Male U65kg - Thomas Canham
Male U70kg - Jason Ledgister
Male U75kg - Alton Brown
Male U80kg - Loxey Simmonds
Male O80kg - Davin Pack
Male Open - Rory Daniels
Male Team - Paul Abel, Chris Blenman,
Darren Haynes
Members of the EKF will soon be able
to purchase official EKF merchandise
from Chikara Ltd through the EKF. This
will include items such as Bags, Sweat
shirts, Polo Shirts, Training Shoes etc. all
with either the EKF logo or ‘3 Lions’
badge.
Konnichiwa has provided you a sneak
preview of some items as shown below.
Also the new ‘England’ squad badge
will be Three Gold Lions whilst the EKF
logo will remain unchanged. Items of
clothing such as polo shirts will be
available with both badge options, the
The team will be competing in two ‘3 Lions’ or the ‘EKF logo’.
warm-up competitions in Leige and
Gravelines, both in Belgium, in a four
nation tournament hosted by the
FFKAMA Federation in September and
October. This should provide the squad
an opportunity to hone their skills
against the French, Belgium and Dutch
squads in preparation for the World
Championships.
The Senior team will be flying out to
Tokyo, Japan on the 3rd November
and have training sessions arranged at
various dojos in Japan before the
Championships themselves.
The squad has been lucky enough to be
sponsored by CyberBudo, Adidas
(Avasports) and Chikara Ltd.
Chikara Ltd are sponsoring the team
tracksuit and various clothing items.
CyberBudo are sponsoring the bags
and AVA sports
are providing
Karate
equipment.
Page 18
 EKF National Chief Referee Job Description

Post Title: National Chief Referee

Reporting to: The English Karate Federation Board

Responsibilities:

To direct the preparation and training of current and future referee's and officials and to ensure the attainment
of qualifications at significant (i.e. World and European) International Competitions.

Be instrumental in budgeting, planning, co-ordination and implementation of the Referee Department and
referee competition preparation program.

Liaise with key support agencies to ensure the integration of wider support services.

Work with EKF Board of Directors, Departments, volunteers and or employees in the development of a
long-term Referee and Officials Development programme and a Whole Sport Plan for Karate.

Generate significant income to offset costs for International development programs.

Oversee and direct regional referee programmes.

Setting clear aims and objectives within the Referee Preparation and qualification programmes.

Set, administer and implement the selection policy of officials.

Overseeing the planning and implementation of training program's and pre-training for major events.

Achieving the stated short-term goals.

Monitoring and evaluating the performance targets within the Programme.

Establish and oversee A Class officials coaching workshops and seminars.

Monitoring the performance of all EKF officials.

To facilitate the development of a talent identification and development programme.

Liaise with the European and World Referee commissions concerning rule changes for National and
International Competitions.

Prepare and submit written reports and budget requirements for the E.K.F. Board, and AGM.

Liaise with specific people on Referee issues when necessary.

Act as spokesperson for matters pertaining to Refereeing.

Page 19
EKF National Chief Referee Job Description
Performance Indicators

Specific development of all Officials.

Increased success for officials at National and International Level.

Increased success for officials at World Level

Achieve KPI set by the board regarding number of officials qualified within specific given periods.

Achieve KPI set by the Board regarding number of officials maintaining qualification.

Criteria:

- To have a minimum of two years working as an International Official.

- To be qualified to at least European Qualification in Kata and Kumite.

- To have a grade of at least 5th Dan.

FOR CANDIDATES TO NOTE

This Person Specification gives a description of the skills that are required by the post-holder. It is a par-
ticularly important document to consider when completing your application; it provides a "benchmark"
against which applicants will be short-listed. Only candidates who can demonstrate that they meet the es-
sential criteria will be considered. You should therefore ensure that your application demonstrates how
your previous experience, skills and abilities match all of the essentials identified and show examples of
evidence of these.

Please also note that the interview will probe, in more depth, all criteria and additionally:

- Commitment to the promotion of Equal Opportunities Issues

- Commitment to and awareness of Child Protection

- Commitment to Health & Safety

Closing dates for all applications will be Sunday 21st September 2008.

Short-listed applicants will be notified to attend an interview on Sunday 12th October at Bisham Abbey.

Can all applicants send their CV and a covering letter to:

The English Karate Federation (EKF)

e-mail: info@englishkaratefederation.com

Page 20
EKF National Coach Job Description

Post Title: National Karate Coach

Reporting to: The English Karate Federation Board

Responsibilities:

To direct the preparation and training of current and future elite athletes and to ensure the attainment of
medals at significant (i.e. World and European) International Competitions.

The achievement of targets within a World Class Performance Development Plan.

Be instrumental in budgeting, planning, co-ordination and implementation of the National Squads compe-
tition preparation programme.

Liaise with key support agencies to ensure the integration of wider support services.

Work with EKF Departments and employees in the development of a long-term Whole Sport Plan, and
any integrated plans, which may be required to achieve grant funding.

Setting clear aims and objectives within the National Squads Preparation programmes.

Set, administer and implement the selection policy of the National Squads Including selection criteria and
changes with the squads.

Overseeing the planning and implementation of squad program's and pre-training for major events.

Achieve the stated short-term goals.

Monitoring and evaluating the performance targets within the Programmes.

Identify the needs of elite performers, implement a sports science support programme, in consultation with
identified specialists and support agencies.

Identify the needs of elite performers, implement a sports medicine programme, in consultation with
identified specialists and support agencies.

Establish and oversee performance coaching workshops and seminars.

Liaise with support agencies to identify and implement services within the sports performance area to
achieve long-term goals e.g. NOF, BOA.

Page 21
EKF National Coach Job Description

Monitoring the performance of nominated athletes.

Manage staff within the National Squads Programme.

Plan personal training programs for staff.

To facilitate the development of talent identification and development programmes.

Conduct open courses for Senior and Junior competitors as part of a talent identification programme

Liaise with the Chief Referee concerning rule changes for National and International Competitions.

Prepare and submit written or oral reports for the E.K.F. Board of Directors, Extraordinary and AGM
meetings.

Liaise with identified people on National Squad issues when necessary.

Advise the Board of Directors concerning changes to any development or Long-term plan as required.

Act as spokesperson for matters pertaining to Performance and participation in relation to the national
squad.

Act as lead coach for regional coaching programmes, ensuring that such programmes are developed in line
with the national coaching development plan

Selection of staff in relation to the National Squad (s) if applicable

Performance Indicators

Specific development of all National Squads.

Attendance at selected International events to gather information on competitor training and development.

Achievement of targets, both nationally and Internationally. Identifying what these targets should be.

Development of a national development programme for athletes of all ages and abilities.

Criteria:

- To have experience of coaching at International (European & World) Level competitions.

- To have a grade off at least 5th Dan.

Page 22
EKF National Coach Job Description
FOR CANDIDATES TO NOTE

This Person Specification gives a description of the skills that are required by the post-holder. It is a
particularly important document to consider when completing your application; it provides a "benchmark"
against which applicants will be short-listed. Only candidates who can demonstrate that they meet the
essential criteria will be considered. You should therefore ensure that your application demonstrates how
your previous experience, skills and abilities match all of the essentials identified and show examples of
evidence of these.

Please also note that the interview will probe, in more depth, all criteria and additionally:

- Commitment to the promotion of Equal Opportunities Issues

- Commitment to and awareness of Child Protection

- Commitment to Health & Safety

Closing dates for all applications will be Sunday 21st September 2008.

Short-listed applicants will be notified to attend an interview on Sunday 12th October at Bisham Abbey.

Can all applicants send their CV and a covering letter to:

The English Karate Federation (EKF)

e-mail: info@englishkaratefederation.com

Note for both job applications:

- Interviews will take place 12 October between 10am and 12pm.
- Salary / Expenses TBC.
- Applications are restricted to EKF members applying for the jobs

- Further details and full Job description available on EKF website.

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