Bristol Karate Academy

Congratulations to our Chief Instructor, Sensei Tim Griffiths, for passing his rokudan (6th Dan) exam on Saturday in Japan.

The exam took place at Teikyo University’s Budokan - an incredible building that’s dedicated to martial arts - as part of the JKS International Seminar, which brought together members from over 30 countries across the world for three days of intense study.

Tim took his grading under a panel of three senior JKS examiners. Leading the panel was the JKS World Chief Instructor, Kagawa Shihan (9th Dan). He was supported by Norman Robinson Shihan (9th Dan) of JKS South Africa and Takashi Yamaguchi Sensei (7th Dan) of JKS Japan.

The examiners assessed Tim’s kata performances, his response to questions about the katas and then his kumite (free sparring) against another karateka who was also grading at the International Seminar.

Tim’s promotion comes almost 10 years after promotion to 5th Dan and after more than 30 years of training. During this time Tim has worked hard to hone his skills in Bristol, across the UK and internationally.

It’s been a November to remember for Tim. This grading result comes off the back of winning three gold medals at the JKS England National Championships a week earlier, including capturing the Senior Kata (16 years+) title for the first time.

When Bristol Karate Academy joined the JKS almost three years ago, Tim used it as an opportunity to breathe new life into his karate, training with many new people and gaining new influences. He also returned to tournaments, with a number of notable successes beyond November’s JKS nationals, having become BKF British Champion, Central England Champion, KSE Champion, SEKO Champion and Cumbrian Open Champion in the Masters Kata category in the last two years. This has all helped towards his selection for the JKS World Championships, taking place in Japan next July.

“Grading in Japan was an incredible experience and a moment that will live with me forever,” Tim said.

“But so much goes into creating that moment. The hours of hard work, both at the dojo and at home, continuously trying to get better. There have been many sacrifices including those made by my family to support me on the road to rokudan. The result is a culmination of all this.

“I’m hugely grateful to JKS England and to Alan Sensei, who welcomed me and the Academy with open arms when we joined almost three years ago. I’m especially thankful for the ongoing support from Matt Price Sensei, who has been mentoring me for the last 23 years, offering guidance for every grading since my 2nd Dan exam, way back in 2000.”

So what’s next? Well, there is of course the matter of next year’s JKS World Championships in Tokyo. But there’s much more that Tim has in mind before then: “I’m looking forward to getting back to the dojo! Not only for my own karate but helping our members to meet their own goals.

“We have almost 200 members that all have their own karate stories to write and - along with all of the other instructors at the Academy - I can’t wait to help make it all happen!”

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