News
New 8th Degree - Kyoshi Billy Manne
Once again we have the great pleasure of announcing another promotion at the top end of the Zen Do Kai hierarchy.
Sokes Bob Jones and Richard Norton have announced that Kyoshi Billy Manne has been promoted to full 8th Degree Black Belt.
Kyoshi Billy has been with ZDK from the early 70's and has been a major force in the direction and development of the system.
Please join us in congratulating Kyoshi Billy on this amazing achievement and wish him all the best for the future.
Kyoshi Shane
Rotorua Grading December 2011
On December 10 Rotorua held a grading where approximately 40 people went for their grading including 4 seniors and 2 juniors for black belt. There were a mixture of people attending from Rotorua, Auckland and Gisborne, and special guest Kyoshi Martin Brady from Palmerston North. It was a very good day, good atmosphere and finishing with a few tired bodies.
Renshi Stewart Allen
Wellington central-city Dojo coming soon!
Kyoshi Shane Longstaff of Kobun Dojo has announced he will be opening a new club in the Wellington central-city.
Classes start Monday 3nd October at 6pm in the Thistle Hall, corner of Cuba Street and Arthur Street.
All current and old ZDK students welcome with a dinner following at J J Murphys afterwards.
Any questions contact Kyoshi Shane on 027 440 1844
Muay Thai Fight Win and Gradings
A huge "Congratulations" to everyone that participated in the BJC Muay Thai grading on Saturday 23rd July at Chris Samuel's Club "Ignite Martial Arts". Special thanks to Renshi Chris Samuel for opening his club to students from as far as Levin, Tawa, Porirua & Upper Hutt.
As we've come to expect, it was a very strong grading & 100% effort was given from all, Well done again to everyone involved. It was awesome to see the grading supported by so many family & friends with Kyoshi Lloyd Sushams giving some valuable advise to some lucky students on the day.
Shane Johnson from 4 Dragon's dojo's - ZDK Upper Hutt, completed his first full fight Muay Thai fight at Lower Hutt Town Hall on Saturday 23rd July.
As usual he had fantastic support from the BJC club, family & friends. Shane & trainer Billy Ellery had prepared very well & he won in devastating fashion, with a 2nd round TKO.
Shane owned the grapple & managed to land some extremely heavy hands in the first round. Lucky to go a second round, Shane continued his onslaught landing booms at will & Shane finally knocking his opponent down late in the 2nd round with some devastating knees.
It was great start for Shane who looks to have the goods - watch out for his next fight…TBA
Regards,
Sensei Kane Freemantle
4 Dragons Dojo
2011 Senjo date announced
Senjo date has been finalised.
Date: 29 Oct 2011
Place: NZ Royal Police College, Papakowhai Road, Porirua
Map: RNZPC on Google Maps
More info will be posted on the Events page as it is announced, so keep checking back.
Congratulations to Sempai Brendan Morgan on the opening of his new Dojo in Masterton!
Brendan has been training at Blue Dragon dojos under Sensei Carol Kohl and Dai Sempai Zac Kohl and has already started grading his own students through yellow and orange belts.
Wanganui & Patea Zen Do Kai Gradings - 25th June 2011
Congratulations to all who graded in Wanganui this June
Taira Masaji Sensei Seminar (Melbourne, 23-24/04/2011)
Having done some training with Kyoshis Steve, Martin and Jason at last month’s camp on the Goju Kata and Taira Sensei’s Bunkai, Kyoshi Shane and I decided to head to Melbourne to learn more. It just so happened that our decision to go coincided with a 2 day seminar that Kyoshi Bryson Keenan from Melbourne had organised with the Goju Ryu Sensei from Okinawa.
We arrived in Melbourne with no idea what to expect. We woke up Wednesday morning and did 5 hours “revision” with Kyoshi Steve. We were very lucky to be able to get this one-on-one training as it meant we managed to pick up some “basics” relatively quickly (at least that’s what Kyoshi Steve told us). Some more training that night, a Macedonian feast, and just like that we were one day down.
Moving past Thursday (which mostly involved shopping, Clubshop and eating) we get to our first training class. The training they do involves a huge understanding of Kata, for those who don’t know, the Zen Do Kai Kata originate from the Goju, so while very similar in a lot of ways there are some major differences which take a bit of getting used to! Sensei teaches how to use the opponents force against them and how to use one’s own body to its full potential, through this training I was able to defend against and attack people much bigger and stronger than me with hardly any effort (physically, mentally was another matter!).
We were extremely fortunate to be able to attend an extra class before the seminar. A massive 4 hours later (without food!) our brains were fried, our forearms bruised and battered, but we had begun to really understand what we were trying to do (even if we couldn’t understand a word Sensei was saying, apart from his well known “one more,” “same same,” and “simple”!) Also because we were staying with Kyoshi Steve, we were invited to drinks and a meal later with Taira Sensei and a small group. I tried Sake for the first time... it was interesting!
Saturday and Sunday were an extension of the Friday class, this time we came prepared with muesli bars and Claire Zanelli (Shodan Ho from Kobun) also attended. The seminar was open to black belts from all styles and there were a lot of very high ranks who attended. Everyone wearing the same plain white gi and plain black belt – to show that we were all starting from the same place. During the weekend we spent a lot of time working with Kyoshi Billy Manne, who while being an amazing martial artist in his own right, was extremely humble and eager to teach and assist us.
By Monday my brain was on overload, our final class before we came back to NZ finished early (after only 3.5hours!) as everyone was starting to lose focus. We learnt so much in such a short space of time that I thought I was never going to remember anything. We went to class after we arrived home and started sharing some of the things we’d learnt. As we did, so much came flooding back and to my surprise the things I was teaching were making sense! Our aim is to keep up our training so we can pass on what we have learnt over the past week, and in November we hope to be able to offer a seminar in Wellington with Taira Sensei.
It’s very exciting to be able to branch out and learn more about what other Martial Arts are about. Taira Sensei’s style of training brings so much to our own that I feel through developing even a small understanding of what he teaches, we are living up to Zen Do Kai’s translation: “the Best of Everything in Progression”.
Sensei Carly Robinson, YonDan-Ho.
A letter from The Chief on the re-launch of the ZDK website
BJMA New Zealand
Great news about the reformation of the New Zealand Steering Committee, we were lucky to have Kyoshi Steve Nedelkos (ZDK - 8th Degree) to be present as he was in NZ for the recent annual Grading. Timing was on track as we all prepare for the explosion that is about to enter our clubs. It has happened already in Australia during the last quarter of 2010. In 2011 we expect even larger interest in the general populace being concerned with their self defense skills. It always seems to accompany downturns in the level of social economics, whenever unemployment figures rise – so does the crime rate along with increases in violence in all areas of the community.
Simply when the scale of economy is on the downturn… the scale of self defense interest is on the upturn!
Europe is no different as they are entering a terrible financial meltdown I am on my way over there on December 14th for promotions beginning in Spain starting early in the New Year, check me out on my Spanish website Dragon - Riders.org
Thanks to Shane Longstaff the New Zealand website has just had an overhaul to be ready for this EXPLOSION that is coming during 2011, so I would really appreciate it if everyone trains hard and fights easy. Introduce everyone in New Zealand who is between 5 – 15 years of age to our Get Set… Go! Program either on this site or on www.bobjonesmartialarts.com.au so they experience Tara, Taran and Taranis my personal cyber space characters who need help from all of these students in that age group. Communicate together to help your club and instructors really put full attention into these many new students that are about to arrive on our scene – they are coming for your help!
Also check me out on my European website Celtimania Project.com and if you have nothing better to do – come visit.
Your Chief Instructor & Founder – Bob Jones, Soke (The Chief)