Outside of spending time with my family the aspect of this Christmas holiday I was most looking forward to this year was the Gavin and Stacey Finale.
Back in 2019 I had eagerly anticipated the Christmas special, and I was not disappointed when we got to catch up with our favourite characters in Barry and Essex. This year the build-up was even more anticipated as it was well advertised that this would definitely be the final ever episode of the production.
In December 2019 I had been focusing purely on family and karate for two months, everything was fresh and new. I was reading books to relax and was starting to decompress from my sales career which had attached consistent and significant pressure to my life. One of the books I read was ‘Atomic Habits’ the international bestseller by James Clear. I had wanted to ensure that I developed and refined my routines so that I could get the most from my new ‘lifestyle’.
This Christmas my father-in-law (Santa) gave me a stocking and one of the presents was Atomic Habits in paperback. As I unwrapped it my face gave me away as Colin asked, ‘have you already got that’. ‘Sorry’, I replied, ‘but I haven’t read it for a few-years’.
After eating breakfast my children were playing with their gifts, so I settled down and started to re-read the book. I was immediately struck by how much of the work had become ingrained in my thought process. Not least the premise of setting strategic direction rather than goals to push forward in life.
When I worked in packaging design I used to enjoy getting a new diary around October each year. I would prepare it meticulously and write down goals that I wished to achieve in work, karate and family life. When I was a younger man the three seemed to merge but as I have gotten older clearer lines of division have evolved.
After first reading Atomic Habits, I decided to focus more on direction and simply teach ‘classes I would like to train in’ which was my original dojo principle when I started at Petersfield in 2009. Back then Gavin and Stacey were airing its third series and my then girlfriend and I hadn’t discovered it yet although many of our friends were big fans.
Karyn and I found the series sometime around 2011 and became fans after investing in a DVD boxset which we watched repeatedly when our son was a baby and toddler.
This year has been highly anticipated at the dojo as it marked fifteen years of our work in Petersfield and Villages. At the beginning of the year I had announced that there would be a celebration as we reached the milestone and just like the creators of the series, I then felt the pressure to not disappoint or under-deliver.
January.
One principle of my karate direction post 2019 was to have more agency over my own time and not simply ‘work work work’. Since 2021 we had experienced significant growth in our classes and consequently, I was snowed under with admin duties and responsibility to the degree that I was undertaking more of this work per week than I was teaching.
This was never the plan, so it was with great anticipation that I welcomed Sam to our world in January to manage administration, communication and all things ‘front-of-house’ at our classes.
Post Christmas we were soon back in the flow with swelling numbers and smiling faces. Sam set to work on establishing our dojo ‘App’ and helping the membership register and become familiar with its set-up and benefits.
At the end of the month, we held our first merit-grading for the young white belts and hosted a kumite course with our friends Roger and Anna from Bravo karate. Sam and I attended a ‘meet the funders’ event hosted by East Hants council and behind the scenes our work was ramping up.
February
In February our focus was on grading preparation and syllabus familiarity. We purchased some new strength and conditioning equipment and set to work on Saturdays in preparation for a busy year on the competition circuit.
Jon and Harry were attracting new members to our Stroud based classes and Wayne established a new routine that allowed his presence in the dojo despite his ongoing injury frustrations. (Great to have you regularly back in the mix Wayne).
Mid-month I spent a wonderful day training with my good friends Simon Staples and Kevin Slaney which was a success karate wise but a blow-out for my car quite literally. As I drove Sensei Slaney to his hotel, I hit a pothole which destroyed two tyres. Thankfully I limped the car to Kev’s hotel where I parked it overnight.
When I returned in the light of day to collect my car, Sam commented that the restaurant had a fantastic function room. Perhaps everything happens for a reason! That day we found the venue for our fifteenth anniversary party 😊.
Our focus in class was effective kicking, with particular emphasis on Ura-Mawashi. Rich Welch visited the dojo and took some wonderful pictures while Zack stepped up and took a lead in teaching our junior classes.
March
March was a busy month with lots of our members grading. Long standing student Maike passed her black belt (Wunderbar) and we prepared in earnest for the Legend Open at Guildford. Our kata of focus for the month was Empi and our Wednesday classes began to grow at the Taro Centre.
Elliott returned from his collarbone injury to compete in Guildford alongside his teammates. Jessie won her kata division. Anna was victorious in kumite; Jacob won his kumite event, and Tommy demonstrated a significant step up and won his kumite event with impressive head kicks in the final.
We had many other medals too on the day, read the full write up here on the AKA website.
The month rushed by and Zacks new belt arrived from Japan while Sam was busy behind the scenes refining our new policies. A new member Ciani joined us some 25 years since she last trained back in Romania.
April
After the AKA Christmas competition of 2023 we decided to focus on the young beginners to encourage their involvement at the next association level competitions. Consequently, we planned a small-scale club-level tournament for white and orange belt children.
We hosted the event at the Clanfield Centre, and it was a big success. We had a strong attendance with lots of smiling competitors and families. Massive thanks go out to our club members who volunteered to support the day, especially the teenagers from our team who are such great role models to the young ones.
Our focus in the senior classes remained on the kata Empi, while footwork was the focus in our competition classes.
May
May seemed to fly by as our classes continued to be busy and our competition team trained regularly with our friends Roger and Anna.
I had deliberately put our team under pressure to deliver on the day and they did not disappoint winning 31 medals. Brooke took home the Senior outstanding competitor award and many of our younger members built on their experience from our April competition and medalled for the first time.
We introduced the Samurai trophy for student of the month and the first winner was Freddie. Consequently, this trophy is now known as the ‘Samurai Fred Award’.
At short notice I decided to enter the forthcoming WUKF Scottish Open in Dundee and tasked Sam with pulling together a travel plan (Sorry Sam 😊).
June
The month began in exciting fashion with our visit to Scotland where I was thrilled to meet up with Sensei Slaney and our friends from the HKA. We had a very successful run out that showcased our development since our first WUKF event in Wales in June 2023.
There were many stand out performances, but a particular highlight was the all-Petersfield Kumite final between Beau and Elliot and the excitement of the rotation kumite. A full write up can be read here: https://www.petersfieldkarate.co.uk/post/adjusting-to-altitude
The month then flew by in a mist of merit gradings and fun filled classes before its climax with the kyu and dan gradings. It was great to see Jen successfully pass Shodan. I have known Jen for approaching 25 years and it was wonderful to see the young dance enthusiast I once knew finally satisfy her black belt potential.
July
We began July with the summer fete at Clanfield where Zack, Sam and the Hart sisters held the fort while I taught some eventful classes at a church in Liss.
We hosted a Kumite course with Bravo and Jake the Legend showcased some big legs which made for Instagram gold!
It was with a heavy heart that we bid Zack farewell for his gap year travels. Zack has grown into a wonderful young man and a charismatic teacher. Selfishly I wished he wouldn’t go, but I have no doubt he will return with vigour and increased life experience.
August
As we entered the summer holidays, I felt that our kumite team needed a little rest bite, so we paused our Saturday kumite training and replaced it with the study of Ninjushiho in anticipation of Sensei Trimbles visit in September.
After some wonderful conversations with one of my heroes I began some independent research on the nervous system and devised some drills with tennis balls to keep our summer classes light and interesting.
Rob Maynard who had joined the dojo and supported our kata development was awol for good reason as he celebrated the birth of his son Eddie. Hopefully Rob will be back training in 2025.
September
Our routine highlight for September is our annual course with Sensei Aidan Trimble.
This year’s course was the busiest yet and Sensei was in great form. Massive thanks to all who supported the weekend, especially those driving long distances.
Harry expanded our after schoolwork into Rogate after I conducted an assembly. It will be great to see how this young class develops.
Once again we competed on the WUKF circuit at the GB Open in Birmingham. It was a very large tournament with ten matted areas and very big numbers. Our team once again did us proud and Big Sam delivered on his kumite potential with an impressive victory in the cadet division. A full write up can be found here: https://www.petersfieldkarate.co.uk/post/the-percentage-game
At the end of the month I travelled to Inverness where I taught alongside Sensei Ronnie Ross for the first time and was thrilled to see my friend Phil Owen receive his 7th dan grade.
Happiness was tempered with sadness however as I learnt of the passing of my karate senior Ian who had only recently been diagnosed with terminal illness. Ian had a unique sense of fun and had been a stalwart of training when I was growing up.
October
As we entered October the focus was heavily on our forthcoming celebration course and party. Sam was an absolute rock as we ensured that everything was in place for an event that meant so much to me.
Matt Holloways gi finally arrived from Japan and he wore it with pride in the Wednesday classes that he now assists in. Matt re-joined us after a break of twenty plus years and he has proved a massive asset for our classes due to his honest love of karate and kind approach to coaching.
Despite my nerves our course and party were a huge success. Again, friends joined us from as far north as Inverness and I was more than a tad emotional on the day. Here is a link to the write up: https://www.petersfieldkarate.co.uk/post/the-sun-and-half-moon
In the end we donated £380 to the Rowans hospice in honour of my late father. Big thanks to Flex gymnastics who donated a portion of their Halloween party takings to support our gift.
November
Once again, we were in grading season with the all-important final set of tests for the year. 2024 seems to have been dominated by the ladies as Pandora and Rose successfully graded to Shodan.
Both these students began their journey with Jon and Wayne at East Meon and it was with great pride that all four posed together for photographs at the end of the day.
With great anticipation we visited the Highlands for their invitational tournament, and I was thrilled to be there for Sensei Slaney’s promotion and to hear Sensei Ronnies kind words of pride towards him.
Somehow this trip felt as much of a fun holiday as it did a competition and once again, we had some standout performances. It was great to have adult black belts Ciani and Ionut join us on this trip too. Hopefully this was the first of many and a full write up is here on our website: https://www.petersfieldkarate.co.uk/post/it-s-a-wee-coo
December
As we entered the final month of the year I could feel the tiredness in our classes. It had been a busy year and everyone needed a break ….. including me and Sam 😊.
So, we rallied the students and pushed on towards our final AKA competition of the year where once again we had some wonderful results winning thirty of the medals on the day.
My old friend and squad mate Sam Weaver joined us for some training and soon I was overwhelmed with Maltesers and other wonderful Christmas gifts. We finished the year with a large fun filled family class, raffle and performance of the dojo’s 12 days of Christmas.
I love our karate community and thanks to Mr and Mrs Claus for making their annual visit.
Summary
As I have began to read Atomic Habits once again and I have been reminded of the value of purpose and direction over goals.
Whilst goals can help motivate subsequent achievement can often feel disappointing. This is why some students can feel flat once they pass black belt. Perhaps they find themselves asking ‘so what’s next?’
I understood my purpose in 2020 and resolved to focus our work on inspiring confidence in our students so that they can unlock their potential. 2024 has been a busy and fulfilling year of driving us all forward in the pursuit these principles.
When James Cordon and Ruth Jones wrote the first series of Gavin and Stacey around 2006 I am certain that they did not realise it would attract 15+ million views on Christmas day 18 years later. They simply enjoyed writing together and produced something they were proud of.
So, reflecting on their work and our progress this year I feel more confident than ever that success will come if we each focus on our authentic love of our work.
I’m already looking forward to December 2025 and considering ‘what’s occurring’.
Happy days 😊
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