Coaching Course and Black Belt Gradings

 We are pleased to confirm the times and date of both our coaching course and black belt gradings. They will be held on Saturday the 27th of November at Castleton Community Centre. The junior coaching course will run from 2.30-3.30pm and the junior gradings from 3.30-4.30pm. The senior coaching course will begin at 4.30pm and run until 5.45 folowed by the senior gradings. To book your place please contact Hanshi Riley.

Middleton Arena

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that classes at Middleton Arena have stopped after 35 years. Hanshi Riley has been running Katana at the arena and firmly put Middleton on the map as a heartland of quality Jiu-Jitsu. Hanshi is very proud of his achievements at the arena and of the hundreds of students who have trained there. Whilst this is the end of Katana at the arena it is definitely not the end of the club. All students in Middleton will be welcomed with open arms at all Katana clubs, most notably at Castleton Community Centre where additional classes start on the 24th of May. As a club we have had some great times at Middleton Arena, especially with our international classes. 

 

New class at Castleton- Juniors and seniors

 We are delighted to announce that we are able to offer an additional class at Castleton Community Centre. The classes will be on Mondays, starting on the 24th of May. The junior class will start at 6.45pm and a senior class at 7.45 pm. Due to COVID-19 the class sizes are limited so book now to avoid disappointment!

Training times update

 We are delighted to be able to announce that places for our junior training sessions are filling up fast, particually for the 6.45pm session. Please remember that places for these sessions are limited and will be allocated on a "first come first serve" basis. To avoid dissapointment please book your places soon.

Training times

 We are delighted to announce that we are approaching the time when we can commence training. For the time being we can only hold junior classes with seniors beginning again once social distancing measures are lifted.

Junior classes will resume on the 21st May at Castleton Community Centre. There will be two sessions, 1 at 6.45pm and 1 at 7.45pm. We have restricted numbers for each session so it is essential to book a place each week. Please contact Hanshi Riley to book your place.

We are all looking forward to seeing you soon!

Merry Christmas

 2020 has been a tough year for us all but the future is beginning to look a lot brighter and their is light at the end of the tunnel. Hanshi Riley and his coaching team wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

We have been away for a long time but hopefully we will be back into training very soon. Keep an eye out for further information, we will be back and better than ever as soon as we can.

Sensei Patrick Walker

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Sensei Patrick Walker who passed away this week. Patrick was a great practitioner who gave his all in training, achieving his 1st Dan grade last year. His death has shocked us all and our sincere condolences go out to his family. He was loved and respected by everyone at the club and was someone who optimised the values of Katana. We all will miss him and carry his spirit with us everytime we are on the mats. RIP Patrick, oss.

Bonnar Coleano

It is great regret and sadness that we share the news of Sensei Bonnar Coleano's passing on Sunday the 29th March 2020, aged 74. Bonnar trained with Katana for many years and will be greatly missed by us all. He leaves children Alex, Maria, Heidi, Donnar, Rudi and Hollie as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

May he rest in peace.

Class Closures

It is with great regret that due to the current Covid-19 pandemic all Jiu-Jitsu classes in Middleton and Castleton will be cancelled after tonight's (19/03/20) session. For the time being the Sunday class at Royton scout hut will be continuing. We have not taken this decision lightly, but the safety of our students, their guardians and our instructors is our highest priority. We have taken this decision in-line with government and scientific policy. We hope to re-open as soon as possible but as I am sure you will all be aware it is, at the moment, impossible to say when this will be. I will continue to keep you all updated through this site and our Facebook page.

I hope that you all stay safe and I look forward to seeing you all again when the worst is behind us.

Best wishes,
Hanshi William Riley

Black Belt Gradings

A huge congratulations to everyone who took part in the gold tab and black belt gradings on Saturday. Continuing the Katana tradition the gradings were of the highest quality. Everyone has worked extremely hard towards their gradings and should be very proud of themselves- Katana is!

Katana International 2020

We are very excited to announce that the annual international conference for 2020 will be held on the 17th October at Middleton Arena. The event will start at 2.30pm and run until 5pm. Keep checking this site and our facebook page as we announce our guest instructors.

2020 Grading Dates

Black belt and gold tabs:

7th March and the 3rd October at Castleton Community Centre.

2.30 - 4pm for Juniors and 4 - 6pm for seniors.

Club Gradings:

24th May and the 27th September at Middleton Arena.

1.30 - 3.30pm for both juniors and seniors.

Christmas

We finish 2019 on Sunday the 22nd of December to give us all enough time to defrost the turkey, put the star on the tree and settle down for Santa to arrive. We will be back in the new year on the 5th of January at Royton Scout hut ready to train hard in preparation for the first grading of the year on Sunday the 26th of January in Middleton Arena.

From all of us at Katana Jiu Jitsu clubs we wish you a merry christmas and a very happy new year. We can't wait to see you all in the new year when we will all be working off those mince pies and selection boxes.

Gladiator School

We are very excited to announce our new "Gladiator School" held in Royton Scout Club every Sunday. The Katana School of Gladiators is focussing on getting fit through grappling and sparring, also known as boxercise. The Gladiator class will not just aid fitness but boost confidence and self-esteem. It is a fantastic class open to both junior and senior members. Times are:4-5pm for juniors and 5.15-6.15 for seniors.

International Seminar 2019

Katana Jiu-Jitsu Club hosted it's annual international seminar on Saturday the 12th October. As always it was a fantastic event and very well attended. This year was one of our biggest with an amazing line up of guest instructors. We would like to thank all the guest instructors for supporting the event and passing on their knowledge to all the attendees. Thank you to Hanshi Riley, Soke Mancini, Shihan Ntanovaslis, Sensei Mitchell Sensei Fraser and Sensei Clarke for their great instruction.

Thank you to our amazing line-up of instructors, their techniques were amazing and their passion inspiring.

 

These events could not continue without the support of the students and clubs who attend. We offer a huge thank you to Reading Jiu Jitsu, Chorley Jiu Jitsu, Katana Jiu Jitsu, Leigh and Westhoughton Jiu-Jitsu, Poole Jiu-Jitsu, White Tiger and Leeds Kodokan for their support.

 Thank you to everyone who attended and supported this event.

Black Belt Gradings and Coaching Course

We had a fantastic day on the 5th October at our Autumn black belt gradings and coaching course.

The day started with our junior coaching course where students learnt the importance of health and safety, how to conduct warm-ups, the science behind a warm-up and first aid skills. All our juniors did exceptionally well and fully deserved their awards.  

Following directly on from their coaching course our juniors went directly into their gradings. We have come to expect great skill and technique from our students during their gradings and they did not disappoint us.  It was a tough afternoon for them all but they did not let us down, they were all fantastic and fully deserving of their new grades. A special mention must go to Reuben Adefoly who was promoted to junior black belt!

THe afternoon continued into the senior coaching course where duty of care, risk assessment, loco parentis, health and safety, session planning and first aid were all covered. Just like the juniors before them, the seniors passed the course with flying colours.

  We continued straight into their 1st Dan gradings where our three candidates were certainly made to work hard- there was not a dry Gi in the dojo! They all proved themselves more than worthy of a black belt, showing dedication, commitment and skill. Congratulations to Dennis, Patrick and Andy from all of us at Katana.

 

October International

The October international course is getting closer  and there is no let-up in making the course  one of the best ever hosted. We are delighted to announce that the great Sensei Alex Fraiser had agreed to pass on his knowledge alongside our other great instructors. 

• Hanshi William Riley
• Soke Stefano Mancini
• Shihan Solon Ntavovasilis
• Sensei Alex Fraiser
• Sensei Tony Siong
• Sensei Peter Clarke
• Sensei Les Mitchel

Tickets for this event are priced at £25 for seniors and £20 for juniors. For more information or to book yourplace on the course please contact us at katanajj@gmail.com.

Hanshi William Riley

Sensei Alex Fraser

 Sensei Les Mitchel

 Sensei Peter Clarke

 Soke Stefano Mancini

Sensei Tony Siong

Shihan Solon Ntavovasilis

Getting better and better

Not content with being a national champion our very own Carys Williams continues to push herself to greater heights. This week Carys in not only our Golden Glove winner but also gained her junior black and red belt in Kobudo. Congratulations from us all!

Prefects

A huge congratulations to Marcus O'Keefe and Declan Tilby who have been promoted to "Prefects" by Hanshi Riley. Marcus and Declan join a very important group who uphold the values of the club and act as role models to our junior members. Congratulations from us all and keep up the good work! 

 Prefect Marcus O'Keefe

Prefect Declan Tilby

Carys Williams- National Champion

In her debut competition, our very own Carys Williams won gold at the AMA National competition in Bury this weekend. It was a fantastic competition with experienced competitors from all over the country but it was Carys who came out on top with her sensational kata. The Katana family is incredibly proud of Carys and we cannot wait to see her undoubted further success.

 Our Golden girl, Carys with her gold medal- National champion!

 A very proud coach, Hanshi Riley, with National champion Carys

Katana Jiu Jitsu International Course

On the 12th of October this year Katana Jiu Jitsu Clubs will be hosting their annual international course at the Middleton Arena. The event will run from 2.30 pm until 5 pm. We are proud and excited to be able to announce our fantastic line-up of expert practitioners who will be passing on their techniques at this years conference;

• Hanshi William Riley
• Soke Stefano Mancini
• Shihan Solon Ntavovasilis
• Sensei Tony Siong
• Sensei Peter Clarke
• Sensei Les Mitchel

Tickets for this event are priced at £25 for seniors and £20 for juniors. For more information or to book yourplace on the course please contact us at katanajj@gmail.com.

Hanshi William Riley

 Sensei Les Mitchel

 Sensei Peter Clarke

 Soke Stefano Mancini

Sensei Tony Siong

Shihan Solon Ntavovasilis

Black Belt Gradings

We had a fantastic day last Saturday at our black belt gradings. We have come to expect excellence at Katana Jiu-Jitsu Clubs and once again we were not dissapointed. A huge degree of technical skill was shown, everyone gave it their all and everyone passed theirgradings with flying colours. You can all be very proud of yourselves as all of Katana is proud of you.

A special congratulations goes out to all our new junior black belts; Grace, Jessica, Joshua, Declan, Zac and Jay.

We also saw Sensei Karen put in a spectacular performance to earn her third Dan and Sensei Mark working extermly hard to earn his coverted red jacket and 6th Dan.

Congratulations to Sensei Mark on his red jacket (he desperately needed a new one anyway!) and promotion to 6th Dan.