A swathe of junior trainees from the Shepparton and Benalla dojos, aged between nine and 11, converged for Sunday’s grading showcase — marking the first time the two Kaizen cohorts have crossed paths for an event of this nature.
There was plenty of progression on show across the day in the karate-affiliated martial art of zen do kai, with nine juniors progressing from green to brown belts, while one ticked off a significant milestone in being awarded the prized black belt.
There was, of course, plenty to like from the perspective of head trainer Mick Clark after a day which embodied the Japanese Kaizen phrase, meaning “continuous improvement”.
“It’s the first time I’ve made a big day of (crossing over) in regards to juniors,” Clark said.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to let all of those students showcase their skills.
“We’ve had tournaments and the like where they’ve crossed over, but not before in the grading aspect.
“For that age group, it was all pretty good. When the two groups showcased their skills together, the standard was very even, so that was good to see.”
The two Kaizen Dojos train primarily in two disciplines, offering classes either for zen do kai or muay thai, closer to what mixed martial arts observers would be familiar with.
Clark hailed the commitment of his burgeoning brigade, which balances other commitments alongside dojo training.
“I was very happy with the standard as some students have been training with me for six years,” Clark said.
“Sometimes those students are involved with other sports and can’t train on a regular basis.
“Kids who have been here two or three years are training two or three times a week.”
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