West Island Karate Videos - 2011

West Island Karate is blessed to have some very talented people training with us.  One such person is Sorin Pavelesco, a music producer.  For our end of year Karaoke Christmas Party, Sorin decided to create and present a very special gift to Sensei John in the form of a humorous video about the latter.  Spoofing Maroon 5's song "Moves Like Jagger", he recorded his own version called "Moves Like Sensei". :-)  He reproduced all of the instrumentation of the original song with uncanny accuracy and sang the lead vocal with hilarious lyrics that he wrote himself.  His wife, Silvana, provided some great backing vocals for good measure.  He then combined his amazing soundtrack with some video footage of Sensei (donated happily by your humble webmaster) as well as some fun graphics that he found on the web.  The end result is a wonderful juxtaposition of music and visuals, and a very nice tribute to Sensei!  It was a special gift indeed and Sensei was truly touched upon watching this video at our dojo Christmas party.  So without further ado, click on the photo above to enjoy "Moves Like Sensei", courtesy of Sorin Media Inc.

Sempai Vincent performing Saiha at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Sempai Annie performing a powerful Saiha at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Here's little Mya demonstrating remarkable technique for her age (and size) as she performs Pinan Ni at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.  Keep it up Mya!  Well done!

For her kata at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship, Nicky chose to do one that is not often seen in competition, Taikyoku Yon.  Very nice job Nicky!

Alexa performing a very good Pinan Ichi at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Avery's Pinan Ni at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship wasn't quite enough to make the podium, but she was awarded first place anyway due to a scoring error.  When the mistake was discovered, Avery came forward and made an extraordinary gesture of honesty and sportsmanship which filled the entire West Island Karate team (and our dojo) with pride.  Read about it here.  That's one "trophy" that will stand her in good stead for the rest of her life.  Osu Avery!

Marie performing a precise Pinan Ni at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Sensei always tells his students to put "intent" into each movement of their kata.  Julien did exactly that with his excellent Pinan Yon at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.  Great job Julien!  Osu!

Philip performing a very nice Pinan Yon at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Here's diminutive Mya (all 35 pounds of her :-)) fighting in her very first kumite match at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.  Great job Mya!

As you'll see in this kumite match from the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship, Alex is always game to fight (to say the least :-)).

Nicky calmly won this fight at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship as her opponent, tired and discouraged, literally gives up.

Julien doesn't let up in this match at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Thomas fighting a fiesty competitor at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Philip taking on a very spirited opponent in kumite at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.

Wyatt came on strong as the fight progressed, but it wasn't quite enough to take this decision at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship.  Nevertheless, Wyatt gave it his all and should be very proud of his performance!  Osu!

Sempai Vincent used a good mixed bag of tactics at the Karaté Kyokushin Québec Championship and won all of his kumite match-ups, including this one.  Well done Sempai.  Osu!

West Island Karate was invited once again to put on a special demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre as part of their annual Autumn Festival.  This is always a wonderful event and we were honoured to be part of it.  Click on the picture above to watch Sensei John and Sempai Lia take the team through some kihon.  Then check out the 11 other videos from our demonstration which follow below.  Enjoy!

Some of our students performing Pinan Yon at our demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

After the regrettable episode at our tournament last year, Isaiah and Philippe should have known that their kata would have to hold up to close scrutiny from Julien and Nico.  Unfortunately their lackluster performance earned the senior pair another stern (and very public) reprimand during West Island Karate's demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.  The ugly incident marred what had otherwise been a very enjoyable day up to that point.  So sad. ;-)

Stephane took to the stage solo during our demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.  He performed a challenging nunchaku kata and did a great job!  Osu!

For West Island Karate's demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre, Sempai Lia and Em choreographed a new "symmetrical" kata.  Reminiscent of the "mirror" kata they performed at our tournament last year, it again consisted of movements borrowed from various Kyokushin kata.  The result was something fresh, yet traditional, and definitely fun to watch.

Sensei John, Sempai Lia and Em performing Tensho during West Island Karate's demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

A deadly (but cute :-)) display of self-defense techniques during West Island Karate's demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

Sisters had the opportunity to "duke it out" :-) as Alexa faced-off against Mya in a display of kumite at our demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

Julien and Nico doing some sparring at our demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

Ryo and Philippe doing some kumite at our demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

Em and Sempai Lia throwing down :-) at West Island Karate's demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

Much to Isaiah's surprise, Sensei invited him up for a kumite session at our demonstration at the Montreal Japanese Language Centre.

Working at "Houston" (the problem-resolving Admin Table at the 2011 Canadian Junior Kyokushin Championships :-)) didn't afford your humble webmaster much time to videotape the kids for our website.  So with the limited free time I did have, I decided to do something different and record the efforts of my fellow volunteers.  I'm very proud to be part of such a hard-working, focused team that predominantly works behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of our tournament year after year.  It's a monumental effort and Sensei John has expressed many times how grateful he is for our help, without which, there would be no tournament.  So click on the photo above to check out my tribute to our tireless volunteers.  As you'll see, we did manage to share some laughs in the midst of all the hard work. :-)  I hope you have as much fun watching this video as I did putting it together.  You guys rock!  Many thanks to David Boily for the use of some of his photos.  Osu!

Anna performing Pinan Ichi at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Beautiful stances Anna.  Well done.

Here's Avery competing in kumite at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicks to the head were not allowed for this age group.

As often happens at karate tournaments, friends are forced to battle each other.  Such was the case here as Avery faced off against Marie in the finals of their division at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicking to the head was not allowed for their age group.

Chris performing his first ever competition kata, Taikyoku San, at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.

Delaney performing Pinan Ni at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Delaney took a break from karate to pursue other interests, but is back with us once again.  Welcome back Delaney.  Great job.

Isaiah competing in kumite at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicks to the head were not allowed for his age group.

Here's Ivan battling it out at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicking to the head was not allowed for his age group.

Here's little Jenna competing in kumite at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicking to the head was not allowed for her age group.

Jonathan competing in kumite at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicks to the head were not allowed for his age group.

Julian performing Pinan Ni at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.

Julien competing in kumite at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicking to the head was not allowed for his age group.

Here's Sempai Manon performing Garyu in competition for the very first time at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  This kata earned her first place in her division.  Osu Sempai!

Mateusz performing Pinan San at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.

Mathis competing in kumite at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Note that kicking to the head was not allowed for his age group.

At the last minute, little Mya apparently told her mom that she wanted to compete at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  So here is her first ever competition kata, Taikyoku Ni.  It earned her a well-deserved 2nd place trophy.  Well done Mya!

Nick performing Pinan Ichi at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.

Noah performing Yantsu at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.

Philippe performing Gekisai Sho at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  He took second place with this effort, and together with his good friends Isaiah and Stella, they swept their kata division.  Well done Philippe!  Osu!

During this kumite match at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship, Philippe literally served up a 1-2 punch, winning the bout with some potent blows to the midsection. In retrospect, his opponent probably regretted his decision not to wear a chest protector.

Sophia followed her big sister's lead (or was it the other way around? :-)) and performed Pinan Ichi at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.

Stella performing a very nice Gekisai Dai which earned her third place at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Together with her good friends Isaiah and Philippe, they swept their kata division.  Great job Stella!  Osu!

Here's Stephane performing Yantsu at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.  Nice speed Stephane.  Great job!

Thomas competing in kumite at the 2011 Yukan Karate Championship.

Here are some videos of our West Island Karate team competing at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship in Rimouski beginning with this one of Sempai Lia.  The tournament got underway with the junior and adult black belt kata divisions.  The top five competitors in each division advanced to the finals which were contested on the main tatami in the evening.  Sempai repeated her feat from last year at this same tournament by once again capturing the top marks in the adult division both during the day and in the evening.  Click on the photo above to watch her perform a very precise and controlled rendition of Seipai.  Great job Sempai.  Osu!

William served notice at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship with his kata and kumite that he would be someone to watch in the years to come.  Here he is performing Taikyoku San.  Well done William.

Raffi decided to compete at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship at the last minute.  He had to borrow somebody else's dogi to do it, but he managed to pull off a nice Taikyoku Ichi as his very first competition kata.  I just hope he laundered the gi before returning it. :-)  Good job Raffi.

Here's Andrei demonstrating his wonderful technique at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship with a very nice Pinan Ichi.

Nico did a solid Pinan Yon at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship in Rimouski.  Great job Nico!

Julien's Pinan Yon at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship was composed and deliberate.  Very nice Julien.  Osu!

Philip took his time at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship and performed an excellent Pinan San for the judges.

Jessie's Pinan San at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship had a nice flow to it.  Well done Jessie.

Jacob displayed excellent balance and attention to detail in his version of Pinan San at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  Osu!

Here's Philippe performing a precise Pinan Go at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  Good job Philippe.

Here's Isaiah flashing his yoko geri jodan during his Gekisai Sho at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  His technique and intensity earned Isaiah the first place trophy!  Osu!

Em showcased her beautiful technique with her interpretation of Seipai at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship, and as you'll see, the judges weren't the only ones who took notice.  Em earned the top spot with this kata.  Awesome job Em.  Osu!

William is one little sparkplug!  Coached by Sempai Tony, he made it through his first two fights (both against larger opponents) at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  That landed him in the finals of his division, where he was forced into an extension after the regulation round was too close to call.  His amazing perseverance allowed William to capture a well earned first place trophy!  Osu!

Philip managed to conquer his nerves and step back onto the tatami for the 3rd place fight against an old nemesis at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  This time though, HE came out on top, showing great courage in the process.  Very well done Philip.  Osu!

With Wyatt's dad coaching him and urging him on, Wyatt was able to win all his fights at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  Excellent job Wyatt!

Here's one of Jessie's fights on her way to winning her division at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  Great job Jess!

Not to be outdone by his sister :-), Jacob followed Em's coaching instructions to a "T" and earned his own first place trophy from the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship.  Way to go Jacob!

Philippe's excellent cardio and cool demeanor allowed him to outlast his opponent at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship, eventually earning him second place in his division.  Great job Philippe!

Vincent's punches were working for him during this particular fight at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship, so he stuck with them.  Once he made it past this opponent, he eventually placed first in his category.  Well done Vincent!

Not only is Isaiah a very skilled fighter, but he's becoming quite the tactician as well.  During the finals of his division at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship, he changed his strategy when he realized his original approach wasn't working.  His ability to adjust mid-fight allowed him to beat a very tough opponent.  Excellent job Isaiah.  Osu!

Our "karate vacation" in Rimouski to compete at the 2011 Eastern Quebec Championship was one of the best West Island Karate roadtrips in recent memory.  Here's a musical slideshow that our own David Boily put together with the photos he took at the tournament.  Great job Dave...much appreciated!

On April 19th of 2011, Sensei John will be celebrating a very special birthday...his 40th!  Sensei has literally been training over half his life (22 years as of April, 2011) which is an incredible accomplishment.  There's a saying that goes something like, "You can't get where you're going unless you know where you've been".  So I thought I'd put together a "video journey" through Sensei's roots and the humble beginnings of West Island Karate.  Hopefully this will bring back many fond memories for Sensei and for those of us who were around during the dojo's inception.  For the newer students and parents, this video provides a little peek into Sensei's past karate-related experiences and a brief look at some of the students who have passed through our doors over the years.  In order to keep this project a secret, I had to use some images from Sensei's old website which I saved when we started the new one.  These were small, low resolution images which don't enlarge very well, but in this case, the "story" is the important thing.  Sensei, on behalf of everyone at West Island Karate, have a very happy 40th birthday.  Osu!

At the 2011 Gold Cup, Sempai Manon gave it her all during the kata competition.  After her initial kata (Gekisai Sho), she found herself in a tie with another competitor.  Click on the photo above to watch her perform Saiha in an effort to break that tie.  Unfortunately it still wasn't enough as her scores once again matched her opponent's, forcing each of them to do a third kata!  Ultimately, her opponent came out on top by a slim margin, but Sempai Manon can nevertheless be very proud of her efforts.  We certainly were.  Osu Sempai!

Jonathan doing a very nice Pinan San at the 2011 Gold Cup.

Thomas performing Pinan Yon at the 2011 Gold Cup.

Here's Isaiah putting his considerable technique on display with a wonderfully precise version of Gekisai Sho at the 2011 Gold Cup.

West Island Karate has always been about family.  So we'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sempai Patsy on the birth of the newest addition to her family and to our extended dojo family....little Eva!  Sempai Patsy decided to start her off early and brought Eva to the 2011 Gold Cup to compete, but unfortunately there were no other fighters in her weight division. :-)  So mother and daughter were relegated to watching the action from the sidelines (with occasional commentary from Sensei :-)).  Osu Eva-san!  Welcome to West Island Karate.

Sometimes winning is all about HEART.  At the 2011 Gold Cup, Vlad made the finals of his kumite division after dispatching his first two challengers.  Battered and bruised (and doing his best to hide that fact), he faced a tough opponent for his third and final fight of the day.  Both Vlad and his opponent were fatigued and had to dig deep as the fight went into an extension.  Click on the picture above to see how it turned out.  Great fight Vlad!  OSU!

Here's one of Jonathan's fights at the 2011 Gold Cup.  In this match, he threatened to score with his jodan mawashi geri several times, but in the end, the fight went the distance and a decision was required from the judges.  Well done Jonathan.

Thomas always fights like he's breaking out of jail. :-)  Here's one of his matches from the 2011 Gold Cup.

At West Island Karate, Sensei emphasizes proper technique above all else right from the beginning of your training.  Admittedly this may not seem like the most expedient path to success, especially when fighting in tournaments for the very first time against larger opponents who rely primarily on brute force and aggressiveness.  But for those students (and parents) who are patient, the rewards of Sensei's approach become self-evident.  In particular, as our kids' bodies mature and "grow into their technique", the results can be astounding, especially when you consider that their progress has no limits because of this approach.  Isaiah is one such product of this "technique is king" philosophy (and there are many, many others at West Island Karate).  Click on the photo above to watch both of Isaiah's fights from the 2011 Gold Cup and judge for yourself.  As you'll see, Isaiah's technique left his opponents (and their coaches) shaking their heads and laughing to themselves.  Awesome job Isaiah.  Osu!

As impressive as Isaiah's fights were at the 2011 Gold Cup, "knockout of the night" honours have to go to Anna. :-)  In this bout, Anna falls behind after being caught with a kick to the side of her head.  If you listen carefully, you'll hear Sensei calmly tell Anna to "get it back" (referring to the wazari/half-point that her opponent scored for that kick).  What happened next was pretty spectacular.  Fortunately Anna's opponent was only a little shaken up and not seriously injured (thanks to her helmet).  Great job Anna.  Osu!

Sempai Lia arrived at the tournament venue only to discover that she had been unwittingly registered by Sensei for the kata competition at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament! :-D  Sempai Lia knows better than to argue once Sensei has his mind made up, so here she is performing a wonderful, last minute version of Kanku as "mandated" by Sensei that morning. :-)  Awesome job Sempai.  Osu!

Sophia performing her first ever competition kata at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.

Not to be outdone by little sister :-), here's Anna performing her very first competition kata at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.

Jessie performing Pinan Ni at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.

In keeping with our sibling rivalry theme :-), Jacob decided to change his kata at the last minute and do Pinan Ni instead, so he could keep up with his little sister at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament. :-)

Julien performing Pinan Yon at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.  Gotta love those "intense" facial expressions. :-)

Here's one of Ryan's fights at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.  It was a closely contested battle in which he forced an extension, but the decision was eventually awarded to his opponent.  Well done Ryan.  Osu!

Imagine being an orange belt in your first ever competition kumite and finding out that you have to fight a BROWN belt!  That's what Anna had to face at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.  Despite those odds, Anna was able to control her nerves and let her West Island Karate training take over (it also helps when you have Sensei as your corner coach :-))!  Great job Anna...OSU!

Jessie doing kumite at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.  She really worked for this victory.

Jonathan taking on a tough opponent at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.

Unfortunately if you do enough of these tournaments, it's likely that you'll end up facing off against a friend/training partner from your own dojo.  That was the position that Thomas and Jonathan found themselves in, forcing good friends to battle each other at the 2011 Joliette Kanreikai Tournament.  With true Kyokushin spirit, they both fought hard and still finished the match as friends.  Great fight guys!  Osu!

Click on the above photo to watch one of Jasmine's fights from the 2011 Mas Oyama Canadian Cup.  Note that all the competitors at this particular tournament were instructed to exercise greater control and use less power in their techniques. The wearing of helmets and/or chest protectors was therefore optional.  But despite Jasmine's excellent control, her opponent (who opted to fight without protection) was forced to concede the match because the strikes (as light as they were) became too uncomfortable.

As often happens at karate tournaments, friends are sometimes forced to fight each other.  This was the case here as Ivan had to face-off against Julian in the later rounds of their division at the 2011 Mas Oyama Canadian Cup.  It was a very close match in which Julian prevailed despite a very scary moment when the back of his head hit the tatami with a pronounced "thump".  Fortunately Julian was wearing his helmet and was only slightly shaken up.  Great fight guys!  Osu!

This video features one of Thomas' fights from the 2011 Mas Oyama Canadian Cup.  As mentioned above, it was very difficult for the kids to exercise the greater control asked of them.  If one competitor happened to strike a bit harder, the other would instinctively reciprocate.  This was only natural, especially given that both combatants were trying to win the fight.  With their ability to kick high, it was fortunate that both Thomas and his opponent at least wore their helmets.

Here's another case of friends pitted against each other at the 2011 Mas Oyama Canadian Cup.  In this match, Philip and Julien had to "duke it out" in a very closely contested fight.  Great job guys!  Osu!

Click on the photo above to watch Wyatt pick on someone his own size (NOT!) at the 2011 Mas Oyama Canadian Cup. :-)  Fortunately his dad/coach was too busy talking on his cellphone with his broker to notice (watch carefully at the end of the regulation round :-D).  Wyatt showed a lot of heart taking on such a big opponent and certainly earned his victory.  Very well done Wyatt!  Osu!

Just a few days prior to the 2011 Mas Oyama Canadian Cup, Ryo decided he wanted to compete.  At the time, I don't think he was aware that his match would be one of the featured, semi-contact fights in the evening which take place in a boxing ring. :-)  Ryo had every reason to be nervous (his mother certainly was :-)), but fought with confidence and did a great job (of course it also helps when your corner coach is Sensei :-)).  Omedetou gozaimashita Ryo-san!

2011 will mark the 10th edition(!) of our annual tournament, the Canadian Junior Kyokushin Championships (formerly named the Matsushima Canadian Championships).  Since its inception, we have hosted the very best junior karateka (under 18) from dojos across Canada and the United States, and even some from as far as Aruba and Romania.  With representation from a wide array of karate organizations, the level of competition is always high - an ideal environment for the participants and spectators alike.  Click on the picture above to watch a preview of the 2011 Canadian Junior Kyokushin Championships which will take place on May 14th.  We look forward to celebrating our 10th anniversary with you.  Osu!