Martial Arts Canada students took part in the club’s annual Shiai, an interclub tournament. The tournament focused on the encouraging the children to try new skills and show off their basics to the Black Belt Senseis.
It is the culmination of their training, in sparring, weapons, kata, and creating self-defense routines. Advanced students even added gymnastics and music to their kata to provide additional style. Participants of the tournament came from various Martial Arts Canada locations such as Aylmer, Langton, St. Thomas, Port Stanley, Tillsonburg, and Straffordville.
Tillsonburg had 22 students in the tournament and most of them are competing for the first time. Sensei Sara Ens judged the youngest division of the Shiai and said she enjoyed seeing 5 year old martial artists possessing the spirit of karate. She added that it aws amazing to see them concentrating and at the same time having fun. She said that the big smile at the end of the routine makes all their hard work worth it. They know that their students have been working hard and at the same time having fun competing. 
The Shiai has been a long standing tradition of the Martial Arts Canada. It supports the values that the karate club is proud of. It brings together all the students from different locations and provides parents and relatives to cheer the students. It is usually held during the Mother’s Day weekend and flowers were given to all the mothers present as simple appreciation for allowing their kids to take part in the sport.
Sensei Sara Ens has been with the school since she was only 7 years old. She believes that the family nature of the Martial Arts Canada is the cog that keeps it together for years. Everyone encourages each other and everyone treats each other as family.
Photo by MartialArtsNomad (Flickr: Submission Grappling) [CC-BY-2.0], undefined
