On Saturday 29th August 2026, twenty six students from Kokoro Kai took part in this year’s British Championships. The venue was the Walsall Sports Centre in the grounds of Wolverhampton University. Some members of the team arrived on the Friday evening to enjoy the comforts of the Holliday Inn in Walsall. Here they soaked up the exciting atmosphere as all the competitors and various groups began to arrive from all over the country. Others chose to rise early and journey up on the Saturday morning.
The Championships began promptly with Pairs Demo, Empty Hand Kata and Weapons Kata . After a short break for lunch, we then proceeded with all the Random Attack, Advanced Randoms and Continuous Fighting categories.
Team members this year came from our Hornchurch, and Stanstead Abbotts clubs. Chief Instructors and Senior National Referees Mark and Claire Fitz-Gerald were joined by Coach’s from our Fendland and Stanstead Abbotts clubs. Fantastic results were produced once again, with a total medal tally this year of 28 medals, with several of the team competing for the first time.
What an honour and a privilage it has been to work with such a wonderful team of people and to play our part in helping to produce another successful Championships. Thank you to all our competitors – keep up the good work!
We look forward to doing it all again next year
Well done and thanks to everone for their support.
Mark & Claire Fitz-Gerald, 8th Dan. https://kokorokai.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/164/2026/09/MEDALS-TABLE-2026.pdf
