On Friday afternoon we were honoured to have Mr Harrison come in to teach us a few Karate moves. He brought one of his karate students, Gillen with him. He explained that he has been learning the art of Karate for 30 years and is a black belt. He has competed all around the world including Russia and Japan. Karate means ’empty hands’ and Karate-Do means ‘the way of empty hands’. He explained that Karate began in the island of Okinawa when attackers took away the islanders weapons, so they had to use only their bare hands and feet to break through the defences.

Mr Harrison taught us that when practising Karate you should be calm and quiet to allow you to fully focus on yourself and your movements. At some points you could hear a pin drop – well done! Before practising blocks with a partner you have to bow and say ‘Osu’ (pronounced ‘oss’). We also had to opportunity to practise our punches and kicks using pads held by Mr Harrison and Gillen.

The final treat was a sight to behold! Gillen broke a piece of wood using only his elbow! Before hitting the board he focussed his thoughts and became very quiet and calm. It all happened very quickly and we were very impressed. A huge thank you to Mr Harrison and Gillen for taking the time to work with us and teach us a few moves.