SSKA Hosts 2 Current World Karate Champions
SSKA had the honour of hosting two of the current world karate champions for a week from Tuesday 1st April to Monday 7th April. The trip was organised by the Club's Chief Instructor, Sensei Issam Shreiff, himself a current International Referee.
Mostafa Ibrahim and Sarah Assem came to London to share with us their expertise and experience in high level competitions. Sensei Shreif put them through their paces as soon as they arrived, and he gave them private training sessions. The next day they trained with SSKA students before travelling with the team to Sheffield to the English Karate Federation National Championships in Ponds Forge Centre in Sheffield on Saturday 5th April.
During the competition, the organisers halted the competition half way through and cleared all six tatamis is order for Mostafa to give a kata demonstration . He performed Unsu with such professionalism that there were a few oos and aahs in the crowd. His power, stances and general form are at such a high level that he definitely was an aspiration to all karate players present.
Mostafa is the only individual in the history of karate in kata, other than Luca Valdesi, to have won 2 gold medals at one competition. At the last World Junior and Cadet Championships in Istanbul Turkey, Mostafa won gold in Individual kata and in team kata. Sarah won bronze at the same championships in Individual kata.
The Club said a special thank you to these two exceptional players and the most praise went to Sensei Shreiff for giving the Club's students the rare opportunity of training with such high level players.
SSKA is the only karate club in England to have brought such high level players to train in kata with the club.
