Gibraltar April 2022
Poole Ju jitsu club arranged to visit its sister club in Gibraltar which is headed by Sensei Tony Joaquin 7th Dan. The seven members who travelled were Sensei Andy Walker, Sensei Luca Infante, Sensei George Pearce & Sensei Karen Nuttall. We also had planned gradings for three junior members – Madi Ward, Leon James & Louisa Hayward.
It was an eventful journey to get the team there with flights being diverted to Faro, Portugal and Malaga, Spain but we didn’t let a few challenges stop us in our tracks.
Friday evening saw the three juniors take part in the normal Friday night class taken by Sensei Tony. They were welcomed by the Gibraltarian students which calmed the nerves in readiness for their gradings on Saturday.
Saturday’s course was headed by Sensei Walker who enthralled both the Little Warriors and the Juniors’ class with Uki Sensei Karen (best Uki ever!) working on fun techniques for the little ones.
A range of techniques were taught with a few special workout techniques which the juniors loved and had a go at. All the juniors & little warriors were given a special gift of treats for their efforts by the visiting team and team photographs were taken to mark the occasion. 
Next up was the adult class led by Sensei Luca & Sensei George with a few little extras from Sensei Walker & Sensei Karen. It was a great display of techniques, both demonstration style and working techniques and all the adults gave their best, working hard to perfect the moves.
We are very proud of Madi and Leon who achieved their Brown belts and Louisa who achieved her Blue belt, all under the watchful eye of Sensei Tony. Each of them performed to their very best during the gradings and represented the club well.
It was a real pleasure bringing Poole Ju jitsu Club to Gibraltar, sharing techniques and building on great relationships with
our sister club. The Gibraltar students were fully engaged and enthusiastic and the course was very well attended by all age groups.
Unfortunately we had to depart on Sunday morning – but not before a fabulous night out. A fantastic meal and a few drinks rounded off the weekend perfectly. Now, where shall we go next?!
What a great time and achievement by all. Having seen the effort put in the weeks before, to sharpen the techniques ready for the trip, I could see all the effort put in by all adults and juniors was 110% Which is the dedication that members feed off one another, wanting to be proud of themselves and Poole Ju jitsu
Poole Ju jitsu on tour – what a great trip. So proud of Madi, Leon and Louisa – well done guys! And Saturday’s course was so much fun whilst teaching and showcasing some great techniques. A brilliant weekend – thank you Sensei Andy for organising and Sensei Tony for hosting. Looking forward to our next trip!