B.C.C.M.A Junior British Championships 2004

Sil Lum Kune recently fielded a team of 48 'Little Ninja' students and Junior Kung Fu students at the BCCMA Junior British Championships at Reading on the 2nd May 2004. The Championship is open to BCCMA members from all over the UK. It is an opportunity for the juniors to compete against other martial artists of the same age and ability.The competitors are aged from 7 to 17 and take part in different elements of Chinese Martial Arts. There are several forms categories that are made up of Modern Wushu Forms, Modern Weapons, Traditional Northern Forms, Traditional Southern Forms and Traditional Weapons. Sil Lum Kune follows a traditional syllabus.There is also traditional Chinese Sparring known as Qingda. Qingda is continuous sparring with different points being scored for different types of kicks and punches as well as points for sweeps and push outs etc. The power must only be 10% and the judging is very strict. Qingda is a fantastic way to develop sparring ability without the combatants hurting each other.

The emphasis of the Ninja club is fun, but the training develops the balance, co-ordination, discipline and confidence of the children who train. The key elements use games for co-ordination, sparring technique, basic stances, kicks and blocks.Kung Fu is as the word means, Hard Work. We expect high standards of discipline and effort but enjoy a few games as well! For some of the children it was their first ever competition.Nearly 250 children and teenagers took part in the competition with representation from some of the biggest associations in the UK. The competition in every aspect was outstanding and every competitor gave 100%. It was fantastic to see so many people supporting Chinese Martial Arts. The future of Chinese Martial Arts in the UK is in the hands of some very talented children.

34 kids out of the Sil Lum Kune squad won medals, some entering more than one event, winning a total of 43 medals in total. It was a great day and all thanks to the officials who worked so hard to organise the event. Thanks also to the judges who spent some 10 hours refereeing and judging the fights and forms including Master Chen Lei, several times winner of the Chinese
National Championships. Finally a big thank you to the parents and coaches and of course the children themselves who conducted themselves with honour and grace throughout the day.