Three wins for CARISMA at the Suffolk Combat – September 2013

20130915_134104On Sunday 15 September 8 CARISMA fighters attended the Suffolk Combat event organised by Pete Dunnett of CKA and managed to secure 3 first places.

Here a short description of each fight:

  • Kostas Ziovas, member of the Cambridge University Kickboxing Society – CUKBS – on his third fight, was the first fighter from CARISMA being on the ring and despite a good combination of alternated punches and kicks was defeated by just one point.
  • Alex Kravetz, also at his third fight, managed to deliver some good combinations of punches and kick and securing the first win of the day albeit by one point.
  • Natasha Taylor, on her second fight, was definitely affected by nerves and not performing as we have seen her in the past.  Facing a very aggressive and pushing opponent she managed to use a variety of accurate punches and kicks to score repeatedly and secure the second win of the day.
  • Nina Street, at her first fight and with just 3 months of experience in kickboxing, managed to deliver a very good fight with variety of combinations of effective punches and kicks but she was defeated by a slightly more experienced opponent.
  • Lukasz Siobisz, at his first fight, showed a good repertoire of kicks and punches but was defeated by a slightly more skilled opponent who managed to score more.
  • Max Larkinson, at his first fight, delivered a great show with very good combinations of well alternated punches and kicks, interleaved with great foot work and accurate timing.  He secured and obvious third first for the day.
  • Jarek Rzepecki, at his second official fight despite his long experience in martial arts, delivered a good fight with the broadest variety of techniques seen on the day.  Despite what it looked as an obvious win he was defeated by judges’ decision.
  • Raz Jabary, member of CUKBS – on his second fight and following a recent injury, delivered a very good fight with some powerful combinations of kicks and punches.  Despite the initial recommendations of strictly enforced Light Contact style the referee allowed a level of contact that was way out of our expectations and Raz, somehow confused, kept fighting with a level of pressure that was just not enough to keep his opponent at bay.

A successful career in fighting sport must start somewhere and small regional tournaments are the right environment for building experience from scratch, while ensuring safety and reasonably fair judging.  We thank Pete Dunnett and his team for another well delivered event.  Videos of the fights will be available soon.

CARISMA secures two National Champions at the ICO National tournament

(L to R) Luca, Phil, Charlie, Ollie, Alex and Massimo

(L to R) Luca, Phil, Charlie, Ollie, Alex and Massimo

Glorious day for CARISMA on Sunday 14 April, at the ICO National Kickboxing tournament organised by Peter Dunnett of CKA in Bury St.Edmunds.  CARISMA secured, with five of our athletes taking part in the tournament, two national titles (Olaoluwakitan “Ollie” Osunkunle and Luca Senatore), and 2 second places (Phil Richardson and Charlie Gilmour).

Phil Richardson, category men -70Kg, (part of Cambridge University Kickboxing Society  CUKBS and member of the Varsity team 2012 that won against Oxford on 2nd of May) fought the final with his usual rich arsenal of punches and kicks but could not avoid being hit several times by an opponent with very fast legs, securing a second place.

Charlie Gilmour, category men -75Kg, (also part of CUKBS and member of the Varsity team 2012) did a very good fight, against an opponent that on paper looked very good but resourced to simple combinations of simple kicks and punches.  After an initial draw the judges decided to have an extra 30 second-round where  Charlie’s opponent managed to play that extra bit to secure a victory leaving Charlie with another second place for the day.

Ollie Osunkunle, category men -85Kg, (also part of CUKBS and member of the Varsity team 2008, 2011 and 2012) fought the semifinal against a tough opponent, who was convinced that blocking punches with his head was a good idea.  Despite Ollie’s very controlled techniques his opponent felt dizzy after a few strikes and the referee penalized Ollie with a point deduction for excess of contact… Despite the disadvantage Ollie secured this first victory and went on to fight the final.  In the final Ollie demonstrated a great level of control of the ring together with a broad variety of techniques applied at different ranges.  He totally annihilated his opponent, who had to be stand counted twice during the fight, and secured the first belt for the day.

Alex Kravetz, category men -90Kg, with just 6 months experience in kickboxing and at his first external fight, fought the semifinal with good technique but his lack of experience allowed his opponent to secure the victory.

Luca Senatore, category veteran men 80+Kg, the most experienced CARISMA fighter at this tournament, went straight into the final against a very heavy handed opponent whose strategy was to pin Luca against the ropes and punch him.  Luca showing great foot work and evasive strategies managed to score endless times with both punches and kicks, achieving an undisputed second victory and belt.

Once more CARISMA has demonstrated that good technique and strategic work, combined with regular and consistent training, keeps delivering great results and this event is there to prove it.

Videos of the event will follow in due course.

Competition in Bury St.Edmunds December 2012 – the results

Another good result for CARISMA at the CKA competition in Bury St.Edmunds yesterday:

  • Phil Richardson managed to easily control his opponent throughout the three rounds and secured a clear victory.
  • Alan Brand found a shorter and aggressive opponent that neatly won the first round. Alan managed to ramp up his strategy and aggressiveness scoring with a few kicks  and increasing pressure from his upper body recovering the situation and winning.
  • Felix Schmitten, in a rematch with the same opponent, lost this time by a small and nearly arguable fraction.
  •  Simone Masiero, at his first fight, lost against a much taller and aggressive opponent; however he managed to fend off many of his attacks and, given a bit more experience he could have turn the result in his favour.

Once more a demonstration that hard work and preparation is paying back and any determined person can actually learn how to fight and to win.

Competition in Bury St.Edmunds – December 2012

There is CKA light contact continuous competition scheduled for 9 December in Bury St. Edmunds.  All fights will be pre-matched with people of same gender, similar experience and weight.  If interested we need to collect personal details (Full name, Date of birth and experience) and the fighter’s fee of £12.  Spectators are very welcome at £6 each.