Welsh Chief Referee Appointment

Feb 212026
 
Dan (centre, referee) pictured at the start of a gold medal match at the Commonwealth Karate Championships in Birmingham in 2022.

More (good) refereeing news for Dan, following today’s Welsh Karate Governing Body (WKGB) annual general meeting, where he was appointed as the new Chief Referee for Wales. The role comes with responsibilities for overseeing the running of, and performance of officials at the various WKGB Championships that take place each year, as well as continuing to improve the standards of referees and judges in Wales.

Dan follows in the considerable footsteps of outgoing Chief Referee, Chico Mbakwe (9th Dan), who is stepping down after leading the governing body’s refereeing department for the last 33 years – during which time, he has had a considerable positive influence on both Dan and Mair’s refereeing progress, nationally and internationally.

The position is not new to our club and association either – Chico’s predecessor was our very own Keith Mumberson, founder of Welsh Higashi Karate Kai (WHKK). It is therefore a true honour for Dan to be the next person to lead the officials team in Wales, and we’re very proud of this achievement at Carmarthenshire Karate and WHKK.

Carmarthen Town Sports Awards 2025

Jan 232026
 

Runners up for both Erin and Priyan in their respective categories at the Carmarthen Town Sports Awards held on the 23rd January 2026, in recognition of their achievements and results in karate competition throughout 2025.

Erin’s award came in the Youth Female category.

Priyan’s award came in the Junior Male category.

Llongyfarchiadau chi’ch dau. Da iawn!

WHKK Senior Dan Grade Promotions

Jan 012023
 

We’re very happy to announce the promotion of Welsh Higashi Karate Kai’s senior Dan grades, which were presented at the recent WHKK Senior Grading Examination in Carmarthen. The awards were presented following approval by the Welsh Karate Governing Body and is in recognition of their contribution to karate in Wales, and the high standard of students throughout WHKK’s clubs.

  • Shihan Alan Prosser, 6th Dan
  • Shihan June Prosser, 6th Dan
  • Shihan Mair Phillips, 6th Dan
  • Sensei Eirian Jones, 5th Dan
  • Sensei Dan Phillips, 5th Dan
(not pictured: June Prosser)

Senior Grading Examination, December 2022

Dec 182022
 

Wrapping up a year of hard work and dedication with a senior kyu grade, and WHKK Dan grading at Carmarthen Dojo. The session started with a course from Sensei Alan Prosser (WHKK Chairman) and Sensei Mair Phillips (WHKK Chief Instructor), followed by an intense grading examination in front of the technical committee.

Fourteen candidates were put through their paces, all successful in achieving their next levels, including the following black belts:

Barbora Housova, Shodan (1st Dan)

Yazmin Davies, Nidan (2nd Dan)

Keith Jones, Nidan (2nd Dan)

Congratulations everyone; an excellent way to wrap up a great year for Carmarthenshire Karate.

Llongyfarchiadau i chi gyd!

Carmarthenshire Sports Awards

Mar 102022
 

Carmarthenshire Karate – Team of the Year

Carmarthenshire Sports Awards 2021

Our instructors Dan, Eirian and Mair attended the glamorous Carmarthenshire Sports Awards at The Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli to represent Carmarthenshire Karate, following nomination in the Team of the Year category. This recognised sporting achievements for both 2020 and 2021, following cancelation of the event for 2020.

Actif Clubs Challenge

May 012021
 

This month we’re excited to be taking part in the Actif Clubs Challenge from Carmarthenshire County Council’s Actif Sports & Leisure team – contributing to a county wide initiative aiming for a collective 1 Million active minutes.

Carmarthenshire Karate has been set the target of 132,000 minutes to be reached during May, with any exercise from any of our members counting towards our #millionactifminutes total.

How to take part

Just keep a record of your daily exercise, and submit your actif minutes every week via the online form.

Let’s smash it!

Grading Examination, April 2021

Apr 182021
 

With the return our outdoor classes in March (for our under 18 students), some of our junior members have been put to the test already; reward for all of their hard work in the online dojo during the first three months of the year. In the Nantgaredig sunshine, the thirteen lucky candidates each demonstrated the progress that they have made since their last gradings.

The standard certainly shone through, with some notable belt promotions, including four new 3rd kyus (brown belts):

  • Nerys Davies
  • Ruben Elias
  • Sean Fernandez
  • Ethan Woods

Llongyfarchiadau i chi gyd / Congratulations everyone!

Well done to everyone that achieved their purple, green, orange and yellow belts, as well as those with upgrades within their existing level.

Great to be back at our Nantgaredig outdoor dojo

Apr 112021
 

Following the return of our outdoor classes in Nantgaredig at the end of March, our junior students are already showing the benefits of getting back to in-person training. They’ve been able to hit the ground running too, on the back of three months of uninterrupted online sessions, three times a week.

We’re looking forward therefore, to seeing the first group of our junior grades taking their next examinations on the 18th April, as well as the reopening of our remaining outdoor dojos once adult sessions can resume on the 26th April.

Online dojo keeps us busy

Mar 292021
 

Our online dojo has been very busy in the first few months of 2021, kicking off straight away with three sessions per week from the first weekend in January. These sessions continued right through to the easing of restrictions on organised outdoor activities for children at the end of March.

We’re now keeping our online dojo open for two sessions per week, so that our adult students can keep up their training.

Happy 2021 Hapus

Jan 012021
 
Carmarthenshire Karate 2021

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda // Happy New Year

Standby for our review of 2020…

 Older Entries