It’s sweat, discipline, and pure determination at Kazoku Martial Arts Centre in Cambridge, Ont. as young athletes remain laser-focused—each drill, each strike, bringing them closer to their goal: standing on the podium at Nationals.
“It’s a lot of mental training and a lot of just focusing on how to manage our stress while we’re preparing for a national tournament and then potentially join Team Canada,” said James Wyatt, sensei and owner at Kazoku.
With just one week to go until they hop on a plane to Richmond, British Columbia, training is ramping up.
“Right now, [what’s] running through my head is what I plan on doing for each round and preparing myself mentally for that,” said sensei, AJ Geurts.
The road to Nationals isn’t just about physical skill—it’s a mental game, too.
“Overall training started way back in September for qualifying tournaments,” said Wyatt. “The biggest thing is having trust with the coach because you’re putting yourself out there in a position where you’re going to be judged.”
Wyatt says competitors need razor-sharp focus and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
“They understand the control that goes with that. They don’t want to knock the person out, they want to show that they can punch cleanly, technically, timely and all that at the right point to get the points that they need in order to win the match,” he explained.
High-speed sparring, conditioning and strategy sessions are all part of the grind.
“I’m definitely nervous, but I think I’m more excited than anything,” said student, Madelyn Armitage. “It’ll be fun and an experience.”
The competition comes several months after some of the centre’s athletes jetted off to Japan to train with head karate instructors.
For 16-year-old Armitage, it was an experience of a lifetime.
“It was definitely hard; training was really hard compared to here. [It was] very hot and humid too. But I think it was a really good experience.”
“They’re very accurate,” added Wyatt. “They have a different mindset in Japan. It’s about that pursuit to perfection. So, over here trying to reprogram how we think and how we see things and how we approach our training.”
But now, the countdown is on.
“If they land top three, they then get the honour of joining Team Canada,” said Wyatt. “So, if they get second or first place, we could see some of our guys going to the Pan Am Games.”
And if training is any indication, Kazoku’s fighters are ready for battle.
“From the time that I walk onto the mat, to the time that I leave, it’s just sheer bliss,” said Geurts. “Just being able to perform with everything I got without a care in the world.”
Athletes as young as 14 years old and up to 19 years old from the centre will be flying out to compete at Nationals.
“The biggest question that we’ve been getting from our students actually is would we be disappointed if they lost at the end of the day? I told them, ‘if you get on that mat, you’ve won,’” said Wyatt.
