Angus mother and daughter go for gold together at karate world championships

An Angus mother and daughter are training to take on the best boxers at the World Karate Championships in Mexico next month.

Nicola and Allanah Denny will be joined by Kanzen Karate clubmate Cerys Hawes on the plane to Monterrey for the WUKF showdown from July 11-14.

And Tayside athletes have enlisted the help of sports scientists from Abertay University to prepare for a title challenge.

Staff and students from the university’s Faculty of Applied Sciences worked with the trio to get them in top condition for the challenge.

2023 WUKF silver success

Nicola from Newbigging says it’s great fun training with 17-year-old Alannah.

And the 40-year-old, who runs the Martial Art Ink tattoo studio in Arbroath, has a clear goal in Mexico.

She was one step away from gold when Dundee hosted the WUKF meeting last summer.

“I definitely feel stronger and fitter than before the world championships in Dundee last year,” said Nicola.

“Last year I won a silver medal, so I hope Abertay’s input has enabled me to improve in Mexico.

She added: “I signed Allanah and her sister up for karate first, just to get some fitness, and she got really good – good enough to go to the world championships.

“And I thought it looked nice, so I tried it myself.

“We train together. It keeps you fit and healthy and it’s a lot of fun.

“It’s one thing to see your daughter compete in a world championship, but the opportunity to compete with her is so special for me as a mother, and for the whole family.”

Fitness boost

Nicola added: “I find the Abertay program very useful for my general fitness and my ability to get through fights without feeling like I’m losing energy quickly.

“I feel like the strength in my legs has increased, which has benefited both my kumite and my kata.

“I definitely feel like it helped leading up to Mexico.”

Teenager Allanah said: “It’s really cool to go to Mexico with my mom.

“Abertay’s training input has been extremely beneficial to my overall performance and training.

“Overall, I’ve noticed a difference in how long I can fight before I get tired and how long I can keep going while I’m tired.

“I have also noticed that my recovery time between matches is much shorter, which means I can prepare faster for my next match and fight better. I think this training will improve my performance in Mexico.”

Meanwhile, Cerys, 22, the current WUKF European Champion, travels to Mexico to capture the world title in the Shobu Ippon Kumite under 65kg (sparring) category for 21-35 years.

The Dundonian said: “Abertay’s sports lab helped me immensely in the run-up to the WUKF European Championships in Antibes, where I won gold last year.”

Tailor-made training at Abertay

The Kanzen trio was led by exercise physiology instructor Dr. John Babraj, who created a training block tailored to the specific needs of karate.

“John and the team have been fantastic in supporting me and my fellow athletes,” added Cerys.

“Going to the lab every week helps with my training and preparation.

“Visiting the lab will also give me a better understanding of sports science and how it affects my performance. I am really looking forward to traveling to Monterrey.”

“It is a real pleasure and privilege to represent Kanzen and Scotland at this major event.”

In addition to their hard work in the Kanzen dojo, the athletes are put to the test in Abertay’s sports laboratories.

The university training courses are sprint-based and focused on fitness and developing endurance.

Speed, not power

John said: “Karate is a very fast paced sport.

“The athletes must be able to attack, defend and continue with very little recovery time.

“Everyone thinks martial arts are all about strength, but they’re not. They’re about speed and movement – ​​and whether you can recover from that movement.

“We are now embedded in the Kanzen Karate performance team.

“Every time there is a championship, we put in a block of this type of training to get the athletes to the fitness level they need to compete at the highest level – against top athletes from other countries.”

Opportunities prizes partnership

Roy O’Kane, Principal Officer at Kanzen Karate, said: “We are delighted to be working with Abertay again.

“It is also of great value that this is an educational pathway, where young people learn about sports science and are introduced to a university setting for the first time.”

The partnership was forged in 2019.

It helped the Kanzen team win nine gold medals last year, the city team’s most successful world championships to date.