AFTER lots of hard work and dedication, three youngsters from Skipton Karate Kids club have passed their 1st dan black belts, with one advancing to his 2nd dan black belt.

The latter, 13-year-old Ronan Gibbons, had been training up for two years for his 2nd dan achievement, having begun attending the Skipton facility, which is the sister club of Skipton Karate Centre, at the age of seven.

Ethan Wright, 11, Sergei Shved, 14, and Aakash Sanadi, 13, spent a year working up to first dan black belt level. Shved started out at the club as a five-year-old, while Wright and Sanadi first came along at the ages of six and seven respectively.

The grading proved to be an intense process. The boys travelled to Warrington, Cheshire to do it and it took over four hours to complete.

Each student needs to be of a high standard if they are to pass. They need to show a variety of kicks and punches in combination form, kata, self-defence, punching and kicking on a pad and competition fighting.

Their instructor, Ian Spence, who teaches the class at The Skipton Academy and instructor Rebecca Spence, who also teaches at Craven Swimming Pool in Skipton, were delighted with the efforts of all four youngsters.

The pair simply said: “They have worked really hard to achieve their goals, and deserve to be black belts."