The meeting point at the MCA, the city before blackout, the KOSMEA prize packages, TEAM AWESOME discussing their game plan, and a Hidden Door Express Kit.
PHOTOS: Earth Hour Challenge 2009
(Photographs from the teams who started at the MCA, Sydney)
Earth Hour was believed to be a great success on Saturday night, with one in 7 people around the world switching off their lights for an hour.
Hidden Door’s Earth Hour Challenge was exciting and innovative, with competitors gathering at the MCA at Circular Quay. After being briefed on their mission, the event began with the sounding of ferry horns across the harbour and the MCA plunging into darkness.
For the next hour contestants ran around the city capturing photos with different eco friendly checkpoints and learning valuable information about the environment.
The most captured photo of the evening was one where they were hugging a tree with the KOSMEA sign on display, to capture the essence of the Australian brand as an eco friendly beauty range.
The final scores were very close but it was TEAM AWESOME that took out the winning title, going home with four KOSMEA prize packs worth over $600.
To find out more about Earth Hour, click here: Earth Hour Sydney.
To find out more about KOSMEA, click here: KOSMEA, Australia.
Last month we kicked off with a new experience, Soccer with Sydney FC.
With the goals in place and the 5-a-side teams selected, Sydney FC stars took the teams through a series of warm-up exercises and skill sessions. Teams then took part in a fun mini tournament where their skills and fitness levels did not matter.
The day was wrapped up with a presentation to the winning team along with some fun individual awards.
A corporate team gathered at the Kirribilli Club without knowing quite what they were there for. Gathered in an open room, their only clue was a large pile of wood laid out in front them. Certainly not wood chopping.
Then, out of nowhere, a man ran out and smashed a piece of wood breaking it cleanly in half.
This was the introduction to a Hidden Door Karate Board Breaking session. For the following two hours the team was divided up and taught valuable self defense moves by Guinness World Record Holder, Sensei Glenn, as well as having fun by lining up and hitting each other with defence pads as they attempted to utilise these newly developed defense skills.
Then, there was the big finale, where Sensei Glenn showed everyone how to break the wood using only their foot. Nervous, but daring, the teams competed against each other to see who could break the most wood and by the end of the session there was only a scattered pile of broken wood and very tired but satisfied particpants.
To find out how you can have a Hidden Door Karate Board Breaking Session, follow this link.
Hidden Door is proud to partner with experience company Red Balloon Days. Offering great gift ideas and experience gifts, Hidden Door are pleased to provide experiences including Paparazzi, Graffiti, Race Around the CBD and A Secret Agent Adventure
This month Hidden Door sat down with Karate Sensei Glenn who runs our Karate Board Breaking team building sessions. He talks about what it takes to become a sensei, how it feels to have a Guinness World Record and his top 5 defense techniques.
How did it feel to win the world record for breaking boards?
This was without doubt a career highlight for me and one I hope to repeat at some time in the future via another attempt at my own record….hopefully soon! It was extremely exciting for me but by the look on my wife’s face, a little stressful for her. Maybe next time I will have to tell her I am going out to play poker for a while.
What are the highlights of the Hidden Door team building sessions?
To me, it is the greatest thrill to share knowledge and experience as you have the chance to truly give a gift that is part of you and part of what has molded you. I love seeing somebody light up with excitement when they realise they can actually do something that they initially perceived as out of their range of abilities… it is extremely rewarding.
What do I have to do to become a Sensei?
Sensei actually means ‘teacher’ in Japanese and is not an automatic title given to somebody achieving a Black Belt. To become a Sensei you not only need to demonstrate a high degree of proficiency of technique, but be willing and able to pass on the knowledge to others in the spirit of humility and sharing.
I’m trapped in a dark alley. What are your top 5 defense techniques?
Much of the answer depends on the variables that you are confronted with, but I will try to list some of my favorites:
1. Run if you can. Otherwise attack before it’s too late and “don’t stop till they drop.”
2. Claw the eyes, so that the attacker can’t see properly, to set up a better opportunity for you. Regardless of their size over you, everyone is vulnerable in the eyes, so it’s a great first target.
3. Strike the groin area. The first shot may not be good enough so don’t try to hit too hard as you don’t need to; it is more important to be as accurate as possible and to follow up with a few smacks to the same delicates. This will get their attention and help to bring a taller person down to your level.
4. Grab them by the hair. Use your palm to make a ‘clapping’ style concussion on the ear which will damage the ear and mess with their balance afterwards, making it hard for your attacker to fight back. Again a couple of quick shots is better rather than going for the ‘biggie.’
5. Elbow Strikes. Now that your attacker is reeling, a couple of nice solid elbow strikes to the side of the jaw area should finish them off, and allow you to make your escape.
What is the biggest mistake people make in a defensive situation?
PANIC! If you panic in any situation, then you have most likely already lost the battle. As Kipling said “The mark of a man is he who keeps his head whilst all about him are losing theirs.”
For more info, check out Karate Board Breaking
