by:: Andres Izquierdo
On Sunday, 30 November 2025, the annual German Naginata Championship was held in Mainz.
The Seminar Day of the German Naginata Championship 2025
But already on the Saturday before, the competitors joined for the traditional seminar. From the very beginning, the atmosphere was characterized by great motivation and curiosity.
This year, the German Naginata Federation (DNagB) succeeded in recruiting two outstanding coaches from the European naginata scene for the seminar: David D’hose (Renshi) and Loïc Delalande (Renshi).
Two groups were formed for the seminar to cater for the different levels of experience among the participants. One group was specifically for beginners, while the other aimed at advanced practitioners.
In the first part of the seminar, David D’hose took charge of the beginners’ group, teaching them the basics and important techniques. At the same time, Loïc Delalande guided the advanced group through more demanding exercises and in-depth content, ensuring both groups were optimally supported.
After the lunch break, the groups swapped: Loïc Delalande then led the beginners, while David D’hose focused on the advanced practitioners. In the beginners’ group, the emphasis was on performing Furikaeshi and Do. Loïc excelled at explaining the complex sequences of movements in an understandable and clear way. As a result, at the end of the training all participants noticed a marked improvement in their techniques.
During training with David D’hose, the focus was on teaching competition techniques. The participants were divided into groups of three to simulate the dynamics and feeling of real competition situations as practically as possible.
At the end of the day, both groups were able to look back on an extremely successful and productive seminar. The mood was high at the following group dinner.
German Naginata Championship 2025
The competition day was kicked off by the Engi competition. There were ten Engi pairs competing, showing a good cross-section from all German naginata groups.
At first, the participating teams competed against each other in two pools. The highest-placed teams from each pool advanced to the next round.
In the small final for third place, the team of Valentin Stahl/Jonas Stock faced the duo of Ines Klose and Martin Röthig. The team Stahl/Stock prevailed and secured third place.
In the final match, the team of Ivan Kuzminski/Andreas Nicol faced the team of Julian Parrino/Marie Göbel. Ivan Kuzminski and Andreas Nicol managed a narrow victory with two to one flags, thus securing first place.
Congratulations to all those who managed a placement and many thanks for the great interest shown by all participants in taking part in this competition.
After a lunch break, the competition in armor (Shiai) followed. During the planning of the competitions, emphasis was placed on how to create a fair and transparent mode for the subsequent quarterfinals.
To ensure a fair solution, it was decided that the first placed teams of each pool would qualify directly for the quarterfinals. The second-placed teams from each pool were grouped into two new pools. The winners of these new pools also progressed to the quarterfinals. This created a balanced and understandable structure for the knockout rounds.
The aim of qualifying directly for the quarterfinals motivated all fighters even more to deliver their very best performances.
Once the best eight fighters had been determined, the exciting knockout rounds began. The standard of the encounters was now definitely higher, with many matches being extremely evenly balanced. Often an “Encho” (that is, an extension) was needed to determine a winner.
In the small final, Andreas Nicol and Lukas Schuth faced one another. Both fighters delivered a thrilling duel, with the decision coming only in the “Encho”, the extension. After an intense fight, Andreas Nicol finally emerged victorious, securing third place.
In the final, Julian Parrino and Marie Göbel competed against each other. In an extremely close and gripping match, Julian Parrino managed to prevail in the “Encho” (the extension). With a meticulously executed Sune strike, he decided the final in his favor.
Thanks to Helpers and Referees
The tournament day was exceptionally long and demanding for all involved. Particularly noteworthy was the outstanding dedication of the numerous helpers, who worked tirelessly and without pause throughout the day. Their commitment and perseverance contributed significantly to the success of the tournament.
Special thanks are also due to the referees. Their work on this day was simply magnificent. They had the fewest breaks and were constantly under pressure not to make mistakes, always to judge the fighters and participants fairly and objectively.
Therefore, a big THANK YOU goes to David D’hose, Loïc Delalande and Jolanda Vaneste. Additionally, we want to highlight the huge efforts invested by the organizing team: THANK YOU for your hard work!
Placements:
Engi:
1st place: Ivan Kuzminski and Andres Nicol (both PostSV Opladen)
2nd place: Julian Parrino and Marie Göbel (both USC Mainz)
3rd place: Valentin Stahl and Jonas Stock (USC Mainz and KuS Dellfeld)
Shiai:
1st place: Julian Parrino (USC Mainz)
2nd place: Marie Göbel (USC Mainz)
3rd place: Andreas Nicol (Post SV Opladen)
Fighting Spirit Award: Carsten Kaspar (KuS Dellfeld)