Monday, October 1, 2012

October 2012 Newletter

WOMEN'S SELF DEFENSE

American Karate's annual "FREE" Women's Self Defense workshop is coming up on Saturday, October 20th. This course is offered every year in support of Domestic Violence Month. This workshop is open for ladies ages 13 and over. If you have participated in the workshop before bring a friend or make plans to attend the intermediate self defense workshop in May 2013.

AKMS STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN UNITED WAY RUN

American Karate students Lisa, Shayla and Alex Johnson participated in the United Way 5K run. They placed very well out of 84 participants. way to go!!! Lisa Johnson - 1st Female overall (3rd overall male/female) (pace 6:57/M) Shayla Johnson - 1st Female age 15 and below (27th overall male/female) (pace 9:31/M) Alex Johnson - 2nd male age 15 and below (the youngest) (44th overall male/female) (pace 11:34/M)

PINA'S TAEKWONDO TO OPEN IN NOVEMBER

Manuel Pina, 9th Degree black belt and Mr. Williams' former instructor inTaekwondo has severed ties with the Hutchinson School of Taekwondo. He will open his Dojang November 2nd. Mr. Williams is currently his highest ranking student as a 7th Degree black belt. Mr. Williams is also an 8th Degree black belt in American Karate.

KARATE COMES TO AMERICA

American servicemen serving in Japan and Okinawa after the conclusion of World War II were among the first Westerners to ever be exposed to Asian karate styles. Many put 1946 as the date of the first karate school in America when Robert Trias, a returning U.S. Navy vet,who studied in Okinawa/Hawaii, began teaching private lessons in Phoenix, Arizona. Other early teachers of karate in America were Ed Parker (a native Hawaiian and Coast Guard vet who earned a black belt in 1953), George Mattson (who began studying while stationed in Okinawa in 1956), and Peter Urban (another Navy vet who started training in the late 1950s). Prior to 1946, most Karate teachers outside of Japan were in the Territory of Hawaii (not yet a state). Many of those teachers taught Kempo to only asians and locals. One such teacher was James Mitose. It was through Mitose that one style of Kempo (Kosho Shorei Ryu) was introduced to the world through William Chow, one of his black belts, who then went on to modify it and train Adriando Emperado, Edmond Parker, Ralph Castro and a host of other future Grandmasters, some who brought the modified art to the U.S. In the 1950s and early 60s several other Asian karate teachers began arriving in America to seek their fortunes and to aid in the popularization of the art. They included Hidetaka Nishiyama, Teruyuki Okazaki, Takayuki Mikami, Tsutomu Ohshima, Richard Kim, and Takayuki Kubota. Several Koreans also came to America in those days to introduce the Korean version of the martial arts (not yet known by the term tae kwon do). They included Jhoon Rhee, Henry Cho, Kim Soo, and Jack Hwang. In spite of the presence of these Asian instructors, karate was primarily spread across the country in the early days by American-born teachers. They included Trias(called the "Father of American Karate"), Nagle, Parker, Mattson, and Urban, plus pioneers like Steve Armstrong, Allen Steen, Ernest Lieb, Pat Burleson, Mike Stone, Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Roger Carpenter and Sam Price.


If you or your employer would like to make a donation to the school to help purchase equipment or help a disadvantaged youth take martial arts lessons please fill out this form or pick one up at the school.