Merry Christmas

December 2014 Newsletter

McPHERSON SCHOOL OF KARATE GATHERING
Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 6:30 pm. Sandra and Ricky Byrd of the McPherson School of Karate has invited Mr. Williams and students, Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Estes and their students to an early evening gathering in McPherson at her facility called the Under Ground. This will be a pot luck dinner. Please save this date. It will be an evening of fellowship, brotherhood and awards.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ORDERS
The Century Martial Arts catalogs are in for Christmas or any special occasion. Drop in and view or pick up a catalog. We will be taking pre-paid orders now through December 15th. Order forms are in the back of the catalog and extras are posted. There are a few good specials and neat novelty items. I will be placing bulk orders for the Christmas holiday over the next two Fridays with the last order going in Wednesday, December 17th. Please turn in your order forms and money accordingly. If you have been contemplating any special engraved orders you may want to place those orders prior to the 17th to ensure that they arrive in time for Christmas.
Thomas Williams, Instructor

SOLIDARITY PATCH
Close to a year ago or so there was a meeting of black belts from Mr. Pina's, Mr. Caldwell and our school regarding one of Mr. Pina’s black belt’s attitude and behavior towards Mr. Pina which resulted in him breaking away from the Hutchinson School of Taekwondo. What came out of that meeting was that our three schools would watch out for one another at events and not support any events held by the individual in question and the Hutchinson School of Taekwondo until further notice. Another thing that came out of that meeting was a patch that Mr. Caldwell designed called Solidarity, representing the solidarity between the three schools. You will see several of our advanced students wearing this patch. The wolves represent the statement made after Mr. Caldwell and I were called to meet and mediate an earlier incident concerning this same individual. He basically stated that if he knew Mr. Pina was going to bring out the wolves, he would not have shown up to the meeting.

The bottom line to all of this is that if you start a club or school and form a partnership with another black belt even if it is a student, unless otherwise agreed, there is only one chief instructor. If you don’t like the way things are then grasshopper, it is time for you to leave. No snatching the pebble from the master’s hand…no branding dragons and tigers on your forearms from a hot urn. You have to go. I personally and professionally don’t care how many sides to the story there are……you don’t take over your parent’s house!
Mr. Williams, Master Instructor American Karate & Martial Science
Senior Instructor, Pina’s Taekwondo Moo Duk Kwan

TOURNAMENTS AND PROMOTIONS
SAM PRICE ALLSTAR KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, November 22nd, 2014

Dominic Rivera 6-7 Novice
2nd Place Kata
3rd Place Sparring

Gage Teaney 10-11 Novice
1st Kata
1st Sparring

Alex Johnson 6-7 Intermediate
1st Kata
1st Sparring

Chance Barr 8-9 Intermediate
1st Kata
2nd Sparring
1st Obstacle Course
3rd U-Tug

Shayla Johnson 10-11
1st Kata
3rd Sparring

DAVE ESTES TOURNAMENT
Saturday, November 15th, 2014

Gage Teaney 11-12 Novice
1St Place Kata
1st Place Sparing

BELT TEST
Deion Hamilton     Gold Belt
Dominic Rivera     Gold Belt
Gage Teaney         Gold Belt

MARTIAL ARTS, A LIFE JOURNEY
I have trained, studied and taught the martial arts for just over forty-three years. I was recently promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt by Grand Master Manuel Pina and the executive board of the Independent Martial Arts Federation. I am very appreciative of this honorific advancement. I am also much appreciative of the support of my family friends and students who have been on this journey with me. I appreciate the cards, calls and written acknowledgements.
Reach One***Teach One, Thomas Williams, Chief Instructor

SCHOOL CLOSING FOR THE HOLIDAYS
As every year American Karate along with Fitness Is An Attitude will be closed Christmas day through New Year’s day. We will resume normal classes on January 5th, 2015. I encourage all of you to look at your accomplishments for this year. If you were not satisfied in any area of your training whether that is martial arts or fitness, I encourage you to start working on a plan to press upward and onward from where you are right now. From my family to yours I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Mr. Williams

SAM PRICE ALLSTAR KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saturday, November 22nd, 2014


Karate Tournament Results

Dominic Rivera 6-7 Novice
2nd Place Kata
3rd Place Sparring

Gage Teaney 10-11 Novice
1st Kata
1st Sparring

Alex Johnson 6-7 Intermediate
1st Kata
1st Sparring

Chance Barr 8-9 Intermediate
1st Kata
2nd Sparring
1st Obstacle Course
3rd U-Tug

Shayla Johnson 10-11
1st Kata
3rd Sparring

PROMOTIONS

Friday, November 21, 2014


Deion Hamilton Gold Belt
Dominic Rivera Gold Belt
Gage Teaney Gold Belt

DAVE ESTES TOURNAMENT

Saturday, November 15th, 2014


Karate Tournament Results

Gage Teaney 11-12 Novice
1St Place Kata
1st Place Sparing

PROMOTIONS

November 1, 2014

Wendy Brown 5th Dan (Master Level Technician)
Cristine Warring 2nd Dan
Eddie Alexander 2nd Dan
Kathy Marquez 1st Dan
Lisa Johnson 1st Dan

November 2014 Newsletter

Excellence is the state or quality of being exceptionally good at your particular skill set.

WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE
OCTOBER 25TH 2014
Our annual Women’s Self Defense Workshop was well attended. The ladies worked on defenses from various attacks and grabs. There was a lot of bag work and timed stress drills. There was good discussion about knowing your environment and where to park during periods of low light or night time. Continued training and what that consisted of was discussed with those that had concealed carry certification.

MARTIAL ARTS, A LIFE JOURNEY
Mr. Williams has trained, studied and taught the martial arts for forty-three years. He was recently promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt by Grand Master Manuel Pina and the executive board of the Independent Martial Arts Federation. In celebration of this honor there will be a come and go gathering at the school for family, friends, colleagues and students. This celebration will be on Saturday evening November 8th from 6:00 to 8:00. Feel free to contact Mrs. Williams or Mrs. Gaeddert additional information.

TOURNAMENTS & PROMOTIONS
PROMOTIONS
November 1, 2014
Wendy Brown 5th Dan (Master Level Technician)
Cristine Warring 2nd Dan
Eddie Alexander 2nd Dan
Kathy Marquez 1st Dan
Lisa Johnson 1st Dan

DAVE ESTES TOURNAMENT
Saturday, November 15th, 2014
El Dorado 4-H Building
200 North Griffith
El Dorado, Kansas
CONTACT: Dave Estes 316-320-5425

SAM PRICE ALLSTAR KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, November 8th
National Guard Armory
11th and Severence
Hutchinson, Kansas
CONTACT: Sam or Jessica Price 620-669-9051

McPHERSON SCHOOL OF KARATE GATHERING
Sandra and Ricky Byrd of the McPherson School of Karate has invited Mr. Williams and students, Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Estes and their students to an early evening gathering in McPherson at her facility called the Under Ground. This will be a pot luck dinner. Please save this date. It will be an evening of fellowship, brotherhood and awards. There will be more information as the date draws near.

MEMBER SOLUTIONS TUITION BILLING
For the students that have their accounts with American Karate managed through Member Solutions I need to remind you that when you enroll with us you enter into either a six or twelve month contract. Once that contract has been satisfied Member Solutions will continue to bill you on a month to month basis with the option to cancel your program with a thirty day notice. If you move away or decide to discontinue classes you must contact Member Solutions at 888-277-4408 to cancel your account.
--Mr. Williams

BALLET IS BORING (MARTIAL ARTS IS BORING)
I was introduced to this article by one of my parents called “Ballet is Boring”. When she told me about it she said I read Mr. Williams all through this article. When I read it, it was as if I wrote it myself. You could easily change the word ballet for karate or martial arts and certain skill sets for blocks, kicks, strikes, kata or step sparring. It is a long article so I decided not to copy it but leave you with the Url. I hope you take the time to read it. http://atthebarre.net/ballet-is-boring/
--Mr. Williams

SEVEN TRAINING PRECEPTS
Karate is a martial art. You must practice with the utmost seriousness from the very beginning. This means going beyond being simply diligent or sincere in your training. In every step, in every movement of your hand, you must imagine yourself facing an opponent with a drawn sword. Each and every punch must be made with your entire body behind it, with the feeling of destroying your opponent with a single blow. You must believe that if your punch fails, you will forfeit your own life.

Try to do exactly as you are taught without complaining or quibbling. Only those lacking zeal and unwilling to face up to themselves resort to quibbling. You cannot train through words. You must learn through your body. Enduring pain and anguish as you strive to discipline and polish yourself; you must believe that if others can do it, you can do it too.

When you are learning a new technique, practice it wholeheartedly until you truly understand it. Do not crave to know everything all at once. Practice painstakingly. Karate has many techniques and kata. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that because there is so much to learn, you should learn everything in a general way.

Don’t pretend to be a great master and don’t try to show off your strength. It is absurd that many of those practicing the martial arts feel they must make a show of being a martial artist. The tendency to act big or superior is usually most conspicuous among novices. By acting that way, they degrade and ruin the reputation of those seriously practicing martial arts.

Remember that you must always have a deep regard for courtesy, and must be respectful and obedient towards your seniors. There is no martial art that does not stress the importance of courtesy and respectful manners.

You must ignore the bad and adopt the good. When you observe the practice of others and discover something that you should learn, try to master it without hesitation. If you see a man sliding into idleness, examine yourself with strict eyes. When you see a man who is particularly good at kicking, ask yourself why his kick is so good. How can you learn to kick like that; how does your kick differ? In this manner, you should be able to devise a method to improve your kick. When you see a man that does not seem to improve, again ask yourself why. Maybe he does not train enough or maybe he lacks determination. Ask yourself, does not the same hold true for you?

Think of everyday life as karate training. Do not think of karate as only belonging to the dojo, nor only as a fighting method. The spirit of karate practice and the elements of training are applicable to each and every aspect of our daily lives.
--Master Gichin Funakoshi - KARATE-DO NYUMON

PROMOTIONS

October 2014


Mr. Williams receives 9th degree from Manuel Pina

October 2014 Newletter

“We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

SPECIALTY CLASSES
We still have space for those that are interested in Team Kata, Musical or Weapons Kata. If you want to take your skills to another level take advantage of this opportunity. If you have several partners and want to give Team Kata a try class is Monday evenings at 5:30. If you have the desire to express your art through music give musical kata a go. For students that are purple belt level and above weapons classes are Wednesdays at 5:30. All of these classes are hard working, but rewarding. As a reminder, the weapons class is an “Add-On” class and there is a monthly fee of $10.00 in addition to your monthly tuition. 

TOURNAMENTS
KENT CLAYBORN’S ANNUAL KARATE OPEN
Saturday September 20th, 2014 RESULTS

DOMINIC RIVERA
7-8 Novice
1st Place-Kata
2nd Place-Sparring
3rd Place-Obstical Course

WEST COAST MARTIAL ARTS TRI-STATE CLASSIC
Saturday September 27th, 2014 RESULTS

GAGE TEANEY 11-12 Novice-Intermediate
3rd Place Kata
1st Place Sparring
3rd Place Olympic Sparring

DYLAN KIATOUKAYSY 9-10 Novice
2nd Place Kata
3rd Place Sparring
1st Place Olympic Sparring

BRANDON KIATOUKAYSY 7-8 Novice
2nd Place Kata
4th Place Sparring
2nd Place Olympic Sparring

CHANCE BARR 7-8 Intermediate
1st Place Kata
4th Place Sparring
2nd Place Olympic Sparring

WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE
OCTOBER 25TH 2014

In support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month we will be holding our annual Women’s Self Defense Workshop. Domestic violence is best understood as a pattern of abusive behaviors–including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion–used by one intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship. Batterers use of a range of tactics to frighten, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, often injure, and sometimes kill a current or former intimate partner. Even if you are not in a domestic situation, situational and environmental awareness through a self defense course is good to have. Put this date on your calendar and bring a friend or family member.

THE BENEFIT OF MARTIAL ARTS COMPETITION
Martial arts offers amazing opportunities for students, especially in a competitive setting. When students take lessons in martial arts they are able to receive extra attention from an instructor and maximize performance in competition. The positive encouragement and dedication of growth to reach goals will improve any student’s journey and performance in martial arts. The intangible benefits of martial arts have been deeply explored and widely discussed. The average practitioner and martial arts enthusiast will grow as a person physically and mentally from their training. Many students are completely happy and content with their personal martial arts journey void of any competitive element. This is perfectly fine as some schools are very pro competitive while others are not. Neither is necessarily more or less effective as a result. Why then does competition remain such a central piece in many arts? The answer really depends on the person involved and the end goal. For many, competition is the culmination of hard work and dedication; it is the truest and purest test of skill. When belt ranks become immaterial it helps answer the age old questions “Does this stuff really work?” or “How good am I?” What better, easier and safer way to answer those questions than through organized competition. While fellow students and teammates are invaluable assets for a person’s progression and development seeing and training with the same people day in and out begins to cloud how truly skilled the group is as a whole. This naturally makes it difficult to determine any individual skill level. Competition takes a person to a place where many humans naturally do not wish to go, in direct combat with another human being. It’s not natural. It goes against survival of the species. It goes against our fight or flight instincts. Competition is arguably an exercise in mental strength more so than physical prowess. Self confidence and reassurance are dramatically affected through a competitive environment. I have watch struggling students over the years start competing and make a complete turnaround in their performance of critical skill sets. The value of competition can be an incredibly powerful tool for a student’s personal development.
--Thomas Williams, Chief Instructor

THE TRINITY OF FITNESS FOOD, AEROBICS AND RESISTANCE
The Trinity also referred to as Food, Aerobic Fitness and Resistance Fitness is the staple for healthy living. One of the first components of weight gain or weight loss is to eat. For weight gain it is a no brainer that you have to eat high protein, low fat and low to medium carbs to pack on quality muscle. To lose weight, as odd as it may seem, you have to eat moderate to high protein intake along with low fats and low carbs. In order to lose weight you also need to raise your metabolism by spreading these meals over 4-6 sessions. Eating for health, fitness or just everyday living calls for a personal lifestyle change of eating habits. We don't use the word "DIET". It is a filthy four letter word! A diet is something that most of us at some point engaged in that only worked while we did it. When we met our goal or got tired of the menu we quit and the weight came back. To go along with your change of eating habits you need to help those meals out by aerobically burning some calories and fat. You can do this with as little as 30 minutes of aerobic activity a day. You can take up walking, jogging, running, formal aerobic classes, dance, martial arts...etc. To gain you need to increase your daily quality calorie intake. To lose you need to take in less. 

Depending on how much weight you have lost or how fast, you may wake up some morning to discover that although you are shrinking in size and you can wear some of the outfits you used to wear, you don't look the way you think you should. You are many pounds lighter but you look in the mirror and notice that your chest, breasts, buttocks and back arms (Triceps) have drooped, dropped or sagged. This is a result of ignoring resistance work. You don't have to get into hard core body building or body sculpting while spending 1-1/2 to 2 hours in the gym. But you do need to do some resistance work with exercises using your own body weight or a weight lifting program using light to moderate weight. As fat cells reduce muscle fiber is revealed and must become firm and or increase in size making you look firm, full and healthy.
--Thomas Williams
American Karate & Fitness Is An Attitude

WEST COAST MARTIAL ARTS TRI-STATE CLASSIC

Saturday September 27th, 2014

2110 1st Ave.
Dodge City, Kansas
CONTACT: Michael or Liliana Zuniga 620-225-3980

Karate Tournament Results

GAGE TEANEY 11-12 Novice-Intermediate
3rd Place Kata
1st Place Sparring
3rd Place Olympic Sparring

DYLAN KIATOUKAYSY 9-10 Novice
2nd Place Kata
3rd Place Sparring
1st Place Olympic Sparring

BRANDON KIATOUKAYSY 7-8 Novice
2nd Place Kata
4th Place Sparring
2nd Place Olympic Sparring

CHANCE BARR 7-8 Intermediate
1st Place Kata
4th Place Sparring
2nd Place Olympic Sparring

Upcoming events and boot camp

KENT CLAYBORN’S ANNUAL KARATE OPEN

Saturday September 20th, 2014

Karate Tournament Results

DOMINIC RIVERA
7-8 Novice
1st Place-Kata
2nd Place-Sparring
3rd Place-Obstical Course

September 2014 Newletter

“We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
STATE GAMES OF AMERICA
August 2015

The National Congress of State Games has awarded hosting rights for the 2015 State Games of America to Lincoln, Nebraska. The biennial multi-sport festival will take place July 28–August 2, 2015 and will draw an estimated 20,000 athletes, 5,000 volunteers and 22,000+ spectators. All gold, silver and bronze medalists from National Congress of State Games Member State programs (Winter and Summer) in 2013, 2014 and prior to July 1 of 2015 are eligible to compete in SGA 2015. If you are interested in attending the State Games of America let Mr. Williams know. Again, good job to those that competed in this year’s State Games.

AMERICAN KARATE & FITNESS Is An ATTITUDE
The aerobic kickboxing boot camp has been well attended and is going well. If you missed your goal on your “after the holidays” weight loss get a jump start now. Classes are Monday through Thursday. We dropped the Friday evening class. We are still looking for an Aerobics Instructor that has experience in multiple programs including step, conventional, kettle bell, zumba and other aerobic exercise. The more versatile the skill set the better. If you know someone who is upbeat, high energy and interested in joining our team have them contact Tommy at 620-665-3800 or email americankarate1@prodigy.net for more information.

Monday and Wednesday…..….…6:30pm - 7:15pm
Tuesday and Thursday…………...4:15pm - 5:00pm

CLASS FEES

MONTHLY RATE $40.00
FAMILY RATE(X2) $67.00
AKMS PUNCH CARD $45.00
UNIVERSAL PUNCH CARD $45.00
DAILY WALK-IN $5.00

SPECIALTY CLASSES
For those that are interested in Team Kata, Musical or Weapons Kata take advantage of the opportunity. If you have several partners and want to give Team Kata a try class is Monday evenings at 5:30. If you have the desire to express your art through music give musical kata a go. For students that are purple belt level and above weapons classes are Wednesdays at 5:30. All of these classes a hard working, but rewarding. As a reminder, the weapons class is an “Add-On” class and there is a monthly fee of $10.00 in addition to your monthly tuition. 

REGULAR HOURS
Summer hours will end effective August 31st, 2014. We will be back to regular scheduled hours September 2nd as the first is a State Holiday.

CLASSES OFFERED MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY By class:

Class / Level	Time	Days	Ages
Musical / Team Kata	5:30 – 6:30	M	6 & over
Weapons	5:30 – 6:30	W	Purple belt & over
Youth Novice	5:30 – 6:15	T & Th	6 – 12
Youth Intermediate	6:30 – 7:30	M & W	6 – 12
Adult Novice	7:30 – 8:30	M & W	13 & over
Adult Intermediate	6:30 – 7:30	T & Th	13 & over
Adult Advanced	7:30 – 8:30	T & Th	13 & over

BLACK BELT CLASS & MEETING
Black belt class will be at 10:00 Saturday morning September 6th with a short meeting at 11:00 am. We will be discussing teaching format for kids and Monday class coverage for the 6:30 class.

TOURNAMENTS

KENT CLAYBORN’S ANNUAL KARATE OPEN
Saturday September 20th, 2014
El Dorado High School Recreation Center
401 McCollum Road
El Dorado, Kansas
CONTACT: Kent Clayborn 316-321-2380

WEST COAST MARTIAL ARTS TRI-STATE CLASSIC
Saturday September 27th, 2014
2110 1st Ave.
Dodge City, Kansas
CONTACT: Michael or Liliana Zuniga 620-225-3980

WOMEN’S SELF-DEFENSE
OCTOBER 2014
Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the first Day of Unity observed in October, 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect battered women’s advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. The Day of Unity soon became a special week when a range of activities were conducted at the local, state, and national levels. Domestic violence is best understood as a pattern of abusive behaviors–including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion–used by one intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship. Batterers use of a range of tactics to frighten, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, often injure, and sometimes kill a current or former intimate partner. In support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month we will be holding our annual Women’s Self Defense Workshop. The date will be set as the month draws near.

OPENING A DOJO
Who would want to go through all of the actions it takes to opening a new school? Well, it would be someone who loves the Martial Arts, and wants to share the knowledge, skills and ‘way’ to others.

All of the preparation to open a new school (dojo/dojang) takes patience, time, money, support from others, equipment, etc. It truly is not an easy task to accomplish. One may wonder part-way into the process why am I going through all of this? The answer, I love the Arts, and want to share the knowledge, skills and ‘way’ to others. The preparation, also, includes furniture, wall decorum, proper licensing of the business, as applicable, etc. If, you are working another job or not working (perhaps, retired), the entire process requires your most valued asset---your time.

The process does not end there/here! All at the same time, you must have enrollments/students, so advertising your new school is a must. No students, no purpose of establishing a new dojo. Hopefully, the “reaching out to touch people” to know about your new endeavor aligns with the opening of the newly opened school from the ads, flyers, mall scripting, demonstrations, workshops, radio, press releases, cable TV, word of mouth, Facebook, Linkedin, and list can go on and on in getting people to become students in your dojo.

Again, I ask, why would a presumably sane person want to open a dojo/dojang/school/training facility, etc. Answer, “I love the Arts and want to share the knowledge, skills and ‘way’ to others”, and the supporting part to the statement would be to earn additional income.

As most school owners know the rate per student per class of instruction is never a true value in what is taught or transferred in correlating it to instructions of improving one’s life, saving one’s life with many techniques to choose from, and/or giving one a different perspective on one’s life. There is no cost to substantiate a charge/tuition to equate to the multiple positive benefits from instructions.

The true sense of school ownership is not absent from the financial burden and gain from one’s supposedly desire to share the knowledge and skills of the martial arts. So, one should consider all of this, and then some in making a decision to open a dojo. What do you think? All comments: youngsankarate@youngsankarate.com.

H. James Young, Chief Instructor-Young San Karate-Maryland

CLASSICAL vs. TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS
No martial art is supposed to stay the same. If it does it is a dead art. Your art is the art your instructors teaches you. But what makes it your own is your personal expression.
Sijo Steve Muhammad

When I heard this quote from “Papa” Sanders (Steve Muhammad) it made me think about the martial arts I grew up in as a kid. Back in the day, early 70’s for me, martial arts in American was starting to evolve. The first art I studied and earned a black belt in was Taekwondo, Moo Duk Kwan. It was a classical system under the Korea Taekwondo Federation. From the middle 40’s through the early 70’s most systems in America were what I call today as Classical. Back then they were called traditional systems such as Taekwondo, Goju, Shotokan, Shorinryu…etc. They were referred to as traditional because there was no deviation or altering of critical skill sets such as kata, step sparring, self defense even including how a technique was delivered. Now the lines are blurred and you can’t tell some systems from others. When it comes to your martial arts pedigree it was a “good thing” to be associated with a traditional system that linked you to the “masters” such as Mabuni, Miyagi, Yamaguchi, Funakoshi and Oyama. Many of these gentlemen were students of other instructors and they broke away and founded their own arts and systems. Of course they were highly skilled and moderately ranked. Today many of our American schools allow you to express yourself and make the skills that are given to you by your instructor as your own. There is no need for you to break away and form your own art. In today’s world that…is a good thing. Martial Arts are no longer taught to everyone in a military format where everyone has to do the same series of moves the same way. That was good for the military and good for structure but not always good for the individual. Today we have tools and not techniques. In order for us to excel in our craft or art we must be able to take a tool and make it second nature. If it does not work for us we can discard it or put it in our tool box for another day. At five foot nine and two hundred and seven pounds I have to take everything my former instructors gave me and make it my own. I can’t express myself if I am held to a lesser or greater person of statures standards in the arts. At American Karate & Martial Science we are not a “Classical” school but we are “Traditional”. Our traditions are rooted in classical systems but our system excels by allowing our students to express themselves with the physical gifts and personal talents God has given them. In turn what they give back traditions for further growth of the system. Reach One***Teach One

Thomas Williams, Chief Instructor

August 2014 Newsletter

"We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." --Aristotle

KANSAS SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES
Saturday July 12, 2014

Results

Jake Winters 5-8 Novice
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Charlie Miller 8-9 Novice
1st Place Kata
2nd Place Sparring

Gage Teaney 10-11 Novice
1st Place Kata
2nd Place Sparring

Yvonne Pearman-Adult Novice
2nd Place 18+ Kata
1st Place 35+ Kata
2nd Place 18+ Sparring

Everette Gould-Adult Novice
1st Place 18+ Kata
2nd Place 35+ Kata
1st Place 50+ Kata
1st Place 50+ Sparring

Chance Barr 5-8 Intermediate
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Alex Johnson 6-7 Intermediate
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Dakota Douglas 10-11 Intermediate
2nd Place Weapons
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Natalie Williams- Adult Intermediate
1st Place 18+ Kata
1st Place 18+Sparring

Lisa Johnson-Adult Black Belt
3rd Place 18+ Kata

Wendy Brown-Adult Black Belt
1st Place 35+ Sparring

Shayla Johnson 10-11 Advanced
1st Freestyle Weapons
1st Place Weapons
1st Place Kata


AMERICAN KARATE & FITNESS Is An ATTITUDE
Tommy Williams and Frank Price will be teaching the Kickboxing Boot Camp. Participation in the Kickboxing Boot Camp may be done bare foot or in tennis shoes. It is requested that shoes worn on the workout floor are not every day street wear. This is due to this facility being used for other fitness and martial arts activities. We are still looking for an Aerobics Instructor that has experience in multiple programs including step, conventional, kettle bell, zumba and other aerobic exercise. The more versatile the skill set the better. If you know someone who is upbeat, high energy and interested in joining our team have them contact Tommy at 620-665-3800 or email americankarate1@prodigy.net for more information.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday….…6:30pm - 7:15pm
Tuesday and Thursday…………...4:15pm - 5:00pm

CLASS FEES
MONTHLY RATE $40.00
FAMILY RATE(X2) $67.00
AKMS PUNCH CARD $45.00
UNIVERSAL PUNCH CARD $45.00
DAILY WALK-IN $5.00

BELT TESTS
Saturday, July 26, 2014

Gage Teaney Jr. Gold Belt
Charlie Miller Gold Belt
Brandon Kiatoukaysy Gold Belt
Dylan Kiatoukaysy Gold Belt
Jake Winters Jr. Green Belt
Everette Gould Green Belt
LoXao Kiatoukaysy Green Belt
Cayden Deetz Jr. Purple Belt

SUMMER HOURS
Summer hours will end effective August 31st, 2014. We will be back to regular scheduled hours. For your regularly scheduled class see below.

REGULAR HOURS
CLASSES OFFERED MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY By class:

Class / Level	Time	Days	Ages
Musical / Team Kata	5:30 – 6:30	M	6 & over
Weapons	5:30 – 6:30	W	Purple belt & over
Youth Novice	5:30 – 6:15	T & Th	6 - 12
Youth Intermediate	6:30 – 7:30	M & W	6 - 12
Adult Novice	7:30 – 8:30	M & W	13 & over
Adult Intermediate	6:30 – 7:30	T & Th	13 & over
Adult Advanced	7:30 – 8:30	T & Th	13 & over

JOURNEY: Noun-A trip from one location to another
  Verb-To travel over a distance, from one place to another, to travel over time

TRIP: Noun-Another word for a journey from one location to another
  Verb-To stumble, to fall, to disengage

It is challenging to believe that twenty-three years have passed since I walked into Mr. Williams’ school as a self-defense participant with no thoughts of “signing up” as a karate student; only to start my martial arts life journey during Spirit Week when my thoughts focused on not throwing up, quitting, or dying. Now I find my thoughts flowing to the concept of the martial arts journey; what is it, what will it be in the second phase of my life, and what impact has it had and continues to have in my life?

The noun definitions of journey and trip are the same, a trip/journey from one place to another. However, my thoughts are going to center around the verb definition of journey because it relates to the passage of time, the covering of distance, moving from one place to another. This is unlike the verb definition of trip which is to stumble, fall, or disengage. In relationship to the martial arts as a journey I propose the following: it can be a lifetime experience that opens the mind, body, and soul to learning. Learning that includes Kumite, fighting in competition, fighting in class, fighting the negative demons within that try to “trip” up the traveler with self-doubt or harmful arrogance. Learning that includes Bunkai (sp) the application of techniques to real world situations. It would be a sad state of affairs if education was only from textbooks and applied only in the classroom; what a stumbling block to life-long learning that would be. Learning that includes Kata, predetermined moves that require memorization, physical application, and once understood personal expression within the context of what the body allows which can change with the passage of time. Lastly, for this essay, the martial arts journey offers two parallels; it is a personal experience as well as a corporate experience. Corporate in this case is not about shares of stock, but rather the investment we have in our fellow martial arts travelers. It is here that we strive to understand and uphold the Code of Bushido, Honor, Loyalty, Integrity, Courage, and Respect for ourselves and each other.

In twenty-three years I have been blessed to see the passage of time and distance. I am striving to continue to acquire and understand knowledge, bypass the internal and external stumbling blocks that could trip me up as I journey onward, and work to take advantage of what my body is capable of doing. Karate is not something I do; it is part of the fabric of who I am; for that and for all my fellow travelers I am grateful. 

Respectfully submitted
Marcia Dillon
5th Degree Black Belt
American Karate and Martial Science

TRANSITIONS
tran-si-tion (noun)
a movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change 

tran-si-tion (verb)
to make a transition

Transitions are times of crossing or traveling from something old and familiar to something new and unfamiliar. Many transitions are small and pass by almost unnoticed. Some, however, involve major disruptions in routines and force us to re-examine our new level of commitment.

Transitions are an important component of our karate experience. We move from the back row in class, to the second row, to the front row! We transition from One-Step A techniques to Step B techniques. We progress from one set of skills to more advanced/complicated skills. We transition from White Belt all the way to Black Belt. Being intentional about what these changes may look like is very important. Gold Belts now have newer, younger students watching them and learning from their actions and behaviors. Green Belts and Purple Belts are gradually assuming leadership roles within the class structure. Brown Belts are refining their skills to new and deeper levels of understanding. Black Belts constantly strive to define their individual and collective roles in a field that is continually evolving, figuring out who they are becoming as they age (both in terms of years of martial arts experience, as well as “calendar” years), embracing the growth they have made along the journey.

What does a healthy, successful transition look like? From the research on how resilient people successfully manage transitions, one can arrive at some practical conclusions:

• they develop supportive relationships within those transitions
• they re-examine what their new environment will look like, how it will feel
• they take care of themselves physically to adjust to the change
• they continue to build a positive self-image
• they are open and flexible to new routines
• they concentrate on the positives
• they choose how they want to respond/react to what happens in their lives

A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it. --Nikki Giovanni

Respectfully submitted
Jean Gaeddert
5th Degree Black Belt
American Karate and Martial Science

PROMOTIONS

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Gage Teaney Jr. Gold Belt
Charlie Miller Gold Belt
Brandon Kiatoukaysy Gold Belt
Dylan Kiatoukaysy Gold Belt
Jake Winters Jr. Green Belt
Everette Gould Green Belt
LoXao Kiatoukaysy Green Belt
Cayden Deetz Jr. Purple Belt

KANSAS SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES

Saturday July 12, 2014
Christ the King Church
25th and Wanamaker
Topeka, Kansas
CONTACT: Tony Mielenz, 785-554-4220, anthonymielenz@yahoo.com

Results

Jake Winters 5-8 Novice
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Charlie Miller 8-9 Novice
1st Place Kata
2nd Place Sparring

Gage Teaney 10-11 Novice
1st Place Kata
2nd Place Sparring

Yvonne Pearman-Adult Novice
2nd Place 18+ Kata
1st Place 35+ Kata
2nd Place 18+ Sparring

Everette Gould-Adult Novice
1st Place 18+ Kata
2nd Place 35+ Kata
1st Place 50+ Kata
1st Place 50+ Sparring

Chance Barr 5-8 Intermediate
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Alex Johnson 6-7 Intermediate
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Dakota Douglas 10-11 Intermediate
2nd Place Weapons
1st Place Kata
1st Place Sparring

Natalie Williams- Adult Intermediate
1st Place 18+ Kata
1st Place 18+Sparring

Lisa Johnson-Adult Black Belt
3rd Place 18+ Kata

Wendy Brown-Adult Black Belt
1st Place 35+ Sparring

Shayla Johnson 10-11 Advanced
1st Freestyle Weapons
1st Place Weapons
1st Place Kata

July 2014 Newsletter

SPIRIT WEEK
Spirit week was well attended this year. This is a time when all AKMS students come together to train and work hard. It is a time of calisthenics, drills and critical skills performed to the best of your ability. It is a taste of what every class was like back in the day when they were all 1-1/2 to two hours long. When I was in Taekwondo Mr. Pina awarded one student who worked consistently hard throughout the year. In 1973 Venny Fragoza was the first student to receive that award. When I started Venny was a blue belt and was Mr. Pina’s right hand. The proper etiquette at that time was that no one ever spoke directly to the instructor. You address the highest ranking student who in turn would express your concerns to the instructor. Venny achieved the rank of red belt (equal to our brown belt today) before life and employment took him out of state. He ended up in a southern state training with Jim and Jenice Miller who were students of Allen Steen. Allen Steen was one of Jhoon Rhee’s original students. Venny taught me the Heian kata which we do to this day. Venny had moved back to Kansas and was living in Wichita. Several years ago he was on his way to work early in the morning and a vehicle rear ended him. He died as a result of his injuries. From the time I started teaching on my own we continued the Outstanding Student award in my schools. To keep his memory alive we renamed the award the Venny Fragoza Award for Outstanding Martial Artists. Venny wasn’t flamboyant; he was just a good basic and hard working practitioner.

Spirit Week Awards:
Jeff Geesling-Commitment and Dedication (No photo)

Natalie Williams awarded Honorable Mention for Outstanding Student of the year.

Cristine Warring awarded Outstanding Adult Student of the year.

Roy Johnson awarded Dedication and Commitment to American Karate.

Everette Gould awarded Dedication and Commitment to American Karate.

Charlie Miller awarded Honorable Mention for Outstanding Student of the year.

Chance Barr awarded Outstanding Youth Student of the year.

Lisa Johnson awarded Honorable Mention for Outstanding Student of the year.

Kristi Potter awarded Dedication and Commitment to American Karate

TOURNAMENTS
Sam Price’s Summer Kick Off
Saturday June 21st, 2014
Jake Winters 1st Place Novice Kata, 2nd Place Novice Sparring

KANSAS SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES
Saturday July 12, 2014
Christ the King Church 25th and Wanamaker
Topeka, Kansas
CONTACT: Tony Mielenz, 785-554-4220, anthonymielenz@yahoo.com

The Sunflower State Games in Topeka is the largest amateur multi sport event in Kansas conducted annually in July. The martial arts games are scheduled the second weekend of July on the 12th. I hope as many of you can make the trip to Topeka in July. You can pre-register online. If you are going up the night before you may want to make your reservations now. We recommend the Club House Inn. If you can’t get in at the Club House there are many hotels in within several blocks. We will discuss getting together as a group later. Mr. Williams, Chief Instructor

COMING SOON!!! AMERICAN KARATE & FITNESS Is An ATTITUDE
The expansion is complete. We will use this space for class overflow, future seminars and an Aerobics program. We are still looking for an Aerobics Instructor that has experience in multiple programs including step, conventional, kettle bell, zumba and other aerobic exercise. The more versatile the skill set the better. If you know someone who is upbeat, high energy and interested in joining our team have them contact me at 620-665-3800 or email americankarate1@prodigy.net for more information. I currently have an aerobic kickboxing boot camp in the works for later this summer.
Mr. Williams, Owner/Instructor

BLACKBELT CLASS & MEETING
Saturday, July 19th 10:00 am to 12:00 noon

DISCIPLINE: HOW MARTIAL ARTS HELPS OUR KIDS
Our children face potentially life changing, if not life threatening, decisions every day. Drugs, bullies, violence, gangs, and predators wait around every corner; our children are their target. So how does a parent arm their children with the tools necessary to make the right decisions while they are not under our watchful eye? Confidence and discipline are the key, and martial arts can be the method.

So what is it about martial arts that is so influential on our kids? The main tenants of martial arts are discipline, honor, confidence, and perseverance. Each child is started in the program on a level playing field, and becoming more senior in the program ensures they respect the effort that got them to that level. Martial Arts is comprised of a set of choreographed moves called kata (forms) that progressively build to the next level of difficulty. Each set of moves rely upon knowledge of the previously learned moves for execution. The knowledge of these moves is tested by senior belt members in the organization, and recognized through a colored belt system.

Martial Arts is a proven effective method of building self-esteem, self-discipline, and goal oriented behavior. It also provides our children with the means to protect themselves when presented with a threat. Martial Arts are not the panacea to all of our children’s problems. It gives them a solid foundation to cope with the pressures each endures throughout childhood, setting the patterns and behaviors for a successful transition to adulthood.
Michael Sams, Student and free lance writer from North Austin Taekwondo, Austin Texas.

Sam Price’s Summer Kick Off

Karate Tournament Results

Saturday June 21st, 2014

Jake Winters
1st Place Novice Kata
2nd Place Novice Sparring

June 2014 Newletter

JUDGING WORKSHOP
Thursday May 29th at the Elmdale Community Center we had class With Mr. Pina's and Mr. Caldwell's students on judging. The under belt students worked on the proper etiquette on how to bow in and address the judges. The brown and black belts worked on judging empty hand, weapons and team kata for pee-wee, junior and adult students. This workshop was well attended with over fifteen brown and black belts pampty hand, weapons, team and musical kata. The adult brown and black belts will be learning and working on how to judge and score the students by age and rank. (You must know a complete kata in order to participate.) The next work shop is tentatively scheduled for August and we will be working on judging point sparring. A huge thanks goes out to Mr. Caldwell and his students who hosted this event.

FIESTA EXHIBITION
American Karate was invited to perform during the Fiesta at Our Lady of Guadalupe in South Hutchinson on Saturday, May 31st. I want to that everyone that made it out for the event. I think the crowd enjoyed what they saw.

COMING SOON!!!
KARATE & FITNESS
We are still looking for an Aerobics Instructor that has experience in multiple disciplines including step, conventional, kettle bell, zumba and other aerobic exercise. The more versatile your skill set the better. If you are upbeat, high energy and interested in joining our team contact me at 620-665-3800 or email americankarate1@prodigy.net for more information. I currently have an aerobic kickboxing boot camp in the works for later this summer.
Mr. Williams, Owner/Instructor

SUMMER HOURS
We are now in summer hours for the Adult classes. From June 1st through August 31st all adult classes will be combined and there will be no Adult Class on Wednesday evenings. Youth and specialty classes will remain the same.

SUMMER HOURS
We are now in summer hours for the Adult classes. From June 1st through August 31st all adult classes will be combined and there will be no Adult Class on Wednesday evenings. Youth and specialty classes will remain the same.

SUMMER HOURS
JUNE 1st THROUGH AUGUST 31st
MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY

5:30 - 6:30 Musical/Team Kata Monday Ages 6-Over
5:30 - 6:30 Weapons Class Wednesday Purple-Above
6:30 - 7:30 Youth Intermediate M&W Ages 6-12
7:30 - 8:30 Adult Open Class Ages 13 - Over
5:30 - 6:15 Youth Novice T&Th Ages 6-12
6:30 - 8:00 Adult Open Class T&Th 13 - Over

SPIRIT WEEK
It is that time of year again. Spirit Week is the last week of the month. This is a great time when all of the AKMS students are together for a week of hard work. Classes will be from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Monday through Thursday. Black Belts will be on Friday. Saturday afternoon will be our annual school picnic and awards. The school will provide the burgers and dogs. We ask that the families bring a side dish of your choice of fruit, vegetables and desert.

TOURNAMENTS
Sam Price’s Summer Kick Off
Saturday June 21st, 2014
Kansas National Guard 11th and Severence Street
Hutchinson, Kansas
CONTACT: Sam or Jessica Price 620-669-9051

Roy Miller’s Great Plains Karate Challenge
Saturday June 21st, 2014
Kansas State University-Salina
2310 Centennial Road
Salina, Kansas
CONTACT: Roy Miller 785-493-0257

KANSAS SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES
Saturday July 12, 2014
Christ the King Church 25th and Wanamaker
Topeka, Kansas
CONTACT: Tony Mielenz, 785-554-4220, anthonymielenz@yahoo.com

The Sunflower State Games in Topeka is the largest amateur multi sport event in Kansas conducted annually in July. The martial arts games are scheduled the second weekend of July on the 12th. This year we want as many of our students to attend as possible. I hope as many of you can make the trip to Topeka in July. You can pre-register online. If you are going up the night before you may want to make your reservations now. We recommend the Club House Inn.
Mr. Williams, Chief Instructor

PROMOTIONS

May 2014

Shayla Johnson-Brown Belt
Dakota Douglas-Purple Belt
Alex Johnson-Green Belt
Elijah Bruch-Green Belt
Chance Barr-Jr. Green Belt
Julian Diaz-Jr. Gold Belt

May 2014 Newsletter

WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE
Each April the Office for Victims of Crime helps lead communities throughout the country in their annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year, NCVRW was observed April 6–12, 2014. We had our free workshop for Women’s Self Defense on Saturday, April 12th. Attendance was good and the ladies worked hard and had a good time. You view photos of the workshop on our Face book and websites. Our next free workshop will be in October during Domestic Violence Month.

AKMS FUNDRAISER
I want to thank everyone that participated in our fundraiser and gave donations. It was a success and we have ordered window graphics which will bring more attention to our school and keep it cooler this summer. I want to thank Cheryl and Kristi for helping with the inventory, separation and boxing/bagging of the items. 
Mr. Williams

KARATE & FITNESS COMING SOON!!! 
American Karate is looking for an Aerobics Instructor that has experience in multiple disciplines including step, conventional, kettle bell, zumba and other aerobic exercise. The more versatile your skill set the better. If you are upbeat, high energy and interested in joining our team contact me at 620-665-3800 or email americankarate1@prodigy.net for more information. Resumes’ are being accepted now.
 Mr. Williams, Owner/Instructor

FIESTA EXHIBITION
Saturday May 31st
American Karate has been invited to perform during the Fiesta at Our Lady of Guadalupe in South Hutchinson. This is scheduled for Saturday, May 31st at 12:30 in the afternoon. Join us for a good show and great food!

SPIRIT WEEK
June 23rd – 27th
It is that time of year again. Spirit Week is right around the corner. This is a great time when all of the AKMS students are together for a week of hard work. Classes will be from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Monday through Thursday beginning June 23rd. Black Belts will be on Friday. Saturday afternoon will be our annual school picnic. More information as that dates draws closer.

SUMMER HOURS
Starting June 1st we will be going into our annual summer hours. Those affected will be in the Adult Classes. Youth and specialty classes will remain the same. From June 1st through August 31st all adult classes will be combined and there will be no Adult Class on Wednesday evenings.

SUMMER HOURS
JUNE 1st THROUGH AUGUST 31st

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
6:30- 7:30 Youth Intermediate M&W Ages 6-12
7:30- 8:30 Adult Novice Monday Only Ages 13 - Over
5:30- 6:15 Youth Novice T&Th Ages 6-12
6:30- 8:00 Adult Open Class T&Th 13 - Over

KANSAS SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES
Saturday July 12, 2014
The Sunflower State Games in Topeka is the largest amateur multi sport event in Kansas conducted annually in July. The martial arts games are scheduled the second weekend of July on the 12th. This year we want as many of our students to attend as possible. I hope as many of you can make the trip to Topeka in July.
Mr. Williams, Chief Instructor

GRANDMASTER (GM) VICTOR MOORE???
Who is this Grandmaster? He hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. And, resides and teach in Lumberton, NC.

GM Victor Moore, 10 degree Dan in Shuryi Ryu, and is the founder of the Traditional World Karate Association (TWKA). Dr. Moore has studied martial arts for over 50 years, and is a four-time world karate champion, and the 1st World Karate Champion in America. He competed during the time full contact and no weight divisions. When you were struck, you bled, and things got knocked out of place, i.e. teeth, ribs, head, foot, hand, etc.

GM Moore defeated every national champion that was competing during the 60’s and the 70’s, Chuck Norris, Glenn Keeney, Jim Kelly, Jim Harrison, James Hawkes, Mike Foster, Fred Wren, and even beat Bruce Lee in a speed contest 4 out of 6 times. He defeated Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, and karate great Mike Stone in his first defeat as a black belt. Grandmaster Moore became 1st USKA World Pro Karate Champion by defeating the late great Joe Lewis. The Grandmaster was very successful in his accomplishments during those times, and one would consider the racial tone of yester-year of extreme racism.

This Grandmaster was a World Champion by rights and means, however, the media-magazines hardly ever recognized him or featured him or mentioned him in their publications, and very few of the other black martial arts greats. GM Moore’s competition goes beyond these few entries, forever, significant they are: the 1966 defeat of the all Hawaiian champion in Richmond Virginia, the 1968 defeat of Joe Lewis at the World's Fair Karate Championships, the 1969 defeat of Mike Stone in Pasadena California at the World Teams Championship, and in 1970 the defeat of Bill “Superfoot” Wallace in the USKA first professional world championship. In the ten year span of 1965 to 1975 in tournament competition GM Moore placed. However, he did retire after this period in time.

The Grandmaster is a traditionalist at heart in karate. He and I both agree on this same concept about karate tradition, as we both talked on April 25, 2014. He wonders where did this kumite bouncing up and down in fighting come from in the tournaments. That’s not karate, he exclaims! You need to be in a karate stance to fight. He is definitely from the ‘old school’ of martial arts.

In today’s tournaments, there is no ground fighting, sweeps, take downs, as we reminisced about karate of yester-year. The conditioning training has seemed to go out the door, because, most students probably couldn’t survive a street fight with tournament fighting mentalities, and their conditioning. The training in the cold, heat, on asphalt-grass-rocks-concrete, etc was never an option in the day and in my opinion shouldn’t be, now! This training had its merits whether or not the student liked it or not. Conditioning is just as important, as your techniques.

GM Moore and I both agree upon learning how to fight and survive in a street encounter is very important. We went on to talk about martial artist and traditional karate, and its keepsake, and not opposing to some degree the non-traditional enhancements and accelerations of the karate in today’s martial arts environment with it’s now business views.

Grandmaster Moore likes to maintain the traditional way of karate through his teaching, and his organization for promoting the traditional karate with the TWKA (Traditional World Karate Association), since 1975. If, you support the ideas and concepts of traditional karate, then check out his website and requirements for membership at (910)253-6121, http://www.twka.co/, vicmoorekarate@yahoo.com, vicmooretwka@gmail.com. As always, your comments are requested, if any at www.youngsankarate.com. Click on the feedback tab and provide your input. In My Opinion, Think About It!
H. James Young, Chief Instructor, Young San Karate.

April 2014 Newletter

APRIL NEWSLETTER FUNDRAISER
Last month we did a fundraiser to raise funds for martial arts window graphics. These graphics will keep the school cooler in the summer months while giving us some added advertisement from drive by traffic. There will be more information in the coming weeks. Our goal was $2,500.00 dollars. Orders are being tallied up as well as the funds that were collected. There will be incentives prizes for the most orders sold to the top three sellers. Thanks to everyone that participated!

TOURNAMENTS
Mickey Gomez Wichita Open
Saturday, March 8th, 2014 Results

Everette Gould 
Adult Novice Kata 1st Place
Adult Novice Kumite 1st Place

JoLea Wheeler 
Musical Kata 1st Place
Youth Intermediate Kata 1st
Youth Intermediate Kumite 2nd Place

Natalie Williams 
Adult Intermediate Kata 1st Place
Adult Intermediate Kumite 1st Place

Seibukan Karate Invitational
Saturday, March 22nd, 2014 Results

Alex Johnson
7-8 Intermediate Kata 1st Place
Intermediate Sparring 1st Place

Dakota Douglas 
11-12 Intermediate Kata 2nd Place
Intermediate Sparring 1st Place
Intermediate Weapons 1st Place

Shayla Johnson 
9-10 Advanced Weapons 2nd Place
Advanced Kata 1st Place
Advanced Sparring 2nd Place



St Jude Hospital Benefit Tournament 
Saturday, March 29th 2014 Results

LoXau Kiatoukashy 
Adult Novice Sparring 1st Place

Yvonne Pearman 
Adult Novice Sparring 1st Place

Chance Barr 
Youth Team Kata mixed 3rd Place
7-Under Novice Kata 1st Place
7-Under Novice Sparring 1st Place

Dylan Kiatoukashy 
8-9 Novice Kata 3rd Place
8-9 Novice Sparring 1st Place

Brandon Kiatoukashy 
8-9 Novice Kata 4th Place
8-9 Novice Sparring Honorable Mention

Alex Johnson
Youth Team Kata mixed 3rd Place
7-Under Intermediate Kata 1st Place

Dakota Douglas 
Advanced Team Kata mixed 1st Place
10-11 Intermediate Weapons Kata 1st Place
10-11 Intermediate Kata 1st Place
10-11 Intermediate Sparring 2nd Place

Shayla Johnson 
Advanced Team Kata mixed 1st Place
8-9 Advanced Weapons Kata 1st Place
8-9 Advanced Kata 1st Place
8-9 Advanced Sparring 1st Place





WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE
Each April the Office for Victims of Crime helps lead communities throughout the country in their annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year, NCVRW will be observed April 6–12, 2014. We will be having our free workshop for Women’s Self Defense. This class will be Saturday, April 12th from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. This workshop is open to ladies ages 13 and over. Ge the word out and let your friends and family know.

KANSAS SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES
The Sunflower State Games is the largest amateur multi sport event in Kansas conducted annually three weekends in July. The martial arts games are tentatively the second weekend of July. This year we want as many of our students to attend as possible. Continue warming up at local area tournaments now so we can all make the trip to Topeka in July.
--Mr. Williams, Chief Instructor

PROMOTIONS
Saturday, March 15th, 2014

GOLD BELT Yvonne Pearman
Purple Belt BELT Natalie Williams

ONE STEP AT A TIME
Most of you know I had major reconstructive surgery on my left ankle right before Christmas. The surgery went well and I just recently received the final “ok” from the surgeon that all is healed up. Not back to normal yet, but healed. Now begins the real and tough recovery – getting back up to speed in terms of training. I’ve noticed similarities between the 12 weeks of healing I spent after surgery and my journey in martial arts.

First, the hours immediately after waking up from 90 minutes of my ankle being torn into to remove an extra bone, tighten up a major ligament, and remove 25+ years of scar tissue reminds me a lot of the first 6 months of martial arts training. My brain was fuzzy, I was exhausted mentally from trying to wrap my head around my “new normal”. My body hurt in places I didn’t know existed. Nine million people were trying to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. All I wanted to do was sleep but sleep was uncomfortable. I had to learn how to move my body in new ways that defied what I instinctively knew to do. “They” kept saying “it will get better”. I didn’t believe them. Of course, “they” were right …!

Second, as I moved into a walking boot and was able to put full weight on my foot and start to walk, I was reminded of my first belt test and the months afterward. I didn’t really believe I’d ever get there. I wanted it so bad I could spit but time moved soooooo slowly. I knew intellectually I couldn’t rush things but I was so terribly impatient. Then “it” happened – I was able to walk, I passed my first belt test. The euphoria and excitement were beyond belief. I was on cloud nine and knew I could take on the world. A tiny part of my brain said “this is only one small step” but I didn’t care. Nothing could tear me down; no one was going to rain on my parade. I had more than enough energy and fuel to carry me through the next round of challenges.

Third, as I walked out of Dr. Shields’ office on March 18 I thought of when I was awarded Shodan. Getting the “ok” on my ankle was like the day Mr. Williams moved me out of probation to full Shodan. I knew recovery/training was nowhere near complete. I also knew that I could move forward now. A major transformation took place both days in terms of looking at long term goals and how to achieve them. I learned (although I always knew, I didn’t *really* know) that my recovery / training was in MY hands now, and I had to power and choice to make or break it. That is really scary but at the same time incredibly freeing and still terribly burdensome as it really IS all up to me.

Lastly, as I sit and write this, I’m not up to par yet in terms of black belt level training. But I am a long way from where I was December 20th at 11:00 am when I woke up. I’m also a long way from where I was when I started martial arts in March 1983. And I will get where I want to be one step at a time.
--Cristine Warring, AKMS Black Belt

Traditional Karate vs Sport Karate
What is the difference between Traditional Karate and Sports Karate?
On a technical point of view there is hardly any difference between “traditional karate” and “sport karate”. Whether it is Shotokan, GoJu Ryu, Wado Ryu, Kyokushinkai, Isshin Ryu, Shorin Ryu, or any style, the basics are pretty much the same. The difference starts in the performance of the techniques. I do not mean the body, but actually the mind behind the performance. Traditional karate is focused on self-defense, the killing blow, or survival. Every move in traditional karate has a meaning…to survive. The mind controls the moves, while the action itself is purely self protection, or self-defense. Sports karate is set on scoring a point in order to become a champion or to get a trophy. The traditional idea of self defense is gone. Ego and “winning” take first place. Reality and survival gone and trophies are the priority.

This may sound aggressive in today’s modern and polite world, but if traditional training is the focus, then a traditional karateka will react more quick on various daily life events than a sports karateka will. A traditional karateka will go more directly to his goal in order to survive. A sports karateka will not react, as he does not know that his karate is about training the “human spirit” to survive in the first place. I do not mean in fights, but more like a job, with family life, etc. Reaction practiced in the traditional dojo can also be used in daily life. It teaches you to assess situations and make solid decisions quickly and with commitment.

The major downfall for traditional karate is the lack of the need to “survive” in the world today…life has become too easy, especially in the Western World. The major downfall to sports karate is “the show” it is not about survival, but rather “Show Time”.
--Jeremy Hass, Chief Instructor NWLA Martial Arts Academy