SUMMER HOURS
We will be 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.
JUNE1st 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 Monday 13 – Over
5:30 - 6:15 Youth Novice T&Th Ages 6-12
6:30 - 8:00 Adult Open Class T&Th 13 – Over
TOURNAMENTS
SAM’S THROW BACK TOURNAMENT
Saturday, May 2nd RESULT:
Brandon Kiatoukaysy 8-9 Intermediate 1st Kata, 2nd Kumite
Dylan Kiatoukaysy 10-11Intermediate 1st Kata, 2nd Kumite
GREAT PLAINS KARATE CHALLENGE
Saturday, June 20th, 2015
Kansas State University-Salina
2310 Centennial Road Salina, Kansas
CONTACT: Roy Miller 785-493-0257
SAM’S SUMMER KICK OFF TBA
Hutchinson, Kansas
CONTACT: Sam or Jessica Price 620-669-9051
SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES
Saturday, July 11th, 2015
Christ the King Church
25th and Wanamaker
Topeka, Kansas
CONTACT: Tony Mielenz, 785-554-4220 anthonymielenz@yahoo.com
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. The heat is coming! Now is the time to be drinking plenty of water throughout the day and bring a bottle of water with you! 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. This year’s picnic will be at the Boys and Girls Club from 1:00pm until 4:00pm.
A Brief Background on Samurai Japanese Armor
This artistic ability was called odoshi. Patterns of this process identified members of a clan by the color of the cord that was used to lace up the armor. For example, a certain clan used yellow colored lace cords, another clan used purple while another clan used light green cord. The knotting of the cords also identified rank. Wide lacing was used by the light armored infantry while tight and detailed lacing was for the higher ranked clan warriors.
Due to the entry of firearms in feudal warfare, the scaled leather armor was replaced with plate armor. These iron plates were referred to as dou tosei-gusoku or iron plated modern armor. Even the armor plates were coated in lacquer to prevent rusting.
By the 14th Century, there were over 20 components protecting almost the whole body. The full suite of Japanese armor also included the kabuto Samurai helmet with the fierce face mask called a mempo. Armored gauntlets or sleeves for the hands and arms, shoulder guards and leg greaves were then added. An armored skirt apron called kusazuri protected the upper thighs. Shin guards called suneate were also added.
The mark of great skill on the part of the Samurai warriors was in using their katanas, yari pole weapons and the longbow while wearing the heavy armor. What is little known is that often, Japanese blacksmiths and craftsmen create leather scaled armor and breastplates for their owners not so much for the owner’s protection but, for the armor’s durability, endurance and artistic features.
The armor in this article is from the Suaka Nuri family/clan. Their colors were yellow and black. And, they had a reason for the color yellow. The samurai armor was painted in yellow with black lacing to represent Yuki (courage). Samurai that displayed courage on the field of battle would sometimes be honored by their Shogun by having their armor painted yellow, so the enemy can easily find them on the field of battle. Consequently, the warrior could be seen anywhere on the battlefield, and should he have lost his courage he would be seen too, fleeing the field of battle. Therefore, I have adapted the color of yellow for my gi (armor), and embraced it’s representation of Yuki.
--H. James Young, Chief Instructor, Youngsan Karate
THE ARTS OF COMBAT AND SELF DEFENSE
Africa is oldest inhabited continent in the world. Africa is a continent Rich in Natural resources (oil, gas, diamonds, gold, iron), but the majority of countries never developed economically. Africa has only recently (i.e. within living memory) emerged from colonization. Colonization is essentially a process by which an imperial power parasitizes someone else's territory and transfers resources out of it to the benefit of the imperial power and the detriment of the colonized people. The end-point of colonization is variously called liberation, independence or home rule and is usually followed by a period of insecurity and conflict after which economic development begins again. Countries in Africa are working their way through these stages at different rates. This has been happening all over the world for thousands of years.
So what does this have to do with the arts of combat and self defense? Nothing more than a thought and the thought being that whoever lived on the oldest inhabited continent more than likely was at odds or war with other tribes or civilizations and had combat skills. What’s interesting to me is that the majority of us in America study, train or practice some form of Asian martial art. Those arts came to America through American military men in the mid to late 40’s and 50’s. It was a discipline of self defense and the sport came later. Now here we are in the 21st century and the sport has practically taken over the combat and art (Jitsu and ways) forms.
As the sports grew over the last 50-60 years it gave way to the creation of the martial athlete and the self defense aspects diminished. Then during the period of the early 70’s to mid 90’s full contact karate, no-holds, UFC and MMA grew as a way for practitioners to test their skills and see how much they could take and how much they could dish out. Now we have the combat self defense craze of the Israeli, Krav Maga and the Russian Systema Spetsnaz. We flock to these “New Arts/Systems” and pay big money to become instructors when there was already a combative or self defense component in the arts that we began studying in the beginning of our martial arts journey. I look at these new fads and see the same tools that were taught to our service men and women after our first world war through the end of Vietnam. It doesn’t matter where the skill set comes from. Combat is about being able to receive an attack and answer it. You can’t re-invent the wheel. But you can change the performance of the tire.
--Tommy Williams, Chief Instructor
American Karate and Martial Science
BLACK BELT CLASS/MEETING
The next black belt class and meeting will be Saturday, July 11th at 10:00 am. A short meeting will follow at 11:00 am.
H. JAMES YOUNG VISIT
Maryland based martial arts instructor and competitor, H. James Young will be visiting American Karate the last week of July. Master Young has been in the martial arts for over 35 years. He has studied various martial arts and Japanese/Okinawa weapons. He is trained to use almost anything as a weapon from a rolled up newspaper or magazine to chop sticks, fountain pen or man’s pant belt. We look forward to his visit.
STATE GAMES OF AMERICA
August 2015
The National Congress of State Games will be hosting the 2015 State Games of America in Lincoln, Nebraska. The biennial multi-sport festival will take place July 28–August 2, 2015. 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 planning to attend the State Games of America you should be polishing up your empty hand and weapons kata as well as drills for sparring.
