“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”
SPIRIT WEEK
Spirit Week starts Monday, June 20th at 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and will run through Friday the 25th. Everyone will be in class together. Because of space class may move from the dojo to Carey Park. It is important that everyone start drinking plenty of water and bring water with you to every class. On Saturday we will have our annual karate school picnic for students and their immediate family. We ask that every family bring a side dish. Like every year the school will be closed the week after Spirit Week. This year we will be at the Fair Grounds. There will be more information as the date draws closer.
SUMMER HOURS FOR ADULT CLASSES
This year Summer Hours will start a month later starting July 5th through August 31st.
Monday
6:30 – 7:30
Youth Intermediate
6 – 12
7:30 – 8:30
Adult Novice
13 & over
Tuesday
5:30 – 6:15
Youth Novice
6 – 12
6:30 – 8:00
Adult Open
13 & over
Wednesday
5:30 – 6:30
Weapons
Purple belt & over
6:30 – 7:30
Youth Intermediate
6 – 12
Thursday
5:30 – 6:15
Youth Novice
6 – 12
6:30 – 8:00
Adult Open
13 & over
TOURNAMENTS
SAM’S SUMMER KICK OFF
TBA
CONTACT: Sam or Jessica Price 316-669-9051
GREAT PLAINS CHALLENGE
Saturday, June 25th, 2016
Kansas State University
2310 Centennial Drive
Salina, Kansas
CONTACT: Roy Miller 785-493-0257
KANSAS STATE SUNFLOWER GAMES
Saturday, July 9th, 2016
Christ The King Church
SW 25th and Wanamaker
Topeka, Kansas
CONTACT: Tony Mielenz, 785-554-4220, anthonymielenz@yahoo.com
KANSAS SUNFLOWER STATE GAMES
The Sunflower State Games is a 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to providing a forum that initiates and encourages camaraderie between different ages, socioeconomic and cultural groups through athletic competition. The event promotes the development of healthy lifestyles and physical fitness for the participants, their families and the communities where they live. The Sunflower State Games is the largest amateur multi sport festival in Kansas conducted annually three weekends in July. The martial arts games are tentatively the second weekend of July. This year we plan to have as many of our students attend as possible. Start warming up at local area tournaments not so we can all make the trip to Topeka.
Mr. Williams, Chief Instructor
COMPETITION FOR YOUTH IN THE MARTIAL ARTS
Competition can be a touchy subject sometimes when talking about kids. Whether it’s something like little league or kids martial arts many parents have a different view on the role of competition and when their kids should engage in it. It’s unfortunate that there have been situations in many youth sports that have given “competition” a bad connotation to it. It is very important for children to learn about competition in our martial arts classes. They have to learn how to be a good winner. They also have to learn how to deal with losing. There are many reasons but I think the main one is for a child to learn how much work goes into preparing and going to a tournament. It’s goal oriented in the short term, there’s a tournament, you need to prepare and the tournament will happen at a specified date and time. Some kids will love the whole experience and yet others may not like the experience, whether or not they win. The main reason youth competition is important for me is that we do not operate a “Sports Karate”, McDojo type facility. With bullying the way it is in our country martial arts classes need to take more of a serious turn. The down side to that is that there are times when classes are just boring because there is curriculum that must be taught and skill sets that must be achieved. Many of our kids cross train in other sports like football, baseball, soccer, volley ball and gymnastics. All of them said that it would not be fun to just practice those sports all of the time and not play against another team. The martial arts are no different. Children in the martial arts have a long journey because it is a life’s. There is no end of season. They need to compete in kata, weapons kata, team kata or sparring, any one or any combination. I was a child martial artist. A big part of my early journey was tournament competition. Had I not had the chance to test my skills in a safe controlled environment, I would probably have moved on to something else. It’s not about the winning or losing. It is about the experience.
Mr. Williams, Chief Instructor
TRAINING: TOURNAMENTS, STREET, THE DIFFERENCE?
Training is essential in any sports, activity, discipline, however, call it what you want. The Martial Arts students must be aware of some of the differences in their training routine with the understanding in the dojo one trains hard to defend themselves and/or others, get in condition, learn philosophy, and practice many techniques/routines. This is all good, outstanding, and great!
However, the things a student learns, and execute in tournaments will not always work on the streets. Therefore, the student must know the difference in the point-fighting techniques, have different effects on the streets. The mentality of tournament preparation, and street preparation must always be on the mind of the student, and distinguish between tournament technique applications and street execution. In the event of the student’s main goal of being in the martial arts to only prepare for tournament execution, with the thought of not ever getting involved in a street situation (is something to avoid if possible) is admirable, however, not too practical, but admirable. The ‘street’ and “tournament” applications are very different. Student’s must keep this in the fore-front of their thinking. Will you know and do the difference?
H. James Young, 5th Dan
RANK ADVANCEMENT
The martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practices, which are practiced for a variety of reasons such as self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental, physical, and spiritual development. The term martial art has become heavily associated with the fighting arts of eastern Asia. The term martial arts are ultimately derived from Latin, and means “Arts of Mars,” where Mars is the Roman god of war. Some martial arts are considered ‘traditional’ and are tied to an ethnic, cultural or religious background, while others are modern systems developed either by a founder or an association.
Various forms (kata) and sparring are commonly used during testing and tournaments. Some competitions pit practitioners of different disciplines against each other using a common set of rules. Rules for sparring vary between art and organization but can generally be divided into light-contact, medium-contact, and full-contact options, reflecting the amount of force that should be used on an opponent. The intent of competition is to serve as a pop quiz for the student as a way of testing skills or experimenting with their tools in a “controlled” environment.
Testing or evaluation is important to martial art practitioners of many disciplines who wish to determine their progression or own level of skill in specific contexts. Students within individual martial art systems often undergo periodic testing and grading by their instructor in order to advance to a higher level of recognized achievement, such as a different belt color or title. In order for a student to advance he/she must set goals and reinforce learning through shake downs and competition. It is not about winning or losing in competition. It is about the experience and affirmation from testing your skills.
Thomas Williams, Chief Instructor with excerpts from Wikipedia
