We at American Karate and Martial Science hope you had a very Merry Christmas and have a prosperous New Year. We are at one year mark this month in our new facility. We have managed to continue to grow. As always we appreciate your business and hope that you or your child is continuing to learn something whether that be about themselves or the martial arts.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB
Last month Mr. Williams and Mrs. Gaeddert worked with sixty youth from the Boys and Girls Club at Avenue A School. The groups ran from K-12. After working on some basic techniques the youth group talked about leadership, life skills and manners.
NEW STUDENTS
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| Nick |
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| Zack |
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| Alexis |
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| Zoey |
During the the Christmas holiday week we had a special guest, Alexander Ecker from Saudi Arabia. He studies a style of Filipino martial arts. He has trained in judo but never studied karate before and wanted to do something different when he was on vacation. Alexander said that he would like to come back in the summer and train. We look forward to him returning.
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| Alexander |
KARATE IN EARLY AMERICA
American servicemen drafted during World War II who volunteered for specialized training in Airborne Infantry and other special tactics groups were given instruction in basic martial arts techniques streamlined by the U.S. Government. The techniques were taken from various arts including, Shotokan, Jiu Jitsu, Kapap, Wu Shu, Wrestling, Judo, and American boxing. This was done after a long term study was undergone by the government to understand the mind of their enemies. They had spies in varying countries to undergo the training given to the average civilian upon entering the military. Upon returning to the United States the face of military training would be changed forever. Martial arts were not the only training methods that returned with these men. Specific endurance training and obstacle techniques were also brought back and analyzed to determine their values. After the evaluation of the martial methods brought back; specific componets were melded together into a basic combat arms course for direct combat soldiers. It allowed a basic skill set to be taught easily and memorized effectively into automatic response by newly acquired troops. Although this was not a comprehensive art itself; the incorporated techniques allowed for a well rounded hand to hand instruction that did not take years to master but only several weeks. The basis of the techniques used were on five principles of interaction and two set methods of combat. The two methods are "being attacked" and "attacking", the techniques usually involved direct immobilization techniques. The defense techniques exploit vulnerability areas such as Eyes, Groin, Neck and spine. The first strike capability revolves around initial first movement being ineffective but distracting and causing the opponent to retaliate, forcing the situation to turn into defense reaction leading to the before named striking points. This training was not complicated, but it was effective.
It is important to note that 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 instruction in America when Robert Trias, a returning U.S. Navy vet, began teaching private lessons in Phoenix, Arizona. Other early teachers of karate in America were Bill Dometrich, a US Army serviceman who began his training in 1953, 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), Mike Foster a US Air Force serviceman who began studying in 1957, and Peter Urban (another Navy vet who started training in the late 1950s).
