Since training began in September we have been reacquainting ourselves with the foundational concepts of Chito Ryo:  fifty-fifty weighting in our stances, concise, controlled movements, speed before power and using our tanden – core strength – for all techniques.  It’s clear that the concepts are making sense:  new members are learning to perform the techniques correctly and efficiently and returning members are showing significant improvements.   Well done to everyone and especially to those new to karate – this training takes patience, perseverance and determination and I am seeing that in every class. 

Please take a minute to review the instructors tab on this web page.  While Sensei Maitreyi Raman is on hiatus, I am fortunate to have a number of my students helping to instruct – Sempai Chris Workman, Sempai Mariah Blunt and Sempai Tim Workman.  All of them are dedicated and accomplished karateka, bringing positive energy and fun to our classes.

Remember to check this website regularly for announcements, class cancellations, workshops and other information.  If you have any questions, please contact me.

“Those who believe they can and those who believe they can’t, are both right.”  Henry Ford.

Shihan Gary Sabean – Head Instructor

Announcements

• Class Cancellation:  There will be no class on Friday, November 8 (Remembrance Day weekend).
• Fee Changes:  Please note that due to fee increases in membership fees to our parent Chito Ryu association in Japan, fees will increase, beginning January 1, 2014. For the children’s class, the increase is $25 dollars, taking the three-month cost from $175 to $200.  For youths and adults, the fee increase is $50 – the three-month cost for youth fees will be $275, while the three-month cost for adults will be $325.  Remember, the fee increase is effective January 1, 2014.
• Congratulations to our dojo members (Mariah Blunt, Noah Thompson, Ethan Baker and Diego Ruiz)who represented our dojo very well at the 7th Commonwealth Karate Championships in Montreal, Quebec on the Thanksgiving weekend.  Mariah Blunt came home with a silver medal in kumite and Noah Thompson brought home a bronze in kumite.  Well done to all!
• Karate Alberta is hosting a recreational and provincial qualifier tournament in Leduc, Alberta this weekend (November 2 and 3).  By now members wishing to compete have registered with Shihan Gary – if you did not register for this tournament, stay tuned as Karate Alberta hosts three to four tournaments per year, open to athletes from white belt through to elite black belt and for all ages.  For athletes vying for a place on the provincial team, results from this weekend’s tournament will be used to select the provincial team who will represent Alberta at the Canadian National Championships in Richmond, British Columbia in January.   
• Stay tuned for more information on a refereeing workshop that we will hold in our dojo in the next month or so.  Learning more about competition rules, kumite scoring and kata judging is helpful for those in training, as well as those who aspire to become karate officials.  The workshop will be led by Sensei Marc Ward, a National and Pan-American-level certified karate official and 4^th degree black belt in Shotokan.

Children’s Class (Friday night – Ages 4 to 6)

The children’s class is aimed at exposing participants to elements of karate, disguised as games and play.  In this way, your children will enjoy the class, while being introduced to basic karate movements and techniques. 

Youth Class (Tuesdays and Thursdays – Ages 7 to 13)

The youth class bridges the gap between the children’s class and the adult class.  Participants still enjoy ‘play’ oriented drills, however a greater focus is on learning specific techniques, kihons and katas depending on belt level. October’s classes included sparring/kumite drills as we prepared some of our younger members for competitions at Commonwealth and for the upcoming Karate Alberta tournament.

Adult Classes (Ages 14 to 100!)

• Regular Class (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
• Competition Class (Fridays)

October saw us continue our emphasis on basics – reinforcing our weighting, stances and movements.  In addition, we formalized our work in our kihons and katas – knowing that within the next few months, many of our members will be testing for their next belt level.  We also worked on bunkai – the practical applications for our techniques and kata movements.  Many of you with bruised forearms also recall that we have been working on blocking techniques with quick counter attacks. 

The Friday night competition class is all about kumite – offering drills and sparring opportunities designed to help members and guest members from other dojos prepare for upcoming competitions.  Throughout October we concentrated on refining one or two basic techniques, including learning how to set them up effectively and score with them.  Another important concept we are working on is managing distance from your kumite opponent – ensuring that you maintain effective distance for scoring, for defence and to regroup. 

Enjoy your training!