Important!  No classes on Thursday, February 13^th and Friday, February 14^th for the Family Day long weekend.

All three of our dojo members competing at the national championships – Mariah Blunt, Noah Thompson and Joseph Workman – represented us well, with Mariah capturing the bronze medal in her division for junior kumite. 

 Well done to all!  For complete nationals results, go to the Karate Alberta website: http://www.karateab.org/.  Special thanks to Sempai Eleanor, Sempai Tim and Sempai Gary B. for teaching while Sempai Chris and I were away at nationals. 

With the Karate Alberta Tournament on February 1 and 2 and the national karate championships just completed two weeks ago, our focus has been on preparation – preparing for tournaments, competitions and, in the coming months, gradings.  Preparing for such significant events can be stressful – but it can also help us to refocus our training and be honest about our weaknesses.  Don’t be afraid to look for your weaknesses – while it can be difficult to admit you’re not good at something, that’s the first step in getting better at it.  Many athletes have taken what they considered their biggest weakness and turned it into a significant strength.  You may recall that Michael Jordan didn’t make his senior high basketball team the first time he tried out – but luckily that didn’t stop him!  

Once we know what we need to work on – and it’s different for every one of us – we can then be sure that our training is time well spent.   

In the coming weeks, our focus will be on ensuring our basics are where they need to be.  While competitions are front of mind right now, it’s important to remember that success in both kata and kumite depends on strong basics.  In addition, spending time fine-tuning our basics will prepare us well for Soke Sensei’s visit in August. 

Hopefully by now you have had some time to think about your goals for karate for the year and what success will look like for you.  If you have any questions or need some help with goal setting – let me know.

 “Success is a decision....”  Steve Backley

Enjoy your training!

Shihan Gary Sabean – Head Instructor

Announcements:

• No classes February 13^th or 14^th.  Have a happy Valentines Day and a nice Family day long weekend! 
• Save the Dates!  August 7^th to 10^th Soke Sensei will be visiting Canada and holding a training camp in Canmore, Alberta.  More details will follow related to schedules, costs and location.
• If you are interested in trying out for the Karate Alberta Provincial Team – contact me.