Remember – no class this Friday, February 13 for the Family Day Weekend.

Congratulations to our dojo members returning from the national championships in Richmond, BC: Joseph Workman, Mariah Blunt, Sabean Sensei and Workman Sensei.  They all represented our dojo and the province extremely well.  Joseph and Mariah worked very hard to prepare for the championships and their hard work and dedication paid off.  Both athletes moved up in divisions and weight classes from last year’s event – but they took the added challenge in stride.  Mariah achieved a bronze medal in kumite in two categories: U21 and Senior Women, while Joseph received a silver medal for Senior Team Kumite.  Congratulations again and well done! 

Karate Alberta has announced that the next tournament, for both recreational and provincial team qualifying athletes, will be held on February 28 and March 1 at WO Mitchell School in Calgary.  In addition to providing an opportunity for all interested athletes to compete, Karate Alberta is accepting applications for athletes interested in vying for a place on the 2015-2016 provincial team.  The tournament registration deadline is this Saturday, February 14.  If you have any questions about the competition, or about provincial team requirements, speak to Sabean Sensei and review the information on the Karate Alberta website.

With the national championships just ending, now might seem like an opportune time to take your “foot off the gas” with respect to training.  While the intensity may decrease, this is actually a great time to examine strengths and weaknesses and look at the strategies and tactics you employ to get results. The upcoming Karate Alberta tournament is another reason to continue our focus on mental and physical preparation for competition – we will be reviewing all of this in the coming weeks.

Announcements

• No class this Friday, February 13 for the Family Day Long Weekend. 
• Karate Alberta Recreational Tournament – February 28 and Provincial Qualifier Tournament, March 1.  If you are interested in competing or volunteering, please contact me.    

“Your friends will believe in your potential, your enemies (opponents) will make you live up to it.”  Tim Fargo

Enjoy your training!

Sensei Gary Sabean

Head Instructor

Karate Etiquette

Over the past few weeks our Friday night classes have included athletes from several dojos.  It is excellent to have a mix of students, as working with a variety of kumite opponents is essential for improvement.  Having guests to our dojo also provides a chance to review etiquette related to being a good partner.  No matter who you are partnered with, keep in mind the following during your training:

• Manage your sparring space.  When the dojo is very full, it is sometimes difficult to find enough space to work – but remember each of us has a responsibility to keep our partners safe – warn them if they are moving too close to an obstacle or another sparring pair.
• If you are paired with someone less experienced or at a lower rank than you, be sure to work at an appropriate level so that both of you get something out of the drill.
• If the pressure you are putting on your partner has them constantly moving back into the path of other athletes, ease up the pressure and work on something else.