Congratulations to everyone who participated in the recent Karate Alberta Recreational and Provincial Qualifier tournament this past weekend.  Everyone showed excellent competitive spirit and achieved some very good results!  Well done to all and thanks also to our dojo members who volunteered for coaching, refereeing, set-up, take-down and many other jobs – your support is much appreciated!

Recently we have spent significant time on body kicks.  This is an important technique to master as it provides a good foundation for other techniques such as head kicks and sweeps.  When you are practising body kicks, remember to start with a good stance, ensure your weighting is 60% on the front leg and 40% on the back leg and draw your power from the floor up. 

Throughout March we will build on our kumite techniques and our focus on preparation for competition will continue as we have two opportunities to compete at the end of the month.  Our friend Taneda Kyoshi is running the Chito-Ryu Friendship Tournament in Penticton on March 28 and 29^th.  As well, the US Open and Junior International Cup are being held in Las Vegas from April 1 to 5.  Please see the calendar entry on the right side of the page or me for more information. 

Announcements

• Class cancellations:  no classes on Thursday, March 19 and Tuesday, March 24 due to school use. 
• Karate Alberta is calling for volunteers to work at a casino scheduled for June 6 and 7.  The casino is an important fundraiser for Karate Alberta and helps to ensure continued funding for provincial and national tournaments.  Provincial team members receive volunteer credit for helping at the casino either by working a shift (if over 18 years of age) or by having a parent or adult friend work a shift.  Adult dojo members can also volunteer and our dojo will receive $25 per volunteer to be used for club development activities.  See the Karate Alberta website for further information.
• Save the dates! Our Canmore Summer Camp, with Soke Sensei and many other senior Chito-Ryu karateka will be held August 12 to 16, 2015.  Shimizu Sensei of the Canmore Karate Club is working very hard to organize the camp and has secured special rates at the Blackstone Lodge in Canmore. Please call the hotel at 1-888-830-8883 for reservations and to receive the special rate, mention the Group Sales Code:  Karate.  

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”  Gail Devers

Enjoy your training!

Sensei Gary Sabean

Head Instructor

Karate Etiquette

As we work with each other in the dojo, we often use the phrase, “Onegai Shimasu,” which means “please teach me.”  We have gotten into the habit of saying it to our partners both at the start and end of a drill.  While I’m glad people take a moment to show each other respect, at the close of a drill the phrase we should use is: “Domo Arigato Gozai Mashita” which translates to, “thank-you very much.”