Welcome to a new training year for Sabean Karate Academy!  It’s great to see everyone again! I’d like to offer an especially warm welcome to our new students – thank you for choosing Sabean Karate Academy.  This website provides ongoing information about our club, training times, special events and fees, so please check back often.

At the start of any training program, it’s always a good idea to think about your goals – what do you hope to achieve in the coming year?  More importantly, what steps will you take to help you reach those goals?  While we all have individual objectives for our training, this year, we have an even greater opportunity as a dojo.  In August of 2016, the Soke Cup – an international competition held every three years – will celebrate its 70^th anniversary with a multi-day competition and celebration in Kumamoto, Japan.  All members of Chito-Ryo karate clubs worldwide are invited to attend and compete in an impressive exhibition of karate skill.  We will provide further details about the competition as dates and venues are confirmed and as well, we will be talking about it often during class.  Please also watch this website for “Soke Cup 101”, an overview of the event that will help you to make informed decisions about attending this exciting competition. 

We recently had the opportunity to spend five days with Soke Sensei – the world-wide head of Chito-Ryu karate – as well as many senior Chito-Ryu Karate-ka at the Canmore Summer Camp, held this past August.  Participants came from all over Canada and were treated to excellent instruction, great physical training and a spirited and positive karate atmosphere.  We will share what we learned at the camp in the coming weeks and months. Please take a moment to view the camp photos in the “Gallery” tab.  Special thanks to Joann Workman and other parents and participants who kindly provided lots of great camp photos. 

I realize September is a hectic month for everyone and taking on lots of new information can be overwhelming.  In the next few weeks we will review techniques and reinforce our key training concepts, but please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need more information. Also – please let me know if you have any injuries or physical limitations so that together we can modify your training.  Finally, though it can be daunting to start a new training program, think about this: 

“Start where you are.  Use what you have.  Do what you can.” Arthur Ashe

Announcements

• Please note the following class cancellations: October 9^th for the Thanksgiving weekend and November 26th and December 15th for school use. 

Enjoy your training!

Gary Sabean

Head Instructor