The end of October and beginning of November have been busy with the Karate Alberta tournament held October 24 in Blackfalds and the all Alberta Karate Invitational tournament held November 7 in Calgary.  Congratulations to all of our participants in the Alberta competitions and thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to help the tournaments run smoothly.   In addition to the two local tournaments, I had the opportunity to attend the 2015 Cadet & Junior World Karate Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia from November 12 to 15 on behalf of Karate Alberta.  Thanks to everyone who helped in the dojo in my absence.

In our classes recently we have been reinforcing the basics for both kata and kumite.  A key focus has been posture – which is crucial for a good kata, but is equally applicable to kumite.  For kumite, we have been working on understanding distance for both defensive and offensive techniques.   We have had a great opportunity to boost our kumite preparation during several of our Friday night kumite classes with a guest instructor, Sensei Luis Plumacher, WKF World Kumite Champion.  Plumacher Sensei has many skills in the kumite ring, but his techniques are all founded on his footwork.  His strength and positioning allow him to quickly move in any direction – which enables him to set up the right technique for the situation.  His sessions provide a great opportunity for both experienced and novice kumite athletes to improve their kumite skills.

We are fortunate to have Plumacher Sensei work with us in three more Friday night classes before the end of January – if you regularly attend Friday night classes, please make an effort to join in these fun and challenging classes.

Announcements

• Plumacher Sensei is scheduled to lead our Friday night class on November 20, January 8 and January 15.  Please remember that there is a $10 fee for each of these sessions, payable in cash to Sempai Mariah Blunt.     
• Class cancellations:  Thursday, November 26 and Tuesday, December 15.
• Our final karate class before the Christmas break is Friday, December 18, resuming Tuesday, January 5. 

“Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your other three tires because you got a flat.”

Enjoy your training!

Gary Sabean

Head Instructor