Congratulations to Sempai Mariah Blunt, Ethan Baker and Diego Ruiz-Silva as they were selected to the Karate Alberta Provincial team and will compete in kumite at the Canadian National Championships in Richmond, BC at the end of January. All three have worked very hard to secure a spot – this is Sempai Mariah’s sixth time as a team member and both Ethan and Diego’s debut.  Joseph Workman, a Karate Alberta team member from last year, was well on his way to securing his spot on the team when he suffered an injury at a Karate Alberta selection tournament in the fall.  Once his injury heals, we know Joseph will be back, ready to compete with the best in Canada.

Considering that we have three dojo members preparing for nationals, we have taken the opportunity to spend a lot of our training time on kumite.  We have worked with Plumacher Sensei and, over this past weekend, had the opportunity to work with Sensei Douglas Brose, current WKF Kumite World Champion.  Both Plumacher and Brose Sensei demonstrated why they have been so successful – they focus on the basics and recognize that there are no shortcuts to success – just hard work.  Most recently, we reviewed the footwork that Brose Sensei presented in his weekend workshop – it is deceptively simple, however extremely effective.  He has built his ability to move quickly in any direction on significant leg strength and proper foot positioning. Though simple in concept, this ensures that he is always in balance and in a position of strength.  From there he can deliver any of a variety of techniques, depending on his opponent’s position and skills.  The lesson here is that for kumite athletes, focusing on basic aspects of training – strength and positioning – opens up a huge variety of options.

Announcements

• Class cancellations:  Tuesday, December 15.
• Our final karate class before the Christmas break is Friday, December 18.  Classes resume on Tuesday, January 5. 
• Plumacher Sensei is scheduled to lead our Friday night class on January 8, January 15, and January 22.  Please remember that there is a $10 fee for each of these sessions, payable in cash to Sempai Mariah Blunt.     

Happy holidays to everyone!  Don’t forget to stay active!

Enjoy your training!

Gary Sabean

Head Instructor