TIKK NEWS. Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai Perfecting Character Since 1991

Transcription

1 TIKK NEWS Fall 2004 Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai Perfecting Character Since 1991 SHO DAN! Trey Asel attains Black Belt rank Ni Dan Crystal Asel was right. She told her husband Trey at the Gasshuku in April that the spring shiai would be his last as a brown belt. After seven and a half years of training, Trey was named a Sho Dan by Shihan Robert Kristensen at the annual summer shiai at the Nautilus in Flower Mound on August 28. Mr. Asel, as he is now known, has been a brown belt since December 1998 and it took the encouragement from Mrs. Asel and Shihan and the example set by TIKK s newest Sho Dan s Jeff Kelley and Dan Prenevost to provide the motivation for completing the black belt testing, Mr. Asel said. It was wild having people Kyoshi Robert Kristensen Mr. Trey Asel receives his black belt from Shihan Robert Kristensen. believe in you when you weren t sure you believed in yourself, he said. More than 100 Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai students watched Mr. Asel bust through the concrete block before being named a Sho Dan and earning a place in line with many of the black belts Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai President Robert Kristensen was recently named Master of the Year for 2004 by the World Wide Martial Arts Hall of Fame during a ceremony held in Fulton, New York. The World Wide Martial Arts Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding martial artists from all styles and is sponsored by the International TaeKwonDo Union. This award is special to him he had trained with for years. Ni Dan Don Bizzell also added to the excitement of the day after he smashed three concrete blocks and was named San Dan, or third Dan, and given the honor of being called a sensei. (See SUMMER SHIAI, page 6) Shihan earns worldwide recognition because the organization recognizes all styles in the martial arts and it is not an award amongst only Isshinryu martial artists, he said. Inside Shihan s Corner.2 Demo Team...3 Black belt honors...4 Spring shiai 8 Senseis Corner

2 Page 2 TIKK NEWS FALL 2004 Shihan s corner Think Positive Work Your Plans. Live Your Dreams. Nothing Is Impossible For A Karate Ka! This Was Told To Me Many Years Ago. If You Think You Can, You CAN! Shihan Kristensen Calendar November 6..TIKK Open Tournament & Hanchi William H. Duessel Seminar, Nautilus, Flower Mound November 30 N Focus Demo, Coppell High School Basketball game December 4..Winter Shiai, Nautilus, Flower Mound March 4 Mr. Jeff Kelley s Birthday March 8 Sensei Don Bizzell s Birthday March 17..Sensei Don Ishmael s Birthday April Spring Gasshuku, Camp Summit April 17 Spring Shiai, Camp Summit Business Owners! Promote Your Business & TIKK By Becoming A Newsletter Sponsor For advertising rates, Contact Laura Murray (972) TIKK NEWS is published periodically by karate ka of Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai, established in 1991, and is distributed to students at all the school s dojos and to others interested in TIKK activities. TIKK NEWS Denton Brickhouse Gym (940) Publisher Shihan Robert Kristensen Editor Ni Dan Matt Evans Assistant Editor Laura Murray Coppell Dojo (Main) 1203 Crestside, Suite 230, Coppell, TX (972) Visit us on the web: Flower Mound / Lewisville Nautilus Fitness Center, 601 Crosstimbers (972) Haslet First Baptist Church of Haslet (972) Richardson Richland Bible Fellowship Church (469)

3 FALL 2004 TIKK NEWS Page 3 N Focus Eight make TIKK s first junior demo team TIKK N Focus demo team members perform at their first demo in Denton in August. From left are Allan Wallander, Carson Dickey, Tyler Murray, Daniel Midkiff, Perry Lopez, Shane Murray, Johannes Kroll and Jack Pergantis. Eight junior students are representing Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai as the school s first demo team. The students, ranging in age from 7 to 12 and in rank from green to brown belt, were selected in July after trying out in front of TIKK s highest ranking black belts, including Sensei Debbie Garrett, who will direct team activities and practices along with Sho Dan Jeff Kelley. Demo team members include: Carson Dickey, Jack Pergantis, Allan Wallander, Daniel Midkiff, Perry Lopez, Shane Murray, Johannes Kroll and Tyler Murray. The team, which has been named N Focus, practices at the Nautilus in Flower Mound in addition to each student s regular classes and will perform choreographed demonstrations for interested groups and organizations. Fundraisers will be planned N Focus members show Cub Scouts how to throw/fall. to support the team s activities and the possible purchase of heavyweight gis. The mission of the team is to help TIKK by representing the school wherever the team performs its demos and to help demo team members become more successful in life by learning the importance of setting high standards. The team held its first demo at the Sports Extravaganza at a mall in Denton. Other demos include a car show in Lewisville, a Cub Scout meeting in Richardson, the Gator Fest in Flower Mound and Huffines Arts Trails in Richardson.

4 Page 4 TIKK NEWS FALL 2004 TIKK black belts win state Hall of Fame honors Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai black belts Tony Palos, Tina Palos and Sensei Vince Olivier were honored May 15 at the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame ceremony, which is held every four years, for their outstanding contribution to the promotion of the martial arts in the state of Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Palos teach at the Denton dojo while Sensei Olivier teaches at the Flower Mound dojo. Olivier, a master craftsman, built the display case that houses the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame section which is part of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame exhibit in Waco.. Shihan Robert Kristensen also was honored this spring by being named vice president of the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame. A team of 16 Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai students brought home 32 trophies from the North Texas Open Karate Championships held in The Colony June 5. About 120 martial artists representing about 15 schools From left, Black belts Tina Palos, Tony Palos and Sensei Vince Olivier were honored by the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Shihan Robert Kristensen and Sempai Maria Kristensen join them. 16 students bring home 32 trophies from tournament from Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico participated in the tournament sanctioned by the United States Karate Alliance. Sensei Don Ishmael, who teaches at TIKK s Richardson dojo, won second place in weapons and second in kata in the advanced black belt division for 3 rd degree and above. Andrew Black, a yellow belt, won grand champion in kata in his beginner division. Other TIKK results are: Kata Kumite Executive Advanced Men Mike Cohen 2 nd 2 nd Kent Kirkpatrick 3 rd 3 rd (See TOURNAMENT, page 5) Kendall, Carson, Cody, Tracy and Whitney take a breather.

5 FALL 2004 TIKK NEWS Page 5 TIKK adds spirit To July 4th Parade More than 30 Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai students showed their TIKK spirit by representing the school in the city of Coppell s annual 4 th of July Parade. Parade watchers cheered as Vietnam veterans Shihan Robert Kristensen and Ni Dan Tommy Thomas marched in their military gear showing support for the troops. The patriotic songs blaring from black belt Jeff Kelley s truck and karate ka all dressed with flag headbands and carrying flags provided much interest and energy for the crowd. Shihan Robert Kristensen and Ni Dan Tommy Thomas, above, wear their military gear for the parade while the Murray and the Richter boys show their patriotic spirit, right. Tournament... (From Page 4) Kata Kumite Executive Intermediate Men Mark Hendrix 2 nd 3 rd Adult Intermediate Women Susan Kleinfall 1 st 1 st Tina Mootz 2 nd 3 rd Teen Intermediate Whitney Fairhurst 2 nd 1 st Cody Davenport 1 st 2 nd 12-year-old Intermediate Tim Hendrix 2 nd 1 st Executive Beginner Men Steve Pergantis 3 rd 3 rd Executive Beginner Women Tracey Dickey 3 rd 2 nd Adult Beginner Men Andrew Black 1 st 3 rd 12-year-old Beginner Kendall Kirkpatrick 1 st 3 rd Junior Beginner Carson Dickey 1 st --- Jack Pergantis 2 nd 3 rd Cole Mootz 3 rd 3 rd

6 Page 6 TIKK NEWS FALL 2004 Ichi....Ni....San.. Sho Dan Trey Asel Ni Dan Chris Miller San Dan/Sensei Don Bizzell Summer Shiai (From Page 1) He joins San Dan Vince Olivier and Yon Dans Debbie Garrett, Adam Masur, Don Ishmael and Maria Kristensen in carrying this prestigious title, in addition to Shihan Mr. Chris Miller s break of two cinder blocks and his promotion to Ni Dan also brought cheers from the crowd. Another highlight was when 15-year-old Whitney Fairhurst became only the second female junior in TIKK history to earn a brown belt with her promotion to San Kyu. Kyle Murray and Cole Richter kept moving up with their promotions to the second level in brown belt with their promotions to Ni Kyu. Other promotions include: Blue Belt Shane Murray Tim Hendrix Johannes Kroll Green Belt Morgan Hulsey Jack Pergantis Carson Dickey Yellow Belt with a solid black stripe Deanna Rupp Cole Mootz Yellow Belt Dean Collins Ben Collins Krystian Gonzalez Dylan Richter Ben Hoover Kendall Kirkpatrick Brown belts, left, demonstrate Seuchin kata while the black belts, below, perform Seisan Kata.

7 FALL 2004 TIKK NEWS PAGE Summer Shiai highlights Demo team members Tyler Murray, Daniel Midkiff, Perry Lopez and Johannes Kroll show the junior multiple attack routine. Below, Sensei Don Ishmael congratulates Whitney Fairhurst for making San Kyu. Left, Nate Eazor and Ethan Shah make rank while green belts, below, kumite.

8 PAGE 8 TIKK NEWS Fall 2004 Spring Shiai Richter earns first junior black belt in TIKK history; Jeff Kelley, Dan Prenevost achieve Sho Dan rank Byron Richter made history at Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai s spring shiai April 25 by earning the school s first junior black belt since TIKK opened its doors in Richter, who has been training at TIKK since January 1998, is only the second student Shihan Robert Kristensen has seen achieve this rank in his more than 30 years in the martial arts. Fourteen-year-old Richter was awarded the Sho Dan Ho rank while seniors Jeff Kelley and Dan Prenevost earned the prestigious Sho Dan rank Sho Dan Ho Byron Richter to highlight the end of the 7 th annual Gasshuku during the shiai. Shihan said the Sho Dan rank, which is a 1 st degree black belt, is awarded only to students who are at least 16. In a traditional school, anyone under 16 doesn t have the mental or physical Sho Dan Jeff Kelley d iscip line to achieve the esteemed rank of Sho Dan. Sho Dan literally means first man or first woman and a child does not have the maturity to be at that rank, he said. Richter will be required to test for the Sho Dan rank to become an adult black belt when he turns 16. Becoming a black belt at TIKK is about one s whole demeanor, he said. The mind, body and spirit all must be honed. One needs the physical and mental ability to handle a situation Sho Dan Dan Prenevost and having a great disposition with the power to tap into it, Shihan said. Richter is on his way to becoming a Sho Dan, but it is just a matter of age, Shihan said. When he is in the dojo, he tries to pay attention and do the best he can. According to the effort is the reward. Richter won most outstanding male participant at the Gasshuku while former TIKK student Shannon Grant won most outstanding female participant. Grant s military commitment required her to move to California last year, but she continues to train at an Isshinryu school there. About 50 senior students attended the three-day Gasshuku held at Camp Summit in Copper Canyon where they got an indepth look at what the study of Isshinryu karate is all about from kata to kumite techniques to self defense techniques and everything else in between. Other promotions include: Brown belt (ni kyu) Michael Cohen Jim Fairhurst Sawmon Shirazi Purple belt Mark Hendrix Susan Kleinfall Laura Murray Glenn Gibbs Margaret Myers Blue belt Garrett Molsbee Green belt Allan Wallander Jim Wallander Brown belt (san kyu) Tyler Murray Kartik Venkateswaran Kent Kirkpatrick Purple belt with a solid black stripe Whitney Fairhurst (See SPRING SHIAI, page 9)

9 Fall 2004 TIKK NEWS Page 9 New Sho Dan reflects on life changes W By JEFF KELLEY Sho Dan OW! Has it been this long already? It seems like only yesterday that I was going through the most amazing week of my life. Hummm...I am 47 years old. I would never have thought that at 47 I would have experienced a truly life-changing experience. I especially would not have expected it to come through my training in karate. When I first came to the dojo, I was looking for a way to lose weight. I had tried all of the usual methods, diets (some successful and some not so successful), weight training, running etc. I weighed in around 220 to 225 back in those days. A co-worker suggested that I try out this karate class that he Spring Shiai (From Page 8) Tony Cacheria David Mootz Tina Mootz Carrie Pergantis Daniel Midkiff Greg Midkiff Jennifer Wiederkehr Yellow belt Peter Gonzalez Miranda Banales Paula Sue Reynolds Chance Cooley Tracy Dickey Peyton Tallman Arriaga Desirae Juan Cantu Miguel Cantu Gerardo Cantu had just started attending. When I came to the dojo to visit, Shihan suggested that I come to the shiai they were having the very next weekend. During my visit at the shiai, I witnessed the most amazing thing that I had ever seen. There was this tiny lady that seemed to be getting a lot of, shall we say, extra attention paid to her that day. I was truly amazed when this tiny lady stood up and ran through katas, self defense, led several groups through different exercises and then had to fight her way through all of the other black belts in attendance! Finally, she was asked to put her foot through a cinder block brick! I was absolutely blown away! Well, for those of you who or those who have been with TIKK for a few years, they tend to find a friend or two who they will keep in touch with, helps them keep going and helps them get through the peaks and valleys they encounter throughout their training. During my time as a Kyu rank, there were a number of people who helped give me a feeling of belonging, which is something I had always sought and never really found. There were a considerable number of brown belts who would hang out with each other after and outside of class who helped me get through some rather defining times. However, with the passing of time comes ever-present have not already figured it out, that tiny lady was Mrs. Harris. I was absolutely amazed that someone of her size could perform such a tremendous feat! At that very moment, sitting in the old dojo with my daughter and her boyfriend, I knew that this karate school was the real deal and I wanted to be a part of it. The next week I signed up and the rest is history! Or is it??? As I trained throughout the years, my focus changed. Somewhere along the line I quit thinking about losing weight and started focusing on something else. It is something that Shihan talks to us about every single day. It has more value to me than los- (See NEW SHO DAN, page 12) Getting my brothers back F By MATT EVANS Ni Dan change. Some got married, some flaked out, some grew frustrated, nevertheless, most departed. While going through testing, I was paired with someone whom I grew to respect and will never forget because of how we shouldered the burden of testing together. Mr. Miller and I were the first within TIKK to test at the same time because of our very similar builds and styles (which is why we are paired to do kumite pretty much every shiai.) Since our testing, he has had some very big life events which have earned even more respect from me. His true honor and character have come to light before us because of his devotion to his wife and his newborn child. That is why watching him earn his Ni Dan was very special to me. I (See BROTHERS, Page 12)

10 Page 10 TIKK NEWS FALL 2004 Isshinryu of Health Time Management for the Rest of Us Editor s Note: This is the second in a series of articles for TIKK News. This article will cover the ins and outs of health, and how it ties to one s martial arts training. Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, or any sort of expert advice. This is not intended to replace, or contradict any advice you receive from your highly trained medical professionals. As always, you should seek the advice of your doctor before starting any program. L By SENSEI DON BIZZELL San Dan ast time we discussed how we can use Mind, Body, Spirit, Action as a theme for the Isshinryu of Health. We talked about building good life habits, and how all the different areas of your life are tied together into one you. Hopefully, you did Exercise #1 by creating two written lists: one for what you want to improve and one for what is holding you back. Get your lists out and spend a minute reviewing them. It has been a while since you created the lists; you most likely will have changed your mind on a few items. Some items will stand out to you as more relevant than others, and some won t have the same meaning. I know that when I reviewed my list, there were a few on there that I didn t even know what I was thinking about when I wrote them down (does anyone know what a Toe Prop is?). In any case, go ahead and edit the lists to add, clarify or remove items as you see fit. What do we have on our lists? After reviewing them, it s easy to see that they are really the beginning of a set of goals for our health. They are not only goals for what we want to do, but also for the things we need to overcome. Turning your lists into one set of goals is a threestep process. First, group similar items together, and yes, it s okay to put one item into multiple groups. Second, from the common theme for each group, create a specific goal. Again, you may create a few goals for each group, as long as they are specific. For me, getting my weight back down to what I weighed in 1980, and getting my blood pressure consistently under 140/90 were two big ones. Some of my goals are not so numerically precise as those, but they are still specific. A goal like developing your sixpack in the next six months is not very precise, but it is still specific enough for you to take action. Go through both lists this way. For your list of impediments, try to create goals that will help you overcome them. Be careful of the trap of not being specific on these goals. For example, I had Bad Back on my list of impediments. First I created the goal of Do physical therapy to improve my back. Seems reasonable, but it s not very specific about when or how much, so I changed it to Start PT by the end of August and do the routines at least twice a week. Now if your papers look anything like mine, they are full of scribbles and lines, so take a few minutes and create one new, clean list of goals. You should now have only one list of goals. This is the third step. I ve always found that sitting down to create goals very difficult, but by using this process it is simpler. You can follow a similar process for other areas of your life: work, family, retirement and so on. What is the number one complaint we hear from anyone, including ourselves? Answer: I don t have time! How can you accomplish this great list of new goals if you don t have enough hours in the day already? People always say that they can Make Time. I don t know about you, but I ve never have been able to get time to stop long enough for me to catch it, let alone make more of it. We all know a person or two who is perfect when it comes to time management. They have studied the various systems, picked the one that fits them perfectly and lived it day in and day out like they were born to it. If you are such a master, then you should skip the rest of this and pick up next time. For the rest of us let s take a quick look at Time Management. First, know that there is no need to manage time. Time, and its passing, are fairly consistent for normal human beings. What we are managing is our own priorities, and those priorities tell us what we do with our time. If someone called you up and said, You can have this TEN MILLION DOLLARS if you can just come down and claim it in the next two days. Then no matter what was going on, we would find a way to make that claim. Not all priorities are that easy to set, but they are all that easy to act on once they have been set. Getting the most things done to help you accomplish your goals is what we will call time manage- (See ISSHINRYU OF HEALTH, page 11)

11 Fall 2004 TIKK NEWS Page 11 I m still not used to being called Sensei. It is a great honor that I will have to work hard to live up to day in and day out. Because this is such a large change in my life, this is a good time to say a few words about change. We all experience change; it is one of the central things in every life. What is important about change is not the change itself, but how we handle the events. Usually change has either already happened, or there is no stopping it by the time we find out about it. There is a saying on the wall of the Coppell Dojo that aptly describes how to handle change. It says, We cannot control the wind, only how we set the sails. So, when change happens to you, don t let it set you back, just adjust your sails and keep going forward. Sensei Bizzell Senseis corner R espect for self. Respect for others. Responsibility for all your actions. Sensei Garrett A wareness. The number one technique in self defense. Sensei Kristensen H ow far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of those who are weaker than you because someday, you will be all of these. Sensei Olivier Isshinryu of Health (From Page 10) ment. It starts with a simple to do list of things you need, or want to do (yes, I know, yet another list.) It does not matter if the to do list is on a paper napkin or in a sophisticated computer program or anywhere in between. All that matters is that you have a list somewhere and that you can refer to it and update it whenever you need to. Take five to 10 minutes each day to sit down and build your list. Once the list is built, then assign each item on the list a priority. Your goals make setting priorities much clearer. Think of three levels of priorities (1, 2, 3). Level 1 helps you toward a goal. Level 2 is neutral to your goals, and level 3 is working against your goals. Now put an urgency (A,B,C) with each item. As need to be done today. Bs need to be done soon, and Cs are optional. With this system you can see that Dentist Appointment (A2) and Karate Class (A1) both need to be done today, but one is working toward your goal and the other just needs to be done. Items will change in priority as time passes, and as you complete other items. You may happen to have an extra 20 minutes to do a small C3 item at the end of the day. That s fine. Generally, you want to work on your As and 1s first, early in the day when you are most productive. Unfortunately, life does not always work out to our plans, so in that case recreate your list and go on. It is much better to feel organized and to have a plan, than to just let life happen to you. This is not a big commitment on your part. Start each day get up 10 minutes earlier if you have to by building your list. If you are like me, you will add to the list throughout the day as new things come up. I can then start the next day by seeing what was accomplished and what still needs to be done. This way I get a sense of what is going on in my life, and as I have more time to do things, I can put these important goal related items on the list and keep moving forward. Exercise #2: For the next two months, build a list at the beginning of each day. Don t try to put everything on the first list, it can get overwhelming. Start with just the main things you need to do just today, and build up slowly overtime as you work with your time management list. Catch #2: You should always look at your goals lists before you build your daily list. Try to put one thing that works towards one of your life goals on your time management list each day. OKAY, to recap; we looked at our lists from last time and followed a simple process to turn them into a list of specific goals. Next, we learned a bit about personal time management and how to set priorities using our goals; and finally, an exercise to help us practice our new skills. Once you have control of your priorities, then you can really start living better. Next time, we will dive straight into the diet world, and learn how we are what we eat. Until then, use your mind, body, spirit, and action to stay healthy.

12 Page 12 TIKK NEWS FALL 2004 New Sho Dan (From Page 9) ing weight, breaking bricks or being able to toss someone twice your size all around the dojo floor. Shihan says that the ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the perfection of one s character. For me this has brought back a principle that I learned from my parents..."do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I have learned that the perfection of my character Brother (From Page 9) know how much he has sacrificed within karate to take care of his family. Congratulations on your Ni Dan, Mr. Miller! Another brother who has come and gone for awhile was one of the guys who pulled me along as a brown belt. He would tear me apart during kumite and would make me laugh outside of is constantly evolving, changing as I grow. Shihan has taught me that nothing is impossible. This dojo, the instructors and students have all shown me that nothing is beyond our reach. I have witnessed some amazing victories for other students during the past five years and I have become very humbled by them. I have made many friends in the past five years and many of them I know in my heart will last a lifetime no matter where we all class. He and I watched lots of people come and go and he pulled me and finally pushed me as I was testing for Sho Dan. During Gasshukus, the Kyu rank cabin would be roaring with laughter because of him and some of the comments that would fall out of his mouth (USDA Choice for example!) He took his time and picked SponsorS end up. Karate has given this to me and it is a gift that I will never take for granted. April 25th, 2004 was the day of my rebirth to a new perspective in my life. As Shihan says, now the learning begins... I would like to thank all of you for being a part of my karate training and my life because I believe that without each and everyone of you, I would not be who I am today. his moment and he was always around so I never gave up on him. His testing was extraordinary for not only the beginning but also for the impressive display of knowledge and ability he demonstrated after. And now I have my brown belt brother back. Mr. Asel, congratulations and welcome to the other side! TIKK NeWS Wishes to Thank Clay Cooley Of Clay Cooley Isuzu I-35 & Walnut Hill (214) For Supporting The Newsletter TIKK & TIKK NEWS Thank Karen Cole Of K&C Productions (972) For Outstanding Photography Contributions