January / February 2016

Transcription

1 Black Belt Class At IKA Headquarters 2015 All Star Tournament Weekend HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016 YEAR OF THE MONKEY Soke wishes all you off a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Live to Train, Train to Live! Osu! ALL STAR THANKS Thank you to all of you that assisted with the 52 nd IKA All Star Tournament. Thank you also to all the competitors, many that came from far distances to participate. Special thanks to the Italian Team from Molinella, The Polish Team from Warsaw, The Alaska team from Fairbanks and the Indian and Armenian team that came from abroad to support Soke and the IKA. Mark your calendar for next year! Sunday October 2 nd, SENSEI CARMEN KIM RECEIVES AWARD It is with great honor that Soke presented Sensei Carmen Kim with the IKA Lifetime Achievement Award. Sensei Carmen is the IKA office manager and former karate instructor that has been with Soke since the 1970 s. She is like a second mother to most of us at Headquarters and we all appreciate her dedication to Soke, Karate, and the IKA. We honor her for over 40 years of service. Thank you Sensei Carmen. Osu! DOJO MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL There are many dojos that still have not paid their annual membership renewal fee. Please note that if your fees are not paid you should not be using the IKA name, the IKA trademark, nor Soke Kubota s name. If you have financial problems, please contact Soke Kubota directly to work out special financial arrangements. It is not about money, it is about respect. Please observe proper Reigi (protocol) as the overhead of running the IKA is very expensive. Send Soke an if you have questions as to the different methods of payment, especially for dojos outside of the United States. IKA 52nd ANNUAL ALL STAR TOURNAMENT Mark your calendar for the next IKA All Star Tournament to be held in Los Angeles at Occidental College on Sunday, October 2nd, This tournament has been steadily growing over the past several years with many international competitors. Hope to see you in LA! Soke for more information if you are interested in attending. SOKE IN POLAND Join Soke Kubota, Kyoshi Kuratomi and Kyoshi Bratakos in Warsaw, Poland, March 18 th -20 th, 2016 for a seminar, dan testing, and tournament. Contact the Shihans Chalupka for more information at their at: jacek.karate@gmail.com NEW DOJO SOFTWARE IKA Headquarters is now using new dojo software called Zen Planner. Please register with the program so that you will be able to easily check in for class and make payments of dues online as well as view the IKA karate class schedule. You should be receiving an guiding you to register. This is the latest plan to help the dojo become more efficient. Please set up your account and add your credit card for easy payment. Page 1

2 IKA Headquarters Holiday Party 2015 IKA HOLIDAY PARTY THANKS Soke would like to thank all that came out for the annual IKA Holiday party this past November. We all had a great time with fantastic food and drink. It has now become a tradition to have the party on the Saturday before the Thanksgiving Holiday. This way the party is not in conflict with any other holiday party that you might have with family and work. The next party will be Saturday, November 19 th, MASTERS FORUM The Masters Forum is dedicated to increasing the knowledge base of the IKA Family. Each month we will try to cover a new topic on a multitude of facets of the art, dealing with all levels of expertise. This month, Kyoshi Kuratomi has written an article on Go No Sen, Sen No Sen, and Deai Go No Sen, Sen No Sen, and Deai are Japanese terms used to define the level of defensive response when two karateka are engaged in kumite, waza practice or combat. Go No Sen is when the defender responds in sequence to the attacker by: 1. Moving in response to the offensive attack. 2. Blocking the attack 3. Counter attacking. Go No Sen is the most common form of response among beginners and intermediate students as it is only necessary for the defender to do one movement at a time, in sequence, in response to the attacker s movement. Sen No Sen is when the defender moves, blocks and counter attacks at the same time that the attacker initiates the offensive movement. This is a much more difficult response as it requires the defender to do three things at the same time: move, block, and counter. Sen No Sen is usually only able to be done by advanced students. This is because in order for the response to happen simultaneously as the attack is delivered, the three steps must be reflexive. The only way this can happen is after many years of training and repetition. I read an article that mentioned that the human brain actually undergoes a physical transformation that allows this reflexive reaction to take place. The physiological explanation is that neuro-pathways develop in the brain through time, training, and repetition of physical technique. This observation was made apparent by doing a brain scan showing a normal brain vs. a conditioned brain in action performing the same task. The scan showed a thermal-like image of the brain which represented the neural pathways in colors that did not exist in the untrained brain. Page 2

3 This is why the advanced student seems so fast. It is not that the advanced student is physically faster, it is because the physical development of the brain allows the advanced student to react without conscious thought and active control of the physical body in response to an attack. This is a demonstration of Mushin or No Mind. Deai is the highest level of reaction. It is a trait found at the most advanced level of karate. This is where the defender is able to sense the action by the attacker BEFORE the attack even takes place. Think of it as Mushin with a crystal ball. At this level the ability to do Sen No Sen is already well developed in the advanced karateka. The detection of intention can be done both physically as well as mentally. A subtle physical movement can be detected such as a change in stance or a shift in the body. The eyes can also be read to sense intention before the attack. A change in the breathing of the opponent can also be monitored. At the highest level of Deai, thoughts and emotion are able to be detected with little if any physical observation. The highly skilled karateka is able to literally feel emotions such as hostility, anger, intention, insecurity, and impatience. This is why you will see the advanced karateka always fight with an air of calm relaxation and control. The advanced karateka understands that emotion and intention cloud Mushin and can be read by a skilled opponent just as easily as a physical movement. The emotion essentially telegraphs action before it actually happens. This means that lack of emotional control reduces ones effectiveness against an equally skilled opponent. I typically see students doing Go No Sen until they are Shodan (1 st Dan ) level of Black Belt. It is at the Shodan forward when I start to see Sen No Sen. From my own experience, I started being able to experience Deai after 4 th Dan and around years of training. The first time I experienced Deai, I was competing in a tournament in kumite and distinctly felt the state of Mushin and could sense every intention of my opponent. I could feel my opponent s move before every move actually happened. This was my first Black Belt kumite gold medal back in the 1990 s. It is now a feeling that I mentally have to turn on. I can now activate it at will now that I know how to recognize the state of mind. Think of where you are in your karate development in relation to Go No Sen, Sen No Sen, and Deai. It will help you to understand what level you are at and at what you still have yet to learn. As you can see, true karate takes a lifetime to learn.. Endeavor Osu!! There is no physical movement that can move faster than a thought Kyoshi Rod Kuratomi Soke Presenting The IKA Lifetime Achievement Award to Sensei Carmen Kim for Over 40 Years of Service (Photo Courtesy of Lee Fisher) Page 3

4 January / February 2016 Sensei James Penor Referres Match When Aiden Yousefi Gets Airborne Doing Nidan Geri at the IKA All Star Tournament. (Photo Courtesy of Lee Fisher) Skyler of IKA Alaska Performs Kata With a Gunsen (Japanese War Fan) - (Photo Courtesy of Lee Fisher) Page 4

5 RANK REGISTRATION It has recently come to our attention that there are many IKA black belts that have black belt certificates issued by their instructors in their respective dojos but they wish to have their rank registered with IKA Headquarters and have a certificate issued by Soke Kubota with his signature on it. There are even some counterfeit certificates out there with a forged signature of Soke on it. If your instructor is recognized by Soke Kubota as an instructor that meets his standards, then Soke will register your rank and will issue a certificate by mail for the cost of $125. Sent a copy of your existing certificate for consideration. IKA Calendar of Events March 18-20, 2016 Warsaw, Poland. IKA Seminar and Tournament. August 7 th, 2016 Long Beach, USA. Nikkei Games Budo Tournament October 2, 2016 Los Angeles, USA. 53 rd IKA All Star Tournament DOJO RULES Each seek perfection of character. Develop morals, ethics and distinguishable attributes. Each be faithful. Be loyal and devoted to a person, cause, or idea. Each endeavor Have conscientious or concerted effort toward an end with an earnest attempt. Each respect others To feel or show deferential value, honor, appreciation and regard for another. Each refrain from violent behavior. To hold oneself back from responding with inappropriate anger and physical force. IKA Holiday Party Glendale Dojo, November 19 th, 2016 Page 5

6 USE OF IKA NAME AND TRADEMARKS It has come to Soke Kubota s attention that some organizations around the world may be using IKA s name and trademarks without permission. The name International Karate Association, Inc. (IKA) and its registered trademarks may be used by affiliated organizations only after first receiving Soke s written permission. In addition, Soke s hand written signature or the red Japanese signature stamp must not be used without his expressed permission. The red stamp is like a legal signature in Japan and is a symbol of authenticity. It should not be used by anybody except for Soke or for purposes that he authorizes. The International Karate Association name must not be used by itself to represent your organization. There is only one International Karate Association, Inc. and it is at Headquarters in Glendale, California, USA. After receiving approval from Soke, you may use the IKA name, but it must be attached with another description to differentiate it from the IKA Headquarters. For example, if you are from the state of Nebraska, you could use the name, International Karate Association of Nebraska or something similar. The use of the trademark is contingent on maintaining membership in good standing which includes payment of annual membership fees. COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL Please note that proper protocol (Reigi) requires that information matters directly relating to IKA Headquarters, IKA tournaments, karate training and seminars must be communicated to Soke Kubota first before contacting other members within the organization. It is improper for Soke to be the last person to be informed of matters that directly involve him and IKA Headquarters such as, for example, your intention to attend his tournament or invitations to tournaments that are addressed directly to a Headquarters student without Soke s knowledge. It is proper respect in both of these cases to inform Soke first or at the same time that the student is contacted. Thank you for your consideration in these matters. INSURANCE ISSUES Due to increased liability risks, it is necessary that all IKA schools carry some form of liability insurance to protect the school from legal issues that may arise from accidents. The amount of liability insurance will depend on your location. USA schools are suggested to carry one-million dollars of liability insurance. Please contact Soke at Headquarters if you have any questions. List of IKA Headquarters Staff and Instructors President and Founder Vice-President Legal Advisor Directors Technical Director Chief Advisor Hospitality Manager General Secretary Liason, Special Projects Medical Advisors Webmaster IT Staff Official Photographer Art and Advertising Soke Takayuki Kubota 10 th dan Hank Hamilton 8 th dan Hanshi Paul McCaul 8 th dan Hanshi Val Mijailovic 8 th dan Hanshi Boban Petkovic 8 th dan Hanshi Ted Bratakos 7 th dan Kyoshi Rod Kuratomi 7 th dan Kyoshi Tatsuo Hirano 7 th dan Kyoshi George Sinani 7 th dan Kyoshi Antonio Antonetti 7 th dan Kyoshi Danny Kahan 5 th dan Shihan Sami Asmar 5 th dan Shihan Victor Chico 5 th dan Shihan Demetrio Munoz 5 th dan Shihan Marcial Soto 5 th dan Shihan Stuart Richman 5 th dan Sensei Pierre Piponian 5 th dan Sensei Sony Zivonovic 5 th dan Sensei Alfanso Espinosa 4th dan Shihan Dai Judy Rao 3rd dan Sensei Patrick Reddy 3rd dan Sensei Fumiko Hamada 3rd dan Sensei Roy Simmons 2nd dan Sensei Anthony Boosalis 2 nd dan Sensei Martyn Romero 1 st dan Sensei Randy Blue 1 st dan Sensei Soke Takayuki Kubota Thea Kubota Paul McCaul, JD Val Mijailovic Rod Kuratomi Ted Bratakos Barron Yanaga, JD, CPA Judy Rao, RN Cheryl Kuratomi Ali Farazdaghi Sara Kubota Dr. Ashok Rao, M.D. Dr. Tatsuo Hirano, DOM Dr. Alex Tavitian, DDS Judy Rao, RN Brian McEvoy Ali Farazdaghi Fumiko Hamada Lee Fisher Marcial Soto, Duk Kim Page 6

7 CURRENT IKA HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTORS The average training time for the Hanshi/Kyoshi/Shihan (Master) level instructor is years of training and teaching and have a minimum required rank. Each instructor not only teaches but trains as well in order to maintain his/her status. Title is not automatically bestowed with rank. Soke also has several other master level instructors in Kubojitsu, Kobudo and IPT (International Police Training). Shihan Dai is a Deputy Master level instructor with an average of years of training and teaching. Titles are reserved only for instructors that are ACTIVELY teaching at IKA Headquarters. Dan ranks are retained but titles can be changed as Soke sees fit. We welcome any contributions you may have that you wish to have published subject to approval by Soke. Submit the articles to Soke in writing or them to him at: Soke@IKAKarate.com Page 7