In this issue. Entering the New Season...Take Your Time.

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1 THE HARMONIZER TTHHEE OFFFFIICCIIAALL NEEWSSLLEETTTTEERR OOFF TTHHEE SSHHIINNTTAANNII WAADDOO KAAII KAARRAATTEE FEEDDEERRAATTIIOONN VOOLLUUMEE 66 ISSSSUUEE I 33 SSEEPPTTEEMBBEERR Entering the New Season...Take Your Time. Fall is a time for change, the leaves are changing colours, kids are going back to school, and it is time for yet another karate season. Some of you might have worked out this summer, but if you are like the vast majority of karetekas that I know, you spent the summer with friends and family relaxing. With the start of the new season, it is important that you keep a few things in mind; start slow, make goals, and have fun! Karate is a sport that can be performed by a wide variety of individuals. There are many reasons why people take karate; to lose weight, get in shape, become more flexible, to build confidence, to learn self defence, the list goes on and on. I think that one of the most important things about karate that I have learned is that everyone improves at their own pace. You can t force anyone to get better, and if you tried, it would probably result in that individual quitting. Karate is about performing at your best every time you go out. No matter what you did this past summer, start off the new season slowly. Take a few weeks and build up to the intensity to where you were at the end of last season. If you are a beginner, ease your way into karate and don t try to push yourself too hard at the beginning. All the instructors that I have had the privilege to work with throughout my years of karate have always stressed working at your own pace and trying to do better every time you step onto the dojo floor. When starting the new season, try to make every workout better than the last. Don t try to rush and regain last s year s form, or worse yet, rush to be better than someone else. Rushing will only result in injuries. Take your time and set some goals. A great goal for the start of a new season could be to regain last year s form by the end of September. When setting goals it is important that you make SMART goals: S - goals should be specific M - goals should be measurable A - goals should be attainable R - goals should be realistic T - goals should be time oriented In setting goals, you should have one specific goal in mind, such as a blue belt saying, I would like to become a black belt in three years. Is this a SMART goal? Is it specific? Yes. Is it measurable? Yes. Is it attainable? Yes. Is it realistic? Yes. Is it time oriented? Yes. In this issue Entering the new season 1 Visualization 2 Shintani Memorial Clinic 3 Thunder Bay Workshops 4 SWKKF Team Report 5 Announcements 9 I

2 Keep up to date with current events Although this is a SMART goal, it is a goal that can only be fulfilled by accomplishing many smaller goals. It is important to set yourself up to accomplish your goal. All the victories of completing your smaller goals will help you gain the confidence that you will fulfil your ultimate goal. This way, if you do stumble and miss a goal, you can work yourself a little harder and still be able to complete your overall goal. The last key element to achieving all your goals entering this new season is to have fun. There are many people out there that would say that there is no place for fun in karate. I disagree. I have never attended a tournament, workshop or even a class without having some sort of fun. People tend to work harder at tasks that they deem as fun. For this reason, it is important that we as instructors be creative in the design of our workouts and try to keep things fresh. I have spoken to many students over the years and the one common thing that has come out in every conversation is that students want to have variety. If the workouts are constantly changing, the students never have a chance to hit a plateau in which they feel that the techniques are not improving them anymore. I would like to take this chance to welcome both new and experienced students back to karate. Take your time in getting into the swing of things, set both short-term and long-term goals and by all means have fun. Written by: Jim Lebrun, Yodan Specialist in Martial Arts Conditioning Visualization and the Martial Artist Would you ever just get into your car and drive without having some idea of where you re headed? Probably not. So why do so many martial artists perform their katas or work out while their mind is focussing on what s for supper or which bill they forgot to pay? In this day and age of cell-phones, beepers and the internet, it is very easy to forget to focus on the task at hand, but, there is a way to do it! It s called visualization and it can help you to stay alert and undistracted and it will actually enhance your karate workout. Connecting your mind with your body will give you a much more efficient workout. You know how it is - you are practicing a kata that you ve done a million times and you just can t seem to get it right this time. What do you do? Step back for a moment and sit down cross-legged on the floor or in a chair with your feet resting flat on the floor with your back straight. Now close your eyes and take three deep breaths through your nose and exhale those breaths completely through your nose. Continue II

3 this relaxing breathing while you try to see yourself performing this kata perfectly. If you find this hard at first, try mentally (verbally) walking yourself through the kata while your eyes are closed. By performing this relaxation technique you are forcing yourself to focus only on that kata, you are learning to control your thoughts and emotions (frustration, disappointment) and you are tuning out any external distractions that might be taking away from your practice. By practicing this technique each day you will undoubtedly improve your concentration skills which will lead to an overall improvement in your karate practice, but what about during competitions? Keeping your mind focussed during a tournament is no easy task - the mind is always wandering - Will I win? Will I lose? Am I ready? I should ve practiced more! It is these random thoughts and distractions that the athlete has to learn to control in order to perform at their peak. I again stress the importance of breathing and visualizing. Using breathing as an object of concentration means focusing on the flow of breath, on the inhale and the exhale as a means to minimize the wandering and reducing anxiety. By closing your eyes and seeing yourself executing the perfect roundhouse kick or scoring that winning point, you will most definitely feel better and more confident about your upcoming match! Here s how being mentally focussed can benefit your workouts: 1. It increases your productivity. By connecting your mind with your body you will realize just how powerful your thoughts are and how they can manifest themselves into the physical world. The power of positive thinking can get you through anything! 2. Focusing benefits your mind as well as your body. It s almost like meditating in that it helps to calm and center you and allow you to really think about what is important and ignore the unimportant. 3. Proper breathing ensures an increased flow of oxygen to all your hardworking muscles and brain. It is this increased flow of energy that will ensure that you perform your best whether you are working out or going about your day to day activities. By incorporating these basic visualization and breathing techniques into your daily workout or busy life, you will be giving yourself a priceless gift - a gift that allows you to relax and concentrate even under the most stressful conditions, a gift that allows you to perform day to day activities with a sense of peace and, finally, the means to re-energize your karate workout! Tip of the month: Your mind controls your body. Written by: Jodi Lebrun of Personal Best Wholistic Fitness Certified Personal Trainer, SportYoga Instructor and Holistic Health Practitioner 1 (705) Shintani Memorial Clinic. By Sensei Bill Sorvelli, Godan Warren Pennsylvania; USA. Saturday, July 6 th was the setting for the 3 rd Annual Shintani Memorial Clinic. The clinic was hosted by the local Warren club at the Student Union Building on Hickory Street. Shihan Dr. Robert Graham (7 th Dan) was the guest instructor for the clinic. He taught offensive & defensive use of the Shindo weapon with emphasis on the Kata form Tai-Sai no Shindo. Sensei Graham broke down several moves in the form teaching their practical III

4 application (bunkai). Over thirty individuals attended the clinic from Pennsylvania and New York State. The following Shindo promotions were made by Sensei Graham: Bill Sorvelli (Warren Club) to Godan, Toby Wolfe and Rex Slocum (Warren Club) to Sandan, Dick Brubaker (Dubois Club), Wayne Harriger (Warren Club), Dan Moore (Warren Club), Jason Hulihan (Dubois Club) & Greg Strunk (Huntingdon Club) to Shodan. Thunder Bay Black Belt Workshop By: Sensei Lew Kempf, Shodan Fort Frances Wado Kai On the weekend of September 7 th and 8 th, the senior blue, brown and black belt members of Northwest Ontario Wado Kai attended the annual workshop in Thunder Bay. This year, we were very lucky and excited to have Sensei Rick Leveille, Rokudan and Sensei Denis Labbe, Hachidan attend and instruct at this year's event. Dr. Graham also made the following Wado rank promotions: Wayne Harriger to Nidan, Jason Hulihan & Greg Strunk to Shodan. The following students received their kyu belt promotion: Tawnee Alwine (Warren Club) to Brown, Bill Wallin & Vaughn Zock (Warren Club) to Blue, Vic Morell & Marty Meddock (Warren Club) to Green, Jennifer Salerno & Chelsea Johnson (Warren Club) to Yellow. Every clinic participant was presented with a personal certificate of attendance signed by Sensei Graham. IV Saturday started with a brief but intense warm up, and then Sensei Rick was all business! His theme for his portion of the workshop involved the three f s. Feel, Focus, & Finish. With this concept, Sensei Rick had all of us work (and work, and work) the Pinan Kata s. Sensei Denis then followed with a Kata Judging Clinic and made himself available to answer any questions.

5 After a short break, it was back on the floor where Sensei Denis had us working on the block & counter. With the block being only half of the technique and the counter strike being the other half, emphasis was placed on exaggerating the block and then having full extension on the counter strike. This exercise was practiced individually for most of the afternoon and then we proceeded to apply this known but often forgotten concept by pairing up with a partner and later with Rendori. calendar, as it is a great way to start your karate year. SWKKF National Team Report By Sensei Peter Ruch, Rokudan Team Manager. Once again, after a much needed water break, Sensei Denis took to the floor and put on a Kumite Judging Clinic, with the main focus on center judging. On Sunday morning, Sensei Rick continued with the three f s concept by having everyone work on the mandatory Black Belt Kata s. The workshop was halted at approx. 11:30am to allow some time for picture taking and a little socializing before Sensei Denis was taken to the airport for his flight home. Thank you Sensei Denis and Sensei Rick for a great and informative workshop. And last but not least, a special thanks to all who made the long trip to Thunder Bay to make our first workshop of the year a success! Sensei Ray O Connor has already booked the facilities for next September. I hope you put this on your This has been a very busy time in Karate. As manager of the National Team I would like to inform you that we have travelled to Alberta and Pennsylvania to participate in their tournaments. We had the team in for the Nationals on May 25 th 2002, and on Friday May 24th 2002 we selected the new National Team for The new team members are: Sensei Real Picard, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec Sensei Rod Sumbler, Welland, Ontario Sensei Michel Gosselin, Hearst, Ontario Sensei Darren Humphries, Calgary, Alberta Sensei Roger St.Arneault Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec Sensei Lauren Fast, St.Davids, Ontario Sensei Heather Fidyk Calgary, Alberta Sensei Ron Mattie (Coach) Welland, Ontario Sensei Peter Ruch (Manager) Fort Erie, Ontario Sensei Dave Brunarski (Trainer) Simcoe, Ontario V

6 The Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation National Team Competition was held Friday evening, May 24, 2002 at the E. J. Freeland YMCA, Fort Erie, Ontario. This is the third time that the Fort Erie Wado Kai Karate Club and the YMCA have hosted this National Event. The National Shintani Wado Kai Karate Memorial Championship was held on Saturday May 26, 2002 at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. There were competitors from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the North West Territories. The participants were required to qualify at any SWKKF sanctioned tournament to be eligible to compete in the event. They were required to perform two katas, one from the Pinan Katas, and one related to their belt level. After the Kata competition, they entered a double elimination Kumite event. The results of the Kata and Kumite events were added together to decide the winners, any ties were broken with a kumite match. The open ceremonies consisted of Miss Kristina Parkes singing our National Anthem and a word of support and encouragement from Mayor Wayne Redekop. He called the competitors excellent role models for the younger students and congratulated them on their achievement. Mayor Redekop is an Honourary Black Belt with the Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation. The National Team represents the SWKKF at National and International events, and team members are on the team for two years. Sensei Denis Labbe, President of the SWKKF, conducted the competition with the assistance of Sensei Brad Cosby, Sensei Jim Atkinson, Sensei Brian Chmay, and Sensei Peter Ruch as corner judges. The time & score keepers were, Derek Reay, Marta Valentic, Darryl Stapleton, Jerry Dostie, assisted by Sensei Gary Bird, Sensei Bill Parton, and Sensei Mark Brickell. Lee Brickell was the admission co-ordinator. I would like to thank the YMCA for their continued enthusiastic support. The YMCA staff is to be congratulated for their continuing endeavors to ensure the operation of a great facility. SWKKF Team Training Weekend On Friday September 27 th, the new Shintani Team met for their 1 st training seminar with Sensei Ron Mattie, the team coach, in the Welland dojo. Each member of the team has submitted a brief description of what they got out of this weekend. Sensei Lauren Fast, Shodan The most unexpected part from the weekend was how tired I was by the end of it. I approached the team-training seminar thinking what most youth think: I am invincible! I ll fly through the weekend without breaking a sweat! I was proved terribly wrong! I realized this when my muscles weren t reacting as quickly as I had wanted them to. Sensei Ron Mattie broke everything down to the point of exhaustion. He explained that when your muscles become tired, all you have left is your form and technique. This took me to a new level of understanding discipline. I knew this before but I never felt it in that way. The things I picked up from that weekend of intense training were so exhilarating. I think that everyone who participates will benefit. I am really looking forward to the next seminar. VI

7 The SWKKF Canadian National Team at the Welland dojo during their initial training session. From left to right: Sensei Ron Mattie (coach), Heather Fidyk, Roger St.Arneault, Darren Humphries, Michel Gosselin, Dave Brunarski (trainer), Rod Sumbler, Lauren Fast, Real Picard. Sensei Heather Fidyk, Yodan What a fabulous weekend to start the team s two year commitment to training and competing. The training began on Friday with the team members each teaching a 15-minute portion of the class with each member adding to the elements and techniques taught by the previous member. I was very impressed with the quality of instruction of each instructor. Upon arising early Sat morning we were given time to nourish ourselves and prepare for a morning of learning and training. Shifting was the main focus of the training session; the afternoon session continued the focus on shifting in an explosive one on one encounter. By the end of the day everyone was looking pretty sharp. Sunday morning began early as well with the focus being on kata. The whole weekend brought the team members closer together on both a personal and competitive level, understanding where each person lives and trains and what their expectations are for both themselves and the team were enlightening. From here the members are expected to do a number of different VII things with the weekend s information. One is to continue the training and enhancement of their own karate but also to take this information back to their students and karate-ka around them and share it in order to make the Shintani organization stronger. Sensei Real Picard, Shodan I enjoyed getting to know everyone a little better this weekend and to train together. I am looking forward to more training to better prepare us for competing in international competitions. I am looking forward to the next time the team can get together again! Sensei Rod Sumbler, Nidan What I enjoyed the most was getting to know everyone and their (good & bad) habits. I think I will learn a lot from all of them in karate and personal ways I'm sure the next 2yrs are going to be quite an experience. See ya soon. Sensei Michel Gosselin, Sandan It is difficult to put into words the awesome weekend of training that the Shintani Team had a few weeks ago. We all had sore feet, aching muscles and one sleepless night (the first night) but everyone managed to keep a positive attitude and the focus was always on training and improving. Sensei Ron Mattie worked on our skills. His commitment to the team, his energy and his knowledge kept us motivated all weekend. Sensei David taught us a lot about nutrition and recovery. He made sure we got the proper food and rest to train all weekend. Thank you for your time and commitment to the team. It is certainly a pleasure and an honour working with all the team members. You guys and ladies really know what karate is all about. You provided a positive and

8 safe environment in which we could to train and improve. Your love for karate is contagious and I believe that this is what we will bring back to our clubs. The true spirit of karate. I found that we really worked well as a team. I value the friendships made during this special weekend and I look forward to the next two years with you. Sensei Darren Humphries, Yodan One of the big reasons I decided to try out for the team this year was to give me the opportunity to focus my training - let me tell you the team's first training weekend was no disappointment; all of my expectations were exceeded. Everything was so well planned from the training to diet to the gym. Sensei Ron knows the areas he wants to focus and improve on each of the team members and all the techniques focused on those weaknesses. The weekend not only focused on karate; but also focused on weight training, cardio and diet - aspects meant to reduce injury and optimize athlete performance. I found the information Dr. Brunarksi provided on us on diet was invaluable (I even notice myself watching what I eat). Being a part of the training weekend was like being a white belt all over again and I cannot wait until the next weekend training. Sensei Roger St.Arneault, Rokudan When we met at the Welland dojo we worked very hard. The trianing was intense and I like that. We had a lot of fun training together. It was good that there were positive feelings and I enjoy meeting with my friends. For me the team is not there only for the training but for the World Championships and I look forward to preparation for a World Championship tournament. Because I have competed in world competition before, I hope I can help with some of the changes in strategies and help prepare for the differences that we will see. With effort from everyone involved, I believe that we can build this team for the next generation of karatekas. Sensei, Dr. David Brunarski, Nidan Team Trainer Congratulations on an excellent training camp! Everyone came prepared, openminded and left looking better, inspired and healthy. It was good for the athletes to have things prepared in advance so all they had to worry about was showing up. Accommodation, food, training and even entertainment was provided. From a trainer's viewpoint & to track improvement, there were a few things that I would like to note: POSITIVE FIRST: 1) Cardio fitness, 80% 2) Control and spirit, 95% 3) Willingness to experiment & learn new things, 90% 4) Bonding as a team, 90% NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: 1) Some members need better upper body strength to improve speed ( eg. sensei Rod's punches are fast because he has good upper body strength). 2) Hip & hamstring flexibility needs to be better; particularly in the males to prevent knee and back strains. 3) Team members will need to be more careful before the next camp so no-one arrives sick or injured. 4) I would recommend providing protective equipment to the members from a pre-approved list of items to ensure top quality and to spare them the expense. Thank you for the opportunity to work with the team. I learned a lot and hope to be able to pass on the knowledge. It is a VIII

9 true honour to work with such a dedicated and talented sensei. A N N O U N C E M E N T S Sensei Bruce Perkins would like to announce the Scholarship Fund winners are Lauren Fast from the St.Catharines club and Ronnie-Kay Mattie from the Welland club. There were many excellent candidates. Oct 19 th, Calgary Alberta Southern Alberta Fall Black belt grading Hosted by the Glammorgan Club with Sensei Dan McKee and Sensei Kevin Bowes. Contact Sensei Dan McKee, gyaku_tsuki@yahoo.com November 14,15,16th 2002 Simcoe / Delhi Ontario In conjunction with the 22 nd Annual Delhi Karate Tournament four clinics have been scheduled throughout the weekend. Guest Instructors Sensei Danny McCoy- Rokudan and Sensei Norm Volk- Godan from Alberta and Sensei Rick Leveille- Rokudan from Northern Ontario have confirmed that they will be in attendance and instructing at the clinics. This is a rare opportunity and karateka are encouraged to attend these clinics. Contacts: Jim Atkinson Steve Taylor Rod Philip March 15, 2003, South Calgary. South Calgary Wado Kai Annual Spring Tournament, West Island College, Calgary Alberta. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Contact Sensei Heather Fidyk, fid@shaw.ca New Website Sensei Geovanny Castro now has a website. Sensei Geovanny is the General Director of Shintani Wado-Kai in the region of New England in the United States as well as in the Republica Dominican. This website is in both Spanish and English. New Instructor, Stony Plain, Alberta The Stony Plain Wado Kai Karate Club is now lead by Sensei Doug Scabar, Sandan. thescabars@shaw.ca Harmonizer Contributions: All articles (big and small) are appreciated for helping make this newsletter the voice of the people in the Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation. If you would like to submit an article, announcement, etc., please contact Sensei Neil Prime: getyourkicks@wadokaikarate.com Mail: 21 Old Coach Road St.Catharines, Ont., Canada L2N-2P4 Kyu belts should go through their Sensei to submit the article. IX