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TRANSCRIPT
Presents options to fight
or flee. If you end up beside
your attacker you may want to
keep going out a door or into a
building. If you choose to fight,
you have as many options as
you can think of.
Being out of the line of
attack is good place to be espe-
cially if weapons are involved;
guns, knives, clubs, and so
forth.
(Continued on Page 3)
2016 Camp Sidekick!
Hosted by the AKA, Camp
Sidekick will be March 5th at
the Brentwood, TN YMCA. For
more info and to download
registration forms, visit us on
our FB page at Facebook.com/
AmericanKarateAcademy
The following represents a series of
input articles that have generously
been submitted by IKSA Instructors
to whom we are grateful.
Master Lisa Heitke
Always get out of the situation
as quickly as possible.
Never go with the attacker, they
will take you to a more remote
location.
Use your strongest weapons
against the weakest targets.
The strongest weapon depends
on the person and the situation.
It could be a hard technique,
could be soft, or it may not be
physical at all.
The weakest target also depends
on the person and the situa-
tion. In a self-defense situation,
the most vulnerable target that
you are presented with would
be your best target.
If you think of self-defense in
terms of yin and yang, your
technique would vary depending
on the attack. If someone at-
tacks you with a hard technique,
your strongest weapon might be
your speed and agility to coun-
ter it. If someone grabs you,
your strongest weapon might be
a hard strike to their knee or
nose or any easy painful target,
rather than grappling with them.
Other times your strongest
weapon might be to use your
mind to outsmart the attacker or to use awareness to avoid an
attack.
Master Melvin Stewart
Always know that RLSD in-
volves the primitive brain & not
the thinking / intellectual brain.
There is no time to think
about what if's, It's all about
basic training & muscle memory.
One will do what one has
trained on whether it's complex
or simplistic.
Master Roger Wessel
Always have a plan B in self-
defense situations. Different
body types, pain thresholds, skill
level, and the determination of
the attacker will determine the
most effective finishing tech-
nique.
Never expect your self-defense
techniques to be as smooth and
precise as in the dojo. I can tell
you from personal experience;
real life situations are ugly and
usually unexpected. What
works in the Dojo with your
training partner may not be very
effective against a determined
opponent…Be alert. Be pre-
pared.
As for my favorite technique, I
would say without hesitation is
the parry/sidestep. To simply
parry is not enough; the side
step must be part of the move-
ment. Too many times I see
techniques executed without
footwork. This is a bad habit
that will get you hurt.
Why the parry/sidestep?
It disrupts the attacker’s
line of attack by moving you out
of harm’s way.
Puts you in an advanta-
geous position for a counter.
IKSA Newsletter
IKSA Information
IKSA North Director:
Grandmaster Bernie Fritz
(608) 296-3783
IKSA South Director:
Grandmaster Danny Chapman (615) 794-4330
IKSA Europe Director: Grandmaster Kurt Ørum 011-458-663-9796 or
IKSA Director at Large: Grandmaster Doug Welsh (423) 255-0945 or
Administrative Director:
Master Lisa Heitke
Development Director:
Sensei Jason Chase
Senior Advisor:
Grandmaster Floyd Burk
Website: www.IKSA.com
IKSA Newsletter
Co-Editors:
Sensei Lenny Ramirez
Sensei Rob Bowman
IKSA Update is a publication of the
Independent Karate Schools of
America. We accept stories, edito-
rials, photographs, or artwork for future editions. Submissions can be
made to either of the two above
email addresses. If you are not the originator of the material, please be
certain you have the proper rights
prior to submission.
IKSA Update Independent Karate Schools of America
Spring 2016
Counsel of the Masters: Real
Life Self –Defense Techniques
Master Lisa Heitke
The student learns that martial arts is not an aggression and that reflects in
their generally non-aggressive atti-tude. They learn to keep their wits about them and be calm. The training
is several times a week and this com-fortable and familiar environment creates an attitude that rubs off over
time. If your son or daughter is in karate for 5 months, you will not see much of a difference in their behavior, but if they are in karate for 5 years
and you compare them to one of their peers at school who is not in a martial arts you will see pronounced
differences in their maturity and pres-ence. They will be more diplomatic and not as aggressive as some of their
peers. In martial arts it is generally taught that knowledge is as important as skill and that is reflected in their
school work. They want to learn and they enjoy learning at school and in
their martial arts training. The next thing that is influenced in
the teachings of martial arts is the behavior of the student. As stated
previously the teachings of martial arts is most commonly self-defense
and that learning is very important. The martial arts student will act differently than their peers. They
will act calm and non-aggressively towards others. They are generally kind and don’t try to start fights
with other students. They try to avoid confrontations that can lead to harm. A martial arts student will not try to be cool or fit in but they
will act like they like being who they are and they don’t want to fight or bully other peers. If it is
deemed necessary to bully a peer to fit in, a student will know they should never use their martial arts
for attack and will not. Younger martial arts students will not have this discipline and may be aggres-
sive towards others to show that they are “cool” or better than others but this will fade over time
as they devote more of their time and learning towards the martial arts and this, as they grow older,
The five animals of Shaolin kung fu
are an important concept for many
martial arts systems. These animals
are also sometimes compared to the
5 elements of nature concept. These
elements include wood-fire-earth-
metal-water. I believe that all things
have a natural connection and as
martial artists, we have the ability to
make that connection. Although the animals are presented for their
fighting ability, we cannot forget that
they also represent natural law. They
use techniques that have been pro-
vided them and we can modify those
to fit our style or needs.
Some things like speed, balance and
deception are actually part of the
same. The tiger is provided with
By GM Bernie Fritz
The five animals of Shaolin originated at the Shaolin Temple on China's
sacred Song Mountain during the Ming Dynasty in the mid 1300s. The five animals are the snake, crane, tiger,
leopard and dragon. These five ani-mals made a huge impact on the development of martial arts and still do today. This is because animals, like
nature, offer the same insights today as they did thousands of years ago. Grandmaster Bernie Fritz, who has
always been compassionate about kung fu's five animals, will be discuss-ing them in a five part series. Following
is part three. -Editors
three deadly weapons; claws
(front and back) as well as long,
deadly teeth. They can use all
three weapons at the same time.
We as martial artists, can pick and
choose what works for us. Na-
ture provides us with examples
based on natural law. Native
Americans studied natural law of combat in animals and used exam-
ples that work for them and the
IKSA provides us recognition for
our own creative ideas.
Let your spirit speak to you as
you train.
You are not different…you are
special.
-Grand Master Bernie Fritz Daily Martial Arts
The Five Animals
of Kung Fu
becomes more of a habit than thought process. These students will
commonly also be the more motivat-ed ones in the classroom if they are still in school. These students over
time have learned the value of school
and learning and come to like it. In conclusion, martial arts in daily life can be seen in a student’s attitude
towards learning and defensive and non-aggressive attitude and their calm behavior and their excitement
for learning.
Sensei Alee Winters is a 2nd Dan and
student of Master Burk’s.
Page 2 IKSA Newsletter
By Sensei Alee Winters Martial Arts date back hun-
dreds of years prevailing through many trials and rebel-lions that threatened to wipe
them out. For hundreds of years people of all ages have been taught and for hundreds of years people of all ages have
been influenced in their daily lives through the teachings of martial arts. Martial arts can be
seen in students’ everyday lives through their behavior and
attitude. One of the first things that is
influenced through the teach-ings of martial arts is a stu-dent’s attitude. Instructors like
to teach that the martial arts is for self-defense and not for attack or harm. This is empha-
sized in every class, verbally in some cases and silently in others. This thought process of self-defense gives the students
a calm and aware demeanor.
By Grandmaster Danny Chapman
There is an old saying that “you
only have one chance to make a
good first impression”. So when
you first meet a prospective stu-
dent/parent we want to make it a
positive first encounter. One of
the questions I have been asked is
how to introduce yourself. There
are various opinions on how the
best way is to word the initial
encounter. When introducing
Introductions
yourself to a potential adult stu-
dent or the parent of a child I
would recommend you NOT use
your martial arts title. But then
follow up by letting them know
the title you use in the dojo. For
example: Mrs. Doe comes in and
introduces herself and little John-
ny who is interested in taking
karate classes. An appropriate
response would be “Hello Mrs.
Doe I am John Smith, the instruc-
tor here. The students in the
school refer to me as Sensei
Smith. Hello Johnny, I am Sensei
Smith.” This lets Johnny know
what to call you. Mrs. Doe can
address you as she sees fit.
This response puts the adult
student/parent at ease but em-
phasizes the fact that formality
for the student is expected.
Theme for 2016!
Real Life Self-Defense Techniques
Page 3 Spring 2016
Sensei Jon Graves
Real Life Self-Defense Situations
Always use a straight punch because
the fastest way from point A to point
B is a straight line. (Although it may
not be a knockout strike, it’s enough
to make eyes water or stun the attack-
er to do a follow up attack) Never
turn your back to your attacker; you
never know what he/she might do or be carrying, if possible let him walk
away first.
Highlights!
Continued from page one
Master Jim Bonesho
Thumb to the soft part of the front of
the neck. To execute, make a fist with
your hand but do not bend your thumb.
Leave the thumb on top of your first
finger and point the thumb forward to
the soft lower part of the neck. This
technique may cause serious damage so
please only use in a must situation.
Knife hand strike to side of neck. It is a
very simple move but with this strike
always keep in mind that you may only
have once chance to execute it effective-
ly. Be sure to put all of your power into
the strike. This can cause much pain and
discomfort. Only use when your gut tells
you to.
Martial Arts Techniques
Reverse punch- the reverse punch
works for me because it is a quick
follow up after any block and can be
used as a defense to escape many
holds with enough power that could
break, fracture or bruise ribs or knock
the air out of someone if hit in the
solar plexus/stomach area.
Rear choke/sleeper- when applied it
can be used as an offensive or defen-
sive move, e.g. either putting someone
Participants from the Shotokan Dojo Tournament.
Congratulations to all!
We as instructors must rise to
challenges of Teaching & Train-
ing or we will fall prey to the
consequences.
You as students must rise to
the challenges of Training &
Learning or you will fall prey to
the consequences.
-Master Melvin Stewart
2016 IKSA National Training
Seminar
This year’s seminar will be hosted by
AKA and is scheduled for the last
weekend of Sept. The guest instruc-
tor will be Dr. Jerry Beasley. Dr.
Beasley was a student of GM Joe
Lewis.
Master Melvin Stewart
Sensei Jon Graves
IKSA Milestone Awards and
Black Belt Advancements
Milestone Awards will be presented
to instructors at the banquet who in
2016, celebrate their 25th, 30th (and
up) years of training in the martial
arts as well as Black Belt Advance-
ments.
Those who qualify should contact
Master Chapman at 5re-
[email protected] or 615.794.4330
before August 15th.
Master Roger Wessel
Master Jim Bonesho
If your IKSA charter is up for renewal in
2016 (expiration dates can be found on
the bottom of the charter), please send
in your renewal fees ASAP. Fees for
renewal are as follows:
Two Years—$110
Five Years—$175
Lifetime—$350 (never expires in spirit
or form)
Checks or money orders should be
made payable to IKSA
Renewals should be sent to :
IKSA International Command Center
1171 Lula Lane
Franklin, TN 37064
Remember that IKSA Charter fees are
the principal means of support for the
organization so do not delay.
Charter Renewal
IKSA Directors Grandmaster Chapman, Grandmaster Burk, Master Heitke, and Grandmaster Fritz
Any instructors who wish to
teach for the 2016 IKSA Seminar
please contact Master Chapman
with topic.
IKSA International Command Center 1171 Lula Lane Franklin, TN 37064
Independent Karate Schools of America
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