in this issue - yoshukai karate newsletter 2017.pdf · mamoru yamamoto began his training in...

2017

YKIYoshukai Karate International

Year of the Rooster 2017

In this issue: Memorial ............................................................................... 2 2017 Promotions .................................................................... 3 Dojo News ............................................................................. 4 Tai Kai 2017 Highlights .......................................................... 5 Featured Essay .................................................................... 8 Upcoming Events ................................................................. 10

January13,2018

1stKyu/DanGradeTesting

10:00AMto2:00PM,Fee$50BambooDojo

2111–14thAve.VeroBeach,FL

Formoreinformation:[email protected]

January1,2018

BlackbeltAnnualDuesMaybepaidusingPayPal

http://www.yoshukai.org/links.html

Hanshi Michael G. Foster 10th Dan It is with pleasure and pride that the Yoshukai Karate International Testing Board announces Sensei Michael G. Foster’s long-deserved promotion. He has graciously accepted the rank of Ju dan (10th degree black belt). Sensei Foster is one of the late Sensei Yamamoto’s senior students and his first Yoshukai Instructor in the United States. The ranking members of Yoshukai Karate International are students of Sensei Foster and through him can trace our karate lineage back to O’Sensei, Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose. Sensei Foster was a top tournament competitor in the 1960’s and 1970’s in Japan and the United States, earning the nickname “The Fighting Sensei.” Black Belt Magazine called him “The Southern Giant”. Sensei Foster has been involved in the teaching and promotion of Yoshukai Karate in the United States since 1965. He and his students spread Yoshukai Karate to Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and the Caribbean. Sensei Foster’s dedication to Yoshukai over the past six decades has furthered the art of Yoshukai Karate and has left an indelible mark in the annals of martial arts history.

November4,2017

Kata/KumiteClinic

&Pre-testTraining

1:00to4:00PMTYKIDojo-SearsTownMall

3550S.WashingtonAve.,

Titusville,FL

Formoreinformation:[email protected]

Upcoming Events

Yoshukai Karate International 2017

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Mamoru Yamamoto Sensei July 10, 1938 – February 12, 2017 Mamoru Yamamoto began his training in Chito-ryu at the age of fifteen and quickly became one of Tsuyoshi Chitose’s top students. Yamamoto adopted new fighting techniques and traditional weapons from Okinawa into Chito-Ryu. In the early 1970's, Yamamoto left the Chito-kai federation to found his own style of karate under the

name of Yoshukan (a.k.a., Yoshukai), which later became known as Yoshukai. During this early period, Yamamoto worked with Mas Oyama of Kyokushinkai Karate to develop new rules for full contact sparring. This led to the modernization of tournament fighting in both Japan and the U.S. Yamamoto was considered a tough fighter and top competitor in Japan and held the title of All-Japan Karate Open Tournament Champion from 1958 to 1960. In 1964, Mike Foster Sensei began training under Yamamoto Sensei and was subsequently named Director of the USA Yoshukai Karate Association. Mike Foster subsequently established the Yoshukai International Karate Association. Our condolences go out to Yamamoto Sensei's family, his students and the Yoshukai organization.

In Loving Memory of Elizabeth D. Moore

January 4, 1952 – May 27, 2016 Last year, we were saddened by the loss of a dear and cherished friend. Sensei Beth Moore, known to most of us as “Beppy”, was born and raised in Staten Island, NY and graduated from St. Leo College with degrees in Special Education and Elementary Education. While attending college, she

met her husband of 43 years, Sensei William T. Moore III and together, they raised two beautiful daughters, Ellen Elizabeth (“Ellie”) and Ann VanCleaf (“Annie”). Beth was a sixth degree black belt in Yoshukai Karate and one of the founding members of Yoshukai Karate International. She was a cherished friend, loving wife, devoted mother, and accomplished martial artist who was taken from us way too soon. She extended joy and kindness to everyone she met and will always be remembered as the women who lived her life with a shining smile no matter what.

Mr. John Bosse –Rest Peacefully Dear Friend We are deeply saddened by the loss of another of our yudansha. Mr. John Bosse passed away on October 9, 2017 at his home in Holly Hill, Florida. Mr. Bosse was 46 years old. He previously worked for Homeland Security in Vermont. John has been around Yoshukai Karate for most of his life and began training at the Yoshukan Dojo in Ormond Beach, FL when he was

12 years old. John was a true patriot, a dear friend and he had a fighting spirit that was unmatched – we will miss you buddy!

2017

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Yoshukai Karate

Mr. Alfonse Pinders Shihan

Mr. Gary White Renshi and YKI Ambassador

Mr. Ricky Copeland, 7th Dan Sensei Copeland has been a member of Yoshukai Karate since 1980. Congratulations!

Mr. Joe Justado, 4th Dan

Mr. Jeff Constable 4th Dan

Mr. Neil Frazer 6th Dan

Mr. Dave Leathwick 5th Dan, Shihan

3rd Dan Mr. Chris Rivers Mr. Ben Head Mr. Ray Tainui

2nd Dan Mr. Nick Frederick

Mr. Seth Schlike Mr. Brad Smith Mr. Colin Yager

1st Dan Mr. Niko Tainui Mr. Tom Yoho

Ms. Isis Le Tolbert Mr. Grant Wakefield

3rd Kyu Taylor Hill

6th Kyu Trenton Garcia

Sage Jones James Joyner Jr.

Allena Garcia


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3rd Kyu Cole Tainui Niko Tainui

Grant Wakefield

1st Kyu Max Germanos Robert Schattie

Telly Tu’u Jeff Vasta

1st Dan Jeff Brasseur

Jeremy Crawford Ryan Jairam

2nd Dan Rayna Herringdine

5th Dan Mark Dimond Ben Cleveland

7th Dan John Mathews

Golden Isles Yoshukai brought home the gold at the 2017 American Tang Soo Do

Tournament! David

1st Place - Yellow belt Weapons 1st Place - 6 year old Sparring

Aspen 2nd Place - Yellow belt Weapons

1st Place - Yellow belt Kata

Dylan 1st Teen Red/Brown belt weapons 1st 17-18 year old Red/Brown Kata

Sensei Lonnie 1st Place - Adult Black Belt Kata

1st Place - Adult Black Belt Weapons Adult Black Belt Grand Champion!!!

Congratulations to everyone that competed!! Great Job!!

Turtle Knight received his Yon Kyu in Ryu Kyu Kobudo during the 2017 Tai Kai!

Congratulations to Mr. John Matthews for his recent promotion to 4th Dan, All Japan Toyama

Federation, All Japan Batto Do Federation and US Batto Do Federation.

2017

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Yoshukai Karate

A special note of thanks to Mr. Chad Pepper for all the wonderful photographs of this year’s event. Mr. Pepper studied Yoshukai International Karate under Sensei Mike Foster, Sensei Jack Swift, and Sensei Scott Self from 1982 through 1995. He earned his Nidan in 1988. Mr. Pepper is currently filming a documentary about Yoshukai Karate to highlight all of the positive aspects of this traditional martial art. He would like to tell the history of the founders and leadership collectively and of the individual branches of Yoshukai. “Everyone can agree that we are proud of the Yoshukai lineage and traditions still being taught today.” We have included a sample of the photographs here in the newsletter. You can view all of his photos on the documentary Facebook page at the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/YoshukaiKarateDocumentary/

During this year’s awards ceremony, Yoshukai Karate International paid special recognition to Mrs. Christina McClernan, 6th Dan and Ms. Lee Farrell, 6th Dan for all their hard work and dedication to the YKI organization. Mrs. McClernan and Ms. Farrell put forth an extraordinary amount of effort each year performing administrative activities, providing support to staff and members, and coordinating our annual Tai Kai events. On behalf of the association, we extend our humblest appreciation to you both!

A note of thanks and appreciation to our international visitors who made the long journey!

Australaisa Germany Puerto Rico


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2017

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Yoshukai Karate


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Annie Wormus, Shodan from the Bonsai Dojo, won the 2017 Elizabeth Moore Memorial Scholarship!

The scholarship program, sponsored by Mr. Jack Cook, provides payment for a student to attend the annual Yoshukai Tai Kai plus $30 spending at the camp store.

Ms. Wormus wrote a fantastic essay, which is presented below. Please take time to read it, as she has future leadership skill written all over her.

Thank you Mr. Cook for your generosity and continued support of Yoshukai Karate International!

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How Karate impacts my body, mind and spirit By: Annie Wormus, Shodan, Bonsai Dojo

I’ve been doing karate for 8 years, 832 classes, and 1248 hours. I’ve done countless tournaments, tested 10 times, and finally got my black belt, but I’m still nowhere near done. Even though I’ve been doing karate for most of my life, I still have a lot to learn. But I don’t like to dwell on the terrifying, ominous future, so let's take it back to what I’ve learned about karate in my thousands of hours of training. Karate isn’t just putting on a pair of pajamas and jumping around in a room for a couple hours, no, karate is much more than that. If you think you can walk into a dojo and expect to be able to get your black belt in 6 months, think again. Only those with the strongest mentality, persistence, and patience will make it through the mind numbing sensation of doing 27 movements hundreds of thousands of times before you get your yellow belt, and doing it a hundred thousand times more even after you’ve gotten your black belt. Karate is a way of thinking, it’s a

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way of living, it’s a way of being, and very few have what it takes to survive.

They say that for every 1,000 people who join martial arts, only 1 becomes a black belt, and I totally believe it. I was 7 when I first stepped foot into my local karate dojo and joined a class of about 20 other kids my age, all of whom came and went, and for a time I understood why. As a kid karate can be very repetitive, and me being the rambunctious free spirit I am, I had a particularly hard time standing in a line and doing what I was told. But with countless pushups and many different people telling me to settle down, I began to take on a different mindset. Discipline is a big part of karate, and as cheesy as it may sound, I believe that learning to show respect to people with a higher rank than you helped shape me into the wonderfully charming young lady I am today.

Born with the gift of height, I’ve always naturally been good at sports, and even though I’ve run endless miles in track, played countless soccer games, and swam oceans on the swim team, I don’t think any of that compares to what it feels like to end a good kata. Although karate isn’t so physically exhausting it’s caused me to pass out in the middle of the soccer field, or throw up in the last 50 meters of my mile, when I finish a solid kata it’s a different kind of feeling. Kata is

2017

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Yoshukai Karate

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technical yet looks effortless, powerful and flowing, you have to put emotion into it, you have to be the kata. My old sensei, Mr. Alford, used to always explain it as flipping a switch. As soon as you yoi and start your kata, the switch goes on. You put all you got into the kata, and the second your hands meet for the yame, you flick the switch off and you put all your anger and power into a box for you next kata. I also learned to flip my switch for sparring as well. The second I started fighting I would put everything I had into the longest 3 minutes of my life. And even though sparring is the bane of my existence, it’s a workout and just makes me stronger in the long run.

Probably the biggest impact that karate has on me is my spirit. I can hands down tell you that I am not the same little kid that came stumbling into the karate dojo 8 years ago. Since then I’ve overcome a lot of challenges and learned to get out of my comfort zone a bit. My first tournament I was petrified to get out there and do my kata, I would rather spar Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee blindfolded than risk looking like an idiot, but I did it, and I didn’t win anything, and even though it sucked at the time, I got over it. Now I am much more confident and I take any chance I get to show the world how much of a badass I am. Another major impact karate had on my spirit was when I didn’t pass my shodan test the first time. It totally sucked, and I felt defeated. But with the tons of encouragement I got from others, I tested again 6 months later in the winter and passed. Now I’m helping teach a kids karate class and even though I love them, those little demons are a completely different test on my morals.

Karate has always had a defining role in my life.

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It’s become who I am, and it’s had an impact on my mind by teaching me respect (and how to memorize a bajillion katas), on my body by teaching me how to move with power and grace, and on my spirit by showing me that even when things don’t work out the way you wanted them to, they always work out for the best. Karate has built my self confidence and taught me that persistence is key, not only in karate, but in life as well. Its taught me to retake failed math tests, to speak up in class, and to treat my parents, my teachers, my bosses, and everyone with respect. Karate has single handedly turned me from a shy, restless kid, into a fearless, respectable, badass 16 year old. For me, karate is, and always will be, a big chunk of my life, and as my old pa Mr. Miyagi said “Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better.”


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November4,2017Kata/KumiteClinic&Pre-testTraining1:00to4:00PMTYKIDojo-SearsTownMall3550S.WashingtonAve.,Titusville,FLFormoreinformation:January1,2018BlackBeltAnnualDues$35.00MaybepaidonthewebsiteusingPayPalhttp://www.yoshukai.org/links.html

January13,2018FirstKyu/DanTesting10:00AMto2:00PM,Fee$50BambooDojo2111–14thAve.VeroBeach,FLFormoreinformation:[email protected]

February17,2018YKIOpenTournamentHostedbyMikeMyerLocationTBAPleasecheckwebsiteformoredetailsFormoreinformation:MikeMyer(386)[email protected],2018AlabamaSpringTestingandTrainingSylacaugaKarateSchoolNorthBroadwayAve,Sylacauga,ALFormoreinformation:[email protected]

YoshukaiKarateAustralasianCampHanmerSprings,NewZealandFormoreinformation:RaymondTainui([email protected])

April21,2018BonsaiDojoAnnualTraining1:00to4:00PMHeathcoteBotanicalGardens210SavannahRoad,FortPierce,FLFormoreinformation:[email protected]

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May2018BlackBeltTrainingTime/PlaceTBDJune2018YKIPre-testKataandKumiteTrainingLocationTBAPleasecheckwebsiteformoredetailsFormoreinformation:[email protected]

July26–29,2018TaiKaiSummerCampWebberInternationalUniversity1201N.ScenicHwy,BabsonPark,FLFormoreinformation:ChristinaMcClernan(352)[email protected]

August25,201825thAnnualBambooDojoTournament$40forcompetitors(3events),$5forspectatorsRegistrationbeginsat9:30AMCompetitionbegins11:00AMVeroBeachHeritageCenter2140–14thAve,VeroBeach,FLFormoreinformation:JohnMatthews(772)[email protected],2018RegistrationDeadlinefor1stKyu/DanWinterTestingFormoreinformation:[email protected]

2017

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Yoshukai Karate YOSHUKAI KARATE INTERNATIONAL

www.YoshukaiKarateInternational.com

DOJO DIRECTORY

UNITED STATES The Bamboo Dojo

www.the bamboodojo.com

Port Orange YMCA [email protected]

Suncoast Yoshukai [email protected]

Sylacauga Karate School, AL [email protected]

Shinjitsu Dojo, Gainesville, FL [email protected]

Titusville Yoshukai Karate International www.tyki.org

West Palm Beach Dojo [email protected]

Golden Isles YMCA, GA [email protected]

Yoshukai of Tampa Bay www.YoshukaiTampaBay.com

GERMANY Yoshukai Essen http://i-defense.de/

AUSTRALIA www.yoshukai.org.nz

Sydney City Dojo [email protected]

Melbourne Dojo [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND www.yoshukai.org.nz

University of Canterbury Dojo [email protected]

Tokomaru Dojo, Palmerston North [email protected]

Wellington Dojo [email protected]

Westburn Dojo, Christchurch [email protected]

MALAYSIA Koru Sports Academy

www.korusportsacademy.com

“Workout because you love yourself, not because you hate your body!” Unknown

The human body has 206 bones including 27 bones in each hand and 26 bones in each foot. That means more than half your bones are located in your hands and feet! It’s important to stabilize these bones when you hit a target. That requires strong muscles and proper alignment. Next time you are in the gym, try these strength exercises for your wrist and hand.

Start by holding the end of a weighted bar (from 5 to 15 lbs). Make sure your shoulders are pulled down and back. The wrist does all the work here so your elbows must be pinned against the body (just engage the lats and keep the chest muscles out of the equation). Pay attention to wrist alignment. The bar movement is perpendicular to the floor at all times. Make sure your wrist moves on the same plane. Don’t allow the back of the wrist to flex in or away from your body. Try both movements below.

Start

Mid-range

End

in this issue - yoshukai karate newsletter 2017.pdf · mamoru yamamoto began his training in...

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