KDA Today Summer 2012

Karate Do Academy, Westlake and Bay Village karatedo.net “Even after many years, kata practice is never finished, for there is always something

new to be learned about execution a movement" ~ Shoshin Nagamine

Wow! This summer went by fast. One of its main events, as usual, was the annual summer picnic in

Sensei Jim’s backyard. Of course, it exceeded. The weather was beautiful and warm. After a extended warm-up,

three white belts were surprised when they were told that they were testing. Even when taken by surprise, they

still preformed exceptionally! At the same time, the rest of us split up into groups. We were overjoyed when

after about five minutes of getting fried under the sun, some clouds rolled in. We worked on our belt

requirements, had demonstrations, and watched the white belt test. Once class was over, the excitement only

increased. The lunch consisting of the food everyone brought was put out. It makes my mouth water just

thinking about it. Plus, Sensei Jim’s backyard is the perfect place to have fun! While most of the kids were

enjoying themselves with the pool and the water slide, some were playing volleyball. Some parents were

engaged in an intense cornhole competition. Also, many people used the paddleboats to go out into the lake.

Some people even went fishing, and you wouldn’t believe how many fish were caught. Something new to me

was Sensei Jim teaching some of us a game called bocce (we played it and our game got pretty intense). All in

all, it was a very fun day and I encourage all of you to come next year.

- Navi

USA winds first ever Judo

Gold Medal and a rare

Bronze in London Olympics

Part of our Kajukempo style of martial arts

is Judo, and Judo is one of the Olympic sports.

Until this year, the USA has never won a gold

medal in Judo. That changed with the win of Ohio

native Kayla Harrison of the United States (in

white) against the home crowd favorite Gemma

Gibbons (in blue) of Great Britain in the Women's -

78 kg Judo on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic

Games. Judo is all about strength, speed and

control. Kayla, who is nicknamed the Judo Princess

and started Judo at age 7, won by executing two hip

throws on her opponent during their 5 minute

match, one just like our #4 Inside series, and the

second one the same except she grabbed the belt

over the shoulder since the opponent was leaning

forward.

The Bronze medal was awarded to

Washington native Marti Malloy (in blue), who won

the bronze by ippon (judo's version of a walk-off

homer) when she threw the defending 2008

Olympic Gold medalist Giulia Quintavalle of Italy

at 2 minutes, 34 seconds into their five-minute

match for the 57 kg weight class. She used an

inside foot sweep similar to our #5 Inside series to

earn the win.

The USA had previously only won 10

medals in Judo: 6 men’s Bronze, 3 men’s Silver,

and 1 women’s Bronze. Judo has been an Olympic

sport since 1964 (men’s) and 1992 (women’s).

- Sensei Sandy

Warming Up Before Practice I enjoy reading books or watching DVDs by

martial arts outside of KDA. I recently bought the

DVD "Kung Fu Body Conditioning" by Dr. Yang,

Jwing-Ming. Many of you are used to the warm

ups at KDA, but I wanted to provide an article how

the students at Dr. Yang's YMAA Retreat Camp

warm up.

1. Loosen the wrists by moving the joint above

the wrists (i.e. the elbows).

2. Loosen the elbows by moving the joint

above the elbow (i.e. the shoulders).

3. To loosen up the shoulders you need to

bounce your body. Note: Your feet stay planted

flat on the ground.

4. Continue to bounce, but twist your body

from the waist to different directions.

5. Arm swings are similar to the ones we do at

KDA, but be sure to keep your toes pointing

forward.

6. The windmills are different from the ones I

learned in high school. The YMAA windmills are

similar to our trunk rolls, but are circular rolls with

the hands go from above the head to trying to touch

the ground. You then switch direction.

7. The next warm up is to rotate the waist.

8. We've done rotating the knees before. On

the DVD, the students face different directions as

they are rotating the knees.

9. Rotating the ankles is a different experience.

You touch the toes of one foot on the ground. Note:

Do not put any pressure on this foot. Rotate the

ankle clockwise and then counter clockwise.

Switch to the other foot.

10. Bouncing on your toes involves stepping

from one foot to the other.

- Sensei Randy

Make Sure You Practice!

I know that the holidays are coming up and I

bet everybody is excited. That doesn’t mean that

you need to stop practicing. Practicing will help

anyone get better at anything. In this case it means

karate. People usually practice at least 6 days a

week but that doesn’t mean you have to do that

much. But, it would be great to practice at least 3

days a week.

Practicing doesn’t mean a whole hour and a half

like in karate class. Practicing can be 5, 10 or even

15 minutes. I know you might think “oh 15 minutes

is so long!” Well, actually it’s not. If you enjoy

karate then it feels like only one minute. And if you

don’t practice you will fall behind which would not

be good! Good luck practicing!

- Grace

Bob’s Corner: Mat Work

In this newsletter I would like to discuss

performing techniques starting on the ground. In

this case, imagine you were shoved from behind

and had to perform a front fall.

To start this drill lay belly down

on the mat. The person who

"shoved" you is still behind you.

The instructor will indicate which

series you'll be performing, right,

left, or uke's choice for the attack,

and the timing of the attacker.

I like this type of practice because it is

physically demanding. If you don't believe me, just

lay on your belly in your living room, jump up, turn

around and do the first technique from a series.

Now, lay back down and repeat with the next

technique. If uke's choice is picked, this practice

adds difficulty in that you don't know whether the

opponent will be attacking right handed or left

(Note: Do not peek over your shoulder while laying

down, that's cheating!).

Step 1: You need to get off the mat and onto your

feet as quickly as possible. Laying flat on the

ground, practice doing a pushup, but kick your feet

forward as you push up with your arms. You'll end

up in a crouched position. After you're comfortable

with this move, work on step 2.

Step 2: You don't know whether the attacker will

turn and leave after the shove or continue the attack

on you. In this drill the uke will continue the attack.

You're in a crouched position with your back to the

opponent. Staying in the crouched position, step

forward (away from the uke) and pivot to face the

uke. The step helps put some distance between you

and the uke. Keep both hands up to protect your

head.

Step 3: Stand up, perform your technique as the uke

attacks and recover.

Step 4: Lay back down on the ground and repeat the

next technique in the series.

The instructor will set the timing of the

attacker. Intent is to make sure you can get to your

feet before the attacker reaches you. Remember to

always create distance between you and the uke. If

the uke has to take more than one step to launch their

attack on you, you're doing a good job of creating

distance.

A variation on this drill is to perform it as a

"pickle in the middle". You'll start face down on the

mat with an uke standing behind your heels and the

other a few feet away from your head. Don't worry

about the uke closer to you head. It's not their turn to

attack yet. The uke at your heels is the attacker or

the one who just "shoved' you. When the instructor

claps his hands or says "go", get off the mat, perform

the technique and recover. This time when you lay

back down on the mat, your head will be pointed at

the last attacker and your heels pointed toward the

new attacker. Repeat changing directions until the

series is completed and a new torre is chosen.

What would you do if the uke comes in before you

can get off the ground, before you get into the

crouched position, or didn't have time to stand up

after turning in the crouched position? You'll need

to rely on some of your basic techniques before you

get to a standing position. Think about what tools

are in you karate tool box, what you would do, and

bring it up the next time mat work is used in class.

- Bob

How Karate is Useful

I have been doing karate for three years, and

I have never had to use it (except when I am in

class). However, I think it is useful. For example, if

you are in a store and a stranger attacks you, you

will know how to defend yourself. Even if someone

punches you, you will know how to block it. You

should practice every day so you can get better.

- Quin

Karate

Karate is a type of martial arts. There are

different types of martial arts which come from

many countries such as Japan, China, and Korea.

Karate classes often teach moves from different

types of martial arts. Karate has been around for

hundreds of years. Karate is taught as a way to

defend yourself, not to start a fight. Students are

expected to have good manners. This would include

bowing before and after the end of class, as a sign

of respect to the sensei.

What Karate teaches

Karate is used in developing different kinds

of mental skills. One of the skills is discipline.

Karate students need to pay attention to the

instructions so that they can learn. Another skill that

can be developed is respect. Since a higher ranking

belt is teaching a lower belt, it is important for them

to try their hardest and not cause a disruption by

distraction others. Karate is also used to develop

physical skills. Many people condition their bodies

in. This is learning how to stretch your muscles, get

stronger, endure pain, and improve your sense of

balance. Students will also need to learn Japanese

words for different strikes or blocks. In addition,

students will dress in the appropriate karate

uniform, which is called a gi

Ranks

In karate, students are ranked using different

colored belts. The ranks start with white for a

beginner. Subsequent belts are orange, yellow,

green, blue, purple, and three types of brown. The

senseis wear black belts because they are experts.

People who have earned a higher rank are expected

to have mastered their previous belt’s requirements.

Students learn certain techniques depending on

which ran they are at. Beginner students will learn

basic karate moves. Advanced students will learn

more difficult moves. Skills learned in lower ranks

are building blocks. The moves learned when the

student is a lower rank are added upon as they

advance to higher level belts. Also, when students

line up at the beginning and end of class, they are in

order by karate rank. White belts will be at the far

left, followed by orange belts and so on.

Offensive Techniques

Although karate is taught to defend yourself,

students will learn how to stop an attacker by using

one or more offensive techniques. There are two

kinds of offensive techniques, hand strikes and foot

strikes. Different hand techniques are used

depending on where you are striking. For example,

if you are striking to the head, you will use a

hammer fist or back fist. The strike you use depends

on where you and the attacker are standing, and

where you want to hit. Another type of offensive

technique is a kick. Karate teaches you how to

perform different kinds of kicks. Some kicks you

could use are front kicks, spin kicks, side kicks, and

round house kicks. These kicks require you to

balance and take a lot of practice. In karate, students

will learn how to use both hand strikes and kicks in

different combinations.

Defensive Techniques

In karate, there are several techniques used

in defending yourself from an attacker. The first

technique is blocking. A common block is the high

rise lock. This is used to protect your head. The

inward block, middle outward block, and knife hand

block are used to defend yourself at a hip to chest

level. A down block is used to stop a kick or low

strike. Another defensive technique you use in

karate is falls the correct way to fall so you will not

get hurt as bad. Some of these falls are the front fall,

rear fall, and side fall. By learning the different

ways to fall, you can get up quicker without using

your hands. Escapes are another kind of defensive

technique. Some deal with an attacker grabbing

your wrist. Others deal with chokes and bear hugs.

A series of moves will get you free.

- Andrew

National Women’s Martial

Arts Federation Special

Training!

I was so happy to be able to attend this

year’s National Women’s Martial Arts

Federation’s “Special Training” in July, 2012, at

Oberlin College, OH. The depth and variety of

martial arts skill present at this meeting is just

mind-boggling. Training under and with these

women, and talking with them is just so enriching

that it is really hard to convey the value of this

conference. This year we had attendees from 10

to85 years old and from white belt to multiple high

level black belts.

The conference this year had 140 attendees,

but the quality and quantity of instruction was not

diminished. I attended the ST (Special Training)

part of the conference, from Thursday PM t o

Sunday noon. There were 5 parallel session s to

choose from each full day, each class at 1.5 hours,

and 5 sessions a day to choose from. The schedule

and class details are available on NWMAF.org.

Some of my favorite sessions were the Gracie

Combative’s Jujitsu sessions where we learned how

to escape from the ground/grappling techniques.

I also enjoyed the Twilight Sun Staff Form

advanced session, where we learned a partnering

staff (bo) form and demonstrated it during the demo

session Friday night.

I attended the Chayon-Ryu Knife Defense

session, where we learned knife and gun disarms.

I think my favorite was the Aikido Randori,

or multiple attacks. The multiple attacks make you

strategically use the uke’s bodies as part of your

defense by throwing them in the way of other

attackers.

Lastly, I warmed down with Dhanda Yoga,

where we used the long staff to help keep the body

aligned and flexible. The postures are similar to

traditional yoga but the staff is alternately used as a

support, a weight, a guide, and resistance.

At the end of the conference, I was tired, sore,

and inspired by the other women I met. I am

already looking forward to next year!

- Sensei Sandy

Scissor kick double

board break and

Randori

KDA Promotions

July 2012

James T. – Orange Belt

Tami – Orange Belt

Allyson – Orange Belt

September/October 2012

Ryan - Orange Belt

Jack - Orange Belt

Gianna - Orange Belt

Nicolas - Orange Belt

Rachel - Orange Belt

Mathew - Yellow Belt

Elyse - Yellow Belt

Derek - Yellow Belt

Cate - Green Belt

Jujutsu and Twilight

Staff

Knife and Gun

Defense

Dhanda Yoga

From Sensei Jim.....

By the time you read this, most of the

autumn testing will have been completed.

Congratulations to those who have been promoted,

but let provide a word of encouragement and

caution this issue of KDA Today. So often a period

of regression sets in just after testing time. It may

not be intentional and you may not be conscious of

it. But, instructors know it to be true. A student

performs well in a test but several weeks later, his

or her skills have diminished to the point where we

question whether they deserve the belt they are

wearing. That is why we say "once you receive your

new belt you need to continue to earn it."

So don't let this trend happen to you. Once

you receive your belt, don't let down. Consciously

work harder, not only on new techniques, but on

IMPROVING past learned techniques. You'll see in

your belt requirements that "improved techniques"

are always a priority. That is why, it is important in

each class and training session to work hard on your

basics. Do not have the attitude that "I know this

already." Remember, karatedo is a livelong

endeavor working toward perfection of body and

mind. Is there room between your abilities and

perfection? If so, don't let yourself down. Focus on

progressing though self discipline and developing

your talents to the fullest!!

Looking forward to watching you grow in

the dojo........KIAI!!!

Note From Editor

Hi guys! This summer was (hopefully) a

blast for most of you guys! One of the best events

was the Summer Picnic. Congratulations to

everyone who got promoted. Keep up the good

work! And even if you weren’t ready, there’s

always next time. I’m sad to say that this is going to

be my last edition of KDA Today. I’d like to thank

everyone who has contributed to my editions. Your

additions were greatly appreciated. Without you

guys, I probably couldn’t have achieved close to the

level of awesomeness these editions had (and yes,

they were awesome). I hope everyone welcomes

and helps the next editor as much as they did to me.

I’ll miss you guys! Thanks for everything!

- Navi