We’ve had an exciting first 3 months of 2010 with much of our hard work in training and conditioning rewarded by a successful event at Ozawa Cup in Vegas this past weekend (April 1-4). This is a testimony to our discipline of good instruction, commitment and planning our curriculum for the year. Not only was it a good benchmark for our development and goals, it gave us a good perspective and appreciation for other styles, kobudo (weapons) and non-traditional martial arts. Additionally, it is at these events that afford us the opportunity to bond with our JKA AF team mates (namely Raymunda Semana, Holly Damico and Andres Fiallos) whom we typically compete with at a national level. This venue gave us a chance to get to know each other, have good laughs, share best practices and take ownership in helping Sensei Mikami build up JKA AF as one community!
Sensei Koyama once gave a lecture on the “Seasons of Karate” that struck a chord for me and inspired us to be mindful on the balance of our training. It is not healthy nor sustaining to be only training for competition all year round.
This quarter, we move from competition to a “Learning & Training” mode – in the dojo, across the country, overseas – attending camps and seminars to hone our karate skill and broaden our experience. And bring it back to share our learnings with our students and members.
Upcoming at the end of April in Guilford, UK there is a Spring Camp hosted by JKA-England featuring world class JKA instructors Sensei Ohta (6th Dan), Sensei Naka (6th Dan), Sensei Osaka (8th Dan) and Sensei Mori (8th Dan). Anyone interested in joining us, please reach out to Christina for more details. See Christina’s blog on the event (for more pics and details).