Budo IKD Manitoba Annual General Meeting and Pig Roast
September 13th, 2014
3:00 PM
Stonewall Karate Dojo

Calling all Budo IKD Manitoba members!  September 13th is the 2014 Budo IKD Manitoba Annual General Meeting.  We need all adult members (only the adult members can vote) to attend what is typically a fairly short and friendly meeting.  Last year's AGM meeting minutes can be viewed here.  It is very important for as many of our adult membership to attend, so please try to make it out.  But wait!  There's more...

To further convince you to come out to the AGM, as we've done in the past, there will be a pig roast held immediately after the meeting at around 4PM.  This is a yearly tradition, and a tasty one at that!  The complementary pig roast is for IKD members and their families, so adults, bring your young ones and better half's with you.  Although the main attraction is the roast pig catered by Danny's Whole Hog, there are a ton of other options for people who don't eat pork, as well as for the vegetarians in the crowd.  Make sure to bring a lawn chair, and if you'd like to contribute, a salad or dessert for the group.  It's always a fun time, and a great way to chat and get to know your fellow karate-ka from different dojos.

SEE YOU THERE!!!

Well that was a long, tiring, but FUN weekend!  The 2014 IKD Canada Cup, held at the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg this past weekend, was a big success.  Competitors from across the country came out to test their mettle in the ring in some or all of the the various events: Individual Kata, Individual Kumite, Team Kata, Team Kumite, Team Bunkai, and Team Embu.

Team 'Toba cleaned up, and took home a total of 55 gold medals, and was awarded the IKD Canada Cup!  Way to go, Manitoba!  That's a lot of hardware!  From Heijoshin Karate, four brown belt students competed in the tournament and they did not disappoint!  Charles, Devin, Kathleen, and Victoria all had very strong performances despite this being their first National competition.  Victoria even placed 2nd in the Female Youth 15-17  division, which took everyone, including herself, by surprise.  I am extremely proud of all four of them.   Be sure to congratulate our competitors on a job well done the next time you see them!

As for Sensei Phil, I too had a good competition, placing 3rd in both Individual Men's Kata and Kumite, as well as placing 2nd in Team Embu, and 3rd in Team Kata with my teammates, Deril and Patrick.  I am continuing to work on my tokui kata, Unsu, and was pleased that it seems to be improving in the judges eyes.  I took home some valuable kumite experience as well, having had to fight against both the current IKD World Cup kumite champion, and two former Canadian kumite champions.

The full results of the tournament can be viewed here.

Be sure to subscribe to the IKD Canada Cup 2014 YouTube Channel.  Videos are being uploaded in a steady stream of ones and zeroes, so keep checking back for more footage.  Big thanks to Jill Lampi for her tireless efforts recording and posting the entire tournament.

I'll leave you with a few videos from the demonstration we performed during the Opening Ceremonies on Saturday.

The 4th IKD World Camp is fast approaching!  This 5-day training camp is open to all ages and ranks.  Students will take classes under IKD's full host of Shihan-kai (Masters), and make new friends from around the world. 

I was lucky enough to attend last year, and I left with a deep sense of satisfaction from the training I received.  It was several days of hard training yet I left feeling relaxed, and found myself longing for next year's camp by the time I arrived at the airport.  Not only was the training great, but the camp setting (ah, nature!), the training facilities (beautiful hardwoods), the food (better than edible), and the friendships made, all left me feeling content with my camp experience.  The cabins and washrooms are also very clean, which is a bonus.  No outhouses here!

Last year, I did not bring any of my students to the camp, as I thought it would only be of benefit for brown and black belts.  However this was not the case.  There are kyu level classes suitable for white belts all the way up to brown, and these classes tend to be smaller in size so you get special attention.  This year, I would be very happy to bring a small group of Heijoshin Karate students to camp with me.  I am sure you would enjoy yourselves.

I plan to book a plane ticket to Toronto within the next few weeks.   We can coordinate booking flights, and rides from the airport to the camp.  For our young campers, I would gladly be their chaperone and ensure they stay out of trouble.

If you are interested in attending, please speak to me at class, or email me.

Just a quick note to say that the results of the 2014 Stonewall Tournament have been posted to the Budo IKD Manitoba website. 

Although I was unfortunately quite busy judging for most of the day, and didn't get to see many of the students compete, the results tell me that overall the students did well.

Team Heijoshin Karate took home over 22 medals across various age categories and ranks!  The brown belts, who were paired up against black belts, did very well considering the 2-3 years difference in experience.  Great work everyone!

The next big tournament is the IKD Canada Cup in Winnipeg this May!  It's coming up real soon!  Keep on training.

The registration package for the upcoming IKD Canada Cup 2014 is now available.  Check out the official website for all the forms and details.  The tournament events will take place over May 16th, 17th, and 18th at the Fairmont Hotel.  Whether you are competing or not, this tournament will have some of IKD Canada's best karateka on display.  If you're not competing, why not come out and cheer on your fellow dojo mates as well as the rest of Team Manitoba.  Should be an exciting weekend!

The 18th Annual Interlake Karate Competition hosted by Stonewall Karate will be held on March 8th, 2014 at the Stonewall Legion from 9AM to 4PM.  Once again, this tournament will be open to all Shotokan Karate groups in Manitoba, regardless of affiliation.  

Last year students from Heijoshin Karate did quite well and managed to take home at least 2 medals each. Great work!  But as they say, winning isn't everything.  Competing in tournaments can be a fun way to test your skills and learn good sportsmanship, but it is also a great way to meet new people and make new friends with people who are as interested in Karate as you are.

The tournament is open to all ages and ranks.  Everybody from the dojo is encouraged to come out and participate.  It's a fun day.  You can compete individually in Kata and Kumite, and also on a team doing synchronized kata.  There are two new team events this year, Team Bunkai and Team Embu.  Although we have not practiced for these events (my apologies), if there are any students interested in them, please let me know.  Please note:  Brown belts will need to have a mouth guard in order to compete in Kumite.

For the brown belt competitors, this tournament will be a great way to get in some real competition practice before the IKD Canada Cup, held at the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg this May.  

Photos and videos from last year's tournament can be found on our old blog, here.

Students who wish to compete must print out and complete the forms below, and hand in the forms to me.  
The deadline to register is Wednesday, February 26th.

Tournament Announcement
Competitors Registration
Agreement and Release
Team Kata Sign Up Sheet (One Per Team)

We can begin to assemble teams during the next few classes.  Good luck to everyone!

Budo IKD Manitoba is very proud to host a seminar with special guest instructor, Sensei Ray Tio, from the Canadian JKA Karate Federation (CJKF), on February 21st and 22nd, 2014.  Sensei Tio has over 30 years of experience, a long and successful tournament record, and is still a very successful competitor today.  In fact, he will be traveling to Japan this October to represent Team Canada (one last time?) at the JKA World Cup, which will be held at the famous Budokan in Tokyo.

Sensei Tio is a full-time instructor and runs the aptly named World Class Karate dojo in Mississauga, Ontario, and Vaughan, Ontario.  I am very much looking forward to his visit to Winnipeg this February!  Dress warm, Sensei Ray!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM:  Kyu Levels including Brown Belts
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM:  Black Belt Class
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM:  DAN testing with Shihan Marcel Lussier

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2014
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM:  Kyu Levels including Brown Belts
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM:  Black Belt Class

Location
Garden City Collegiate
East Gym (by Sinclair Street)
711 Jefferson Avenue

Fees
Colour Belts $30
Brown and Black Belts $45
Non-IKD Members $50
One fee includes all classes.  There is no single class price.

So this past weekend, black belts from Heijoshin Karate and Charleswood Karate teamed up to record the kihon (basics) and kumite (sparring) portions of the IKD Kyu and Dan Examination Syllabus for all Kyu levels (white to black).  Each set of basics are performed twice:  once slow speed, and once fast.  

Here is a link to the Official IKD Kyu and Dan Examination Syllabus PDF.
Here is a link to our website's testing section (bottom of the page).
Here is a link to Charleswood Karate's IKD Examination Syllabus Video Playlists.

And here's a preview of the the Video playlists from the white to yellow kyu examination syllabus.

Budo IKD Manitoba is proud to be holding seminar and testing with Shihan Marcel Lussier on November 21st, 22nd, and 23, 2013.  Shihan (in the IKD, Shihan is a title designating a senior instructor that is 7th Dan or higher) Lussier is a fantastic instructor and karateka with a well-rounded knowledge of the art.  He's got a sense of humour too.  All students are encouraged to attend seminar.

Shihan Marcel Lussier, 7th Dan IKD, is Chief Instructor of IKD Saskatchewan and is based out of St. Louis, SK.  He has over 30 years of experience in Shotokan Karate.  Shihan Lussier had a lengthy and successful competitive career, having won numerous medals over the years in kata, kumite, and team events at the provincial, national, pan-American, and international level.  Shihan Lussier officially retired from competition after becoming the ISKF World Kata Champion in 2008. 

Thursday, November 21st
6:00 – 7:00 PM – Kyu levels including brown belts
7:00 – 8:00 PM – Black belt class
8:00 – 9:00 PM – Instructor class

Friday, November 22nd
11:00 AM – Noon – All levels class
6:00 – 7:00 PM – Kyu level class
7:00 – 8:00 PM – Brown belt class
8:00 – 9:00 PM – Black belt class

Saturday, November 23rd
11:00 – Noon – All levels class
12:30 - Kyu & Dan testing

Cost:
Seminar and testing:  $65
Seminar  only:  $40
Single class:  $20
Instructor class (open to all black belts):  $20

All classes will be held at the Manitoba Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 180 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg

As we come into a new karate session with many new students starting up, it is important for students and parents to know the proper way to tie an obi (belt).  Tying a belt can be tricky for younger students, but with a little practice and some patience, it will become a simple skill they will never forget.  Although there are several ways of tying a belt, this video is one of the better ones out there that explains the steps in a simple manner.

Kids of all ages can learn to do this for themselves.  As proof.  Here is a 4 year old girl from Japan tying her belt by herself.  ^_^

Practicing karate isn't just about punches and kicks.  Things such as proper bowing technique, listening, and being able to tie your own belt are also important aspects of Karate.  No matter what it is you do in your karate training, take pride in it and do it with your best effort.