New Season, New Belt

Oss!

 

Finally the weather has improved and we see lots of greens in our view.

Karate Colorado hopes all of our students and their family are having a great spring.

We had a Kyu exam last month and many of members advanced to the next grade.

Congratulations to you  all!  Great job!!

Meet our orange princess

 

and the knight of yellow belt.

Before the summer break starts, we are hosting our annual family-friends night at the dojo.

It will be an open event to anybody with lots of try-outs of basic techniques and demonstrations.

This is your opportunity to show what you have mastered to your friends and family!

More detail will be posted on this blog once we have the schedule determined.

Dale, Li and Yuki are very happy that you guys are enjoying the training.

In Japanese we have a saying "Keizoku wa chikara nari".

 

継続は力なり

 

Direct translation will be "Continuance is power"---- meaning : persistence pays off.

It is A-OK that you cannot do something now.

Eventually you will find yourself doing something

that you never imagined you could.

 

You all are the reason why we instructors are keep training.

As long as we live, still, we train.

There is no difference for that no matter what belt you have.

KYU TEST!!

Oss!   

 

Easter weekend is over and Karate Colorado is getting ready for the Kyu grading exam.

Those who planning on going to the next step up, COME AND TRAIN regular basis.

Today we would like to review the basics of basics to remember.

They sound easy but often forgotten.

 

First thing we all need to know is:

Yes, making a good fist. 

Keep your hand closed like this when you punch and block.

 

Second thing that we all have to remember is....

 

Draw hands!

 

It is very important not only to look good, but to keep the balance and support while you are moving.

Draw hands will add more power and speed to your other hand,

 it will make your major technique faster and stronger.

 

 

 

 Also, remember to keep your front knee bent and keep your back straight.

No matter what stance you are taking, keep your posture straight.

Good techniques come from a good posture. 

It is never too soon to start working on the correct stance.

 

Look where you are going is very important too. 

Thanks Senpai Purple belt for being a great example to us all! 

We are all sure brown looks great on you!

 

 

Here is something to share with all of you.

Below youtube video is about Nobuyuki Tsujii, he is a famous

pianist from Japan.

He swims, he travels, he hikes on the mountains and

he is the winner of 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

He received the gold medal along with Haocheng Zhang, from China.

 

And you know what...........?

 

 

He is blind since birth.

 

If someone who has been blind for his entire life could

 swim, climb up the mountains, travel around and play piano international level ......

 

Those who have able body should be able to do more, can't they?

What is stopping us?

Nothing.

We just need to try.

 

 

March Tournament 2013

Oss!

Our annual Dan Exam and the March Tournament was
held at LoneTree Rec Center last Saturday.

The snow storm hit Denver on that day but no blizzard
was strong enough to stop us.

Our Kids class young students went up there
and demonstrated the fruit of the training.

This is our mightly princess Alondra at her Yakusoku Kumite competition.

The opponent seems a lot taller than her
but it does not scare our mighty princess.

Karate is about the timing, distance and the strength in your heart.

Alondra the tiny lioness demonstrated what she was capable of
and brought a Silver medal home.

Good job!!

 

This is our brown-belt-to-be, Connor the gentle heart.

He has been working on his KIBADACH (horse stance).

It all paid off, he won the Gold medal in the kata devision
and a Silver for Kumite.
Way to go Connor!

Here is our Kata vice champion Jack in the ring. 

His kiai roar scared all of the people around, that is why

the floor is almost empty.......except for the lady

boxer from LoneTree dojo.
He received the Gold medal for the Kumite division.
Nicely done Jack!

Jacob's sonic speed reverse punch is absolutely invisible.  

Keep your eyes up next time by the way.

The camera crew will also practice on shooting the moving objects 

so we can update better quality pictures next time......
Nice work Jacob, your division was the most intense of all for
having so many contestants.
You are the Mr.Spirit of the day Jacob!!

 

 

 

 Thanks for all the parents who brought the kids to the tournament.

Without you, we are nobody.

For those who won the medals, congratulations.

But it's time to focus on the next step.

Those who did not win this time, do not worry.

Tournaments are nothing but an extended training.

If you did not like losing, it is a good sign. 

It means you have a lot of potential.

To our eyes, you are all winners because you've tried.

 

 

If you can't do something now, it is ok.

If you don't try it, it is not ok.

If you tried, you are already one step above than yesterday.

 

 

Keep up the good work everybody!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Denver Kids Tournament Result

 

Group	Kata	Kumite
Boys & Girls 6-12 White & Yellow Stripe	Fernando Vargas 1st Place	Fernando Vargas 3rd Place Dylan Bird  3rd Place
Boys & Girls Under7 Yellow & Orange	Caden Huyun-Smith 2nd Place	Caden Huyun-Smith 2nd Place
Boys & Girls 8-12 Orange		Alondra Lopez 2nd Place
Boys & Girls 13-17 Green & Purple	Connor McMaster 1st Place Jack Helfrich 2nd Place Kadin Mangulic 3rd Place	Jack Helfrich 1st Place Connor McMaster 2nd    Place Kadin Mangulic 3rd Place

 

Tournament

Oss!

 

On a snowy Saturday, two assistant instructors of

Karate Colorado went to the Friendship tournament in Golden, Colorado.

 

 

This annual tournament hosts many Karate-kas from different styles. 

There were a couple of young Shotokan athletes performing other style katas,

called Ahnan and Chatanyara kusan ku.

They are famous Okinawan katas

and two teen age athletes were performing them.

 

How they've learned these advanced foreign katas??

Is there any master who can train them to that perfection?  Nobody knows.

The answer is probably 

"where there is a will, there is a way"

 

 

Below is a Youtube video.

Her name is Rika Usami, a world kata champion

and Chatanyara Kushanku has been her signature kata.

 

 

 

 

As we all know we do Shotokan karate but it is really good

to watch other styles and get inspired.

While we seek to offend and defend in a short straight line,

these styles are strong with soft

and round movements.

Karate Colorado encourages our young students to go and

compete at these mixed style events.

 

We have color belt testing coming up,

and next month we will be going to the March Tournament.

There aren't too many opportunities for the young athletes to compete.

Let's all go to the tournament and
we all bring home a medal or two!

 

******************************************************************

-ISKF Mountain States March Tournament-

Date: March 9, Saturday

Venue: Lonetree Recreation Center

10249 RidgeGate Circle
Lone Tree, CO 80124

 

Registration: 8:30-10am, the tournament starts 15mins after the dan exams.

To compete, you will need ISKF membership card.

*********************************************************************

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stronger together

Oss!

The temperature in Denver hit below 0 last week but it did not stop our young Karate enthusiasts to pursue their way to "perfection of character".

We had close to 10 students came on the freezing Tuesday night.

Recently joined white belt students are learning Heian Shodan.

It is the first kata that all of the SHOTOKAN karate students learn as white belt.

We learn Step-in-punch on the first day too and surprisingly it is the most effective technique of all.

Front stance and step-in-punch, this very basic technique that we learn from the day-one in our long Karate life, is a key element of all of advanced techniques.

Keep heels down, toes straight to the target with the front knee deeply bent.

 

Why go low?  Why straight?

That is because we are human, not a bird.  We are stronger when we are close to the ground.

Karate is an art of distance and timing. 

A straight punch executed from the closest possible distance is much stronger than any other

big techniques or kicks. 

 

We are living in the era of technology--- we have to be multi-tasking just to live and a lot of

time that type of life makes us separate our mind from our body.

That is why we encourage our Karate students to focus on one single task during the training.

Because when our body and mind are united we can do most of the things we can imagine.

 

 

     Love that smile----see you at the dojo!  Oss!!

Happy new year-2013 The Year of Snake

謹賀新年

Happy New Year

 

　Karate Colorado wishes you a happy new year.

This year our KANGEIKO ( spirit winter training ) starts

from January 21st, Monday 6am.

Regular Kids class stars on January 3rd, Thursday 5:30pm.

 

See you all at the dojo,  oss!!!

Karate Colorado

Oss!!!

 

Karate Colorado has been teaching traditional Karate-do to

Denver children for past 20 years.

 

 

The Karate we are training here is called SHOTOKAN, one of the most

traditional martial art forms from Okinawa, Japan.

Through the training, our young students are introduced to basics and gradually

learn how to spar as their techniques grow.

 

As a traditional martial art school, our goal is to assist our students

to lead a healthy life so they will be better members of society.

For this reason we watch our students' mental set and behavior

closely.  Discipline is one of the biggest part of our training.



 





The word "Karate" means "Empty hands".

At our tournaments all athletes are required to wear mouth guard and

a pair of gloves but we do not wrap our body with padding.

And this is the same with young students.

 

This idea is also a part of our tradition--- so our young Karate-kas

will naturally learn how to protect themselves when necessary.  

We train this way to develop the ability to react, rather than think
what to do or avoid attack.

 

Opponents are often referred to as "Partners" at our dojo.

Facing someone fists to fists is nerve wrecking for anybody.

But conflict is not always a negative thing--- it can be an opportunity to

learn one's weakness and develop strength from.

 

 

If your resolution for the new year is to work out more,

we are right here in Downtown.

 

Kids class : Tuesdays & Thursdays 05:30-06:15pm

If you want to train with adult black belts, please join our

Saturday morning class from 10am to 11:15am.

 

Karate Colorado

226 South Broadway, Denver 80019

 

Chief Instructor : Dale Weyant

Assistant instructor : Li and Yuki

 

Phone : 720-235-3951

Email : karatecolorado@gmail.com