Your Family Martial Arts Centre
Hi everybody,
We are so excited to announce that our website has some new and improved features. No ads, analytic abilities so we know exactly what you want, and we can now upload and share with you our latest Youtube videos.
In fact, here’s one of our earlier videos from Tabata Tuesday. You can view more like this if you subscribe to our Youtube Channel.
Our club’s main objective is to create active leaders within our community, but what makes a great leader? How do you build trust with the people you are looking to help? Here are just a few qualities one will need to consider when looking to be a positive influence within their community.
When someone says you uphold your integrity, they mean you are the type of person who sticks to their principles, is open and honest. People won’t start following you if they believe you’re going to back stab them in the back.
Have you ever met a leader who wasn’t passionate or committed to the thing they were trying to lead? Of course not, otherwise they would not have a following for very long. In order to lead well you need to be committed to your practice (whatever that practice may be) or people won’t really want to follow you.
And people will be able to tell.
Probably one of the hardest parts in leadership is making decisions. Some are easy and some are really hard to make. It’s a learned skill and takes a lot of practice, and sometimes the most skilled leaders still have a hard time deciding what the best option is.
Communicating effectively can come naturally to some people, but for others… it takes practice. I’ll admit, I am not always the greatest when it comes to telling people what I need from them. However, so long as you are open to learning and practicing this skill, you will be leading effectively in no time!
In my personal opinion I believe accountability is one of the hardest qualities to uphold as a leader. Why? Because it means taking responsibility for your actions or the actions of others (i.e. your students). Because when it all comes down to it, you are the one leading them.
Now this does not mean you have to take the blame all the time, but it also doesn’t mean you can put the blame on others when you were the one to act on it.
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In October, 2017 Shikomu in Burlington hosted another great weekend seminar where we navigated through the analysis of kata in various styles and the application of throws with Sensei Iain Abernethy from the U.K..
One of the UK’s leading exponents of applied karate, Iain has written a number of critically acclaimed books on the practical application of traditional martial arts and is well known for his work on the pragmatic use of the techniques and concepts recorded in the traditional kata. Iain’s seminars, books, DVDs and articles have proved to be very popular with those groups and individuals who wish to practise their arts as the pragmatic systems they were originally intended to be.
Our dojo’s head instructor, Sensei James, only had the opportunity to attend the second day where they focused on Sensei Gichin Funakoshi’s various throws and their applications.
We took the opportunity to learn a handful of throwing techniques and how they are applied on the opponent. From their we worked the pads to help assist working impact of our strikes and then combined both the hand pad drills and the throws to understand their true application. Sensei Abernethy explained to us that our bodies are not built to do everything, that we should choose the techniques that best suit us and become good at them. However, it’s also our job to understand all of the other skills so that we can teach them to someone who may prefer those particular techniques. We can’t be a master of everything but we can at least be competent enough in what we do.
In addition, understanding how each technique is applied also allows us to understand how to avoid them.
We were also told that throws in karate our almost non-existent. We are taught just to punch and kick, but in fact there are a number of them within our martial art. It is our job to practice them to keep them from going extinct.
Training with Iain Abernethy is always a treat as his charisma and passion only motivates you to better yourself as a karate student. His ability to poke fun at himself gives his seminars a lighter charm and leaves you wanting more.
Thank-you again to Shikomu for hosting this event and to Sensei Iain for coming over from the U.K.. We look forward to next year’s workshop.
It’s that time of year again when the temperature drops and all we want to do is snuggle up in a warm sweater and drink a couple of Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. So why not order a PSL from your favourite coffee shop as well as one of our high-quality club sweaters, available at Kazoku Martial Arts Centre?
Our sweaters feature the “K” logo, studio name, and an option to customize the other sleeve; either with your name, last name, or whatever you prefer!
Men’s, women’s and youth sizes are available; as well as unisex zippy style hoodies.
Contact us to order your’s today!
Also available are our club toques, snapbacks, baseball hats, t-shirts, and gym bags!
Sunday, September, 24, 2017 marked the day of many firsts. We participated in the Ontario Karate Federation Elite Level Tournament associated with the World Karate Federation.
Dean, our club’s elite competitor, bravely entered the ring to compete in the Kumite (sparring) division against other young athletic individuals. His division was the 14-15 year old Cadet Boys -57kg. In his first round, Dean’s tenacity brought him up six points against his competitor. Unfortunately within the final few seconds his opponent captured three points bringing him one point above Dean.
We were given a second chance later within the match to rank-up, but after receiving a kick to the inner-thigh the match had ended with our the other competitor advancing.
However with this being Dean’s first time competing at the elite level, his confidence has made us very proud here at Kazoku Martial Arts Centre. We now know what we are up against and will continue to improve our skill level to compete more in the future.
“I was really glad that there was so much support in the crowds today while I competed. I just wanted to let everyone know that I appreciate all of their help and support. And I appreciate the time they took out of their Sunday to cheer on myself and the Dojo. Also, thank you Sensei, for believing in me.” – Dean .M
And a special thanks from us at Kazoku Martial Arts Centre to Shihan Yabunaka and Victoria Rode for guiding us through the tournament, it’s processes, and getting us mentally prepared for Dean’s competition. We would also like to say thank-you to all of the individuals who helped organize the event. Conestoga College for hosting, the organizers at the Ontario Karate Federation, the referee’s, other competitors, and of course ALL of the volunteers who took the time out of their weekend to help run things extra smoothly.
And thank-you to Peter Pakatchian for ensuring we were in the right ring at the right time. His calm focus certainly made it feel that everything was under control.
Kazoku Martial Arts & Fitness Centre
After month’s of driving from Cambridge to Hamilton, to Ingersoll, and back. Going over again and again the same moves to ensure they were correct. Testing myself and relying on my years of experience, I can finally say that I’ve passed the grading requirements and received my Sandan (3rd level blackbelt) this past weekend along with the formal teaching title of Shidoinwith Seiwa Kai Canada.
I can’t tell you all how thankful I am to have had your guidance and your support over the period of time it’s taken me to get this far. And now that I have travelled further along the path, I am really looking forward to showing you all the way towards your own true potential.
Thank-you again to Sensei (Jokyo) Paul and Shihan Yabunaka for showing me what I needed to know and of course everyone else within the Seiwai Association! Thank-you to my students and other club members at Kazoku Martial Arts and Fitness for cheering me on. My family who started me on this path when I turned 11 years old. And most importantly, Jeric for believing in me and making sure I pushed myself hard each and every day to get to where I am.
And to everyone else who’ve been apart of my journey, good and bad. It only motivates me to truly become a better version of myself each and everyday.
Every few months we test our students to see if they are ready for their next belt level. In doing so it gives them the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals. Now as time goes on the belts get darker. But what does this mean? It means we need to deepen our understanding as karate students to become leaders within our community.
Want to know more about our karate programs? Click this link for details.
