"Osu! Our 38th Annual WYKKO Winter Camp is just around the corner, so we hope you've all made your reservations and
registered to attend. The official schedule is now finalized and
attached to this email, so you can go ahead and start planning for which
classes you would like to attend. We're excited to be starting off the
day with an obstacle course in place of our
normal run for the adults (children will get their turn at the course
later in the day). We had an abbreviated "Karate Warrior" obstacle
course for the children last year that was a lot of fun for all
involved, so this year we're expanding it and letting the
adults join in on the fun!
We'll also have full-contact sparring classes taught by Mr.
Turnbull, who is joining us all the way from Canada. We are very excited
that he was able to join us again this year. Mr. Hofmeister will be
teaching a brand new class to introduce students to
bo fighting, and Mr. Culbreth will be teaching a class on point
sparring techniques that's open to everyone. This is always a great
opportunity for even our newest students to work with one of our
masters.
Those of you looking to start the day with a high-energy class
focusing on fitness and good technique will enjoy Mr. Mattison's proper
exercise technique class, and for those of you who might like to start
the day a little slower (that includes you, parents!),
Ms. Elrod's very popular yoga class is back once more. Finally, we have
an introduction to knife defense class with Mr. Blumreich that is going
to be an extremely fun and educational experience. Remember, if you
want to participate in that class, you must
bring a white t-shirt that you do not mind potentially damaging. We
promise it'll be worth it!
Remember, kyu grade students under the age of 10 must choose from
the classes on the far left of the schedule in white, while students
aged 10 or older can choose rank appropriate classes from the rest of
the schedule. Students may always attend a class
that's below their current rank, but students may not attend a class
that is higher than their current rank (except for those who tested for
shodan the night before).
Please also remember that camps are in many ways about finessing
and refining your current understanding of a kata or technique. We find
that rushing to learn a brand new kata in forty minutes is tough on
everyone involved and doesn't help those who really
need to focus on fine-tuning their kata. That's why we require that all
kyu-grade students (this does
not apply to black belts) at least know how to walk through the
kata if they are going to take a class on a specific form. Don't know
how to walk through a kata you really want to learn at camp? Talk to
your instructor and see if they'll introduce it
to you in the new couple of weeks. You don't have to be an expert, but
you do need to be familiar with it.
Here are some examples of personal schedules to give you an idea of how you might decide to arrange your day:
- Adult Brown Belt who wants to focus on black belt testing, especially getting ready for self-defense:
- Rho Hai Sho
- Using Joint Locks in Self-Defense Routines
- Yoshu or Intro to Falls & Basic Throws
- Self-Defense
- Intro to Knife Defense or Kihon Kata Sandan Bo
- Adult Green Belt who just tested to green and hasn't learned any green belt kata yet:
- Proper Exercise Technique
- Using Joint Locks in Self-Defense Routines
- Intro to Falls (you'll need them in self-defense!)
- Intro to Bo Fighting or Self-Defense or Advanced Full Contact Fighting
- Intro to Knife Defense (we promise it'll be fun!), Advanced Full Contact Fighting, or Intro to Bo
- Youth or Adult Black Belt:
- Shonokon (the Calibration period is only for Instructors)
- Using
Joint Locks... is a great course, especially if you don't know Bassai
& Chinto already. At future black belt tests, judges will want to
see that you can use joint locks to submit an attacker.
- Sai Tai Bo or Shodan Sai
- Yoshukai
Iai if you have a sword or Intro to Bo Fighting, Adv. Full Contact
Fighting, Point Sparring or Advanced Bunkai (the world is your oyster!)
- Intro to Shodan Open Hand or Intro to Knife Defense
- Adult Yellow Belt who's main goal is to learn more about fighting:
- Karate Fundamentals or Proper Exercise Technique
- Beginner Full Contact Fighting
- Continue Beginner Full Contact Fighting
- Point Sparring Techniques
- Intro to Knife Defense
- Green or Brown Belt Kyu Grade Child Under 10:
- Youth Self-Defense
- Kids Karate Warrior Obstacle Course
- Bo (3a), Sai (3b)
- Niseshi (4a), Yoshu (4b) or Intro to Falls & Basic Throws
- Karate Games & Competitions (5a) & Chicken Fighting.. (5b)
These are just some examples, but we hope it gives you an idea of
how you can arrange your schedule throughout the day to make sure that
you are getting the most out of your individual training! If you have
questions about a course that's being offered
or if you'd like help in figuring out what classes would be best for
you to go to, feel free to email Ms. Hines at
sherrie.l.hines@gmail.com, and she will be happy to assist you.
We look forward to seeing you all there! Osu!
Ms. Hines, Mr. Hofmeister, Mr. Mattison, & Mr. McCullars
