Dothan Tournament

The next Dothan tournament will be held on this Saturday November 4. 

Tsutsui Sensei will be coming from Japan with 4 of his students and other guests are coming from Germany, California, Miami and Texas.

To honor the memory of Soke Yamamoto, we will leave an empty chair at the official table on the stage above the arena during the event. 

Sumi-e painting of Soke

For the opening ceremony :

• Shihan and up will be wearing their Suits.
• Third and Fourth degrees will be wearing Hakama.
• All other Black Belts wear their regular Gi.

• All Black Belts please bring a Bo.

Please encourage all your friends and fellow students to attend and compete.

Kaicho Toyama and Culbreth

Osu! Following the Dothan Tournament Shihan Greg Turnbull will be holding a full contact clinic from 11am to 2pm at Mr. Culbreth's dojo on Sunday October 30.

 

 

 

Please pass this along to all students. 

 

For further information contact:

Shihan Dai Josh Mc Cullars

 

California Summer Camp. July 11th, 2015.

 

To all Yoshukai students and parents: 

We are having our annual Summer Seminar/Workout on July 11th in the Palisades. It will be a great time to come train and meet both of the World Yoshukai Karate Kobudo Organization Directors, Mr. Toyama (8th Degree Black Belt) and Mr. Culbreth (8th Degree Black Belt), along with other visiting high- ranking Black Belts from across the U.S.A.

Traditional white uniforms (gi) must be worn during the workout. The cost for the whole day is $50 per person, $85 for two, and $100 for three or more. All kids that participate in the Seminar will receive a karate medal. 

 

The Summer Seminar/Workout will culminate with a party at the Pearl Dragon, celebrating Gerry Blanck’s 33rd Anniversary in the Palisades. If you would like to join us for dinner, it will be at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, July 11th

• 10:00 to 12:00 – Traditional Yoshukai Training by rank
• 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. – Lunch break (you can bring your own lunch or you can get lunch from the nearby eateries)
• 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. – Traditional Yoshukai Training for adults
• 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. – Traditional Yoshukai Training for kids.
• 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. – Fun and Games for the kids

• 9:00 p.m. On – Party at the Pearl Dragon, DJ and Dancing! 15229 W. Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 , (310) 459-9790

Hope to see you all there, OSU !!!

Sensei Gerry Blanck

WYKKO Summer Camp, Part II: Quality of Instruction & the Importance of Evaluations

This is the second of a series of 3 articles about our coming Summer Camp on June 12, 2015.

The planning team works hard to craft a schedule with some of the best instructors in our style. Our camp instructors want to help you and are excited to share their knowledge and experience with you. Our instructors plan ahead and prepare to teach, so please remember to thank each of your instructors this Summer Camp because we could not hold such excellent events without their dedication and support.

Many of our instructors cross train and have a lot of skills to share with you outside of our traditional Yoshukai curriculum that will help you augment your training. Our goal in offering these non-traditional classes is to expose you to other areas of study that may help your Yoshukai skills, for example when designing self-defense routines or combinations.

Kaicho Mike Culberth - Shihan Dennis Trawick

 

You’ll notice that the majority of our camp instructors are certified WYKKO instructors, many of whom have their own schools and/or are fourth degree black belts or higher.  Camp instructors who are not official WYKKO instructors get to teach at our camps because they have been recommended by other instructors and have extensive teaching experience in their own dojo. If you are a black belt and are interested in teaching a class at one of our camps, please email or talk to any of the organizers.

Finally, every summer camp, we’ve asked you to complete course and instructor evaluations. We want to take a moment to thank you so much for doing that. We take them seriously and the information you’ve given us in the past is a large part of what determines what classes we’ll offer in the future. That said, as wildly popular as they may have been, you won’t see some classes (like environmental fighting or weapons disarming) offered every year. But absence makes the heart grow fonder, and you’ll surely see them offered again in 2016.  We’re always looking for new classes to offer, so if you have any ideas (no matter what your rank is), please contact me. We appreciate any feedback that we receive from participants, parents, guests, and our instructors, as that is what ensures that each camp is better and better than the last.

We hope that you are as excited as we are to attend this year’s Summer Camp, and we can’t wait to see you all there.

Osu!
 

Sherrie Hines, on behalf of the WYKKO Camp Planning Team

Victoria Cup

On April 25, 2015, the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE) at Camosun College Interurban campus played host to the 5th Annual Victoria Cup Karate Tournament.  Directed by local karate instructors Hanshi Masanobu Kikukawa and Renshi Greg Turnbull, this year’s event featured over 100 competitors from Vancouver Island and the lower mainland.  

Kyoshi Mike Puckett addresses competitors 

and spectators during the opening ceremony.

In attendance were special international representatives from the WYKKO (World Yoshukai Karate Kobudo Organization): USA WYKKO Presidents Kaicho Hiroaki Toyama & Kaicho Mike Culbreth and Yoshukai Japan Vice-President Fuku-Kaicho Nobuyuki Matsumoto. Local long-time karate instructors Mike Puckett, Kurt Nordli, Frank Clayton, Sukwinder Manhas, Don Shapland, Pat Byron, Chris Barclay, and Carl Scott were also at today’s event providing their support and officiating expertise.

The Sheung Wong Hung Fut Kung Fu Lion Dance team kicked off the opening ceremonies which also included a group gesture, “Y for Yamamoto” to ailing Yoshukai founder Soke Katsuo Yamamoto. Soke Yamamoto was unable to travel to Victoria as he is currently in the fight of his life battling cancer back in Japan.

Competitors and officials raise their arms in 

the shape of a “Y” in support of Yoshukai 

founder Soke Katsuo Yamamoto

Hanshi Kikukawa on behalf of Soke Yamamoto presented Kaicho Mike Culbreth with his 8th degree black belt, and local Yoshukai members also received black belt rankings:  Greg Turnbull (4th degree black belt) and Arlin Ablaza (2nd degree black belt).
The morning’s competition started with Raj Basi from Canada’s Best Karate (CBK) taking 1st place in adult black belt kata while Ethan McKenna, also from CBK, took the gold in junior black belt kata and Shihan Paul Turner from WYKKO in Alabama won the senior black belt division.  Weapons kata divisions featured wins by Nick Graves from Yoshukai Canada in adult short weapons, Kyoka Shapland from Chilliwack Tenshinkan in junior black belt short and long weapons, and Paul Turner once again taking 1st in senior long weapons.
       

    

Ethan McKenna performs the Tonfa kata 

while Tyler Linel works with the Bo

From L to R:  Renshi Greg Turnbull, Shihan Mike Lilley, 

Shihan Paul Turner, Sensei Erin Halstad-McGuire,  & 

Hanshi Masanobu Kikukawa.

Another feature of the morning’s events included  kata and point-fighting divisions for special needs competitors.  The brain-child of local instructor Nancy Puckett, 6 competitors bravely stepped forward in front of the supportive crowds to demonstrate their abilities and inspire others facing the same challenges to do the same. 

The afternoon saw the sparring competition in 3 categories:  point-fighting, full-contact, and “bogu kumite”.  Similar to the morning events, Canada’s Best Karate students Raj Bassi took 1st in adult point-fighting and Ethan McKenna took 1st in the junior black belt division.  David Lee, from Puckett’s Noble House of Karate, placed 1st in both black belt full-contact and bogu kumite divisions.  All competitors showed good fighting spirit and technique along with good respect towards their opponents.

David Warburton receives a left hook delivered 
by Dave Lee in their Bogu Kumite match

Head kicks a plenty during youth 

point-fighting divisions.

Overall, the event was a success with competitors and spectators providing positive feedback to the tournament organizers.
 
Shihan Dai Greg Turnbull, Victoria, CANADA DojoPhotos by Don Osbourne

Hachi Dan !

Congratulations to Sensei Mike Culbreth who was awarded his Hachi Dan (8th degree Black Belt) at the Victoria Cup tournament in Canada last week.

WYKKO ONLY TOURNAMENT

COMING THIS WEEKEND

APRIL 18, 2015

THE WYKKO TRADITIONAL KARATE TOURNAMENT

IN ROSWELL, GEORGIA

Don’t miss out on this closed WYKKO Tournament. The tournament will be held at the Roswell Parks and Recreation center at 10495 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia. The tournament starts at 10:00 a.m. (Georgia time) and will run straight through. Make your plans to participate in this tournament, which will only be WYKKO students. 

If you need accommodations the Roswell Suites at 907 Holcomb Bridge Road and the number is 770-552-5599 and ask for the Yoshukai rate. 

All students should make an extra effort to be at this tournament. There are a lot of other activities that you can do while in the Atlanta area (Six Flags……). 

If you need any additional information, please ask your Instructor.

Kaicho Hiroaki Toyama & Mike Culbreth