Atlanta Tournament

OSU Everyone !

The Atlanta Traditional Tournament is fast approaching and we wanted to get the event location and hotel information out to everyone to mark their calendars and make hotel reservations.

We hope everyone can attend this year’s tournament.

Atlanta Closed Yoshukai Traditional Tournament

Tournament Date: Saturday, April 14, 2018

Tournament Location: Roswell Recreation Area Park

Bill Johnson Community Activity Building (BJCAB)

10495 Woodstock Road, Roswell, GA 30075

Map.

Hotel Information

Best Western PLUS Roswell/Alpharetta (map)

907 Holcomb Bridge Road

Roswell GA 30076

(P) 770-552-5599

(F) 770-552-8180

Website: www.bestwestern.com/georgia

Rate: $90.00+tax for 2 adults and $94.00+tax for anything over 2 adults in the room (includes a continental breakfast)

Group Code: “WYKKO Group” (cutoff date is April 1^st)

Hotels are difficult to book for group rates in Roswell. They typically will not match corporate rates or internet rates. Also, they will not give us a real discount due to a low room reservation count. We suggest that prior to using the "WYKKO" rate to book a room you check travel websites such as Expedia, Kayak or TripAdvisor to find a better rate at the Best Western (or other hotels). You may also find a better rate by using AAA, AARP or military discount.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact us. We all look forward to seeing everyone on the April 14^th weekend for a great tournament weekend!

OSU, Jodi and Ray Nelson

2018 Winter Camp

 

"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: 
  1. Rho Hai Sho
  2. Using Joint Locks in Self-Defense Routines
  3. Yoshu or Intro to Falls & Basic Throws
  4. Self-Defense
  5. 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: 
  1. Proper Exercise Technique
  2. Using Joint Locks in Self-Defense Routines
  3. Intro to Falls (you'll need them in self-defense!)
  4. Intro to Bo Fighting or Self-Defense or Advanced Full Contact Fighting
  5. Intro to Knife Defense (we promise it'll be fun!), Advanced Full Contact Fighting, or Intro to Bo

• Youth or Adult Black Belt:
  1. Shonokon (the Calibration period is only for Instructors)
  2. 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.
  3. Sai Tai Bo or Shodan Sai
  4. 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!)
  5. Intro to Shodan Open Hand or Intro to Knife Defense

• Adult Yellow Belt who's main goal is to learn more about fighting: 
  1. Karate Fundamentals or Proper Exercise Technique
  2. Beginner Full Contact Fighting
  3. Continue Beginner Full Contact Fighting
  4. Point Sparring Techniques
  5. Intro to Knife Defense

• Green or Brown Belt Kyu Grade Child Under 10:
  1. Youth Self-Defense
  2. Kids Karate Warrior Obstacle Course
  3. Bo (3a), Sai (3b)
  4. Niseshi (4a), Yoshu (4b) or Intro to Falls & Basic Throws
  5. 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

Tenshin Ryu Hyoho and Yoshukai Iai.

In 2014 I spent 2 hours at Mr Culbreth's residence with Soke Yamamoto to discuss Yoshukai Iai with him.

Soke showed me some bunkai for some of the waza and we also discussed the origin of Yoshukai Iai. Soke did not learn Iai from Dr Chitose but from 2 different masters from Kyushu. 

Although I was not always able to fully understand what he was trying to tell me, I understood he had been training in the 2 styles of Tenshin Ryu and Jigen Ryu, and that when one of the masters he was training with died, he quit training in that style.

In this Tenshin Ryu video, you can see where some of the Yoshukai Iai moves come from.

Although Tenshin Ryu Nodachi is much longer than the regular katana used in Yoshukai iai, the waza at 1:40 is very close to the Yoshukai Waza #8, and the next one at 2:00  is very similar to our #7. 

Also, Chiburi and Noto are the same.

Fred Lecut, Dothan Dojo

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

YAMAMOTO Cup

Mark your calendars...

ALL FIGHTERS WELCOME!

Join us on July 29th, 2017 for our 24th annual Karate "SUPERFIGHTS" Tournament, featuring international fighters and world champions. Family members and spectators are welcome as well. There will be Point Fighting, Semi-Knock-Down and Knock-Down Fighting. 

Registration begins at 9 am, and fights start at 10 am. Daytime fighters for 2 divisions will be $50 and daytime Knockdown fighters will be $65.

The Tournament will be held at the Oxford Civic Center, Oxford, AL.

 

Accomodations :  Fairfield Inn & Suites, 143 Colonial Drive, Oxford, AL - 256-831-1921 - Rate $84

 

Tensho Dai Kata

Tensho Dai, a tonfa kata, was created by Master Yuki Koda.

Tonfa were originally handles used to turn the top stone of a traditional Okinawan rice grinder.

Okinawan Rice grinder with its Tonfa wooden handle

Here the kata is demonstrated by Shihan Mike Lilley at the World Yoshukai Karate &  Kobudo organization summer camp in Eufaula, Alabama, USA on June 17, 2017.

 Enjoy and practice...

Panama City Dojo

Congratulations to Barbara and Jimmy Crowley Sensei for this great article in Panama City Living. 

Every Monday and Thursday, the Croleys teach Yoshukai Karate, a traditional Japanese karate style, to students ages 3 to 15. Several groups of little ninjas, as Barbara lovingly calls her students, flock through the doors to train to reach their next level of achievement and skill, marked by different colored belts around their waist...

READ MORE...

 

Send your articles for your Yoshukai newsletter to frederic.lecut@gmail.com

 

Update on Soke Yamamoto's Health.

A message from Donna Toyama about Soke Yamamoto :

We have been getting messages from people who want updates on Soke, understandably, so Toyama Sensei asked me to send an update and ask if you could send a group email to update schools.  

On January 28 in the morning we received a message with the following.

Soke has been more stable and uplifted since the visits by WYKKO members and he and Minako San want all of WYKKO to know how much they appreciate the continued prayers and encouragement they continue to receive. It means so much to them.  

As of this morning, his creatinine levels in the kidneys remain too high, but he is trying to stay strong.  The doctors asked him if he would try an anti-cancer medication (assuming it is a chemo drug) and he agreed. It was administered yesterday.  

We don't know if that is something to be continued or when or what results it might give.  We will continue to update as we can get new information.  

Please continue to uplift Soke and their family as you are able.  They keep repeating how important and how much it means to him and their family.

Thank you all!

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

 

Summer Camp 2016

World Yoshukai Karate Kobudo Organization  SUMMER CAMP 2016

OSU! Are you ready for Summer Camp 2016? 

Only students participating in summer camp pay the fee and family members lunch and dinner is provided free of charge. 

Lake Eufaula

Friday June 10th         

5:00 p.m.  Black Belt Testing at Lakepoint State Park Resort, Eufaula, AL.  This will be a great time for all kyu belts, parents, and family members to come and watch a Black Belt testing to see what is in store for them.  We have had a lot of requests in the past to hold a Black Belt testing in conjunction with another function so that other students can come and watch, so now is your chance.

Saturday June 11th           

8:00 a.m. - Registration in the lobby outside the conference center room.

8:30 to 9:10 a.m. - Line up for warm-up, stretching, and basics in the Conference Center to get all our bodies ready for the full day ahead of karate training and fun. 

9:25 to  3:20 p.m. - See schedule for choice of classes.

Summer Camp Schedule : The tentative summer camp schedule will be posted online 2 weeks before the event on our website (www.wykko.com) Please download and print a copy of the schedule, and start choosing the class you wish to attend.   

Directly after the training we will have a gathering for all the students and families out by the pool for food and fun (supplied by Mr. Culbreth and Mr. Toyama and "YOU KNOW IT WILL BE GOOD.") 

Please let us know how many will be attending.   After a full day of training enjoy the beautiful Lakepoint Resort with your family and friends : restaurant, lounge, jogging trails, golf, tennis, swimming, fishing and boating or just relax and enjoy the resort.   

We look forward to this summer camp being the biggest and best ever.  We know that everyone will mark his or her calendars for this event.    

REMEMBER YOU MUST BE PRE-REGISTERED FOR SUMMER CAMP BY JUNE 6th SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE FOOD PREPARATIONS AND YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE BY MAY 13TH. GROUP #2284  

Call 334-687-8011 to make your hotel reservations 

PRE-REGISTER online at www.wykko.com

If you have any questions, please ask your Instructor or call Mr. Culbreth at 334-794-8238 or Mr. Toyama at 850-261-4861.   

OSU!

Kaicho Hiroaki Toyama & Kaicho Mike Culbreth

PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND     

RAIN OR SHINE WE HAVE INDOOR FACILITIES     

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS

W.Y.K.K.O. 1791 Ross Clark Cir. S.E. Dothan, AL 36301 (334) 794-8238

Visit Our Website

Shidokan Cup

Next Friday May 6 WYKKO fighters will be taking part in the Shidokan USA Open, Shidokan Cup V.

Mr. Mcinnish and Mr. McCullars will both be fighting single match knockdown fights against Shidokan fighters from GA.

Fights will take place at the Pickens County Middle School, 1802 Refuge Rd, Jasper, Georgia 30143 on Friday May 6 beginning at 7 pm.

For more information contact Josh McCullars

 

Southeast Knockdown Training

 

On Saturday December 5, WYKKO of Oxford hosted the last Southeast Knockdown training of 2015. We had fighters from Yoshukai, Shidokan, Mushindo, and Deans Martial Arts. 

 

 

 

 

Fighters came from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. This was a great day of knockdown training and fellowship between several different styles. Ego's were left at the door and everyone had a great attitude and work ethic throughout the entire 3 hours training session.

 

 

 

Kelly Leo from Shidokan North, GA led the first hour of training focusing on using angles and cut kicks. I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Leo for taking a day out of his busy schedule to come and work with us. The 2nd hour focused on pad work specific to knockdown karate competition. 

 

 

 

The final hour consisted of 13 x 2 minute sparring rounds. Everyone enjoyed the training and we are looking forward to holding 4 of these workouts in different locations throughout 2016.

 

 

 

 

Anyone interested in hosting a Southeast Knockdown workout at your dojo, please contact me at mccullars2@gmail.com. 

 

 

 

 

Osu!

Shihan Dai Josh Mc Cullars, Oxford, AL

Free Knockdown Fighting Seminar

Join us for an open Southeast Knockdown Training on December 5, 2015 at the Friendship Community Center in Oxford, AL. Training will begin at 9:30 am cst. and will end around 12:30 pm cst.

 

 

 

• Kelly Leo will be instructing during the first part of training focusing on angles and cut kicks. 
• The second part of training will focus on padwork and will finish with contact sparring.

 

Training is open to all levels and styles. Join us, bring your students.

 

Osu!

 

 

Shihan Dai Josh Mc Cullars 

 

 

An Inspiration to each one of us !

Happy 67th Birthday and a long and happy Life to Kaicho Toyama ! 

Kaicho Toyama and Shihan Paul Turner

September Southeast Knockdown Workout

Osu!

On Saturday September 19, WYKKO in Oxford hosted a Southeast knockdown workout open to all styles and organizations. We had participants from Oxford, Jacksonville, Talladega, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Dothan WYKKO schools. We also had a gentleman from Albertville, AL join us this time.

The workout lasted from 10am to noon. During the first hour, we worked body and leg conditioning, blocking and countering drills for low kicks, as well as pad work for low kicks and punch/low kick combinations. We then sparred for around 45 minutes and used the last 15 minutes for stretching.

A great time was had by all and we are looking at holding another workout on December 5 in Oxford, AL. Hoping to get more participation from WYKKO schools for the next one and am also hoping to get some more support from the other area schools who participate in knockdown sparring competitions.

For information about the next workouts, please contact : 

Shihan Dai Josh McCullars 

by email at mccullars2@gmail.com or 

by phone at 256 499 1400.

 Osu!

Free Knockdown Training Seminar

A Southeast Knockdown Training session will be held on September 19, 2015 from 10am to 12 pm at the Friendship Community Center in Oxford, AL.

We will focus on Drills, Pad work, and sparring for Japanese Full contact karate competition.

This workout is free of charge and open to children and adults of all styles.

Do not miss this opportunity to hone your skills with some of our best fighters. 
 

For more information 

please contact Shihan Dai Josh Mc Cullars

• by phone at  256 499 1400 or 
• by email at mccullars2@gmail.com

Shihan Dai Josh Mc Cullars

Athens Sparring Clinic

On Saturday September 5th Shihan Dai Josh 

McCullars taught a sparring clinic at AKF Martial Arts 

in Athens, GA. 

He was invited to do the clinic by Kyukido Master, 

Ken Blumreich who also trains in Yoshukai with

Shihan Dai Hofmeister at the Athens Yoshukai  Dojo.

 

The clinic was broken down into 2 sections. 

The first one focused on movement and timing for 

point sparring. 

Athens, September 5, 2015

The second session focused on footwork for

semi-knockdown sparring and how that footwork 

relates to 4 different types of low kicks.

Please send articles and pictures, news about your Dojos to frederic.lecut@gmail.com for publishing

 

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 III : Preparing for it.

All of our camps are a lot of fun, but they aren’t quite as fun if you don’t make some effort to prepare in advance. Below are some tips and suggestions from the WYKKO Camp Planning Team to ensure that you have a great experience at Summer Camp this year.

As you’re likely aware, both camps involve training outside regardless of the weather, and in Alabama in June, the heat and humidity can be harsh. For your own safety as well as your enjoyment of the camp, please remember to hydrate well the day before and the day of. Bring lots of water with you, and remember to take breaks as necessary.

Bring sunscreen, and also consider sunglasses and a hat.

Remember to bring shoes appropriate for training outside.

Bug spray can be a life saver!

Of course, double check right before you leave to ensure that you have your uniform, belt, weapons, fighting gear, and any safety equipment such as a mouth guard or cup..

Bring a swimsuit for relaxing at the pool after the camp.

Try to plan ahead for classes that you may want to take. There are some classes that require advance preparation. For instance, the board breaking class requires that you bring at least 10 boards with you to camp. And if you are interested in taking Sensei Lecut’s Tameshigiri class this year, you’ll have to let him know in advance and be prepared to pay for the materials. 

Shihan Mike Mangham, June 2014

If you’re planning to spend the whole day in fighting classes, you might want to take the next couple of weeks to work on building up your cardio. And if you’re interested in taking any of the test-prep classes like developing self-defense or combination routines, you should start thinking about some techniques or even some full routines.

You can always join a class which you meet the requirements for at camp without preparation. But, the more your prepare, the more you’ll get out of the event!

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me or your instructor. We are always happy to answer questions, and we all want you to have the best camp experience possible!

Osu!

Sherrie Hines, on behalf of the WYKKO Camp Planning Team.