Traditional Karate North Central Region Newsletter
Results from the Traditional Karate-do Academy at University of Minnesota Tournament
The Traditional Karate-do Academy at University of Minnesota held a tournament on November 6, 2021. This was Sensei Le’s first tournament for his club. It was great seeing University of Minnesota and the Wisconsin University clubs once again restart their karate tournaments. The COVID-19 pandemic put many events on hold. Restarting the tournaments and future in-person seminars will reinvigorate the enthusiasm for karate for our students and instructors.
The following are links to videos and photos from the tournament;
- TKA@UMN club website – click here
- TKA@UMN Facebook site – click here
- Additional (16) videos from Mark Abeln – click here
In 2022, we expect more tournaments, shias, seminars from Traditional Karate North Central Region (NCR), the American Armature Karate Federation, and the World Traditional Karate-do Federation (WTKF). Go to the NCR events calendar to see upcoming events in 2022.
Upcoming Calendar of Events and Registration
Depending on COVID-19 Developments
- NCR upcoming events
- 2022 – Kata Seminar January 29, 2022. SKM dojo in Mpls. Click here for more details.
- AAKF/WTKF upcoming events
- AAKF Seminar – tentative Friday April 22 – Sunday 24, 2022 – more details to follow. Mask required.
- AAKF 2022 National Championship Dallas, TX. June 21-25, 2022. See AAKF Nationals website for more information.
- WTKF 2022 World Championships – tbd
- WTKF calendar – For additional seminars, competitions, and online training events
Dan Examination Testing Dates
The following are tentative dan examination dates/locations. Check with your club’s sensei for eligibility as well as dates/times that may change at the last minute.
- NCR Dan exam – 2022 – mid-July. More details to follow on exact date and location.
- AAKF Seminar – 2022 April 22-24. More details to follow.
- AAKF Nationals – 2022 June 21-25, Dallas, TX. More details to follow.
If you are considering a dan rank test in the near future, you should be preparing for your exam as soon as possible and getting feedback from your club’s sensei and sempais. It takes at least 6+ months of constant training both mentally and physically to prepare for a dan exam. For yondan and higher tests, it will take longer to prepare since you must write a thesis, present your paper, and do a kata with bunkai explanation.
Read the following documents for specific dan test requirements and eligibility:
- Test requirement – Shodan-Nidan– NCR Testing guidelines handbook.
- Eligibility – AAKF Technical Qualification Guide – Rank Promotion – requirements for all dan ranks.
- Fee – For our region, the dan test cost is $100 times the dan rank you are testing for, e.g., $100 x 2nd dan (nidan) test = $200.00.
Dan Rank Registration With AAKF and WTKF Organizations
Once you passed your dan examination, you must register your dan rank with both the AAKF and WTKF organizations. Cost is $150.00 ($50-AAKF/$100-WTKF). Make check payable to AAKF.
Complete both forms: AAKF Dan reg form. WTKF-APPLICATION-FORM.
Mail your check and forms to: Midwest Karate Association St. Paul, 762 E. 7th St., St. Paul, MN 55106.
Traditional Karate North Central Region Subscription
- Subscription: To subscribe to the NCR Newsletter send an email to: subscribe@ncr-aakf.org
- Include your name and email address with a subject line: “Request: NCR newsletter subscription” .
- Past Traditional Karate North Central Region newsletters
Art Wong – Traditional Karate North Central Region Director, Godan