Traditional Karate North Central Region Newsletter
AAKF 2021 Summer Seminar June 12, 2021
The third AAKF Zoom seminar (kumite) is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, 2021. The two 1-hour Zoom seminars will focus on kumite and begin at 11:00am central time. Click here for more details regarding the Zoom seminar topics, instructors, and dates/times. This is your opportunity to engage with the AAKF organization and fellow karatekas from around the US. Come learn and have fun! FYI-The final AAKF Zoom seminar is scheduled for July 10 , 2021.
AAKF Summer Instructor Program
The AAKF Technical Committee will be hosting a series of four instructor course sessions this summer via Zoom. The program is only open to instructors and assistant instructors in your club. The following is an email excerpt from Sensei Alex Tong, President of AAKF:
…The Technical Committee will host an online instructor course open to chief instructors and assistant instructors of member-clubs. The sessions are intended to be interactive in nature. We look forward to inputs from participating member instructors. Four 2-hour Zoom sessions will be held on August 7, Sept 11, October 9 and November 13 at no costs to participants.
A unified teaching framework on kata, kumite, and kihon will be formulated from these sessions, and made available to all participants. There will also be a review of Japanese terminologies that are used in international championships. These specified foundation concepts will stand as guidelines for good karate-do practice, also serving as reference information for candidates for Coach’s and/or Examiner certifications. As usual, teaching instructors are free to add their personal insights when holding class…
If you are an instructor at your club and interested in attending, please contact Art Wong immediately so we can get you registered.
Apply karate to all things
Reflections by Bob Young, Nidan
Last month’s article looked at the Physical Elements of karate—how things are organized or interact. With that structure in mind, one can use the “karate lens” to help find solutions to life’s situations and challenges. The second article in this series will consider the Psychological Aspects of karate and how they can be applied outside of the dojo. Several key psychological karate principles are summarized below. Click here to read more.
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