Dojo Newsletter
May 2018
About Us
Email: planodojo@planodojo.com
Website: www.planodojo.com
Location: 1301 Custer Rd, Plano, TX, USA
Phone: 9724248870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/planodojo/
Twitter: @planodojo
Share the News!
Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter. We are proud to share important announcements, and give recognition to students and instructors for achievements inside and outside the dojo. We hope you enjoy this month's edition!
Did you get accepted into an honor society at your school? Win a local track meet? Or just had a recently awesome karate adventure? Please contact ACKD so we can share the news with the rest of the dojo community in our monthly newsletter! Reach out and let us know by e-mail, FaceBook, or in person. We look forward to hearing from you! Let everyone know how much you love the dojo by checking in online with social media. You can use #planodojo, #mckinneydojo, and #ACKD whenever you talk about your training and karate adventures!
Announcements!
Host your Birthday at the Dojo!
Our birthday parties are led by instructors who will teach your child and friends fun skills and games. Pizza and Drinks are provided! Your birthday child will even get to cut the cake with a real Samurai Sword! (With our help of course!) Ask an instructor today for details on scheduling and pricing.
Upcoming Holidays and Closures
The dojo in McKinney and Plano will be closed on the following dates:
- Saturday, June 2nd (Tournament)
- Saturday, June 30th (Belt Test & Camp)
- Wednesday, July 4th (Holiday)
- Saturday, July 14th (Tournament)
Belt Test Schedule
Upcoming belt tests include:
May 31st (5:30pm: Kids Test)
May 31st (7pm: Adult Blue and below)
June 28th (7pm: Adult Brown belt)
June 30th (9am: Kids Test Beginner; 10am: Kids Orange and up)
Good luck to all test candidates!
Baby on the Way!
Get Ready for our Summer Camps!
Which ones will you choose?
This year will be extra special as we will host a camp at the McKinney Dojo! We have several camps to choose from with different themes. From samurai fighting to self defense, competition to curriculum, it's guaranteed to be an action packed season for anyone involved!
Sign up for any Plano Camps HERE!
Sign up for any McKinney Camps HERE!
- Plano Karate Camp at Plano Dojo. June 4-8.
This camp will focus on fun, new skills designed to help improve your curriculum and prepare for belt tests. Make sure you are well caught up, and even get ahead on your material for your next rank exam!
- McKinney Karate Camp at McKinney Dojo. June 11-15.
This camp is similar to our Plano camp, but hosted in McKinney! It'll focus on fun, new skills designed to help improve your curriculum and prepare for belt tests. Come join in on the fun at our new dojo!
- Competition Camp at Plano Dojo. June 18-22.
This camp focuses on the Karate Athlete. This camp is a great Nationals prep for those on WIKF Texas, but is open to anyone who wants to learn about the sport of Karate, including kata and kumite (sparring). Our dojo is nationally and world renowned for our Karate Athletes, so we will have many guest instructors at this camp. Come learn from the best! - Elite Sport Camp at Plano Dojo. June 25-29.
This camp is only offered to those competing in the Intermediate, Advanced, and Elite kumite divisions, and are at least 10 years old. Others are allowed by invitation only. Visiting national team members from other countries will train with us at this high-caliber camp, which a focus on skills, strategies, and strength and conditioning. Taught by Sensei Brody Burns, Team Leader for Team USA Karate, as well as other coach specialists.
- Plano Samurai Camp at Plano Dojo. July 23-27.
Train like a Swordsman! Students will learn traditional Samurai stances and sword cuts through fun drills and games. Each camper even receives their very own foam sword to take home! This one is super popular! (Each Samurai Camp must have 7 participants, otherwise we will cancel and host one camp only). - McKinney Samurai Camp at McKinney Dojo. July 23-27.
This will be run just like the Plano Dojo Samurai Camp, except it will be available to our dojo members up in McKinney. Each camper receives their own foam sword to take home! (Each Samurai Camp must have 7 participants, otherwise we will cancel and host one camp only). - Self Defense Camp at Plano Dojo. August 6-10.
Our last camp of the Summer. This camp is designed to prepare you for school in the fall with a focus on anti-bullying tactics and self-defense. This camp is a great intro for those who have never done karate before, and want to try it out in a fun-packed camp setting!
Prices and Times:
Karate Camp, Competition Camp, or Self-Defense Camp - $200 per person
Samurai Camp in Plano or McKinney (including foam sword) - $250
Elite Sport Camp - $250
NEW!!! Half Day Camp options for $150 per person
All camps will run from 9am-4pm. Half Day Options are either 9am-12pm or 1-4pm. Early drop off and late pick up are available, but must be scheduled in advance and include a fee. We also offer discounts for half-day camps and multi-camp purchases.)
Our Summer Camps are always a blast. Students of all levels enjoy the skills and ideas they learn while at each camp, and come back year after year! If you have any questions, please ask one of your instructors at the dojo.
A Snapshot of the Tournament Season
WIKF Texas has been all over the country! From Colorado to Houston to South Carolina, our students and instructors have been busy traveling and taking on the best of the best. Their aim is to be at peak performance for the 2018 USA Karate National Championships and Team Trial Qualifier in July. Despite altitude, heat, and travel commitments, the athletes have improved at every competition.
Additionally, ACKD recently helped host Team USA Karate's training camp over Memorial Day weekend. Over 40 elite caliber athletes trained in the dojo, including our own: Senpai Tom Scott, Senpai Maxine Lisot, Nidan Shelby Hintzel, Shodan Cesar Colunga, Shodan Samantha Gant, Ms. Eva Alexander, and Mr. Brian Irr. Our dojo represented almost a quarter of our team! In addition, Sensei Brody Burns led several technical kumite and video analyses sessions with athletes who will be representing the United States at the Pan-American Championships in June, and World Karate Championships in November.
The dojo would like to thank everyone who helped make this training camp a success for all those involved. The dojo would also like to express appreciation for our hard-working students who continually train hard on the competition, and additionally commit to curriculum training and character development. Keep up the good work!
The Pen is Mightier Than the Fist: Writings from the Karate-ka
Obedience, Divergence, and Separation: The Transmission of WIKF Curriculum (excerpt)
". . . One determined metaphysical component of karate centers on mushin no shin, literally the “mind of no mind.” One interpretation (2008) suggests that it centers on:
“A fighter [who] approaches the situation without feeling or maladaptive thought and act without hesitation; years of rigorous training enable her to intuitively take action, whether in practice or self-defense. Some of this concept originates from Zen-Buddhist philosophy as part of the pathway to enlightenment….. [M]ushin transcends the dojo walls and motivates her to approach life the same way, like that of an aggressive swordsman who shows no fear or pressure from external factors.”
The Wado kumite principle Ki Wa Hayaku confirms this mindset, in which one attacks the opponent with a strong spirit, and thinks about that attack only. Clinging onto fear reduces the effectiveness of a counterattack in the ring as greatly as a speaker’s poise during a presentation. Hyperfocus on any one component takes away the gestalt view. . . .
The Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti states that “problems that affect our behavior [such as fear] cannot be resolved without awakening the creative intelligence or the intuition within us…[B]ringing of the unconscious to the conscious is the first fruit of intelligence” (1996, 1986). The [karateka] must trust her foundations; trust her Sensei; and trust the unknown future by reinterpreting past experiences. This trust-building task occurs by analyzing components of kumite, such as initiation and receiving of attacks, and determining which ones best suit her in the heat of a physical or mental battle. It additionally occurs by forming bonds with the source of her karate background, her Sensei, and dojo. . . .
Karate participation and instruction require zanshin as well: the awareness of what remains in the heart and mind (Clark, 2001). Zanshin makes the individual connect with others while remaining cognizant of surroundings; to live as the observed and observer simultaneously. Krishnamurti (1983, 2001) expands upon zanshin in his discussion on attention and concentration by insisting that they are not the same thing. “Concentration involves exclusion, while attention excludes nothing. . . . One needs to be aware. Awareness about how we walk, how we speak, how we talk, and how we think, is necessary. . . .”
Su-Ha-Ri (obedience, divergence, separation) demands exquisite understanding of this subtle awareness. Derive too far from the roots of the style, and the identity of that particular karate is lost; follow it senselessly and robotically, and the methodology can only reach a certain number of students. The developing instructor must know when to stiffen the reins, and when to yield. Most importantly, the instructor must acknowledge that there is no “ultimate technique” in karate, physical or mental (Ohtsuka, 14). Teaching is like tai sabaki: it must flow naturally like body evasion (Lisot, 2014); the tools must be indefinitely changeable and altered (Ohtsuka, 14). Transmitting karate knowledge is an ongoing process that improves with personal reflection and social experience."
Regeneration Arcade Bar & Pizzeria
Senpai Travis Hintzel is opening a new concept restaurant in North Dallas at Trinity Mills and Dallas Pkwy. The restaurant is called Regeneration Arcade Bar and Pizzeria! This concept will be both kid and adult friendly, with a 21+ cutoff at 8pm on any given night. Travis started this business as a fun place to hang out for adults where they could relax with a Regeneration signature cocktail, good food and enjoy some nostalgia from the past.
Regeneration is an Arcade Bar and Pizzeria will be opening in Far North Dallas in mid-June. The concept includes 75 arcade games and pinballs, retro gaming consoles, some table games and a full pizza restaurant. There is a $10.00 charge for each entrant that allows for free reign over all of the game equipment; all set to free play! Our games are mostly from the 80s and 90s era and we will also feature 16 pinball machines in our location!
As members of ACKD, Senpai has a special promotion coming up: “We are planning to do a soft open that would be open to the dojo family only. Shelby and I have always considered the dojo our home and would like to open this up to you all first. I hope that you all will be able to join for our super-secret dojo soft open! Dates coming soon and we will be sure to post it somewhere in the dojo where all of our dojo family will take notice!”
Be sure to check out the facebook page and website for the games list, and to see what else will go on! Official opening date will be posted soon!
Highlight on...
The Academy of Classical Karate features students and instructors to highlight the diverse background of our members within the dojo community.
This month's highlight karateka is Ludmilla K., who is a student at the Plano dojo and avid competitor on WIKF Texas. She is originally from Moscow, but has made karate a huge part of her life since coming to the United States. She stands out as a hard-working student who proves that age doesn't mean anything and can't hold anyone back from accomplishing big goals.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Moscow in the CCCP before it was known as the Russian Federation. I grew up in a family with a mom, dad, and brother. My mom was always kind to me and always gave me anything I asked. I always liked her big blue eyes which were the color of the ocean. I had a happy childhood. When I was in kindergarten my mom would always take me to my favorite store which was like a candy land for me because it was very colorful. In kindergarten on the new year I was wearing a costume of the moon. I remember I was dressed up and dancing in Ukrainian fashion. One thing I didn’t like in kindergarten menus was the warm milk and eggplant.
Time had passed, and after attending university and getting married, I moved to the United States. My life also had sad parts. In five years, members of my family passed away, including my mom, dad, husband, his mom, and his friend. My daughter was born prematurely at 26 weeks, and she was in the hospital for more than 3 months. It was a difficult time for me. I was in Moscow when terrorist attacks happened in 1999. A bomb blew up where my friend lived and everyone died there as well as my friend. It was a very scary time and I was afraid to go to sleep because no one knew if another building would blow up. Life is very different now.
How long have you been doing karate? Why did you start?
Sports have always been a part of my life from childhood. In school it was PE class every day, where we did gymnastics, and in winter time we did Skiing. In my free time, I liked to ice skate and ski in the winter. The first time I was introduced to Karate when I was 14 years old. One of my friends showed me some cool stuff and for the first time I learned about Bruce Lee. I was fascinated about Karate and him. When I was growing up, only boys were allowed to do Karate, but I got in and started training. Class was held in the basement of the building. I still remember a couple of blocks and deadly strikes. I don’t exactly remember why I stopped doing it.
In America, I was a housewife for a while. Did some work in sales for five years and real estate. When I had the opportunity, I did volunteer work for the Memorial Hospital in Houston. I tried to get my older daughter into karate when she was seven, but it only lasted a couple lessons and she decided to do cheerleading instead. When I moved to Dallas, my daughter started to attend UTD. I now had more free time, so I started to think about karate again. This is how I found [ACKD] in 2015. The rest is history.
What do you like about ACKD?
What has surprised you the most from doing karate?
One of the most surprising things about Karate was how hard I had to - and have to - work to achieve my goals. I see this in competing, but also in belt testing and training in the dojo.
Describe a memorable experience in your time at the dojo.
A memorable experience in the dojo was getting to train with the team USA athletes through my dojo career. I have had the opportunity to travel in order to compete, and train with national team athletes. I enjoyed it very much.
What do you do when you aren't at the dojo?
Outside the dojo when I have free time after work sometimes I like to watch discovery and history channels, practice karate, walk my dog, and get together with my friends, they have charity events for good causes I like to attend. Riding the bike is also something I enjoy. My biggest accomplishment in my life is my two daughters graduating from University and I am very proud of them.
What would you recommend for someone who wants to start karate?