Great Lakes Karate Open - Nov 2nd

Saturday November 2, 2013

Twelve Students from Central Michigan Karate Club attended the
2013 Great Lakes All Star Open Martial Arts Championships
which was hosted by Director Gene Wudkewych and the Grand Rapids Karate Academy
at the Riverside Middle School in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Many students were competing in their first martial arts competition and were very anxious.  Every student who participated did a great job by setting foot in the ring with a positive attitude.  All students gained experience, learned more about tournament karate and gained self-confidence in their own ability.

The experience and value students acquire by competing in the martial arts is not always measured in the final placing or taking home a trophy.  Honestly, everyone wants to win, but what we learn about ourselves when faced with difficulty often provides much more substance in the long run.

I am personally proud of each student that entered the ring.  Many people are not ready to engage competition and that is ok, however students who did compete earned a little more knowledge.  Even the simple aspect of managing all the anxious / nervous energy will be helpful in life.

Great Job Students!

Special Thanks to Grand Master David J. Praim 

shown in photo below for taking time to meet our students and encourage them.

 

Several members of the group earned trophies for their respective divisions:

James Cowley - Green Belt Division ( 2nd Fighting & 2nd Forms )

Kali Forquer - White Belt Division ( 1st Forms, 2nd Fighting & 2nd Senior Fighting )

Bryce Withey - Junior Novice ( 3rd Place Fighting )

Gary Daily III -  Junior Novice ( 3rd Place Fighting )

VIDEO Clip from the Event:

Recap of 2013 Fall Karate Skills Seminar

On Saturday October 26, 2013 the Central Michigan Karate Club hosted a Karate Skills Seminar at the Moore Hall Kiva. 

The event featured six black belt instructors teaching specific core training areas including: One-Steps, Forms,Fighting,  Self-defense and Breaking Skills.

It was a great activity to get members from the different karate clubs working out together and making new friends.  The participant group was made up of members from all the different training locations within CMK including:  Central Michigan University, Mid Michigan Community College, Harrison Karate Club and Edmore Karate Club.

A quick overview of the training:

FIGHTING SKILLS:  Mr. Paul Robb who taught fighting combinations and strategy to help students prepare for the Great Lakes Karate Open Tournament.

KATA / FORMS: Mr. Chuck Bowden taught traditional forms giving students a deeper understanding into the ancient art of karate and learning to identify key aspects of forms.

ONE-STEPS:  Dr. Ed Hinck taught a variety of one step drills which help prepare students for fighting and self-defense techniques.

SELF-DEFENSE:  Mr. Rick Dorman covered practical self-defense techniques which include mental awareness, target areas & pressure points, joint locks, threat assessment and survival strategies.

BREAKING:  Mr. Chad Simon & Mr. Douglas Resseguie worked with students of all ages and ranks on board and brick breaking.

At the conclusion of the training session Mr. Simon and Mr. Resseguie performed power brick breaks to demonstrate how much power properly executed Karate hand and foot techniques can generate.