Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas Karateka!
Belt Promotions: Congratulations to JD Shultis on his orange belt
promotion. The next testing will be held December 17th because of
the Christmas, Chanukah and New Years holidays. That date is not
that far off and the following testing won't be until the end of
January 2006.
Mr. Lammon has also become a certified instructor in PCR (Physical
Conflict Resolution) under Mr. Jim King. Many of the principles
behind PCR fit very well with kenpo concepts. We will incorporate
any appropriate material into our system where we best see fit.
Much of PCR is based on Russian Systema, which is the martial art
taught to the Spetsnaz (Russia's special forces commandos). Mr.
King, a former US Army Ranger, trained in Russia for 5 years. I
hope to bring him to the dojo next year to teach a seminar on
Systema.
On November 29th Mr. Holland arranged for Vicki Danburg to come in
and teach tai chi during the basic class. From time to time we hope
to continue to bring in outside instructors to allow you to
experience different styles. The class was great and really showed
a connection between kenpo and tai chi. Vicki was presented with a
Kenpo Karate Academy t-shirt at the end of class as a thank you for
her services. We hope to bring her back in the future. She does
teach tai chi classes at the Parks & Rec if anyone is interested.
Schedule: There will be NO CLASS Saturday, December 24th
Christmas Eve. We will have class on December 31st however. It
will be the last class of the year.
The dojo has a new phone number: 229-AKKA (229-2552). Also if
anyone has moved or gotten a new phone number please see Mr. Lammon
to update your student file.
You still need to bring water to class. Please have it in a spill
proof container. Just because it's cold outside does not mean that
you can't get dehydrated. Thank the Ramsey's for the cases of
bottled water.
Business: As mentioned in the November newsletter beginning
January 2006 the dojo will be using an outside source for our
financial business. Again this includes collecting and processing
student membership fees, which will be on a quarterly basis (every
three months). During the past year we've had several occasions
where checks have bounced, people have not paid until the end of the
month, and a few have been behind by several months. Our purpose
for the dojo is to teach martial arts, it's not about making money.
However, we have yet to pay our landlord on time and the rent keeps
going up along with other operating costs such as utilities. Part
of being a martial artist is being responsible and fulfilling your
obligations. For us that means paying our rent and utilities on
time. No one will be turned away for inability to pay but a few
people have taken advantage of the situation. If you are unable to
pay the quarterly fee all at once monthly financing will be
available. Also since we will be using an outside source we will be
charging sales tax on any gear/equipment ordered and on the
membership fees. This will be the breakdown (prices include sales
tax):
Individual Membership Fees: Family Membership Fees:
Monthly: $75.00 Family size Monthly Quarterly
Quarterly: $200.00 2 $125.00 $325.00
3 $175.00 $475.00
Private Lessons 4 $250.00 $700.00
$100 per hour 5 $325.00 $925.00

The quarterly single fee breaks down to $66 per month, $4 of which
will go for sales tax. The family quarterly discount for 2 breaks
down to $108 per month, $7 of which will go for sales tax. We will
also be going back to charging by size for uniforms. Prices for
student uniforms are as follows:
Size Price Price
000-1 $25.00 Instructor Gis
2-3 $30.00 (black or white)
4-5 $35.00 $50
6-7 $40.00 $65

Just a reminder that you can switch to a black gi at green belt.
We still will not be charging a testing fee, unlike most dojos.
These prices will be in effect beginning January 1st, 2006. If you
have any questions or concerns please let us know. We'll do what we
can to work with you.
Equipment: You can wear kung fu shoes during class this winter if
you choose as the hardwood floor is hard to keep warm. All that we
ask is that you don't wear them outside to avoid tracking in dirt,
mud and snow. They're under $10 a pair. Tabi boots are also
allowed but they run around $50 a pair. You may want to invest in
sparring gear also. You will need it and be required to have it by
green belt.
Kumite: Sparring will be required at green belt level. Again
this is not a full contact fight to knockout match. It's designed
to get you thinking while moving. The amount of contact will be
determined by each participant's rank, age, and experience. You can
spar prior to green belt if you wish but you must have the required
safety gear and be a minimum of yellow belt.
Upcoming Events: We will be having our Christmas party on
December 22nd starting at 6:30 PM. We will not have class that
night. Everyone (both the kids class and basic class) is welcome to
attend. As with our student appreciation day back in July the dojo
will provide food (if anyone has any food allergies please let us
know ASAP!!). We will also be watching a movie, most likely Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles this time, which is rated PG. Plan on the
party lasting until roughly 9 PM or so.
As mentioned previously I'd like to host martial art camp this
summer (2006). I've been making contacts with potential instructors
in various arts. Right now I'm still only in the planning stages
but hope to have a three day event, like Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday. Anything longer than three days would be difficult for
adult students to attend and younger students may get homesick.
Location is unknown right now but a possibility of having it at
either Richmond Lake or Mina Lake. I'd like to have it close to the
area for logistical reasons. I want to keep the cost down so I'm
considering opening up the martial art camp to other schools. I
would like to hear everyone's input on this. Let me know your
thoughts and what you'd like to see or do during the camp.
Demo Team: Do to a lack of interest and participation we are
going to cancel demo team meetings until further notice.
Kobudo: Just a reminder that we have a weapons class Saturday
morning at 11 AM. We normally just don't have time for this type of
training during the regular classes. You do need to be proficient
with at least one weapon prior to testing for black belt.
If you got time check out our website:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/aberdeenkenpo/ Feel free to
add your thoughts just no spam or junk please. Regarding a post on
the website by former instructor Lance Aeschliman I've gotten a few
questions. The first question is if he will again be instructing.
No, Lance is not coming back to the dojo that I'm aware of.
The second question is on our black belt promotion process. Lance
and I both had understanding when we founded the dojo in December
2004 that we wanted to teach real martial arts. We did not want to
water down the content to make it easy for people to obtain a black
belt. I've seen schools that had out black belts to anyone as long
as they pay the testing fees. There are many minimum requirements
which are outlined in the student manuals but I'm going to take it a
step further. As I've mentioned many times before, all we are doing
is teaching concepts via techniques. What we are looking for is a
good understanding and working knowledge of the concepts. You have
to understand the concepts in order to really train in karate.
Being able to use force and violence to end a situation requires no
skill. A white belt can use violence to win a fight. A black belt
uses words. A master does not need to use anything as he simply
avoids the possibility of a confrontation. So don't worry about
having to fight for hours or have you faced smashed in to prove how
macho and tough you. That's not to say that the black belt test
won't be tough, it will. Again all I'm grading on is your
understanding of the concepts. You don't have to master every punch
or kick and have every technique down perfect. Maturity level,
attitude, and dedication to training are also a big parts of being a
black belt. As Bill "Superfoot" Wallace wrote in an article for
Black Belt magazine in November 1998, "There are certain
responsibilities a black belt should strive to live up to. A black
belt should be able to demonstrate and teach his art effectively.
That's part of wearing the rank. He doesn't need to be a fighter-
some people are fighters and some are not. Only approximately 5
percent of karate students have aspirations to compete. Of all the
karate schools I've visited, I haven't seen one where the advanced
students were disrespectful or annoying. The challenges of wearing
a black belt can be just as great as the challenges of earning one.
In the martial arts, the road to progress is never easy."
Other News: Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi in the
Karate Kid, passed away November 24th, 2005. The film changed
people's perceptions of the martial arts in North America and
Europe. Prior to the Karate Kid movie most people though karate was
only about full contact fighting where participants end up bloody
and bruised. The film, particularly Mr. Miyagi's view on martial
arts, helped show the public that martial arts were about self
development. Because of this film parents started enrolling their
children in martial arts studios throughout the country. The
underlying message the film embraced continues to influence students
and their parents even to this day.
I'm in the process of printing and binding student manuals as we
speak. They will contain material up to your current belt level.
We will be charging $15 per manual since the cost of producing the
manual is up there because the end product will be roughly 100
pages. The fee will cover any future supplements.
We hope to be able to offer the belt material on DVD sometime this
next year. We're checking into various video transfer production
facilities to keep the cost down. We hope to offer yellow and
orange belt on volume 1, purple and blue belt on volume 2, and green
and brown belt on volume 3.
Because of your hard work and dedication the dojo has been here a
year now. This time last year I didn't know if it would even make
it a month. Thank you for your business and dedicated training.
Have a Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, and a happy New Year!