Belt Promotions: No testing was held in July. The next testing will
be held Tuesday, August 29th at 6:30 PM.
New Students: Please welcome Marty MacConnell and Ryan Kotzea to
the dojo. Marty will be training in MMA. Ryan was an All American
wrestler in high school and was ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
He was a State Champion numerous times. He will be our wrestling
advisor during the advanced class MMA training.
Business: Just a reminder that monthly membership fees are due by
August 10th. Please have dues paid on time as this helps us meet
our financial obligations on time. We are also ordering more of the
rear window car decals. Same price as before, $15. Student manuals
are also finally available. The price is $20.
Schedule: NO CLASS August 8th. We will be having a combined class
(both Kenpo Kids and Basic Class) of all ages and ranks on Thursday
August 17th at 7 PM. Please be sure to refer to the calendar on
back for class times and events.
Upcoming Events: There will be a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in
Sioux Falls September 23rd, 2006. Entry fee is only $25. The event
begins at 9 AM. See flyer on the bulletin board at the dojo for
more details.
The 11th Annual Fargo Open Martial Arts Championships featuring
semi-contact karate, taekwondo, and submission grappling will be
held October 28th, 2006. Pre-registration fee is $40 by October
20th and $50 after that date. This tournament will also have a
forms, weapons, and breaking competitions.
We're looking at planning a class trip to Hawaii, the birthplace
of American Kenpo, in 2010 to celebrate the dojo's 5th anniversary.
That's only a few years away. The trip will be focused around kenpo
training but there will be time for site seeing and fun. We will
probably start fund-raising the fall of 2007. More details to
follow.
Kobudo: You are required to earn one kobudo weapons patch before
you can test for black belt. Weapons practice is held Thursday
nights at approx 8:45 PM. Don't put this off until you are a brown
belt.
Dojo: The new bathroom is up and running. It s much larger and
nicer than the bathroom at the old dojo. We also got a new mat for
ground fighting and MMA. Since it's blue it will also serve as the
ring for sparring. It's thicker than the old black mat so it should
protect a lot more during grappling and takedown training.
Health & Fitness: We will be taking the Karate Physical Fitness
Test (KPFT) this month. The KPFT is used to evaluate a student's
fitness level. It's not a pass or fail test, just a tool to help
students improve their fitness.
MMA: We still need to work on our run time. We need to get down to
where we are running the 2 miles in 16 minutes. We are going to
continue practical fighting exercises. August 9th we will be going
over to the YMCA for lap swimming. Bring $8 for a pool pass if you
do not have a Y membership. We will be swimming 500 yards and the
goal is to do it in 12 ½ minutes or less. The MMA class August 9th
will begin at 6 PM. You will need hand wraps this month. And just
a reminder that you will need MMA gloves by the end of the year at
the latest. The Ultimate Fighter 4 (TUF4) begins August 17th on
Spike TV and UFC 62 is August 26th live on PPV.
Housekeeping: The changing room is getting a bit messy. Please
keep it neat and orderly. There is also an organizer to put your
shoes by the green pagoda. Please do your part to keep the dojo
clean and running smoothly. Recently someone kicked a Wavemaster
into the wall knocking a big hole in the drywall. Now I have to
spend money and time to fix it. I realize accidents happen but this
was caused by a lack of common sense.
Other: We do have a small library set up at the dojo. Students can
check out books covering various martial arts topics. All that I
ask is that you return them after a week so others have an
opportunity to read them also. There is a sign out sheet next to
the books.
Be sure to check out our Yahoo Groups webpage:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/aberdeenkenpo/ You can stay in
contact with Mr. Holland via his email address on the site. There
are now a lot of pictures and even a few videos under the files
folder.
The University of Bridgeport in Connecticut will be offering a
bachelors degree in martial arts studies starting fall 2006. It
will be the first college outside of Asia to offer such a degree.
The program explores languages, historical roots, philosophy, the
impact of martial arts on society, and training in at least one
martial art be it Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. It s a 128 credit
8 semester program taught by the very best in martial arts. Check
out www.bridgeport.edu for admission requirements and further
details.