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KUBO BLUES: Soke With The Kubojitsu and Weapons Class in Their New Blue Gis
NEWSLETTER UPDATE
The IKA formatted newsletter with photos will now be distributed in Adobe Acrobat instead of Microsoft Word. We will be discontinuing the text only newsletter. Acrobat Reader is available for download on the internet for FREE from:
www.adobe.com
To receive the IKA Newsletter and be put on our subscribers list, please send your name, country, martial arts affiliation (if any) and email address to:
SOKE@IKAKARATE.COM
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM SOKE KUBOTA
HAPPY NEW YEAR !
Soke would like to give his greetings to the IKA world and wish everyone a Happy New Year. May this year be a peaceful one full of happiness and prosperity for all.
POLAND TOURNAMENT AND SEMINAR A SUCCESS
On November 30th – December 2nd, IKA Poland under the guidance of Shihan Tomas Piotrkowicz, hosted a two day seminar and one day tournament. Soke traveled around the globe accompanied by Shihan Ted Bratakos and Shihan Rod Kuratomi. Seven classes were taught including Kubotan, Katana, Kubojitsu, and Karate. Classes were attended by 70 to 135 students from throughout the region. We were also fortunate to be joined by IKA Ukraine and Belarus. The tournament was unique in that it also had kata competition for the Katana (Kenjitsu) group as well as weapons sparring using a padded baton.
Shihan Tom has developed separate classes for his Kubojitsu group as well as for his Kenjitsu group. We were very much impressed by the progress made by the students of these new groups as their form and technique are improving nicely.
We thank Shihan Tom for his hard work in the organization of the event and look forward to future trips to Warsaw. Osu !
IKA HOLIDAY PARTY A BLAST !
Soke would like to thank everyone for attending the annual holiday party. This year Soke came out with a great idea. The party was held the weekend before Thanksgiving Holiday in November so it did not conflict with any other events. In attendance were about 70 people. Special thanks for those that helped out with the setup, organization and clean up. Soke also thanks everyone for the thoughtful gifts.
KUBOTAN SEMINAR IN MONTEREY MEXICO
Soke is currently planning a Kubotan seminar to be taught in Monterrey, Mexico the weekend of March 15 2008. The seminar will be hosted by Kubotan instructor, Tomas Miledi. If you are interested in attending the seminar, please contact Sensei Miledi for details at his email at:
tomasmiledi@ikakubotanmexico.com
UKRAINE SEMINAR AND TOURNAMENT
Soke Kubota will be traveling to Sumy, Ukraine May 23-25, 2008 to teach seminars and to attend the karate tournament held in his honor. The tournament will be hosted by long time instructor, Shihan Dai Anatoliy Lozovoy. For more information, contact Shihan Dai Anatoliy at his email at:
ika-ukraine@mail.ru
POSSIBLE SEMINAR IN SLOVAKIA 2008
Soke is tentatively planning on teaching a seminar in Slovakia the weekend of July 5th, 2008. The host will be long time IKA supporter Shihan-Dai Andrei Vedernikov, our head instructor in Belarus. We will post more details as they become available.
CONGRATULATIONS TO IKA INDIA
Congratulations to IKA India that did very well at the IKA World tournament in Argentina. The India team collected a total of 16 medals. Under the guidance of Shihan B.H. Choudhry, the India team has shown great improvement over the years. Soke appreciates your long support having been the longest IKA member in India of over 20 years. The commitment by the team to travel all the way from India, to South America was very admirable. In addition, IKA India recently hosted an IKA tournament in their country that was very well attended. We thank IKA India and Shihan Choudhry for his continued support and enthusiasm. Osu!
MASTER'S FORUM
The “Master’s Forum” is dedicated to increasing the knowledge base of the IKA Family. Each month we will try to cover a new topic on a multitude of facets of the art, dealing with all levels of expertise. This month we have a special article submitted by Shihan Michael Berger on meditation and its benefits:
“DON’T JUST DO SOMETHING… SIT THERE”
The Practice of Meditation for Life
by Shihan Mike Genko Berger
When we think of meditation, we often think of some strange, esoteric religious practice, replete with incense, chanting and
sitting motionless in an unbearable full lotus pose in an ancient temple.
In reality, meditation is a practice that may or may not have religious connotations, can be expressed in both movement and non-movement forms, and can include a variety of health and spiritual goals and benefits.
Most of us, as martial artists, have had some exposure to a brief meditation period that often precedes or follows our training periods, known as MOKUSO or MOKUTO. But many of us do not really know why we are doing it, or even what we are supposed to be doing…
While many meditation practices had their origins in ancient religious practices, there are some commonalities with regard to practice of meditation itself. Most practices seek to focus the ‘ceaselessly seeking mind’, the racing ‘monkey mind’ that jumps from thought to thought to thought, by focusing the mind on an object, a word, a mantra, a chant, a koan, or by using various techniques of following or working with the breath. Used in the Zen tradition, a koan is a story, question, or phrase that cannot be solved with the rational mind, designed to break one free of conditioned understanding, thereby deepening one’s spiritual insight and understanding.. My own practice includes another popular practice of the Soto school of Zen, that of shikantaza, or just sitting. Soke Kubota has many of his own unique practices, some of which include listening to sounds or focusing on aspects of nature, like those of water, fire, the wind, or rain. Generally speaking, when we are intensely focused one thought or event, it is difficult to concentrate on a multitude of others. I’m sure that some of you have experienced the phenomena of transcending conscious thought, of the thinking without thinking or doing without doing that results by transcending the intense concentrated state of focused mind. Perhaps you have had a glimpse of these moments, of these spaces between thoughts. It may have occurred while you were washing the dishes, raking the lawn, or while practicing kata or kumite. Athletes have referred to these phenomena as ‘being in the Zone.’
Simply explained, the function of the mind is to produce thoughts… so many that we are constantly bombarded with so many thoughts that we are not present or mindful at all, but rather racing ahead to the future or stuck hopelessly in the loop of rehashing the past, neither of which can be productive to what we are doing at this moment, both of which take us away from leading the richer lives of being more mindful, focused, and present. It only makes sense, that if you really want to look at something; it is difficult to do while it is racing out of control in constant motion. Only by stilling the raging waters can we see with clarity into the clear, mirrored waters of the mind and of the self.
The breath is sometimes referred to as the bridge between the self and that which lies outside of the self, between our physical bodies and minds, and that which lies outside of that realm. By slowing the breath, chanting, or focusing on an object, a kata or a koan, not only do we focus our attention, we can realize numerous health benefits. These include inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system while encouraging parasympathetic responses, slowing the heart rate, decreasing blood pressure, decreasing stress, relaxing … etc, etc, etc.
On a physical level, these numerous health and medical benefits of meditation are now scientifically well documented, most notably by such large organizations as the National Institute of Health and World Health Organization.
In addition, we slow down the racing nature of the mind; brain wave patterns are affected, the turbulent waves subside, and suddenly, we can see. We see into ourselves, observe how we respond to life, and shift our perceptions, emotions, and understanding. By increasing the spaces between conscious thought, we can strive for kensho or satori states of “enlightenment.”
On a spiritual level, we can aspire to narrow the gap between self and other, this and that, yes and no, so that perhaps we can understand different perspectives of truth and ultimately become more compassionate, loving people. What could be more valuable?
The great Zen master Dogen said, “To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe.”
Throughout history there has been an inextricable link between Zen and the martial arts. The 6th patriarch of Zen, Bodhidharma, is often credited with introducing martial arts to the Shaolin Temple, and although most historians now concur that this was untrue, and that martial arts existed long before his arrival from India, he certainly influenced the movement of Zen and martial arts significantly. In the 12th century, Zen became popular amongst the Samurai, influenced by the teachings of great masters like Dogen and Eisei. The samurai found that by accepting the idea of death, the idea of ‘no self’ they could enter a state of mushin, of non-mind / no mind, free functioning mind, a mind not restricted and inhibited by conscious thought. This fluid state of mind, of doing without doing, made their actions and responses more intuitive, and ultimately made them better warriors.
A good way to begin your practice is by counting the breath. Find a quiet place and sit either in seiza or in half/full/quarter lotus, or with the legs in Burmese position, with your ears over your shoulders and your spine straight. Direct the gaze out past the tip of your nose, with your eyes slightly open, and inhale deeply into the tanden, a point about one hand breadth below your naval and into your body center. Keep your attention here throughout, dropping off body and mind. As you exhale, count to yourself ONE. Continue inhaling and exhaling naturally, counting each time you exhale, until you reach TEN. Then start over. As thoughts come to mind, simply observe them drifting by, as if they were passing bubbles, and just return to concentrating on the breath. If you lose count, just start again with ONE.
Ideally, your practice should be supervised by a qualified teacher, who can guide you and help you as you encounter certain things and monitor you as you progress in your training.
So don’t just do something, sit there !
Editor's Note: We thank Shihan Berger for his insight and for his explanation that helped to explain meditation to the martial artists with little or no meditation experience. Shihan Berger continues to teach and train at his own dojo in San Pedro, California and at Soke Kubota's dojo in Glendale, California.
DOJO RULES
Each seek perfection of character.
Develop morals, ethics and distinguishable attributes.
Each be faithful.
Be loyal and devoted to a person, cause, or idea.
Each endeavor
Have conscientious or concerted effort toward an end with an earnest attempt.
Each respect others
To feel or show deferential value, honor, appreciation and regard for another.
Each refrain from violent behavior.
To hold oneself back from responding with inappropriate anger and physical force.
CURRENT IKA HEADQUARTERS MASTER INSTRUCTORS (SHIHAN AND SHIHAN DAI)
The average training time for the Shihan (Master) level instructor is 30 to 40 years of training and teaching. Each Shihan not only teaches but trains as well in order to maintain their status. Title is not automatically bestowed with rank. Soke also has several other master level instructors in Kubojitsu , Kobudo and IPT (International Police Training). Shihan Dai is a Deputy Master level instructor with an average of 20-30 years of training and teaching.
SHIHAN (in Alphabetical Order):
Antonio Antonetti
Michael Berger
Ted Bratakos
Mark Grigorian
Hank Hamilton (Retired)
Tatsuo Hirano
Leonard Kramer (Retired)
Rod Kuratomi
Paul McCaul
Val Mijailovic
Adam Pearson
Boban Petkovic
Gordon Pfeiffer
George Rolon
George Sinani
SHIHAN DAI (in Alphabetical Order):
Sami Asmar
Norvelle Carrere
Mark Gujda
Danny Kahan
Marcial Soto
Kirk Stites
IKA BLACK BELT RANKS
Soke said to please be aware that IKA Black Belt ranks
of 4th dan and above need to be approved by him
personally. It has come to his attention that there
are some certificates being distributed with Soke's
signature stamp on the certificate that was done
without his authorization. If you did not get your
certificate from Soke personally and wish to check on
the validity of the certificate, please call or email
him directly.
USE OF IKA NAME AND TRADEMARKS
It has come to Soke Kubota's attention that some organizations around the world may be using IKA's name and trademarks without permission. The name "International Karate Association, Inc." (IKA) and its registered trademarks may be used by affiliated organizations only after first receiving Soke's written permission. In addition, Soke's hand written signature or the red Japanese signature stamp must not be used without his expressed permission. The red stamp is like a legal signature in Japan and is a symbol of authenticity. It should not be used by anybody except for Soke or for purposes that he authorizes.
The "International Karate Association, Inc." name must not be used by itself to represent your organization. There is only one International Karate Association, Inc. and it is at Headquarters in Glendale, California, USA. After receiving approval from Soke, you may use the IKA name, but it must be attached with another description to differentiate it from the IKA Headquarters. For example, if you are from the state of Nebraska, you could use the name, "International Karate Association of Nebraska" or something similar.
COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL
Please note that proper protocol (Reigi) requires that information matters directly relating to IKA Headquarters, IKA tournaments, karate training and seminars must be communicated to Soke Kubota first before contacting other members within the organization. It is improper for Soke to be the last person to be informed of matters that directly involve him and IKA Headquarters such as, for example, your intention to attend his tournament or invitations to tournaments that are addressed directly to a Headquarters student without Soke's knowledge. It is proper respect in both of these cases to inform Soke first or at the same time that the student is contacted. Thank you for your consideration in these matters.
INSURANCE ISSUES
Due to increased liability risks, it is necessary that all IKA schools carry some form of liability insurance to protect the school from legal issues that may arise from accidents. The amount of liability insurance will depend on your location. USA schools are suggested to carry one-million dollars of liability insurance.
Please contact Soke at Headquarters if you have any questions.
LIST OF IKA HEADQUARTERS STAFF
President and Founder Soke Takayuki Kubota
Soke Dai James Caan
Vice-President - Thea Kubota
Advisor - Leonard Kramer
Office Manager - Carmen Kim
Technical Director - Rod Kuratomi
National Coach - Ted Bratakos
Office Secretary - Kristi Grannis
Hospitality - Linda Kuratomi
Webmaster - Christian Lopez
LIST OF IKA HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTORS
Soke Takayuki Kubota – 10th dan
Val Mijailovic – 7th dan H
Boban Petkovic – 7th dan H
Hank Hamilton – 7th dan H
Paul McCaul – 7th dan H
Leonard Kramer – 6th dan
Adam Pearson – 6th dan
Ted Bratakos – 6th dan H
Tatsuo Hirano – 5th dan
Rod Kuratomi – 5th dan
Mike Berger – 5th dan
Gordon Pfeiffer – 5th dan
George Sinani – 5th dan
Mark Grigorian – 5th dan
George Rolon – 5th dan
Norvell Carrere – 5th dan
Mark Gujda – 5th dan H
Danny Kahan – 4rd dan
Sami Asmar – 4rd dan
Antonio Antonetti – 4th dan
David White – 4th dan
Julian Forbes - 4th dan
Judy Marx – 4th dan
Kirk Stites – 4th dan
Victor Chico – 3rd dan
Mike Miller – 3rd dan
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