Kubotactical, Tonfa, and Baton Training In Catania, Sicily, November  6th, 2010   SOKE IN SICILY On November 4th through 8th, Soke and Shihan Kuratomi traveled to Catania, Sicily to teach seminars on Kubotactical, Tonfa, Straight Baton, Kubotan, and Children’s Self-Defense. The trip was hosted by Kiyoshi Cosimo Costa and Renshi Fabio Cavallaro. What made this trip different was that the hosts were not karate instructors but instructors in Jujitsu and Aikido. Schools attended from all over Italy along with a large contingent of area law enforcement. A group from Spain was also in attendance. Classes averaged around 175 students and were among the largest weapons classes ever taught by Soke. The children’s class was unique in that half of the students were karate students, and the other half students of jujitsu. Sicily is an island off the southern coast of Italy and Catania city is on the Eastern coast and sits at the base of active volcano Mount Etna. Catania has been destroyed nine times through recorded history by volcanic eruptions and the city has been repeatedly rebuilt over the lava. Ancient ruins have been excavated deep below the streets of downtown Catania below the ancient lava flows. As a result of the volcanic activity, the surrounding areas are rich in volcanic soil bearing fields of citrus trees and other rich farmland. Being on the Mediterranean there is also a lot of seafood with the harbor areas lined with open air fish markets. The feel of Sicily is that of old Italy. Cobblestone streets, open air markets, and architecture a couple centuries old. Clean air, and of course – excellent food and wine which are Italian trademarks. You will also not find a traffic signal light in Catania which made for some exciting driving around the city.  The seafood was excellent, much of it prepared with olive oil, bread crumbs, and Italian herbs. The pasta and pizza is very similar to that found in the best Italian restaurants in the United States. The quality of the pasta itself is much better in Sicily though as it is fresh. It is no wonder the food is similar as many of the immigrants in the United States came from Sicily around the turn of the century (remember the Godfather?). One of the interesting rituals that we were able to participate in was during the post seminar dinner. The tradition is that all of the black belts in Kiyoshi Costa’s dojo are to drink a “special” shot. Dinner was attended by many jujitsu students along with a large IKA group from the Molinella dojo. We all drank a shot of the special drink that was poured out of foil covered bottles. Everyone toasted and drank the shot of what tasted like strong grappa. The surprise was when the foil was removed from the bottles. One of the bottles was filled with dead snakes. The other bottle with three dead horned lizards!!!! We were wondering why Kiyoshi’s wife refused to drink the shot! She knew!!! Soke and Shihan Rod spent the night in two different Bed and Breakfast Inns which was a nice change of the usual hotels that we stay in. One of them was a large privately owned mansion that was exquisite in the construction and the furnishings. The grounds of the property were also beautifully landscaped. One of the highlights of the weekend was a tour of the city of Taormina just north of Catania. Taormina started as a Greek stronghold built high in the sheer granite hills overlooking the ocean. Parts of the city were built on the top of mountain peaks with steep surrounding cliffs making it an easily defensible location against enemy invaders. Taormina is now a premiere resort town overlooking clear blue oceans with breathtaking views. We would like to give our sincere thanks to Kiyoshi Costa and Renshi Cavallaro who both worked very long hours for months before the seminar. The large attendance of the seminar and all the attention to details large and small showed the great amount of work that went into preparing the event. We would like to give them both our heartfelt thanks and congratulate them on a job well done.   Soke With the Host Groups in Sicily. The Host, Kiyoshi Cosimo Costa, a Jujitsu Sensei is in Red.     IKA WEBSITE GOES HIGH TECH Check out the new, updated IKA Headquarters website. It has a new look and feel. Be sure to check out the new photo gallery. It takes a minute to load but is worth the wait. Special thanks to IKA student and webmaster, Brian McEvoy that volunteered to update the website and IKA Store. Thanks Brian !   IKA WORLD KUBOTA CUP CANADA On June 4-5, 2011, Kancho Okuyama will be hosting a World Kubota Cup in Toronto Canada. Saturday June 4th will be a day of seminars taught by Soke Kubota followed by the tournament on Sunday, June 5th. If you are interested, contact Kancho Okuyama at his email at: Kancho@okuyamaupk.com   POSSIBLE VENUE FOR 2012 WORLD TOURNAMENT Soke is currently seeking a venue for the IKA 2012 World Tournament. If you are interested in hosting this event, please contact Soke at his email at: Soke@IKAKarate.com   SOKE ON FACEBOOK! Look for Soke on Facebook. The name is: IKA Karate Kubota. Soke will be using Facebook for posting photos of his travels and other happenings.   Soke Showing the Catch of The Day In Sicily – November 2010   MASTERS FORUM The Masters 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 will cover: The 50% Rule In combat, there is a widely accepted rule known as the 50% rule. This is the rule that says in an actual fighting situation you will only be half as good as you are in on your best day in practice. This is due to fear and the adrenaline flowing through your body and the fact that in an actual fight, you never know exactly what is coming or when. In addition, you are usually fighting an opponent you do not know and you are totally unfamiliar with the capabilities of your opponent. This is completely different than practice where you usually know your opponent, you know the technique that is coming, and your opponent is not actually trying to hurt you. Half as good? What does this mean as far as my training goes? It means that you need to train hard and train with conviction and purpose every time you step on the dojo floor. If you do so, this means your 50% will still be stronger than your adversary that is not training at all or not training as hard as you are. It is easy to be complacent and not push ourselves when we practice. With the strength of our opponent unknown as well as the number of opponents we may encounter, it is important to train hard at all times if we are to prevail. Let your 50% be twice that of your adversary! "We must remember that one man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained in the severest school."  - Athenian General Thucydides – 500 BC   QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “Most Westerners, being goal oriented, lack the patience required to seek out and master their inner selves. This type of individual may regard naginata (halberd spear) training as outwardly obsolete. And to the undisciplined, there appears to be no practical application; no instant gratification for aggressive tendencies; no obvious springboard to self-splendor. They have lost sight of the truer meaning of budo. For to seek out an art only for its power and capacity to triumph over others is to corrupt the Way." - Nakano Sensei - Naginata Master    In Memoriam – Shihan Adam Pearson It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Shihan Adam Pearson of IKA Headquarters. He left us last month after a battle with cancer. Our deepest sympathy to his family and our gracious thanks for his contributions to the IKA over the last 40 years. He will be missed. Next month we will follow up with a tribute to him   IKA NOW IN CHINA! Congratulations to Shihan Michael Berger of IKA Headquarters and IKA San Pedro. He has recently opened up a new dojo in China at an International School. Shihan Berger is currently studying to be a doctor of Chinese medicine and will be in China for another year and a half. Keep up the good work Shihan !   Shihan Michael Berger Teaching Karate at His Dojo in China     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.   List of IKA Headquarters Staff and Instructors President and Founder Soke Takayuki Kubota Soke Dai James Caan Vice-President Thea Kubota Chief Advisor Leonard Kramer Office Manager Carmen Kim Senior Technical Advisors Val Mijailovic, Boban Petkovic Technical Director Rod Kuratomi National Coach and Advisor Ted Bratakos Secretary Judy Rao Liason, Special Projects Sara Kubota Medical Advisor Dr. Ashok Rao, M.D. Webmaster Brian McEvoy Official Photographer Lee Fisher     Soke Takayuki Kubota 10th dan Master Hank Hamilton 7th dan     Shihan Paul McCaul 7th dan     Shihan Val Mijailovic 7th dan     Shihan Boban Petkovic 7th dan     Shihan Mike Berger 6th dan     Shihan Ted Bratakos 6th dan     Shihan Mark Grigorian 6th dan     Shihan Tatsuo Hirano 6th dan     Shihan Leonard Kramer 6th dan     Rod Kuratomi 6th dan     Shihan George Sinani 6th dan     Shihan Antonio Antonetti 5th dan     Shihan Norvell Carrere 5th dan     Shihan Mark Gujda 5th dan     Shihan Judy Marx 5th dan     Shihan Dai Marcial Soto 5th dan     Shihan Sami Asmar 4th dan     Shihan Dai Victor Chico 4th dan     Shihan Dai Danny Kahan 4th dan     Shihan Dai Demetrio Munoz 4th dan     Shihan Dai David Petrie 4th dan     Shihan Dai Stuart Richman 4th dan     Shihan Dai Kirk Stites 4th dan     Shihan Dai David White 4th dan     Alfanso Espinosa 3rd dan     Sensei Aman Ikram 3rd dan     Sensei Anthony Boosalis 2nd dan     Sensei George Lopez 2nd dan     Sensei Judy Rao 2nd dan     Sensei Patrick Reddy 2nd dan     Sensei Roy Simmons 2nd dan     Sensei Jennifer Allen 1st dan      Shidoin Maureen DeGuzman 1st dan      Shidoin Richard Martrosian 1st dan      Shidoin     CURRENT IKA HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTORS The average training time for the Shihan (Master) level instructor is 30+ 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. Titles are reserved only for instructors that are ACTIVELY teaching at IKA Headquarters. Dan ranks are retained but titles can be changed as Soke sees fit.   We welcome any contributions you may have that you wish to have published subject to approval by Soke. Submit the articles to Soke in writing or e-mail them to him at: Soke@IKAKarate.com 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” 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.

Tell us what's new!

We have a form where IKA affiliates around the globe can tell the world about their dojo's activities in their local area. These anecdotes can then be shared with the rest of the IKA family and others through articles in IKA's online newsletter!