SEMPAI ANTHONY

At the end of this month Anthony will be leaving us to travel overseas. He will be back at the beginning of next year.
As part of his travels, he will go to Japan in November, where he will attend the 9th World Open Karate Tournament and where he will train at the international training camp at the Mt Mitsumine Shrine. Shihan Tockar, Sensei Abel and (hopefully) other members of our dojo will also be there.
We will miss Anthony. He has developed into an exceptional karateka, and his input both as a student and as an instructor will be deeply felt. For Shihan Tockar, it will be strange not to have Anthony on the floor - he has become a fixture in his classes over the last 16 years.
The children who have been taught by Anthony will surely be disappointed, and it is hoped that they will give him a memorable farewell.

SEMPAI SARAH

Fortunately for the dojo and for the children, Anthony's classes will all be taken by Sempai Sarah.
Sempai Sarah is a phenomenon, with a martial arts pedigree that is incomparable. She is a Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate, having lived and trained and competed in Japan for over 8 years. She was the secretary of the International Katate Organization. She is fluent in Japanese. She is a Black Belt in Taekwondo. She is a Black Belt in Shorinji Ryu. She is an instructor of Yagu Shinganryu Jiu-Jitsu. She teaches Yoga and Indian Healing. She was a competition level surfer in her youth. The list is endless.

Sempai Sarah is the ideal teacher for the children. She is far more concerned with their development as individuals than in tournament success (which cannot be attained by more than the fortunate few). She seeks to instil confidence, humility, discipline and a positive attitude in the children she teaches. She seeks to develop children with a good self-image, through improving their physical ability and their mental approach. Tournament success and high grades are regarded simply as bye-products of the training, not the goal of the training.

GRADINGS

On Saturday 19 May 2007 there will be gradings for all the children and for novice to intermediate adults.

The 5 - 8 year olds will grade in the Monash Room at the Hakoah Club at 8.00 am.

The 9 - 12 year olds will grade in the Monash Room at the Hakoah Club from 10.00 am.

The adults will grade in the dojo from 1.30 pm.

The grading fee per student is $50.00. This is to be paid prior to the grading. Please arrive early so that this can be processed.

All students must be fully paid-up before being entitled to grade. This means that all fees must have been paid, as well as IKO fee ($20 for lifetime membership) and Maccabi affiliation (Jewish members). Please bring your IKO card with you to the grading. If you do not have a card, bring the $20 affiliation fee, together with a passport photo with your name and date of birth written on the back.

NEW MEMBERS

We welcome all the new students who have joined Kyokushin Karate Hakoah Dojo. In particular, we welcome Sempai Digby Beckley, a Nidan in Shotokan Karate. Sempai Digby has trained often with us over many years in the Saturday morning class (from when we were in the Rose Bay dojo and in the Dover Heights dojo). Sempai Digby was a long-time student of Sensei Jeff Krug, and remains a close friend of Sensei Jeff. He will always be indebted to Sensei Jeff for the knowledge and experience gained from training with him. The decision to change styles was a very difficult one for Sempai Digby, but he felt attracted to the Kyokushin style and we are certainly very happy and excited to have him in our dojo. He is a strong man with a very good attitude and we know that he will be a great asset to our dojo. We are also pleased to welcome Dave Dombeski, whose background includes having lived and trained in Japan for 3 years. Dave, together with Martin Dunstan, Johnny Lewis and Marc Strong, as well as our new Reddam House crew of David, William, Jordan and Otto, will all contribute to the growth and development of the dojo. It is unfortunate that John Ritson and Martin will be leaving us for a few months from mid-June when they travel to New Zealand to work as ski instructors, but they promise to keep training at the local Kyokushin dojo in New Zealand and we look forward to getting them back in late September (even fitter and stronger).

KARATE UNION OF AUSTRALIA

While talking about our members, it might be appropriate to make reference to Senseis Elliot Kleiner and Rob Traurig, as well as Dave Milner, who are all members of the Karate Union Of Australia (Shotokan style), who have been training regularly with us on Saturday mornings (and sometimes during the week). Senseis Elliot and Rob run the Shotokan dojo in Coogee, and it is a mark of their open-mindedness and thirst for knowledge that they have committed themselves to training also in the Kyokushin style. We enjoy their participation and enthusiasm.

SHOTOKAN KARATE COALITION

To speak of our friends from other styles, and not to make particular mention of Sensei Jeff Krug of the Shotokan Karate Coalition, would be very remiss. The friendship which we have with Sensei Jeff and his students is something very important to us, and the joint training sessions which we have from time to time richly enhances our karate experience. The bond between our dojos is strong and in many ways unique: for practitioners of different styles to put aside their egos and simply enjoy training together is (unfortunately) not common.

VISITING INSTRUCTORS

As appears from what has been said above, the Hakoah Dojo encourages interaction between various dojos and styles, and we have been fortunate to have entertained visiting instructors from other dojos and other styles. Shihan Nic Cujic of the Kyokushin dojo in Sutherland has visited our dojo, and we have attended his annual camp. Shihan Nic is the area chief for Kyokushin Karate in Australia, and our association with him is of vital importance. We look forward to further training sessions, seminars, tournaments, etc with him and his students. We have also been fortunate to have had Sensei Phil Hinshelwood conduct a class at our dojo, where he taught some of the techniques of Yagu Shinganryu Jiu-Jitsu. Sensei Phil is an absolute master of his art, and his class was very inspiring. In the past, we have also hosted such instructors as Sensei Scott Brown of Shorinji Ryu and Shihan Joe Claronino, 7th Dan head of the British Kyokushin Karate Association. Shihan Joe and Shihan Tockar have a friendship dating back to the early 70's and they are both looking forward to meeting up at the World Tournament in Japan in November. Shihan Tockar is also busy trying to persuade Shihan Kenny Uytenbogaardt (head of Kyokushin Karate Africa Organization) to visit us later in the year to conduct a series of seminars. The 6'6" Shihan Uytenbogaardt was originally a student of Shihan Tockar and went on to achieve great fame in Japan, where he in fact became a comic book hero!

SIFU RICK SPAIN

Talking about visiting instructors, on Saturday 5 May 2007 we had Kung Fu's Sifu Rick Spain take the class. He was fantastic. Great manner, great technique and great knowledge. He is one of Australia's best-known martial artists, having won the World Full-Contact Kung Fu Tournament in Hong Kong in 1983. He heads a major organization in Australia, and we were honoured and excited to be asked by him if he could continue to join some of our training sessions with a view to obtaining a black belt in Kyokushin Karate! Sifu Rick has a background in Kyokushin Karate, and indicated to Shihan Tockar that pursuing his training in Kyokushin Karate to black belt level remained "an unclosed chapter" in his life. Should Sifu Rick carry out his intentions, both he and our dojo will surely be greatly benefited.

HAKOAH CLUB

As previously requested, we encourage all students and parents of younger students to join the Hakoah Club. The annual fee is very little, and birthday vouchers (a parking voucher, free drink, etc) are in fact worth more than the whole membership fee. As members of Hakoah, all difficulties in gaining entrance to the club and in using its facilities will be removed. The State rules governing clubs are very strict, and by joining the club you will ensure that the rules are not broken. Please apply at the reception desk on the ground floor for membership.

KYOKUSHIN KARATE

As a final note to this newsletter, we wish to focus on the bottom line. Kyokushin Karate is known throughout the world as "The Strongest Karate". It is a powerful style that has a reputation for producing strong, disciplined fighters. To maintain this reputation, it is necessary to train and to fight harder than other styles. This is easier said than done. There are many excellent practitioners of other styles, who are dedicated and talented. Accordingly, we must not relax in our endeavours. We must commit ourselves to making that extra effort. Before training, focus your attention on the task at hand. Be severe on yourself. Push yourself to the limit. Accept criticism. Practice at home. Do cross-training. Accept set-backs and seek to overcome them. Respect the dojo. Respect your instructors. Respect each other. Respect yourself.

OSU!