Karma Kids

Picture provided by Dojo family member and local artist Joel Sinclair!

Karma Kids!

Karma Kids will be back in full swing on Friday, October 7^th from 2:45 to 3:30. If you are interested in your child joining the Karma Kids, please bring/send them to the Dojo on October 7^th so that they can find out what activities and projects we hope to accomplish in the upcoming months. Participating in Karma Kids is a great extracurricular activity, and it works to educate youth on the importance of community activism and pride! If you have inquiries regarding the Karma Kids, please check out our Karma Kids page or talk to Sensei.  

CMAC West Summer Seminar 2011, Waterton Lakes

CMAC West Summer Seminar 2011 in Waterton Lakes, Alberta was an amazing training weekend! We were very fortunate to have trained in the mountains, with absolutely beautiful weather and under the guide of wonderful instructors. 

A few “Thank You’s!” on behalf of Oku Damashi Martial Arts:

Thank you so much to Sensei Dixon for coming out and holding a truly magnificent seminar for the students of Oku Damashi Martial Arts! Oku Damashi students are grateful for the time and energy you put into making the seminar such a huge success. We are incredibly privileged to have gotten instruction from a Director who provided a magnitude of insight into the various styles of martial arts we trained over the weekend. We appreciate your hard work, and hope that you will visit the West again soon.

Thank you to Senpai Tisdall for your help and hard work during the seminar weekend! Oku Damashi Martial Arts appreciates the time you took to work with the groups as well as the individuals throughout the course of the seminar weekend. Your role as an Uke really made the drills and Bunkai come to life! We hope to get to work with you again in the future.

Thank you to Ms. Crawley for coming to Waterton and working with the students of Oku Damashi Martial Arts. We are lucky to have the weekend so completely documented because of all the wonderful  pictures you took. Your commitment to the martial arts is inspiring, and we hope that you come out and train with Oku Damashi again soon.

Last, but certainly not least…

Thank you to Sensei Thankachen whose efforts made the CMAC West Summer Seminar possible. We are incredibly honoured to have a Sensei whose dedication to her students and Dojo is extremely admirable. We continue to be inspired by your passion as both a Sensei and as a student. You’re eagerness to learn is what creates such wonderful energy for our Dojo. Thank You!

The students of Oku Damashi Martial Arts who participated in the CMAC West Summer Seminar 2011 were lucky to have spent a weekend under the instruction of Sensei Dixon of CMAC Beaches in the breathtaking surroundings of Waterton Lakes. The three days were action packed, fun and extremely educational! Sensei Dixon led the group through new forms such as 8 Palms, Hard Chi Kung and Shattering Palm, as well as new Bo drills, Bo katas and three Tai Chi sets. We also worked the 18 Hands and learned new Bunkai applications. It is always an incredible opportunity to receive instruction by any CMAC Instructor as each person brings different knowledge and experience to the table. Training in a setting such as Waterton is very rare and creates a completely altered energy within the group than training in the Dojo. If you ever get the chance to train at a CMAC West Seminar you should take advantage of the opportunity! 

To see pictures from the Seminar, please check out our Flickr album!  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/okudamashidojo/sets/72157627449808432/

CMAC West Seminar and Black Belt Grading

 

Oku Damashi Martial Arts just finished a wonderful and exciting Seminar and Black Belt Grading weekend!

A few "Thank You's!" on behalf of Oku Damashi Martial Arts:

Thank you so much to Senpai Globe for leading a very educational and inspiring Seminar weekend, and for coming out on behalf of CMAC to hold the Grading. Oku Damashi Martial Arts truly appreciates all the hard work and time you put into the weekend to make the Seminar and Grading such a huge success. 

Thank you to Sensei Bassels for assisting in the Seminar and for helping lead the Black Belt Grading. It is always a privilege to have Directors from Toronto come out to work with the students of Oku Damashi Martial Arts. We appreciate your continuous presence during our Seminars.  

Thank you to Sensei Sukys for your help and time during the Seminar and the Grading.  Especially for offering your knowledge and support to all the Grading Candidates in the time leading up to the grading as well as throughout the weekend. 

Thank you to Senpai Thankachen for assisting throughout the Grading as well as during the Seminar. Oku Damashi Martial Arts is grateful to have a Senpai in the Dojo as dedicated and helpful as you are. Your help in the months leading up to the Grading is greatly appreciated!

Thank you to Erin Shackleton and all the volunteers who came out to help set up for the Grading!

     Last but definitally not least:

Thank you to Sensei Tammy Thankachen for continually being a wonderful representative of Goju Ryu and for sharing your love and knowledge of the Martial Arts wholeheartedly with your students. Your dedication to Goju Ryu, and the spirit of Martial Arts is truly inspiring.

To the Grading Candidates:

Congratulations on such a strong Grading! The students and their families of Oku Damashi Martial Arts are incredibly proud of all the hard work you did this weekend. Everyone did such an amazing job and the level of Kime you all brought to your Grading was incredible! It was an honour to have been a witness on such an important day in your Martial Arts journeys.  You should all be proud of yourselves!

You all embodied Sensei Gogen Yamaguchi’s:

“Five Secrets of Japanese Goju Ryu”

Move quickly.
Sound, calm mind.
Be light in body.
Have a clever mind.
Master the basics."

Again, Congratulations to Sensei Tammy Thankachen who graded for her San Dan (3^rd Degree Black Belt) As well as to Alex Warbeck and Ryan Meisinger who both Graded for their Sho Dan (1^st Degree Black Belt)

 

You made Oku Damashi Martial Arts PROUD!

Whats New at Oku Damashi Martial Arts

      You can now sign up to follow the Oku Damashi Dojo Blog through EMAIL! This change means that you no longer have to create a Gmail account to become a follower! The email subscription works with all email provider platforms, making it more accessible to those who don’t have Gmail or Yahoo! accounts or those who don’t wish to create a profile. To subscribe to the Blog through email: Go to the top right corner (on the dark grey- right side column) where it says “Follow By Email” and enter your email address. Whenever the Blog is updated, you will receive an email letting you know about the changes. We highly recommend following through email to ensure you receive the most up to date information regarding Oku Damashi Martial Arts.

      The Oku Damashi Martial Arts Karma Kids wrapped up the Karma Kids Blanket Drive for the Calgary Humane Society. Over the past four months the Karma Kids have been collecting donations of blankets, towels and other linens from family, friends and of students of Oku Damashi Martial Arts. In total, the Karma Kids were able to fill six black garbage bags with all of their donations! Way to go Karma Kids!

      The Karma Kids have started a whole new project this month. From May 20 to the end of June the Karma Kids will be fundraising for the Harp Seals and for Slave Lake. So far the Karma Kids have raised money by selling their unwanted toys at the Langdon Parade of Garage Sales and by selling Seal Cookies at the CMAC West Black Belt Grading! They have also designed donation tins to place in their school classrooms to spread awareness and raise money. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far for your support. Check back at the end of June to see how money much the Oku Damashi Martial Arts Karma Kids were able to raise for these causes!

~ TIGER BALM INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT ~

              Oku Damashi Martial Arts competed in the Tiger Balm International Tournament that just happened in Vancouver BC on March 18th and 19th, 2011.  The event was a success, with our students bringing home 5 medals in 6 divisions.  Competitors were Senpai Arek Thankachen, Cassie Warbeck and Kelsey Cunningham.  All did phenominal and represented their dojo extremely well.  Senpai brought home a Silver Medal (2nd place) in the Traditional Forms Black Belt Division and forth place in the Submission Grappling division.  Cassie brought home a Silver Medal (2nd place) in Traditional Forms Division and in Continuous Sparring Division she won the Gold Medal (1st place).  Kelsey competed in the Traditional Forms Division and brought home the Gold Medal (1st place), after winning 1st place in her division she went onto the Grandchampionship in which she placed 2nd place!  She also competed in the Submission Grappling Division and received a Bronze Medal (3rd place). 

               I am so proud of all of you!  Thank you guys for such a great weekend, I am proud to have students like you, you competed with respect, gratitude and spectacular sportsmanship, excellent job to all!  Congratulations!

 

*To see more photos from the tournament, check out "Gallery" at the top of the page and click on the link!

Return to SAIT!

SAIT has invited Oku Damashi Martial Arts back for another demonstration! On Monday, March 14th 2011 from 11am to 1pm our Dojo will be showcasing Kata, Tai Chi, Kobudo and will be doing some punch/kick combos for the students and staff at SAIT. Participating in demonstrations is a wonderful way to give back to the community, and is a great way to get the word out about Goju Ryu and Oku Damashi Martial Arts. If you would like to participate in the demonstration or would like more information please contact Sensei as soon as possible!

Blanket Drive!

Oku Damashi Martial Arts and 
Karma Kids Present the:

Blanket Drive

For the

Do you have old blankets and towels hiding in your closet that you would like to get rid of? Clean up some closet space and bring your old blankets and towels to the New Years Kick Off Party on Feb 3^rd, 2011!

If you don’t have any old blankets, don’t worry! The Calgary Humane Society will accept new blankets and towels too! They also accept donations of new pet toys and stuffed animals!

This is a great first project for the Karma Kids to participate in, and see how their positive actions play a big influence in our community. By collecting the blankets they will see how their hard work directly affects the lives of both animals and humans.

Did you know?

Studies have found that shelter animals that have been given blankets feel safer, calmer and more relaxed. A blanket creates a home-like setting and comforts them and relieves their stress. By them being more relaxed, it increases their chances of adoption!

By donating a blanket, you could change the life of a shelter animal and help them find their fur-ever home!

Please bring your old/new blankets and towels for collection:

Where: Indus Rec Center

What: New Years Kick Off Party

Date: Thursday, February 3^rd

Time: 6:00-10:00 pm

SAIT Demo

           

        SAIT invited us to participate in a interactive demo for their International Students Week/Fair. A special thanks to: Arek Thankachen, Ryan Meisinger, Bryan Gilliland, Steve Zambory, Erin Shackleton, Leigh-Anne Sinclair and Kelsey Cunningham as they came out to support the Dojo and demonstrate Kata, Tai Chi, Kobudo and some punch/kick combos for a crowd of over 100 students in the Heart Building. After the demonstrations we invited members of the audience to come up and try out some techniques on the kicking shields and focus mitts, plus teach them some self defenses behind the techniques. 

It was an excellent way to get word out about the traditions of Goju, showcase our Dojo and give back to the community. 

Everyone who participated had a great time and needless to say the demo was a huge success!