IKKF BULLETIN - INTERNET EDITION
1st-2nd Quarter, 2000


In this section we include information from the organizations official newsletter - the IKKF Bulletin, plus additional news items. Hope you enjoy it.


OVERVIEW OF 1999 IKKF WINTER CAMP:


On a cold weekend in January, over 60 individuals came together for two days of intense traditional training in Karate and Kobudo. The 2000 IKKF Winter Camp was held at The Cloisters at St. Joseph's in Reading, Pa.

Instructors for the Camp included: Hanshi C. Bruce Heilman, 9th Dan; Hanshi George Alexander, 9th Dan; Kyoshi Jody Paul, 8th Dan; and Sensei Jose Cruz, 6th Dan. Unfortunately due to a major winter storm hitting the East Coast, Kyoshi Paul was stranded during his travel and was unable to attend the event. However, Kyoshi Paul's scheduled sessions on Toide were covered by Renshi Kurt Sieber, 6th Dan.

Topics covered during the Camp included: Basic Karate Drills, Toide, Kendo, Bo, Sai, Tunfa, Nunchaku, Bo-Bo, Bo-Tunfa, Club Defense, White Crane Concepts, and Sparring.

Saturday evening witnessed a Formal IKKF Yudansha Testing Review being held at The Cloisters. A total of 20 individuals tested for various Yudansha Levels ranging from Junior Black Belt to 3rd Degree Black Belt.

Carrying on a tradition of gathering of members for a night out at these events, on Friday evening a number of participants got together for some music, dance, etc. at a local Pub in the city. The evening went great until the Firemen arrived and the building was evacuated due to a fire breaking out, Again, no one was in danger and it just added another little bit of "color" for future story telling about the 2000 Winter Camp. Lets just hope that this part of the "tradition" is short lived!

Of particular note of human interest was the story of IKKF Yudansha Michele Apsokardu who attended the training, successfully tested for Sandan, and then went into the hospital the next day (Monday) for scheduled Gall Bladder Surgery - what a warrior spirit!!


RECENT YUDANSHA PROMOTIONS:


As part of our 2000 IKKF WINTER CAMP activities, a FORMAL YUDANSHA TESTING was conducted. The IKKF Review Board was comprised of members of the IKKF Renshi-Kai members and included: Hanshi & Kyoshi Heilman, and Renshi's Rupert, Zondlo, Hoover, Baer, and DeGori. The following lists those individuals who successfully passed their Yudansha Testing.

o JORDAN GULDIN, Jr. Black Belt , Karate & Kobudo
o DANIEL TOTHERO, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o JAMIE BROWN, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o RANDY WEIDMAN, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o JUDY HAAS, 1st Dan , Karate & Kobudo
o DAVID HAAS, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o JAMES DOMSIC, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o LAUREN KOLLER, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o DANE ROTH, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o GEORGE FERGUSON, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o MICHAEL YOUNG, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o DESIREE HULL, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o NITA WALKER, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o CHUCK WALKER, 1st Dan, Karate
o JOHN FERGUSON, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o SHEENA BATCHELOR, 1st Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o MARK BELL, 2nd Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o RACHAEL THOMPSON, 2nd Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o TOM DILLMAN, 3rd Dan, Karate & Kobudo
o MICHELE APSOKARDU, 3rd Dan, Karate & Kobudo

Congratulations to the above individuals on achieving another goal on their raining path.


PASSING OF MASTERS:


It is with great sadness that we again find ourselves announcing the passing of more of the old masters.

EIICHI MIYAZATO:

By now most people are aware of the passing of Hanshi MIYAZATO of the Jundo Kan. Miyazato Sensei was the key figure in the Miyagi Chojun lineage and will be sorely missed. Miyazato Sensei was born in 1922 and was one of the original students of Miyagi Chojun. Kyoshi Chuck Merriman , Jundo Kan member and IKKF Ex. Board Member, traveled to Okinawa to attend the funeral.

TOMOTSUGU MORITA:

T. (Tommy) Morita Sensei was a high ranking Matsubayashi-ryu practitioner well known in Hawaii. He died on 2/10/00 at the age of 80.

JOHNNY PACHIVAS:

One of the old USKA members under the late Robert Trias, Hanshi JOHNNY PACHIVAS of Florida, passed away on 2/14/00. Sensei Pachivias was one of the Pioneers of martial arts in the Florida area and was well respected. He was the successor to the Shuri-ryu system of the late Robert Trias. His passing will be felt by family, friends, students and the entire Shuri-ryu system.

WALTER TODD:

Kyoshi WALTER TODD of Shudokan Karate-do passed away this past November around the age of 80. He started his training in 1948 and his Shodan was approved by Gichin Funakoshi. He was a leading practitioner of Aikido and Karate.


GET WELL WISHES:


Kyoshi Marilyn Fierro has informed us that Isshin-ryu Master ANGI UEZU is recovering from foot surgery and will not be able to make his planned trip to the States at this time. Our best wishes are extended for Uezu Sensei's full recovery.


CONGRATULATIONS:


In our last Newsletter we announced the pending marriage of Chuck Merriman and Lill Hasselman. We are pleased to announce that they were married in Okinawa on October 8, 1999 and Kyoshi Merriman sent us a photo of the wedding picture to "prove it". Our best wishes to our to our friends for a long and happy marriage.


1999 IKKF ANNUAL TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS TAPE:


Just a reminder that the video tape for of the "Highlights of the 1999 IKKF Annual Training" is available fro the IKKF Honbu. This is definately a "must have item" for your collection.

The tape was produced by SOMA Video Productions (Kurt Sieber - IKKF Kobudo member). The tape is 50 minutes long and covers all of the Guest Instructors who taught at this years IKKF Annual Training in Reading, Pa. USA. It has some excellent interviews as well as action segments.


ADDITIONAL IKKF VIDEO TRAINING TAPES NOW AVAILABLE:


We are pleased to announce that at the 2000 IKKF Winter Camp, 8 new IKKF Video Tapes were introduced and available for sale. Four additional tapes are still in production and are expected to be available by Spring.

The additional tapes are being produced by SOMA VIDEO PRODUCTIONS (SVP). SVP is owned and operated by IKKF Kobudo Member, Kurt Sieber, Greensburg, Pa. SVP also produced the 1999 IKKF ANNUAL TRAINING HIGHLIGHT TAPE, which has received excellent reviews for its quality and composition.

The additional12 tapes will augment our existing 13 tape set produced by PANTHER PRODUCTIONS. Combined these tapes will completely cover the basic material found within the Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo Koryu Kan system taught under the IKKF Program.

The tapes will be available to IKKF members with the majority of the tapes designed to provide material for the Renshi (Teacher Level) IKKF Members. The tapes will be marketed through the IKKF Web Page.


UNITED STATES KARATE ALLIANCE NEWS:


2000 NATIONALS TOURNAMENT & ANNUAL SEMINAR:

The USKA will be holding its 2000 USKA NATIONALS on April 13-16, 2000. The event will be in Albuquerque, N.M.. Shihan Fumio Demura and Bruce & Ann-Marie Heilman are among the Seminar Guest Instructors. As part of the event, the Heilmans will be conducting Kobudo Testing jointly sponsored by the USKA and the IKKF.

2000 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

The 1999 USKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS will again held in New Orleans, LA. The multi-day event will be held July 27-30, 2000. USKA / IKKF Members Cassandra Schults, Chris Otwell and Mr. Heilman will be attending to defend their various World Grand Championships (Women's Black Belt Sparring Grand Champion, Youth Grand Champion, and Kobudo Grand Champion, respectively).

The USKA also has a NEW WEB SITE - Check it out at "www.uska.net"


TRADITIONAL TOURNAMENT & SEMINAR:


Renshi EBERHARD WELCH, Shorin-ryu, will be sponsoring his 13th Annual All Okinawan / Japanese Traditional Tournament & Seminar in Washington, D. C. in November. This years event will be special this year with the attendance of Hanshi NAKAZATO from Okinawa.

Also a SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Mr. Welch who was recently promoted to Nanadan and awarded the Kyoshi Title by Hanshi Nagazato.


A QUOTE TO CONSIDER:


This is an incredible quote submitted by "Wild Bill" of the CyberDojo.

"In the old days we trained at karate as a martial art, but now they train at karate as a gymnastic sport. I think we must aboid treating karate as a sport - it must be a martial art at all times! Your fingers and the tips of your toes must be like arrows, your arms must be like iron. You have to think that if you kick, you try to kick the enemy dead. If you punch, you must thrust to kill. If you strike, then you strike to kill the enemy. this is the spirit you need in order to progress in your training."

Sound like it was made last week, but in reality it was made by one of the "old timers of Okinawan Karate" - Chibana Chosin.


CLOSE CALL:


Received an email message from Kyoshi Patrick McCarthy (IKKF Ex. Borad) that during his recent trip to Johannsburg, RSA, he experienced a "crash landing" of his plane in Harare Zimbabwe. An engine fell off of the plane (a 767-300) and exploded upon landing. He made it out safe and after a couple days delay continued on with his travels. Talk about "excitment"!! - no thank you!!!!


MENNINGER PROJECT TARGETS PEACEFUL SCHOOLS:


From "Update: The Menninger Foundation":

Menninger has announced an initiative that could become a national model for school violence prevention programs. The Menninger Peaceful Schools Project, perhaps the most ambitious privately funded study of its kind, is being introduced into nine Topeka, KS elementary schools. By 2002, when the project concludes, 3,000 school children will have participated.

"The Peaceful Schools Project is an initiative to end violence in the schools," said Dr. Walter Menninger, chief executive officer. "The aim is to effectively curb violent behavior, break the cycle of violence in schools and communities, and return to children the opportunities to learn and grow in safety and peace. We believe the Peaceful Schools Project in Topeka has the potential to develop as a model for the nation."

The Peaceful Schools Project is based on evidence that powerful bullying people are at the heart of a disruptive school atmosphere. "Bullying is nothing but child abuse by peers." said Dr. Peter Fonagy, director of the Menninger Child & Family Center, which manages the project. What sets this program apart from other "non-violence programs" offered is the rigorous scientific evaluation of results. The results from the initial two -year pilot project at Topeka's Ross Elementary School showed a dramatic reducing of suspensions and increasing academic test scores.

Key participants in the program are IKKF Members Dr. Stuart Twemlow and Steve Twemlow who teach non-violent martial arts to program students to increase their self-esteem and discipline. The IKKF salutes the efforts of the Twemlows in making The Peaceful Schools Project a success.


IKKF DISCUSSION GROUPS:


With the start of the new year, the IKKF is looking at boosting the level of communication between our Members.

Ultimately we are investigating the feasibility of and interest in setting up such a general discussion group via "eGroups". In the mean time we have instituted a "IKKF Renshi-Kai Digest", a discussion group focused to the needs of our Licensed Instructors. Renshi Dan Rupert has agreed to be the "Digest Administrator" for the group.

The Discussion Group is based on basic rules of etiquette and professionalism. Hanshi Heilman recently commented that ..."I really think that this is an excellent idea and one which can really keep us all in contact to a greater level. The IKKF is blessed with and talented and tight group of senior martial artists in its Renshi-Kai which is a very important resource in advising / guiding the future direction / growth of the Federation". So keep watching future issues of The Bulletin to look for an announcement of an expanded general membership discussion group offering.

WEB PAGE UPGRADES:


In our never ending quest to improve our IKKF Web Page and its usefulness to our members, we have embarked on another round of upgrades and enhancements. These improvements have taken a little longer than anticipated and as a result we have combined our 1st and 2nd quarter updates into one - just as we did for The Bulletin.

The major change is the inclusion of "video clips" of samples of our various tape offerings. As we perfect this approach, we hope to be able to offer our "Virtual Dojo" section in video format as well.

We have also made some restructuring to the organization of the pages to make their use easier and reduce download times for the users. We welcome any suggestions or ideas our members may have on how we can further improve our offering to you - just send us an email with your ideas.


BUGEISHA MAGAZINE ANNOUNCEMENT:


Recently we have received an email from Mr. Angel Lemus or BUGEISHA MAGAZINE indicating that the magazine will not reappear in an On-Line Format. For more details, please check out the formal announcement at "www.bugeisha.net".

We are sad to see the final chapter written in the short history of this excellent publication, and we thank those involved in the magazine for all that they have given - they were appreciated and will be missed.


HEILMANS CONDUCT TEXAS SEMINARS:


Mr and Mrs. Heilman recently traveled to the Dallas, Texas area to conduct a series of IKKF Seminars. The three-day visit was sponsored by Tae Kwon Do 6th Dan and 2nd Dan Okinawan Kobudo, Keith Macy and his MYUND MOON MOODO RYU ASSOCIATION.

The Heilmans conducted a Ju-Jitsu Seminar and two Kobudo Seminars (for Beginner and Advanced practitioners). The Ju-Jitsu Seminar focused on open hand and weapons defense. The Kobudo Seminars addressed in detail the Bo, Sai, Tunfa, Nunchacku and Tekkos.

The annual visit by the Heilmans also saw the first IKKF Kobudo Teshing where five (5) individuals successfully tested for Yudansha Kobudo Certification. The individuals receiving their Kobudo Certifications included:

o Keith Macy, Jr. - Junior black Belt Kobudo
o Ken Balkus - 1st Dan Kobudo
o Cammie Selby - 1st Dan Kobudo
o Dale Jensen - 1st Dan Kobudo
o Craig Hamann - 1st Dan Kobudo

The Promotions were made at the 2nd MMMRA Annual Banquet at which time Mr. Heilman also announced the appointment of Mr. Macy as the IKKF TEXAS STATE COORDINATOR. In this position, Mr. Macy will be responsible for coordinating the growint IKKF Program within the State of Texas.


CHANGE IN IKKF JUNIOR BLACK BELT PROGRAM:


As of the new year, the "official obi" for an "IKKF Junior Black Belt" has been changed from the previous "black with white stripe lengthwise" to just a "plain black belt". An individual must have a minimum of four (4) years of training to be eligable for "Junior Level" and will be required to test again at the minimum age of 14 to receive their formal Shodan Certification.


50 FIGHTS FOR 50 YEARS:


On January 6, 2000, Hanshi Heilman turned 50 years old. To celebrate this event, Mrs. H. challenged him to do something unique - as she had rolle bladed 50 miles when she turned 50. As Mr. H's rollerblading skills are still at the "white belt level", he decided to do something "safer" - fight 50 people in one night!. The historic event took place on the day before his birthday at the IKKF Honbu. Individuals come in from IKKF Dojos throughout Pa. and N.J. to "take a shot at Hanshi. The matches were two minutes with one minute rest. The "fight fest" took just under three hours to complete and was celebrated by an "impromotu party" at the end. A great night for all.




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