IKKF BULLETIN - INTERNET EDITION
2nd Quarter, 2001
In this section we include information from the organizations official newsletter - the IKKF Bulletin, plus additional news items. Hope you enjoy it.
IN THIS ISSUE:
HIGHLIGHTS OF WINTER CAMP:
MEMORIAL TOURNEY A BIG SUCCESS:
HEILMAN'S VISIT TO SPAIN A BIG SUCCESS:
IKKF SWORD DEMO AT READING MUSEUM JAPANESE CULTURE WEEKEND:
USKA NATIONALS & ANNUAL SEMINARS:
UNITED STATES KARATE ALLIANCE 2000 WORLD CHAMNPIONSHIPS:
HANSHI TOMA'S 2001 VISIT TO THE STATES CANCELLED:
JOSE CRUZ CONDUCTS IKKF KOBUDO SEMINARS IN PUERTO RICO & DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
JODY PAUL SCHEDULES ANNUAL SEIDOKAN TOURNAMENT & TRAINING:
OKINAWAN MASTERS TO TOUR STATES IN AUGUST:
DEGORI DOJO TOURNAMENT & SEMINARS:
KUNG FU SEMINAR HELD AT HKA DOJO:
GET WELL WISHES:
CONGRATULATIONS:
IKKF KOBUDO SEMINAR AT CALIGURI DOJO:
2001 IKKF ANNUAL TRAINING PREVIEW:
VIDEO TAPE UPDATE:
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS - MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS:
HIGHLIGHTS OF WINTER CAMP:
READING, PA. - This years Winter Camp will go down in history as an exception to just about everything. Up until one week before the event everything has been going according to schedule - too well in fact. As we made our final preparations, we found out that our facility was not available as scheduled. The weekend training looked like a bust - but with the help of another local dojo - Moyer's Isshin-ryu Dojo, the day was saved. Master Denny Moyer offered the use of his large dojo for our training and the event went off without a hitch - except for the big snow storm that hit Saturday night - but that did not even damper the fun.
The two days of training were intense and a lot of fun. Instructors for the Winter Camp included Mr. & Mrs. Heilman (Okinawa Kenpo), Kyoshi Jody Paul (Tuite), Renshi Jose Cruz (Basic Drills), and Renshi Rick Zondlo (Sword). Additional sessions were also taught by IKKF Renshi-Kai members Rupert, Baer, DeGori and Apsokardu. Renshi Hoover, recovering from a recent knee surgery drove in from western Pa. just to visit.
Participants came from IKKF Dojos in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Louisiana, Virginia and Georgia.
On Saturday evening a Formal Yudansha Testing was held at the IKKF Honbu with four individuals successfully passing their test. The testing was followed by a party at the Coast Guard Reserve Facility near the Honbu. The party offered a lot of food and a lot of snow.
Yudansha promotions were made at the beginning of the training on Sunday morning with the following individuals being promoted:
- Roxie L. Walker - 1st Dan Karate & Kobudo
- Justin Heinly - 1st Dan Karate & Kobudo
- Sheena Batchelor - 2nd Dan Karate
MEMORIAL TOURNEY A BIG SUCCESS:
Tom & Michele Apsokardu, IKKF 4th & 3rd Dans, sponsored their first tournament on April 1st.. The event was in Memorial to the Marasco children (Vince & Julia) who were members of the Apsokardu Dojo in Bernville, Pa. The event was well attended by various IKKF Dojos as well as other local Reading and Eastern Pennsylvania schools. Good sportsmanship was the order of the day. The Apsokardu's were ably assisted by Dan Rupert (Rdg. Pa. ) and Cassandra Shults (Albuquerque, NM) as well as IKKF Renshi-Kai members Steve Baer and Brian DeGori and IKKF Yudansha Moyer, White, Ojea, Thompson, & Dillman who helped with the judging. A great event, a great cause!
HEILMAN'S VISIT TO SPAIN A BIG SUCCESS:
BARCELONA, SPAIN - Mr. & Mrs. Heilman made their first trip to Spain in December. The visit was sponsored by Jose Guiral, USKA European Representative. Sensei Guiral, his wife and dojo staff were great hosts. The City of Barcelona is a beautiful city and is filled with friendly people. The trip was filled with visits to the dojo for training coupled with some great sight-seeing throughout the area. Local historic sites and places of culture were viewed and appreciated.
The focus of the trip was a series of IKKF Kobudo Seminars. Here the Heilmans taught bo, sai, tunfa, nunchaku, kama and tekkos. The seminars were well attended. The highlight of the visit had to be the Festival Demonstration given by Jose Guiral and his students at which the Heilmans were the Special Guests. As part of the festivities, both Heilmans demonstrated various weapons katas and their applications. The evenings event was well run and Sensei Guiral's hallmark of putting kata to classical music was impressive and moving. A truly professional presentation of martial arts.
The balance of the trip was filled with more sight-seeing as well as a visit to the Editorial Offices of "El Budoka", the leading martial arts magazine in Spain where the Heilmans met with the Publisher and his son. Also the Heilmans did a On-Air Radio Sports Show at the major Sports Radio Station in Barcelona. All in all a great trip and the Heilman's look forward to many return visits in the future.
IKKF SWORD DEMO AT READING MUSEUM JAPANESE CULTURE WEEKEND:
HKA Yudansha Rick Zondlo, 5th Dan, recently participated in a weekend Celebration of Japanese Culture sponsored by the Reading Public Museum. Zondlo was one of the models for a kimono fashion show put on by the Shizumi Dance Theatre. Most importantly, Mr. Zondlo gave a demonstration of the Iaido Sword Ceremony and sword basics and kata. Mrs. H. narrated the demonstration and Mr. Zondlo was assisted by Dan Rupert and Tom White.
USKA NATIONALS & ANNUAL SEMINARS:
The 2001 UNITED STATES KARATE ALLIANCE NATIONALS & ANNUAL SEMINARS will be held April 6-8 in Albuquerque, NM.
The event is hoisted by Hanshi James Hawkes, 9th Dan Shorin-ryu and Dr. David Jordan, 8th Dan Tae Kwon Do, Co-Directors of the USKA. Hawkes Hanshi is a member of the IKKF Executive Board.
As part of the multi-day event, Mr. & Mrs. Heilman will again be teaching Okinawan Kobudo Seminars. The Heilmans will be instructing sessions on the Bo, Tunfa and Sai. Shihan Fumio Demura will also be teaching one of his excellent Karate Seminars as part of the event.
The USKA's Annual Convention is scheduled for Thursday, and a Yudansha Kobudo Testing will be held on Sunday for USKA members.
USKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The 2001 USKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS is scheduled for August 2-5 in New Orleans, LA. The multi-day event is highly recommended and is well attended by a number of IKKF Members. the event has great competition and a lot of off-time fun at the French Quarter!
For more information on either of these two events contact USKA Headquarters at (505) 87201091 or check out their web page at "www.uska.net".
HANSHI TOMA'S 2001 VISIT TO THE STATES CANCELLED:
Kurt Seiber, 6th Dan Seidokan, 3rd Dan IKKF Kobudo, announced that the 2001 SEIDOKAN SEMINAR scheduled for August 10-12 in Greensburg, PA. has been cancelled. Hanshi Toma, 10th Dan, Headmaster of Seidokan, has been suffering from some back troubles for the past several years and it seems to be flaring up again. We understand that he is feeling better, but did not want to push it with a trip at this time. The event will be rescheduled for next year.
JOSE CRUZ CONDUCTS IKKF KOBUDO SEMINARS IN PUERTO RICO & DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
Jose Curz, 6th Dan Seidokan, 3rd Dan IKKF Kobudo, conducted a series of IKKF Kobudo Seminars in both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Cruz Sensei taught Shihonuke, Odo No Tunfa Ichi, Kyan No Sai and Odo No Nunchaku. The seminars were conducted as part of Sensei Cruz's visit to his UASK Dojos there. We congratulate Cruz Sensei on his continued efforts to straighten the IKKF Kobudo Program.
JODY PAUL SCHEDULES ANNUAL SEIDOKAN TOURNAMENT & TRAINING:
Jody Paul, 8th Dan, Sorinji-ryu Kempo / Seidokan, announced that his Annual Seidokan tournament & Seminars will be held in August 10-12 in Woodbine, GA. The multi-day event will also see Mr. & Mrs. Heilman as Guest Instructors teaching sessions on IKKF Kobudo.
OKINAWAN MASTERS TO TOUR STATES IN AUGUST:
Noted traditional stylist, Dan Smith, 7th Dan Shorin-ryu under Shimabukuro Zempo Hanshi, will be sponsoring a visit by a group of Okinawan Masters to the Atlanta, GA area. The visit will be marked by a multi-day series of Seminars and are highly recommended for all serious traditional stylists.
DEGORI DOJO TOURNAMENT & SEMINARS:
The weekend of March 23-25th was an active one for the Okinawa Kenpo Karate Academy of Pitman, New Jersey. On Friday evening, Renshi Ron Dargan, 6th Dan Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo, taught a special seminar on Tournament Kata Performance. Dargan Sensei is an excellent martial artist and one who has had a very successful tournament record. Activities on Saturday included the OKKA Tournament which was attended by a number of IKKF Dojos. Demonstrations were presented by Renshi Dargan and Kyoshi Ann-Marie Heilman. Saturday evening a party was held at one of DeGori Sensei's students homes and a good time was had by all.
On Sunday a IKKF Kobudo Seminar was conducted by Mr. & Mrs. Heilman assisted by Renshi Rupert. The seminar broke the participants into various groups according to skill levels and covered a wide range of material.
Congratulations to Renshi Brian DeGori and his OKKA Staff for another well run event.
KUNG FU SEMINAR HELD AT HKA DOJO:
Mike Jones, Kung Fu practitioner and Publisher of the Internal Martial Arts Journal / Six Harmonies Press, recently used the HKA Dojo to hoist a an Internal Arts Seminar. The Instructor for the training was Li Tai Liang Zingyi from Beijing. He is widely recognized as a highly skilled teacher who understands both the traditional methods and modern applications.
For more information on the Internal Martial Arts check out the Six Harmonies Press Web Page at: "www.sixharmonies.org".
GET WELL WISHES:
Get well wishes go out to a couple of IKKF Members. Renshi Doug Hoover, Altoona, Pa. is still recovering from his recent knee surgery. He is planning on being back for Annual Training. Yudansha Steve Spesak, HKA Dojo member, is recovering from shoulder surgery and doing well. Sally Nathanson is dealing with a slipped disks in her back and Chris Hawkes recently dislocated his shoulder. Both these Yudansha are out of the Hawkes Dojo in Albuquerque, NM. Also Mrs. Heilman is also having neck problem as a result of two recent accidents.
Our best wishes are with all of the above individuals for a quick and full recovery from their injuries.
CONGRATULATIONS:
Special congratulations go out to Mr. & Mrs. Greg Holmes, Phoenix, AZ as we hear that they are expecting their second child in late August. The work out is that it will be a BOY! Their daughter, Riley recently turned one year old.
Congratulations also go out to old HKA Yudansha Terry Speck who recently moved to Derby, CT and has informed us that he is in the process of opening an IKKF Dojo there - the IKKF Family just keeps growing one dojo at a time, but based on quality.
IKKF KOBUDO SEMINAR AT CALIGURI DOJO:
On March 10th, Mr. and Mrs. Heilman taught a series of IKKF Kobudo Seminars at Caliguri's Academy of Martial Arts in Arnold, Pennsylvania. The Dojo owners, Frank and Nancy Caliguri, 8th and 5th Dans respectively, are long time kobudo students of Hanshi Heilman. The seminar was well attended and was broken down into both beginning and advanced sessions. The major focus was the bo, tunfa, sai and nunchaku.
2001 IKKF ANNUAL TRAINING PREVIEW:
IKKF President, Hanshi C. Bruce Heilman is pleased to announce the 17th Annual - 2001 IKKF ANNUAL TRAINING. the event is scheduled for JUNE 22-24th and will be held at The Cloisters at St. Josephs in Reading, Pa. Previous years Annual Trainings have been described in the magazines as one of the BEST TRAINING EVENTS IN THE STATES!. The 2001 event should be even better! Our top line of MASTER INSTRUCTORS are back on hand, representing some of the best and most highly qualified practitioners ever gathered for one training session!
The ANNUAL TRAINING will run over 3 days covering BEGINNING, ADVANCED & INSTRUCTOR training for KARATE, KOBUDO, KENDO, WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENSE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING, HISTORY LECTURES & WEAPONS FIGHTING.
This years ANNUAL BANQUET will be held on Friday with formal YUDANSHA TESTING scheduled for Saturday evening for those members recommended for Dan level promotions. Dojo Heads or those individuals seeking to be reviewed for promotion should send a written request with a copy of their martial arts resume to the IKKF Honbu.
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND!! - Don't miss this unique opportunity to TRAIN WITH SOME OF THE WORLDS BEST!! This event is open to all current IKKF Members and others by special invitation. All participants will receive a quality CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT signed by each of the Seminar Instructors.
THE 2001 IKKF ANNUAL TRAINING - THE TRADITION CONTINUES - PRE-REGISTER BY MAY 21st TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE AND SAVE - SPACE LIMITED!!
INSTRUCTORS: Train with some of the BEST INSTRUCTORS IN THE WORLD!
For detailed information on Seminar Schedule, costs, etc. check out the IKKF Web Page at: "http://www.ikkf.org/campsAT01.html"
VIDEO TAPE UPDATE:
Just wanted to let our members know that we have completed the edition of the IKKF Video Tape #16 - Okinawa Kenpo Karate Katas, Volume #5. If any of our members have purchased a copy of this tape, please send it back to the Honbu and we will replace it with an updated version.
The tape now includes PASSAI, which had been missed in the previous version. Just return the tape with $3 for postage and a revised tape will be mailed out to you.
Thanks go out to Kurt Sieber and his Video Production Company - SOMA Video Productions for doing the update.
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS - MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS:
Just a reminder that IKKF Organization, Dojo and Individual Memberships are on a Calendar Year basis. So with the coming of the New Year, please work on getting in your renewals for 2001 by the end of January for your existing dojo members. It is also suggested that membership in the Federation be made part of the initial enrolment package for each new dojo student.
You can download memberships forms directly from the IKKF Web page at: "www.ikkf.org/forms.html" (IKKF Page - application forms section). Just save the image file to your desktop and then print out a copy.