IKKF BULLETIN - INTERNET EDITION
4th Quarter, 1998


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



1998 IKKF FALL KOBUDO CAMP A LOT OF FUN!

READING, PA. September 12-13th, were the dates for the 1998 IKKF FALL KOBUDO CAMP. The event was again held at The Cloisters at St. Joseph's.

The focus for the Fall Camp was entirely to Okinawan Kobudo. This annual event provides our IKKF Kobudo members with an opportunity to get together and train, train and train in just weapons. The sessions were divided into beginner and advanced groups and focused on basics, drills, katas, bunkai and applications.

Weapons covered during the two days of training included the bo, sai, tunfa, tekkos, nunchaku, nunte bo, eiku and kama.

As usual, a highlight of the Fall Camp was a session on "weapons kumite". In this event, we pad up the participants and give them an opportunity to actually do free style weapons sparring - it is a lot of fun and a great learning experience.

As a special event, the Heilmans brought out a big "birthday cake" for presentation to all of the IKKF members who have birthdays in September (10 of 12 were in attendance at the event!).


USKA 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

NEW ORLEANS, LA. - The UNITED STATES KARATE ALLIANCE held its 1998 WORLD TOURNAMENT on July 23rd-26th. The multi-day event was held in the fun city of New Orleans. The event typically draws in the range of 1,500 competitors in this "white gi" tournament.

IKKF members at the event again presented another excellent demonstration at the finals on Sunday evening. The demonstration covered both open hand and weapons katas. Special thanks goes out to IKKF members who assisted the Heilmans with the demonstration: George Alexander, Frank Caliguri, Cassandra Shults, Sue and Chris Hawkes, and Tom and Michele Apsokardu. The demonstration was well received.

On a special note IKKF Kobudo member Cassandra Shults really had a great weekend - she won Black Belt womens weapons, kata and fighting, Grand Champion Womens Kumits, and then was inducted into the Alliance Hall of Fame!! Congratulations Ms. Shults -- 1998 World Champion and new HOF Member!!

Also, in response to a friendly challenge, IKKF seniors C. Bruce Heilman, George Alexander, and Frank Caliguri came out of retirement and competed in open hand and weapons katas. It was a great time with some extremely strong competition. Mr. Heilman won 1st Place in Masters Weapons and placed 4th in Masters Kata. Mr. Alexander placed 3rd in Masters Kata!! Also during the weekend, IKKF Kobudo dominated the winners throughout most of the dividions! Needless to say there was a lot of celebrations during this weekend for all the IKKF members!

Messrs. James Hawkes and Dr. David Jordan (Co-Directors of the USKA) are to be congratulated for another professional and excellently run World Championship.


MAJOR UPDATE FOR IKKF WEB PAGE:

We are pleased to announce that a major reorganization has been made to the IKKF Web Page. The Web Page has been very well received since its inception with over 22,000 visitors to the site to date.

The IKKF Web Page was initially designed to focus on the IKKF and provide reference information to our members. As we gained experience with the design of web pages and received feedback from our members, the page was expanded to include more news and events related information. During the last year we have been able to include an internet edition of the IKKF Bulletin and the HKA Newsletter in our quarterly updates.

The focus of this major update / restructuring is to make the page more user friendly for our members. As such, we have created a new "main home page" which then breaks down into four "sub-pages" - with each of the subsections interconnected for ease of travel throughout the site. The new breakdown for the IKKF/HKA site include the following subpages:

1) the IKKF Web Page,
2) the HKA Web Page,
3) the On-Line Store, and
4) News, Events and Photos.

The new IKKF Web Page includes much of the original information relative to the organization and operation of the Federation. The HKA Web Page focuses on the Heilman Dojo. The new "On-Line Store" groups all of the items for sale offered by the IKKF including Video Tapes, Weapons, and Equipment. Finally, the new "News, Events and Photos" section includes all of the items updated on a quarterly basis - the IKKF Bulletin, the HKA Newsletter, Feature Article, Current Event Photos, Events Schedule, and Recommended Links. The Links section has been restructured to divide it up by topics (recommended links, martial arts suppliers, magazines, etc.) We have also incorporated new "archives" sections for past articles, bulletins, newsletters, etc. And we have expanded our "Masters Gallary" to include additional photos, and more are planned to be archived in the future.

The new look and organizational revisions to the IKKF Web Page are just part of our on-going commitment to bring the best level of service to our members. We have additional enhancements planned for the future as time permits. If you have any suggestions on how the IKKF Web Page can be improved, just send us a quick email.


JODY PAUL SEMINAR / TOURNAMENT:

KINGSLAND, GA. - Kyoshi JODY PAUL (IKKF Kobudo Member) sponsored another excellent Annual Seminar and Tournament. The event was sponsored by the Kyoshi Paul's INTERNATIONAL SEIDOKAN MOTOBU RENGOKAI. Hanshi Heilman was in attendance and conducted a Kobudo Seminar. The weapons training was focused to the Eiku. Hanshi Heilman was assisted by Renshi Kurt Sieber (5th Dan Seidokan, 3rd Dan IKKF Kobudo).

The tournament was well organized (thanks to Mr. Sieber) and the competition was strong with a nice sized group attending from Puerto Rico. Mr. Heilman did a demonstration of Shimi Igri Bo during the event.

Congratulations Kyoshi Paul on another nice event and a great looking new dojo!


SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS - RECENT PROMOTIONS:

Although no IKKF Promotions were made during this period, it has come to our attention that a couple of our IKKF members have recently received rank promotions. These members include the following:

o GEORGE ALEXANDER - Mr. Alexander recently returned from a trip to Okinawa during which he received a promotion to 9th Dan in Shorin-ryu Karate. Hanshi Alexander is a member of the IKKF Executive Board and a frequent Guest Instructor at our IKKF Annual Trainings.

o JODY PAUL - Mr. Paul recently received a promotion to 8th Dan in Shorininju-ryu Karate. Kyoshi Paul also holds a 7th Dan in Seidokan Shorin-ryu Karate. Kyoshi Paul is a IKKF Kobudo member and a long time friend of the Heilmans.

o CASSANDRA SHULTS - Ms. Shults was recently promoted by her instructor Hanshi James Hawkes (USKA) to 4th Dan in Shorin-ryu Karate. Ms. Shults is an IKKF Kobudo member who recently received her 3rd Dan in IKKF Kobudo at the 1998 IKKF Annual Training. As a side note, Ms. Shults was the Women's National Points Champion for the last three years and recently inducted into the Alliance Hall of Fame.

CONGRATULATIONS to the above IKKF Members.


TRADITIONAL TOURNAMENT TO INCLUDE SEMINARS BY A NUMBER OF AMERICAN SENIORS:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Shihan EBERHARD WELCH will be sponsoring the 11th ANNUAL ALL OKINAWAN / JAPANESE TRADITIONAL TOURNAMENT & SEMINARS. The tournament is to be a "white gi" event and is scheduled for November 7th, 1998. Seminars are to be given by some of the top Okinawan and Japanese practitioners in the States. Individuals scheduled to conduct seminars include:

o Shihan Thomas LaPuttet (NY)
o Hanshi Bruce Heilman (PA)
o Kyoshi Eddie Bethea (IN)
o Kyoshi Doug Perry (NC)
o Kyoshi Jim Thompson (MI)
o Kyoshi Jody Paul (GA)
o Kyoshi Bill Hayes (VA)
o Kyoshi Jim Logue (SC)
o Kyoshi Pat Haley (CA)
o Kyoshi Kimo Wall (SC)
o Shihan Pat Byrnes (PA)

The event should be a unique opportunity for traditional Okinawan and Japanese practitioners to meet, exchange, compete and share. For more information contact Shihan Welch at (301) 559-3400.


HEILMAN TO BE INDUCTED INTO PENNSYLVANIA HALL OF FAME:

ALLENTOWN, PA. - On October 30th, Mr. C. Bruce Heilman will be inducted into the PENNSYLVANIA KARATE HALL OF FAME. The Pennsylvania Karate Hall of Fame is headquartered in York, Pennsylvania and dedicated to the preservation of the history of the martial arts in Pennsylvania. Mr. Heilman has been involved in the arts for 37 years and is Co-Founder and President of the IKKF.


RENSHI'S RUPERT & BAER TIED FOR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES:

McKEESPORT, PA. - On October 18th, Sensei BILL VIOLA will be holding his 1998 LAUREL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. At this event, IKKF Renshis DAN RUPERT and STEVE BAER will be competing. Renshi Ruppert is currently tied for 1st Place in the State for Masters Weapons and Renshi Steve Baer is leading Masters Kata. We all wish them good luck. The rankings are compiled by the PENNSYLVANIA KARATE RATING ASSOCIATION, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa.


26th ANNUAL TOURNAMENT SPONSORED BY CALIGURI:

MONROEVILLE, PA. - Kyoshi FRANK CALIGURI an IKKF Kobudo member, is sponsoring his 26th ANNUAL PENNSYLVANIA KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. The tournament is scheduled to be held on November 8th. We congratulate Kyoshi Caliguri on his long term commitment to sponsoring top quality tournaments in Pennsylvania. A number of IKKF members will be attending this excellent event.


IKKF WINTER CAMP SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY:

READING, PA. - The 1998 IKKF WINTER CAMP is scheduled for January 23-24th, 1999. The Annual event has been moved back from December to better work within members schedules.

The IKKF WINTER CAMP will include sessions in Karate, Kobudo and Ju-Jitsu. Both Beginner and Advanced sessions will be offered. The Camp is to be held at The Cloisters at St. Joseph's in Reading. Plan now to attend this excellent training opportunity.


USKA NATIONALS MOVED BACK TO NEW MEXICO:

ALBUQUERQUE, NM. - USKA Director Hanshi JAMES HAWKES, recently announced that the 1999 USKA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT AND ANNUAL SEMINARS will be moved from California back to New Mexico. Albuquerque, NM is the headquarters for the Alliance. The Heilman's will again be Guest Instructors teaching Okinawan Kobudo at the Annual Seminars.

As normal, it is expected that a IKKF/ USKA Kobudo Testing will be scheduled as part of the event. USKA members interested in going up for Certification Review should contact USKA Headquarters for mor information.


NEW ADDITION TO BAER FAMILY:

We are very happy to announce that Steve and Keri Baer are the new proud parents of a healthy baby boy - Stephen Andrew Baer. Stephen Andrew was 7lbs 15 oz and was born at 11:43 on Tuesday 29th of September. As Renshi Baer is one of the Heilman's "karate sons", the Heilman's are now new proud "karate grandparents". Steve and Keri are now experiencing the numerous "joys" of being new parents - new revised sleeping schedules, new cleaning duties, etc. - and they are enjoying it!! Again CONGRATULATIONS to the Baer Family.


PLAN NOW FOR 1999 IKKF SEMINARS:

Now is the time to schedule your IKKF KARATE KOBUDO SEMINAR by Hanshi Heilman at your dojo or facility for 1999. The IKKF is dedicated to "training, training and more training" and one of the best ways to expand the training experience for your students is to sponsor an IKKF Karate Kobudo Seminar. Hanshi Heilman's schedule is begining to fill up with travels around the world, so plan to to reserve your dates.

Non-IKKF Dojos or Organizations who desire to sponsor a Seminar by Hanshi Heilman should contact IKKF Honbu for more information on costs and requirements.


ADDITIONAL IKKF WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENSE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMS SCHEDULED:

A new set of Women's Self-Defense Instructor Training Certification Programs have been scheduled for the balance of the 1998-99 season. Please check out our Events Listing for specific dates of the session offerings.



* * * * Hope everyone enjoys this new addition to our IKKF Web Page. Its just another attempt to make this page as useful and informative as possible for our members. Take care and have a great balance of 1998!!


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