Blog Posts

2018 ISKA Summer Camp Updates

5/13/2018

We have some very exciting news to share about the 2018 ISKA Summer Camp. For the past 29 years we have held the camp at the Jack Boyd Outdoor School in Fish Camp. At the end of March, we received a notice of cancelation of our reservation for the Fish Camp location due to some major repairs being undertaken at the Outdoor School over this summer, namely replacement of the septic tank.

Several of the ISKA Black Belts jumped into action to help identify and secure an alternate location for the 2018 camp. I would like to personally thank Kyoshi Peter Johnson for the recommendation and Master Sensei Carter for physically visiting the location and videoing the site for us to view.

The ISKA 2018 Summer Camp will be held at the YMCA Camp Jones Gulch, 11000 Pescadero Road,
La Honda, CA, nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, on the previously announced dates for the Camp,
August 10-12, 2018.

The YMCA Camp has 4 Villages and the ISKA Summer Camp will be held at the Wasiata Village at the YMCA Camp. The logistics of the YMCA camp are similar to the ones at the Fish Camp with bunkhouse accommodations. One major advantage is that the YMCA Camp is located an hour from the San Francisco or San Jose airports, for easy access via Super Shuttle, other airport shuttles or Uber, which is a plus for participants traveling from International and National locations. We will also have a dedicated training hall, the Perkins Lodge, separate from the dining hall. There are many other positive amenities of this location. Click here to visit the Facebook Page for the Camp Jones Gulch.

Another exciting development for the 2018 ISKA Summer Camp is that we will have Sensei Rick Hotton, Founder of Sunday Morning Keiko, join us as a guest instructor. Sensei Hotton’s philosophy on good Karate is consistent with the ISKA Senseis teachings based on basic principles, biomechanics and physics of total body action to generate maximum power. Here are a couple YouTube videos with some of Sensei Hotton’s presentations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqm6kcoKat4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQCya5RCok

RickHotton

This year there will be a campfire, since the YMCA camp has no fire restrictions! Please mark your calendar for this exciting event and be on the alert for more upcoming information.
Osu!
Hanshi Ricardo Llewelyn
ISKA President

More details about cost, registration options, directions, recommended items to bring,
and training schedule COMING SOON!

Learn More about the ISKA Summer Camp

Reminder: ISKA Black Belt College- Sunday, Apr. 8th, 1-4pm

4/7/2018

Just a reminder that the second session of the ISKA Black Belt College is tomorrow, Sunday, Apr. 8th from 1-4pm at Sensei John Leggett's dojo, Sacramento Traditional Karate, in Gold River, CA, near Sacramento.

Getting to the dojo:
STSK classes are held at the Gold River Racquet Club, located at 2201 Gold Rush Drive, Gold River, CA 95670

Cost:
$20 for ISKA Members (with current ISKA membership)
$40 for Non-Members.
Register ahead of time online or pay in person at the session.

For more information, call Hanshi Rick Llewelyn at (510) 599-0581 or email us at info@santenkarate.com.

Updates on the ISKA Panamá Seminar

3/21/2018

ISKA Panamá Seminario
Abril 21 Sabado y Abril 22 Domingo
Alojado por Hanshi Percival Jordan, Director del ISKA Panamá
con Hanshi Ricardo Llewelyn, 9º dan (Presidente de ISKA) y Hanshi Robert Stevenson, 9º dan (Director Técnico de ISKA)

en el Country Inn & Suites, Panamá Canal, Ciudad de Panamá

Costo del Seminario (instrucción solamente):
$35 por un día
$50 por los dos días

Programar:
Horario de entrenamiento aún no establecido. Por favor vuelva a chequear.

ISKAPanama

Contacto para mas información:
Hanshi Percival Jordan
+507 6677 2631
pjordan@santenkarate.com

Hanshi Ricardo Llewelyn
+507 6438 1490
rllewelyn@santenkarate.com

Contacto para Reservas en el hotel:
Jazmin Álvarez, Ejecutiva de Ventas
Email: ventas_hotel04@unesa.com
+507 302-5424
WEB: www.countryinns.com/panamacanalpan

Ubicación precisa:
COUNTRY INN & SUITES, PANAMÁ CANAL
Amador Ave & Pelicano Ave, Panama City, 8001
+507 211-4500

Next ISKA Black Belt College Session on Sunday, April 8th in Sacramento

3/21/2018

Save the date for the next installment of the ISKA Black Belt College, coming up on Sunday, April 8th from 1-4 pm in the Sacramento area. Hosted by Sensei John Leggett.

Cost is $20 for ISKA Members (with a current membership) or $40 for non-members.
Join or renew for $35.

Join the Facebook Event.
Contact Hanshi Rick Llewelyn for more information: (510) 599-0581 or rllewelyn@santenkarate.com.

april8BBC

ISKA Competition Team Training on Saturday, May 12th, 1-4pm

3/13/2018

We will be hosting the next ISKA Competition Team training on Saturday, May 12th, from 1-4pm at the the ISKA Hombu dojo, the Benicia Shotokan Karate Academy. Please RSVP to ISKA Competition Team Coach Kevin Little at klittle@santenkarate.com or by phone at (510) 714-4483 if you plan to attend. Training will include agility training, kata, kumite, and conditioning exercises. Please come prepared.
Read more below.

ISKACompTeam

Join the Facebook Event.
Learn more about the ISKA Competition Team and
see future planned training dates and info about upcoming tournaments.

Training Details

Dojo Location
Benicia Shotokan Karate Academy, 949 Grant St. Suite B, Benicia, CA 94510

Training Time
1-4pm

Cost
ISKA Membership is required to participate. To join or renew your membership, click here.

Panamá Update

3/4/2018

Panama City

Update: March 3rd, 2018
After much planning, we decided to cancel the ISKA Panamá Camp at the Decameron and we are postponing the seminar with Sensei Avi Rokah in Panamá until a later date.
Instead, we will hold a special 2-day seminar with Hanshi Ricardo Llewelyn and Hanshi Robert Stevenson to be held in Panamá City at the Country Inn Suites, Panamá Canal on Saturday, April 21st and Sunday, April 22nd.
The seminar is open to local and international karateka.

Seminar Cost:
1 day: $35 USD (Saturday or Sunday)
Both days: $50 USD

Seminar Schedule:
TBD (email us for more info)

We look forward to seeing you in Panamá!

For more information, please contact Hanshi Ricardo Llewelyn:
Email: rllewelyn@santenkarate.com
Phone: (510) 599-0581 (cell and WhatsApp)

New Video: Hanshi Cruz's Kata, 'Shimei'

2/23/2018

ISKA founder, Hanshi Vincent Cruz created a whole series of different kata. One of his favorites was a kata called, "Shimei." It is a very short, compact kata, with a linear embusen pattern, so it is easy to learn, yet difficult to master. Watch the video below to learn more about this little gem of a kata that has a special place in ISKA history. At the end of the video, Hanshi Llewelyn discusses what he knows about the history, meaning, and intention of the kata.

Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions or anything to add. Osu~

Click here to see more ISKA videos.

Next Black Belt College Session: Sun., Apr. 8th in Sacramento

2/13/2018

Save the date for the next ISKA Black Belt College Session:

Sunday, April 8th, 2018 from 1-4pm

180408BBC

Join us for the next ISKA Black Belt College session,
to be held at Sensei John Leggett's dojo in the Sacramento area!

When:
Sunday, April 8th, 2018 from 1-4pm
Where:
Sacramento Traditional Shotokan Karate
at the Gold River Racquet Club, 2201 Gold Rush Drive, Gold River, CA 95670.
Contact:
Hanshi Rick Llewelyn (510) 599-0581 or email info@santenkarate.com.

First Black Belt College Session of 2018

2/12/2018

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the first Black Belt College session of 2018 in Martinez on Sunday, February 11th. Special thanks to Sensei Tom Kubiak for hosting (at Family Martial Arts of America).

The theme for this session was Fluidity. Topics included:

Keri Waza
• Response timing, overtraining hip pendulum action, coordinating breath and movement
Gojushiho Sho
• Body dynamic elements and fluidity of the transition between rapid techniques
Ukemi and a few throws
• Review of rolling and falling technique, throws in self-defense situations and getting out from underneath an attacker if pinned to the ground.

The next Black Belt College session will be on Sunday, April 8th, from 1-4pm in Sacramento, to be hosted by Sensei John Leggett. The dojo has moved since last year. The new location will be Gold River Racquet Club, 2201 Gold Rush Drive, Gold River, CA 95670.

Learn More About the ISKA Black Belt College

Thought of the Day - Feb. 12th, 2018

2/12/2018

Stumbled upon a great website recently: Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais.
He has a great episode with Mark Divine, who has wide background in physical and mental training, including designing training programs for Navy Seals.

One quote from the episode really struck a chord with me:

“Mastery is a progressive process of integration refining the physical, mental, emotional, intuitional, spiritual until they emerge as one.”

5rings

Check out the episode:
https://findingmastery.net/mark-divine/
and check out one of his articles from his "Unbeatable Mind" website:
"What is Mental Toughness and Why is it Important?"
(I love "Embrace the Suck"...)

Ozawa Cup Coming up March 29th - April 1st, 2018 in Vegas

2/8/2018

For those that are interested, the Ozawa Cup is scheduled for Friday, March 29th through Sunday, April 1st this year in Las Vegas. This is a big tournament and can be fun to go as a competitor and spectator.
Please see details below.

Event Website:
http://www.ozawa-tournament.com

For more information:
Email: info@ozawacup.com
or call Sensei James Tawatao at (702) 873-0891

Why is it called the "Ozawa Cup"?
Read about Shihan Osamu Ozawa - lots of interesting karate history! Click the link below.
http://www.ozawa-tournament.com/Shihan%20Ozawa%20Story.htm

TOURNAMENT DETAILS INFORMATION

Register Online

Register by mail

Tournament Rules
• Ippon Shobu Rules
• Nihon Shobu Rules
• WKF Kumite Rules
• Kata & Kobudo Rules

Never Failing

2/2/2018

"I had mistakes, plenty, but I had no failures. We may not have won a championship every year. We may have lost games. But we had no failures. You never fail if you know in your heart that you did the best of which you are capable. I did my best. That is all I could do.

Are you going to make mistakes? Of course. But it is not failure if you make the full effort.

I told my players many times, ‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.’ if you prepare properly, you may be outscored, but you will never lose. I wanted our players to believe that to their very souls because I know it is the truth. You always win when you make the full effort to do the best of which you’re capable.

I also know that one one person on earth knows if you made your best effort: not your coach, not your employer, not your husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, brother or sister. The only person who knows is you. You can fool everyone else.”

Kanazawa57

Kanazawa famously competed in 1957 with a broken hand. He did not let his injury be an obstacle to giving his best performance.

From “Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court” by Coach John Wooden, with Steve Jamison. Page 55.
Read more about Coach Joh Wooden and his impact on sport, sport psychology, and leadership.

CoachWooden

Coach John Wooden with his UCLA team. Image from this NYT article.

ISKA Competition Team Updates

1/31/2018

STARTING OFF THE NEW YEAR
We had a good turnout for the Competition Team training on Jan. 27th. If you didn't catch us live on Facebook as we streamed the days activities, you can check it out here and here. Our training consisted of agility ladder training, kata, and kumite drills.

Upcoming Tournaments
Coach Sensei Kevin Little is encouraging everyone to sign up for the AMAS Tournament, coming up on Sunday, March 25th in South San Francisco. This is a well-organized, medium-to-large local tournament for kids and adults featuring Kata, Kumite, Team Kata, & Team Kumite categories.
For more upcoming tournaments, look here.

Next Training Session
We will likely have two more training sessions before the March 25th tournament date. The date has not been definitively decided yet, but will likely be Feb. 24th and March 17th. Please email Sensei Little to RSVP for the trainings or with any questions. (klittle@santenkarate.com)

Current ISKA Membership Required to join Team Trainings
We request that all members have a current ISKA Membership for participation. Please make sure your membership is current. An annual ISKA Membership may be purchased for $35 online or at the event. These trainings are FREE, as a benefit to ISKA Members in preparing them for competition opportunities through precise training methods, experience, and performance feedback.

Learn more about the ISKA Competition Team.

ISKA Panamá Camp to be Cancelled for 2018

1/28/2018

UPDATE: JANUARY 28th, 2018

Good News & Bad News:

Bad News first - On account having low interest in attending this year's ISKA Panamá Camp, we have decided to cancel the 2018 ISKA Panamá Camp as of Jan. 28th, 2018. We realize that students may not be able to attend every year that we offer this amazing training experience, but we hope to try to offer it again next year, and with ongoing interest, on a multi-annual basis.

The Good News - Despite choosing to cancel the ISKA Panamá Camp for 2018, we are still proceeding with the Avi Rokah Seminar, slated for Saturday & Sunday, April 21st & 22nd, to be held in Panamá City, Panamá. So if you were highly disappointed by the cancellation of the ISKA Panamá Camp, you still have a great training opportunity in Panamá, with Kyoshi Avi Rokah. If enough people are interested, we will try to coordinate some sight seeing adventures in addition to the weekend training.

Please email us ASAP with your interest in attending the Kyoshi Avi Rokah Seminar on April 21st & 22nd, so we can begin making arrangements. Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions.

Kind Regards,

Hanshi Ricardo Llewelyn
ISKA President
rllewelyn@santenkarate.com
(510) 599-0581

Laura Lorenz
ISKA Executive Secretary
llorenz@santenkarate.com
(510) 775-1955

Click here to learn more about the Kyoshi Avi Rokah Seminar in Panamá...

ISKA Panama Camp Info Meeting - Sat. Jan. 20th, 11:30am-12:30pm

1/14/2018

18PTYCampMtg

Join us on Saturday, January 20th, 2018 from 11:30am-12:30pm at the Benicia Shotokan Karate Academy or by Conference Call to learn more about the 2018 ISKA Panamá Camp. Please email us at info@santenkarate.com to RSVP for the session or call Hanshi Llewelyn at (510) 599-0581.

ISKA Panama Camp Info Meeting Conference Call Details
Phone: +1 (786) 535-3119 Access Code: 545-232-861
Or use VOIP on computer, tablet of smartphone by clicking on this link
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/545232861

This year's camp follows an extraordinary revival of the camp last May. We are hoping to have an equally awesome camp this year and even more fun activities and sightseeing opportunities in mind for participants before or after the camp.

The ISKA Panamá Camp is THE PREMIERE DESTINATION MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING CAMP in Central America and Panamá is certainly one of the most interesting country in the region - a hub for maritime commerce, financial activities, and exchange of culture.

Learn More about the ISKA Panamá Camp