Seiwakai Canada




KARATE KIDS
Calling all Seiwa Kai Karate Kids! Send your drawing or writing projects about karate, or ask your Sensei to submit them!
"My name is Tommy Guthrie. I have been studying karate under Shihans Yabunaka and Pridham for 4 years. I like doing kata (in particular Sanseiru) the most but kumite is also fun. I just received my blackbelt. The thing I like most about karate is how I feel afterwards - energized and happy!" Tommy Guthrie is 10 years old and is a valued member of the Honbu dojo in Ingersoll. He trains with adults in the black belt class, demonstrating strong endurance and dedication. He also competes on a regular basis and consistently wins a place in the top three in his categories for kata and kumite.	by Mika Janjic, age 9 Seiwa Kai Karate of Hamilton by Aiyana Beardwood, age 7 Seiwa Kai Karate of Hamilton Find the karate words! Words can be found in any direction gedan, goju, te, obi, jodan, rei, gi yamaguchi, taikyoku, dachi miyagi, kiai
*Karate* By: Molly Passmore, Seiwa Kai Karate of Hamilton, age 9 Good morning fellow classmates my name is Molly Passmore. I decided to talk to you today about the ancient Martial Art known as Karate. I have been studying Karate for 2 years now. I think it is great. Karate is the most widely practiced Martial Art in the world. Karate is practiced world wide. Karate started around the year 1600 in O-kin-awa Japan. The Okinawan people had their weapons taken away by their own King named Sho Shin. He thought if nobody owned swords or spears they would be unable to attack him. So the people developed a secret unarmed fighting technique for self-defense. It has became known as Karate. The word karate breaks down into 2 Japanese words “KARA” means empty and “TE” means hand. So, “Empty hands” or “The Art of Empty Handed Fighting”. It helps to develop the mind and body together as one unit. There are over 100 styles of karate being practiced around the world today. The style of Karate that I practice is called Goju- Ryu . Goju is a combination of 2 Japanese words meaning Hard and Soft. So the techniques used in this style of fighting are both hard attacks and softer techniques where we block or throw an opponent. Ryu is a Japanese word which means “School” or “Style”. Goju Ryu was started by a man named Chojun Miyagi. Karate today is practiced in many locations from an official Karate Studio to a church basement or an outdoor park. No matter where it is practiced it is called a “Dojo” which means “a place to practice the way” the way meaning Karate. A Karate teacher is usually referred to as “Sensei” this means teacher or “one who has gone before”. The Dojo I go to is called Seiwa Kai of Hamilton. In our club we have one Sensei. Her name is Lucy. She is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Karate and a 1st Degree Black Belt in Judo. The Chief instructor at our club is a 4th Degree Black Belt in Karate his name is Mike but he has the special title of “Shihan” which means “Teacher of teachers” or “a model for others”. There are many levels of training in Karate. In North America you can tell what level someone is by the colour of their belt. In Japan they do not use coloured belts. You start as a white belt and when you are ready many years later you get your black belt. There is an old legend that everyone practicing Karate was a white belt, but they never washed their belts so over time they became dirtier and dirtier until eventually they were black belts. Getting your black belt is only considered the beginning of your training. There are 10 levels or “Dans” of black belt. Our club uses the following colours of belts in the order of white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, and then black. I am currently an Orange Belt or 7th Kyu. In June of this year our club is holding a tournament here in Hamilton . It is open for anyone who studies Goju Ryu to come and compete. At a tournament there are 2 ways to compete you can either try Kumite or Kata. Kumite is controlled fighting or sparring. You attempt to hit or strike you opponent to score a point. The first person to score 6 points wins the match. Everyone wears protective gloves like boxing gloves so no one gets hurt. The other way to compete is with Kata. Kata means “Form” or “Formal Exercise”. Kata is a set pattern of movement using punches, kicks and blocks against imaginary opponents. It kind of looks like a gymnastics floor routine or a dance sequence. Which is why Kata is sometimes called “dances of death”. So far my teachers have taught me 9 different Katas. I am looking forward to competing in June. At the summer Olympics in 2012 in London England , Karate will be a demonstration sport. Hopefully at the summer Olympics 4 years later it will be an official competition sport. Thank you for listening to my presentation on Karate. I hope you have all learned something and enjoyed my speech. If you have never tried Karate before; come on out for a practice sometime. You'll get a kick out of it. Thank You

Karate
By: Molly Passmore, Seiwa Kai Karate of Hamilton, age 9

Good morning fellow classmates my name is Molly Passmore. I decided to talk to you today about the ancient Martial Art known as Karate. I have been studying Karate for 2 years now. I think it is great.

Karate is the most widely practiced Martial Art in the world. Karate is practiced world wide. Karate started around the year 1600 in O-kin-awa Japan. The Okinawan people had their weapons taken away by their own King named Sho Shin. He thought if nobody owned swords or spears they would be unable to attack him. So the people developed a secret unarmed fighting technique for self-defense. It has became known as Karate. The word karate breaks down into 2 Japanese words “KARA” means empty and “TE” means hand. So, “Empty hands” or “The Art of Empty Handed Fighting”. It helps to develop the mind and body together as one unit.

There are over 100 styles of karate being practiced around the world today. The style of Karate that I practice is called Goju- Ryu . Goju is a combination of 2 Japanese words meaning Hard and Soft. So the techniques used in this style of fighting are both hard attacks and softer techniques where we block or throw an opponent. Ryu is a Japanese word which means “School” or “Style”.

Goju Ryu was started by a man named Chojun Miyagi. Karate today is practiced in many locations from an official Karate Studio to a church basement or an outdoor park. No matter where it is practiced it is called a “Dojo” which means “a place to practice the way” the way meaning Karate. A Karate teacher is usually referred to as “Sensei” this means teacher or “one who has gone before”.

The Dojo I go to is called Seiwa Kai of Hamilton. In our club we have one Sensei. Her name is Lucy. She is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Karate and a
1st Degree Black Belt in Judo. The Chief instructor at our club is a 4th Degree Black Belt in Karate his name is Mike but he has the special title of “Shihan” which means “Teacher of teachers” or “a model for others”.

There are many levels of training in Karate. In North America you can tell what level someone is by the colour of their belt. In Japan they do not use coloured belts. You start as a white belt and when you are ready many years later you get your black belt. There is an old legend that everyone practicing Karate was a white belt, but they never washed their belts so over time they became dirtier and dirtier until eventually they were black belts. Getting your black belt is only considered the beginning of your training. There are 10 levels or “Dans” of black belt. Our club uses the following colours of belts in the order of white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, and then black. I am currently an Orange Belt or 7th Kyu.

In June of this year our club is holding a tournament here in Hamilton . It is open for anyone who studies Goju Ryu to come and compete. At a tournament there are 2 ways to compete you can either try Kumite or Kata. Kumite is controlled fighting or sparring. You attempt to hit or strike you opponent to score a point. The first person to score 6 points wins the match. Everyone wears protective gloves like boxing gloves so no one gets hurt.

The other way to compete is with Kata. Kata means “Form” or “Formal Exercise”. Kata is a set pattern of movement using punches, kicks and blocks against imaginary opponents. It kind of looks like a gymnastics floor routine or a dance sequence. Which is why Kata is sometimes called “dances of death”. So far my teachers have taught me 9 different Katas.

I am looking forward to competing in June.

At the summer Olympics in 2012 in London England , Karate will be a demonstration sport. Hopefully at the summer Olympics 4 years later it will be an official competition sport.

Thank you for listening to my presentation on Karate. I hope you have all learned something and enjoyed my speech. If you have never tried Karate before; come on out for a practice sometime. You'll get a kick out of it.

Thank You