World Martial Arts Newsletter: January 2004

Special Acknowledgement

To the instructors and students of the Capoeira school who maintained and kept up the morale of their school while their Master, Jo, took time off to have a lovely baby girl.

To all the Instructors and Assistant Instructors at WMAC who have helped support classes, worked with the beginners, manned the desk and assisted with the Brooklyn location... Thank you for your support, contribution and service.

And last but not least: I acknowledge the black belts who have been here through thick and thin, the ones who are as present as the dojang itself; always there to catch the ball when I cannot run with it; always teaching with strength, compassion and integrity; always been a great and unfailing support system. For the dojang, they are the true circle of champions

From Sabumnim

Recommended Book
Listen to your Body (the Wisdom of the Dao) by Bisong Guo and Andrew Powell.

Form for the spring
Won Kang

Sabumnim's quote
(from Buddhism) The pillars of progress are Faith, Practice and Study.

Keep an eye out in the summer for....
-The Dojang Handbook written by Sabumnim
-New Sabumnim videotape/DVD- Sabumnim After Class #4.
-Rerelease of the popular After Class videotapes/DVD’s #1, #2 and #3 (last release in 2002).

School Info

Field duty (on the street) begins again for assistant instructors and all students interested in helping the school out. Please see the front desk to sign up.

Assistant Instructor classes will be once a month (the first Saturday of the month) now.

The school is currently on a rotational curriculum. The 1st week of the month will cover basics; the 2nd week will cover forms, the 3rd week will cover techniques; the 4th week will cover sparring. For the months with 5 weeks, all 4 areas will be covered.

Upcoming Events

May 8, 9- Open house in Brooklyn. Free seminars for students and their guests. Whichever student brings the most guests wins a free uniform ($65). There will be a demo both days, all students invited to participate. And in honor of Mother’s Day, if a student wants to sign up with their mother, the mother gets half off the price. Manhattan school closed that weekend.

May 22- Black belt test/demo. Mark your calendar. Come and support.

TBA- Next 5 Masters Seminar (some time at the end of May).

Student News

Married
Thomas Cheng (red belt) in March, Ryan Rauum (1st dan) in May, Mike Bragg (green) in May, Yvon Ongagna (high green) in June

Proud Papa
Jonathan Thalasinos (high red) to a baby girl. Yvon Ongagna and his fiance expecting in July. Hugh Simmons (blue belt) and his partner adopted an adorable baby girl, Towey.

Debut record
Ilyana Kadushin (blue belt), "From the Beginning"

Hardworking students
Shira Beery (1st dan) scored 1580 on her SAT's while juggling Stuyvesant (remember the days of homework!) and her training. Jennifer Cassetta (black belt candidate) made Executive Team Trainer in a record 30 days in her line of work.

Thank You
to David Rodriguez (blue belt) for building the beautiful weapons rack (yes, he painted the dragon too).

Leaving
Julie Carlson (1st degree), much loved instructor and student will be leaving in mid-June for her exciting new life in grad school in either Philadelphia or San Francisco. Your smile, great energy and martial arts skill will be very missed!

New High Red Belts
WMAC welcome the new crop of high reds, Stephanie Cash, Kidane Gebremichael, Rain Noe, Noelle Sadler and Kristen Walsh

Celebrated
Holly Kozak (1st dan) receiving her U.S. citizenship papers in Dec. This spring, Holly will be traveling back to her country (Ukraine) for the first time in over 13 years. We wish you luck and a great trip!

Black Belt Class of 2004

The Black belt class of 2004 had their closed test in March. All students, friends and family of students are invited to the final part of the test which is open to everyone on May 22nd (location to be announced). Students are encouraged to help with setting up the test. Support your fellow students for you are ALL future black belt candidates!

School Wide Testing

School wide testing in February was a huge success again. Over 90% of the students responded to the call to be warriors and were promoted to the next level. New challenge: Keep up that intensity throughout the year!

Sensei and Kyosanim's Birthday

The cool months also saw the winter birthdays roll around. Thank you to those who contributed to Sensei and Kyosanim's birthday presents. For Sensei (in October), we presented him and his lovely wife, Carol, deluxe massages at the Osaka Spa in midtown. Kyosanim (December) was surprised with a beautiful traditional style Korean cabinet that she had had her eye on

Sabumnim's Christmas Gift

Thank you also to those students who contributed to Sabumnim's Christmas gift. Those bright beautiful signs in our windows facing the streets (conceived of by Jonathan Waks, designed by Vinnie Arnone and featuring the lovely Kat Chan- all 1st degrees) are the students' gift to Sabumnim and the dojang

Master Greg Allen

Master Greg Allen also made his way back to New York after a 2 year hiatus in March. Sensei's old friend is known around the country for his skill in the Filipino martial arts of Kali (a blade fighting art) and Escrima (stick fighting) both featured in the recent movie, "The Hunted"

Five Masters Seminar

In December, the Brooklyn dojang held its first seminar, the 5 Masters seminar. Professor Bill (Jujitsu), Professor Shabazz (Jujitsu), Professor Ernest Miles (Jujitsu), and our own Sabumnim (Hapkido), and Sensei (Judo) wowed the more than 50 participants. In a surprise visit, legendary Jujitsu master, Dr. Moses Powell honored WMAC with his presence. Look for the next 5 Masters seminar coming up in May.

Sabumnim and Kyosanim's Test

While Soke was here, a recognition dinner was held for those of his students who tested earlier in the summer, including our own Sabumnim (now 7th dan-Kyoshi in jujitsu) and Kyosanim who is now 4th dan (Shihan in Jujitsu). They also recognized WMAC students for service (Jonathan Boorstein-1st degree-and Nori Jung-green belt) and appreciation-Joshu Gabriela

Soke's Seminar

Later in October, one of Sabumnim's masters, Soke Lil' John Davis (founder of World Kumite Ryu Jujitsu) held one of his acclaimed seminars. For those who ever have the chance to take one, you'll see why Soke is respected throughout the martial arts community. His humor and gentleness belie his reputation as one of the fiercest warriors around.

Look for his new poster, Legacy, a tribute to Soke featuring his 12 Disciples and his top black belts

Grandmaster Ishida Seminar

The Fall/Winter months also welcomed visiting masters to 427 Broadway. First was Grandmaster Ishida who was here from Japan. A grandmaster in Karate with over 3,000 students, Grandmaster Ishida was impressed with the spirit and excellence of the WMAC students and those who took his seminar were treated to a taste of old school karate techniques and discipline.

Hapkido Weekend

Fall saw many exciting events happen at WMAC. The first big one was WMAC's first annual Hapkido Weekend (September 03). Held at a beautiful rural Pennsylvania camp, 30 intrepid martial artists (including several visiting Masters) made the journey to practice Hapkido away from the hectic pace of the big city. Intensive training, new techniques, a chance to bond with fellow students and of course practicing the "Do" in nature made for one of the best experiences in recent school memory. Look for our upcoming weekend happening in June. Don't miss this one!

WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CENTER