Labor Day Karate Seminar Cancellation

Dear Martial Arts Friends,

It is with tremendous regret that we must inform you that the Labor Day Weekend seminars recently scheduled with Senseis Yamashiro and Arakaki are now cancelled. We received notice today from Sensei Yamashiro that their flights were changed, resulting in a totally different schedule. We apologize for the confusion and any inconvenience that this may have caused. For those of you who remember the 2005 Tokkun Camp, we are now planning on a similar camp within the next two years. We will keep you posted as those plans are developed. Thanks.

Sincerely,
S. Mark and Connie Flynn

Rob Kahn Seminar No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Click on the image for larger version

Click here to download a printable version of the announcement

Battle on the Thames Results

For all of you following our Kickboxing/ Mixed Martial Arts fighters, here are the results from the "Battle on the Thames" in New London, Connecticut this past Saturday.

Doug Mars won on a technicality because his opponent landed some illegal shots at about 30 seconds into the fight. Afire being punched to the back of the head and a knee to the face when he was down (illegal in amateur MMA) Doug was stunned pretty bad. The ref stopped the fight due to Doug's condition and disqualified the other fighter. Doug was pretty disappointed that it went that way, but he got some great experience in his first fight, and is looking forward to another.

Brendan Kelly followed his training and the fight strategies that he was given him to a "T" and controlled the fight the entire time. His opponents' strength was boxing, so he stayed on the outside landing vicious kicks and forced his guy to desperately move in to close the distance. When he did, Brendan took him down and controlled him on the canvas. He had a couple of awesome sweeps and two attempted submissions! In the end he got the win by split decision.

Tim Helmer could not be cleared by the doc as his heart rate was too high from cutting weight, so he did not get to fight. We believe he would have won, too, if he had though.

One of the greatest things about these fights was the amazing support shown by the assistant coaches/ instructors and students form the OKS group. As our fighter and Muay Thai coach Edwin Castro put it, we are like a "Familia des peliadores" or "Family of Fighters." It was an awesome night and alot of fun. Thanks to all of the fighters for doing a fantastic job and thanks to all of the folks who came out to support them!

Don't forget that the dojo has three fighters competing in the "Battle on the Thames" MMA event in New London, Connecticut on June 14. They are Brendan "The Warrior" Kelly, Doug "Roman" Mars and Tim "Timmay" Helmer. For anyone who would like to cheer them on in person (as well as experience the rush of live MMA), tickets are available at the front office of the dojo.

Royce Visits Berkshires

Royce Gracie stopped by the Okinawan Karate School on May 14 for three hours of amazing instruction and training. Over thirty students from the Berkshire group attended the seminar (not bad for a Wednesday night!) Mike Torres of Royce Gracie Jiu-jitsu New Jersey, also brought three of his students to the clinic.

The training focused on techniques and strategies that can be used with or without the Gi. As always, the evening ended with some spirited grappling supervised by Royce.

Jedd Hall (left) receives the coveted Purple Belt from Royce at the recent Pittsfield seminar

Several students from the OKS received promotions at the close of the event including: Elysia Mars to Yellow/White Belt; Calvin & Ethan Mars to Yellow Belt; Alex Iwanowicz to Orange Belt; Dominic Garzone, Stephen Dalton, Chris Paoloni, Edwin Castro and Shannon Burns promoted to Blue Belt, Brendan Kelly promoted to 1-stripe Blue Belt; Warren Harrison to 4-stripe Blue Belt; and Jedd Hall promoted to Purple Belt! Congratulations guys and keep up the good work.

At Royce’s request, Coach Mark Flynn will be making a trip to Los Angeles in June to see the 2008 Mundial World Championships and do some special training.

Students Shine at 2008 Tournament

The 2008 Youth Tournament was a great success in many ways. Students put their best foot forward, competing in several different events (click here to see the results)

Many judges commented on the overall improvement in the quality of Kumite or sparring this year. Thanks to a lot of hard work on the part of instructors and students in practice, this year’s kumite was characterized by improved movement, technique, and strategy (even in the younger age groups!) The Jiu-jitsu competition had grown this year to over 30 participants, with six divisions. Another highlight of the 2008 tournament was the creative kata competition. Students showed amazing creativity in their self-made routines, while adhering to the important fundamental principles of the martial arts.

Of course, the most important success of the day was the sportsmanship and effort demonstrated by the students overall, and the leaps made in martial arts skills as a result. Many thanks go out to all of the participants, judges and volunteers who made this year’s youth tournament possible. Plans are in the works for a possible Adult tournament in the fall of this year!

Tourney Photos!

Hundreds of professional quality Tournament Photos are available for viewing and purchase at www.pps.instaproofs.com. Click on the link to check it out!