Classy Miss Added!

The Okinawan Karate School is happy to officially announce the addition of Sensei Christina Dettor as a student and her dojo in Byram, Mississippi as a satellite school. Sensei Christina and her husband Rob recently endured three days of intensive instructor training in the Berkshires focusing on the compulsory material of Uechi-Ryu/ Shohei-Ryu and instruction strategies in the dojo. Senseis Connie and Mark were impressed with the Dettors’ efforts in training and desire to take their martial arts to the next level. Several Instructors from the Okinawan Karate School also attended the intensive training including Sensei Beth Yanuskeiwicz who now conducts classes at the Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut.

The intensive training included instruction on everything from individual techniques to advanced material and concepts. Special attention was given to maximizing form, strength and spirit in all karate practice. The Dettors also attended some special Kumite and Mixed Martial Arts training as part of their visit. During their visit the Dettors acquired a copy of the DVD “Uechi-Ryu and Shohei-Ryu Karatedo for the 21 st Century”, a terrific reference video recently released by the Okinawan Karatedo Association. The Byram dojo is facing a seamless transition in their kyu ranking system having already inherited the system adopted by the Flynns in 2004 after their first visit to Okinawa.

The Flynns first met Sensei Christina in Okinawa during their visit in November of 2007. Senseis Connie and Mark helped and befriended Sensei Christina as she prepared for her Nidan (second degree black belt) test there. A short time after returning to the U.S., Sensei Christina contacted the Flynns and requested affiliation with the Pittsfield dojo. The Dettors have proven themselves to be intelligent, hard working students and teachers who are very dedicated to the martial arts.

Sensei Christina and Robb also proved themselves to be excellent chefs, treating the Flynns to some awesome southern style cooking during their stay. The Pittsfield dojo is looking forward to a long and constructive affiliation with their new Mississippi satellite of approximately seventy students.

Welcome!

For more information on the Mississippi dojo click here

Rodrigo Gracie at the Okinawan Karate School

Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and MMA fighter Rodrigo Gracie will be visiting the Okinawan Karate School/RGJJN of Pittsfield, MA to provide another amazing three hour seminar. *CHANGED* Wedneday 10/24(6:15PM - 9:15PM)

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.

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!