I hope this newsletter finds everyone safe and well. It is certainly a challenging and interesting time we are living in. I miss not seeing you and training with you at the dojo, but also recognize we are all doing what we need to do to keep everyone safe and healthy. In reaching out I wanted to let everyone know about some of the things that have occurred over the last few months, some of the things we currently have underway and ways that you can continue your karate training while you are off.
Ontario Chito Ryu Association of Ontario Annual Tournament
Fall/Winter 2020 (TBD), more information to follow.
Ontario Chito Ryu Association of Ontario Annual Tournament
Fall/Winter 2020 (TBD), more information to follow.
| Karate Home Study Program: In March we launched our Karate Home Study program to support our Karate club members with their training at home while self isolating and practicing social distancing. This includes our Zoom Online Interactive Karate classes, the launching of both the New Hamburg Karate Club Facebook and Instagram pages and also providing additional online resources (example: Chito Ryu kata Youtube videos) to support students while practicing at home. 1.) Zoom Online Interactive Karate Classes: On April 6, 2020 we launched our Zoom classes and currently have over 30 members participating.The classes occur on both Monday and Thursday nights from 7-8 pm for students 8 years of age and older. Classes include a large group warm up and karate training drills before breaking up into smaller break out groups to focus on belt specific requirements and then ending off with another large group session for stretching and wrap up. We also offer private 30 minute classes that students can schedule throughout the week to keep up with their training or get additional training. It’s been great seeing, connecting and training with students through this Zoom format. An important part of the Zoom format is also practicing in between classes, so I would like to continue to encourage all participants to incorporate that in their weekly routines. |
2.) NHKC Facebook, Instagram and Website:
In March we launched both the New Hamburg Karate Club Facebook and Instagram pages and also have been updating our website. On Facebook specifically, there are some fantastic resources available for all students to help you train at home. For example, a number of Chito Ryu dojos in Ontario have posted pre-recorded mini classes (30-40 minutes) and training exercise videos. We have shared these with you on the NHKC face book page and are adding new ones every few days. The videos are geared for students of all ages and ranks and teach a wide range of Chito Ryu fundamentals from basic waza, kata, kumite drills, stretching, etc.. If you have not viewed them yet or tried a class, please do so. They are excellent and very worthwhile to help you keep up with your karate training while at home. Facebook and Instagram are also great ways to stay engaged and connected with fellow students, instructors, our Chito Ryu karate associations, and our fellow Chito Ryu community in Ontario, Canada and the world. We would like to encourage all students to visit both our NHKC Facebook and Instagram pages and “follow" and “like” us. Note: Our Instagram page is still a bit of a work in progress, but we are hoping to also use it to share and post more content soon.
3.) Staying Connected and Additional Resources/Supports.
Many of you are training regularly at home and some of you have even set up your own designated training area with mats and other equipment. Regardless of the amount of space or equipment you have, I would like to encourage you all to continue with your karate training in any way you can. Karate is a great way to stay both physically and mentally fit and provides a healthy focused distraction during these challenging times. From time to time you may have questions regarding the katas/kihons you are practicing, how to perform certain moves or even have technical questions about how to set up Zoom or Facebook. Please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or phone if you have any questions or need any help. I would like to both encourage you and support you in developing your at-home karate practice in any way I can. We have a karate manual, which many of you have already, that is an excellent resource for at home practice. We’ve also identified some additional online resources, specifically videos of all of our Kihons and Katas. If you are interested in viewing these videos, please let me know and I can share the hyper links with you via e-mail. They are a great way of following along and learning by observation.
I have previously stated this but I think it is worth repeating. I think one of the greatest challenges that I’m seeing is a sense of not being as socially connected as we once were. Humans are social creatures and the times we are living in makes it difficult for us to get connected in our usual ways. It’s important for us to be aware of this and look at how we can reach out and connect with and support each other. I encourage you to stay connected with each other. Please know that we are here to support you in any way we can, so please reach out. Take care and be safe!
Special Thanks: A lot of hard work has gone into the development and support of our NHKC Zoom online classes, Facebook, Instagram and updates to our website. I would like to send out a special thanks to Paul Arsenault for his hard work and support in making this all happen, often from behind the scenes. On behalf of all the members, much thanks and appreciation!
Date to remember:
May 18 - No class Victoria Day weekend.
Kansou
The monthly Kansou, or "thought for contemplation", is brought to us courtesy of Sempai Burnside. Please check out our website each month for sempai's most recent thought.
In March we launched both the New Hamburg Karate Club Facebook and Instagram pages and also have been updating our website. On Facebook specifically, there are some fantastic resources available for all students to help you train at home. For example, a number of Chito Ryu dojos in Ontario have posted pre-recorded mini classes (30-40 minutes) and training exercise videos. We have shared these with you on the NHKC face book page and are adding new ones every few days. The videos are geared for students of all ages and ranks and teach a wide range of Chito Ryu fundamentals from basic waza, kata, kumite drills, stretching, etc.. If you have not viewed them yet or tried a class, please do so. They are excellent and very worthwhile to help you keep up with your karate training while at home. Facebook and Instagram are also great ways to stay engaged and connected with fellow students, instructors, our Chito Ryu karate associations, and our fellow Chito Ryu community in Ontario, Canada and the world. We would like to encourage all students to visit both our NHKC Facebook and Instagram pages and “follow" and “like” us. Note: Our Instagram page is still a bit of a work in progress, but we are hoping to also use it to share and post more content soon.
3.) Staying Connected and Additional Resources/Supports.
Many of you are training regularly at home and some of you have even set up your own designated training area with mats and other equipment. Regardless of the amount of space or equipment you have, I would like to encourage you all to continue with your karate training in any way you can. Karate is a great way to stay both physically and mentally fit and provides a healthy focused distraction during these challenging times. From time to time you may have questions regarding the katas/kihons you are practicing, how to perform certain moves or even have technical questions about how to set up Zoom or Facebook. Please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or phone if you have any questions or need any help. I would like to both encourage you and support you in developing your at-home karate practice in any way I can. We have a karate manual, which many of you have already, that is an excellent resource for at home practice. We’ve also identified some additional online resources, specifically videos of all of our Kihons and Katas. If you are interested in viewing these videos, please let me know and I can share the hyper links with you via e-mail. They are a great way of following along and learning by observation.
I have previously stated this but I think it is worth repeating. I think one of the greatest challenges that I’m seeing is a sense of not being as socially connected as we once were. Humans are social creatures and the times we are living in makes it difficult for us to get connected in our usual ways. It’s important for us to be aware of this and look at how we can reach out and connect with and support each other. I encourage you to stay connected with each other. Please know that we are here to support you in any way we can, so please reach out. Take care and be safe!
Special Thanks: A lot of hard work has gone into the development and support of our NHKC Zoom online classes, Facebook, Instagram and updates to our website. I would like to send out a special thanks to Paul Arsenault for his hard work and support in making this all happen, often from behind the scenes. On behalf of all the members, much thanks and appreciation!
Date to remember:
May 18 - No class Victoria Day weekend.
Kansou
The monthly Kansou, or "thought for contemplation", is brought to us courtesy of Sempai Burnside. Please check out our website each month for sempai's most recent thought.
