Dear Members,
I hope this e-mail finds you well. With the need to social distance, we have had to make some modifications the last few months in how we practice Karate. We have discovered that individual home practice, Zoom classes and Face book/YouTube videos are great ways we can continue with our karate training while still adhering to public health guidelines. I would like to thank all of you for the ongoing support you have shown to the New Hamburg Karate Club, it’s members and instructors during these changing times, and coming together to support one another.
What is happening now:
Spring Session:
We are currently finishing off our Spring Karate session (Zoom classes). The gradings will be on June 25 (Little Samurai class) June 29th (Senior kids and adult class) - times TBD. Thank you to everyone who has participated and made it such a fun and valuable way of continuing our Karate training. Either on your own or using Facebook videos, I know many of you have been training hard at home and we recognize the discipline, hard work and commitment that takes. Karate is a journey. It involves taking one step at a time (sometimes big steps, but more often small steps), and the most important thing is that we keep taking those steps and moving forward, one step at at time.
Free Summer Classes:
I’m very excited to announce that over the summer (July 6-Aug 27) we will be hosting free Zoom classes for all current/past members. We know the summer is a busy time for people, so we have kept them very flexible. You can attend as many as you like depending on your schedule.
Classes for students 7 years of age and older will be from 7-8pm on both Mondays and Thursdays. Monday classes will include a 25 minute large group warm up and then breakout sessions with individual instructors to work your belt rank specific requirements. Thursday classes will be large group sessions focusing on a specific aspect of karate (ex. weapons (bo/sai), kumite drills, stretching/mediation/breathing, etc.).
To register, just respond to this e-mail and we will include you in the Zoom invite sent out weekly. Please respond by June 18th so we can best prepare for classes based on the number of students and their ranks. If you have never used Zoom before, that’s OK. I will send along some instructions and also walk you through how to use Zoom for Karate training. It will be great to see you all again this summer.
Looking forward down the road:
With the province starting to ease social distancing requirements, we hope to eventually start to train again in person. However, we also recognize that this still might be a ways down the road, when it is safe to do so. In preparation for this, I have held initial discussions with staff at the Wilmot Recreation Complex and have started to look at some guidelines regarding what this return to karate might look like based on National and Provincial health recommendations. The National Karate Association, our governing body, has just released their recommendations and protocols for “Returning to Karate Training” . In addition, many provincial associations are developing supplementary guidelines based on local provincial recommendations and needs. Following these guidelines and those of the province, public health and the Township, we will return to karate in the safest way possible for students, families and instructors. I will continue to keep you updated on the progress, as things change.
Date to remember:
June 25 - End of the spring session
June 25/29 - Grading/Testing
July 6 - Start of the summer session (free classes)
Aug 3 and 6 - No class this week
Aug 27 - End of the summer session
September 10 - Start of the fall session
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
All the best to everyone. Stay safe and hope to see you soon.
Sensei
I hope this e-mail finds you well. With the need to social distance, we have had to make some modifications the last few months in how we practice Karate. We have discovered that individual home practice, Zoom classes and Face book/YouTube videos are great ways we can continue with our karate training while still adhering to public health guidelines. I would like to thank all of you for the ongoing support you have shown to the New Hamburg Karate Club, it’s members and instructors during these changing times, and coming together to support one another.
What is happening now:
Spring Session:
We are currently finishing off our Spring Karate session (Zoom classes). The gradings will be on June 25 (Little Samurai class) June 29th (Senior kids and adult class) - times TBD. Thank you to everyone who has participated and made it such a fun and valuable way of continuing our Karate training. Either on your own or using Facebook videos, I know many of you have been training hard at home and we recognize the discipline, hard work and commitment that takes. Karate is a journey. It involves taking one step at a time (sometimes big steps, but more often small steps), and the most important thing is that we keep taking those steps and moving forward, one step at at time.
Free Summer Classes:
I’m very excited to announce that over the summer (July 6-Aug 27) we will be hosting free Zoom classes for all current/past members. We know the summer is a busy time for people, so we have kept them very flexible. You can attend as many as you like depending on your schedule.
Classes for students 7 years of age and older will be from 7-8pm on both Mondays and Thursdays. Monday classes will include a 25 minute large group warm up and then breakout sessions with individual instructors to work your belt rank specific requirements. Thursday classes will be large group sessions focusing on a specific aspect of karate (ex. weapons (bo/sai), kumite drills, stretching/mediation/breathing, etc.).
To register, just respond to this e-mail and we will include you in the Zoom invite sent out weekly. Please respond by June 18th so we can best prepare for classes based on the number of students and their ranks. If you have never used Zoom before, that’s OK. I will send along some instructions and also walk you through how to use Zoom for Karate training. It will be great to see you all again this summer.
Looking forward down the road:
With the province starting to ease social distancing requirements, we hope to eventually start to train again in person. However, we also recognize that this still might be a ways down the road, when it is safe to do so. In preparation for this, I have held initial discussions with staff at the Wilmot Recreation Complex and have started to look at some guidelines regarding what this return to karate might look like based on National and Provincial health recommendations. The National Karate Association, our governing body, has just released their recommendations and protocols for “Returning to Karate Training” . In addition, many provincial associations are developing supplementary guidelines based on local provincial recommendations and needs. Following these guidelines and those of the province, public health and the Township, we will return to karate in the safest way possible for students, families and instructors. I will continue to keep you updated on the progress, as things change.
Date to remember:
June 25 - End of the spring session
June 25/29 - Grading/Testing
July 6 - Start of the summer session (free classes)
Aug 3 and 6 - No class this week
Aug 27 - End of the summer session
September 10 - Start of the fall session
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
All the best to everyone. Stay safe and hope to see you soon.
Sensei
