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February / March 2015
Soke and The Seminar Group in Warsaw, Poland – November 2014
SOKE IN POLAND
In November, Soke Kubota and Kyoshi Rod Kuratomi travelled
to Warsaw, Poland to teach karate and kubojitsu seminars. The
seminar was hosted by Shihans Jacek and Krzysiek Chalupka.
In attendance were several dojos from the Poland area and also
our dojos from Italy, Belarus and Serbia. Once again, the
Brothers Chalupka did a fantastic job organizing the trip. The
hospitality was fantastic and the weekend was capped off by a
wonderful banquet complete with the finest Polish cuisine and
music. We would like to sincerely thank our hosts and to our
dedicated IKA groups that travelled long distance to attend the
event. The IKA continues to grow in Europe and it is due to the
dedication and training of our affiliates.
KUBOTAN SEMINAR
Monterrey, Mexico – March 14, 2015
Soke Kubota and Kyoshi Rod Kuratomi will be travelling to
Monterrey, Mexico to teach a one day intensive Kubotan
seminar (all day of a “little ouchy!”). The host will be our long
time kubotan instructor, Tomas Miledi. For more information,
contact Sensei Miledi at his email at:
info@tomasmiledi.com
ITALY TOURNAMENT AND SEMINARS
Turin, Italy – May 1-3, 2015
We thank you and look forward to our next visit !
Osu!
HOLIDAY PARTY A BLAST!
Soke would like to thank all that came out and attended the
annual IKA Holiday party in December. It was a fantastic event
with a 40 foot long table of food and drink. This is the annual
event that all IKA members look forward to and all IKA
members and their family are invited and encouraged to attend.
Mark your calendar for the next party which is slated for the
Saturday before Thanksgiving which will be Saturday
November 21st . By having the party early, it will not conflict
with so many other events during the holidays in December.
Don’t miss it!
Soke Kubota will be traveling to teach seminars and oversee an
advanced black and brown belt tournament in Turin (Torino)
Italy. The weekend will be hosted by long time and dedicated
instructor, Hanshi Giorgio Bortolin. For this trip, IKA
Headquarters will be sending a group to honor Hanshi Bortolin
for his many years of dedication and service. We expect Thea
Kubota and Kyoshi Ted Bratakos will accompany Soke as well
as Kyoshi Rod Kuratomi and his wife Cheryl. Seminars will be
on May 1st and 2nd with the Tournament on Sunday May 3rd. We
expect attendance from our Italy groups as well as Serbia,
Belarus, and Poland. For more information, contact Hanshi
Bortolin at his email at:
aik@karate-aik.it
February / March 2015
Soke in Poland with Hanshi Pajello and the Black Belts Attending the Seminar
SOKE TO TEACH NIKKEI GAMES SEMINAR
Los Angeles, - August 8, 2015
Soke will be teaching a seminar on choke holds, wrist locks,
arm bars and counters as well as kaishi waza (force redirection)
at the Nikkei Games seminar at Centenary United Methodist
Church. The same day, Shihan Fumio Demura will be teaching
a seminar on the nunchaku. The cost is only $30 for both
seminars. For more information see the Nikkei Karate website
at:
www.nikkeikarate.com
and does not vary regardless of the number events you are
registered for. Cost for spectators is free.
Volunteers are critical for the continued success of this
tournament. Last year, volunteers for the event were in short
supply. If you can assist in any way, your help will be greatly
appreciated. We need people to judge, time keep, score keep,
and to help set up and clean up after the event. Any assistance of
any kind will be greatly appreciated. For additional information
and registration information, you can contact Kyoshi Rod
Kuratomi at:
Kuratomi@yahoo.com
NIKKEI GAMES TOURNAMENT
On Sunday August 9th, 2015, the annual Nikkei games
tournament will be held at the Pyramid at Cal State University
Long Beach. The tournament is unique in that it is a karate,
kendo, and judo tournament, all in the same room at the same
time. Spectators are able to see all three events taking place
simultaneously.
The tournament is designed to foster good will among the
martial arts community and is a sponsored event. Cost for
registration is only $30 for pre-registration and $35 for
registration the day of the event. This includes a free Nikkei
games T-shirt for all competitors. The entry fee is a fixed cost
IKA 51st ANNUAL ALL STAR TOURNAMENT
Mark your calendar for the next IKA All Star Tournament to be
held in Los Angeles at Occidental College on Sunday, October
4th, 2015. This tournament has been steadily growing over the
past several years with many international competitors. Hope to
see you in LA! Email Soke for more information if you are
interested in attending.
February / March 2015
MOTHER DAUGHTER SELF-DEFENSE CLASS COMING
Soke will soon announce the dates of the Mother/Daughter self
defense class. This class will be taught once a week for three
consecutive weeks on Saturdays from 11 am to 12 pm at a cost
of only $25 for both the mother and the daughter. Help keep
your family safe and have them attend the class. You can’t
afford not to ! No martial arts experience necessary. The start
date to be announced.
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY RATE
Let your friends and family know, the IKA Headquarters is
running a special promotional rate for new students. The
introductory cost will be $50 for one month. This is a huge
discount over the normal $105 per month rate. This gives a great
opportunity for family and friends to try karate without a large
financial investment. (After one month, normal rates apply. Ask
for family and multi month discounts)
NEW ZEALAND TO TRAIN AT HQ
Soke welcomes Sensei Scott McKenzie and his group from New
Zealand that will be training for one week at IKA Headquarters.
Sensei Scott and his group will be coming in the month of May.
This is an excellent opportunity to get training right from the
source. Soke welcomes all visiting groups to come and train at
IKA Headquarters. We can also arrange special Dan testing for
those visiting students. If you are interested, email Soke to make
sure he is in town when you come to visit.
NEW IKA DOJO IN ARMENIA
The IKA would like to welcome Sensei Andrey Piliposyan of
Armenia to the IKA organization. Sensei Piliposyan was
recruited by Shihan Dai Andrei Vedernikov. We welcome
Armenia to the IKA and look forward to a long relationship with
Sensei Piliposyan. We also thank Shihan Dai Vedernikov for his
support.
IKA CALENDAR
Kubotan Seminar with Soke Kubota
Mexico – March 14, 2015
Host: Tomas Miledi
Black Belt Tournament
Torino, Italy – May 1-3, 2015
Host: Hanshi Giorgio Bortolin
Nikkei Games Tournament and Seminar
Long Beach, California August 9, 2015
Seminar, Saturday August 8th with Soke Kubota in Los
Angeles
51st Annual IKA All Star Tournament
Los Angeles – October 4, 2015
February / March 2015
Intelligent and interested adults who, while still admiring the
martial arts, decide they simply are not willing to invest the
time, energy and money to pursue them in earnest. It is wise for
instructors not to urge such students to continue their studies.
Martial arts, unlike, say, guitar playing, is not something one
can do haphazardly, just now and then. With a guitar, one has
the choice of learning a few chords or of going on and becoming
expert. In martial arts, it goes against the system to stay at the
“few chords” stage.
MASTERS FORUM
The Masters Forum is dedicated to increasing the knowledge
base of the IKA Family. Each month we will try to cover a new
topic on a multitude of facets of the art, dealing with all levels
of expertise. This month, we are reprinting an article from
Aibudo on “Why Students Drop Out of Martial Arts Classes”. If
we know why people drop out, we can learn how to keep them
training.
In fact, if a student is going to quit the martial arts, the early-belt
stage is probably the best time, for there has been no great
investment–of time or money. For whatever reasons, the
student has decided the martial arts are not for him or her. Who
can argue? Let them go.
Why Students Drop Out of Martial Arts Classes
OCTOBER 6, 2014
Source: Aibudo
The high dropout rate among martial arts students is not
surprising: many come in with visions of Bruce Lee and leave
with memories of knuckle push-ups. Instead of being formed
into acrobatic fighting machines within a month, they have been
forced to perform boring and repetitious sets of blocks, kicks
and stretching exercises.
Brown Belt Slump
The World Tang Soo Do Association “Black Belt Manual”
describes the brown belt stage as “analogous to the plants which
curtail their growth and prepare to flower in late summer.” The
brown belt is a sort of plateau, in which the student has become
adept at basics and is ready to gear up for the harder training
leading to a black belt.
In many cases, dropping out is a considered decision made by a
person who recognizes that he or she is not willing or able to
commit the time and energy to learn a sophisticated system that,
ideally, requires a lifetime of study. Other times, however,
students drop out when they hit a slump, telling themselves they
will just take a break from the martial arts and then return.
Most, of course, never come back.
A student who earns a brown belt is justifiably proud. However,
with this pride often comes a sense of complacency, the feeling
that “I’ve earned my brown belt, now I can sit back and take it
easy awhile.” Quite frequently this feeling deteriorates into a
slump in which the student loses his or her sense of motivation,
attends class less often, and slacks off in practice. The brown
belt slump seems to be one of the most difficult syndromes for
the students to conquer. Those students who decide to lay off at
this point just for “awhile” often never return. This is
compounded by the fact the student may feel confident in selfdefense skills and not feel a burning need to learn more.
There are three danger periods in martial arts training, times
when students are most likely to quit. Following is a look at
these three periods, with an explanation as to why they occur.
Early-Belt Fizzle
By far the greatest number of students leave the martial arts
after earning their first or second belt promotion. As mentioned
previously, these students often go in with superficial
motivation and quickly realize they’re not willing to sweat and
suffer for the next few years to achieve their goal. Yet they are
unwilling to be outright “quitters,” so they stay on to earn that
first or even second promotion before dropping out. Thus, they
are left with at least a mild sense of accomplishment, having
earned a belt in the martial arts.
Lower-belt students should be cautioned in advance about this
brown belt slump, which at times seems almost universal.
Instructors should tell students to expect such feelings so that
they will not be lulled into the false security that may ultimately
end in their quitting the school. Forewarned, they can recognize
the symptoms of the brown belt slump and wait it out. The cure
is to continue practice on a minimal level, forcing oneself to go
through the basics until the slump has passed. For, as black
belts can attest, once the brown belt slump has passed, a
Some students quite honestly realize at this time, that they are
not willing or able to meet the demands of martial arts training.
Please address all email regarding Affiliation, Membership, Tournaments, Seminars,
Karate and Police Training to: Soke@ikakarate.com
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February / March 2015
remarkable and unexpected energy surges forth. Suddenly, that
“plant” begins to flower!
Black Belt False Peak
To a beginning martial artist, the black belt represents the
ultimate goal. He or she can rarely see beyond that. And that is
as it should be. To a person standing in a valley, the mountain
peak on the horizon appears to be the highest, when in fact it is
merely one of the lower peaks at the edge of a vast, unseen
mountain range.
QUOTES OF THE MONTH:
“Karate aims to build character, improve human
behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not,
however, guarantee it.” –
Yasuhiro Konishi (founder of Shindo Jinen-ryu
Karate)
As a student approaches his or her black belt, however he or she
should recognize it as merely the end of one life cycle and the
beginning of another. Unfortunately, some students reach their
first-degree black belt and decide they have mastered their art
and obtained their goal–and they wind up quitting altogether.
DOJO MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
There are many dojos that still have not paid their annual
membership renewal fee. Please note that if your fees are not
paid you should not be using the IKA name, the IKA trademark,
nor Soke Kubota’s name. If you have financial problems, please
contact Soke Kubota directly to work out special financial
arrangements. It is not about money, it is about respect. Please
observe proper Reigi (protocol) as the overhead of running the
IKA is very expensive. Send Soke an e-mail if you have
questions as to the different methods of payment, especially for
dojos outside of the United States.
This is perhaps the most puzzling of the three danger periods.
Quitting practice after achieving black belt is analogous to
receiving an expensive and coveted car, and then never
changing the oil, lubricating or otherwise caring for the car,
until it finally falls apart at an early age.
A martial artist, black belt or otherwise, must practice regularly
to keep his or her skills honed. Reflexes, flexibility, power–
these attributes do not magically exist in the body and mind of a
student upon earning a black belt.
RANK REGISTRATION
It has recently come to our attention that there are many IKA
black belts that have black belt certificates issued by their
instructors in their respective dojos but they wish to have their
rank registered with IKA Headquarters and have a certificate
issued by Soke Kubota with his signature on it. There are even
some counterfeit certificates out there with a forged signature of
Soke on it. If your instructor is recognized by Soke Kubota as
an instructor that meets his standards, then Soke will register
your rank and will issue a certificate by mail for the cost of
$125. Sent a copy of your existing certificate for consideration.
What’s the cure for this false peak of the first-degree black
belt? Perhaps the answer is exposure to dedicated and interested
masters or higher-ranking students, who can show the firstdegree black belts that they are merely beginners on a wondrous
road that need have no end. All martial artists need to
remember that mastery of a style is a process, not a destination,
and if they can keep plodding past the slumps and false peaks,
their skills will not desert them. They should also remember
that a person must decide for oneself whether to continue
martial arts study. An instructor should not attempt to make a
student feel bad or guilty for quitting. Instead, the instructor
should give the student every opportunity to understand the
reasons for not quitting. Some people are just not ready to learn
the martial arts, and for them it is probably better that they quit.
Yet, when one is ready, truly ready, there is no holding that
person back.
Please address all email regarding Affiliation, Membership, Tournaments, Seminars,
Karate and Police Training to: Soke@ikakarate.com
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February / March 2015
USE OF IKA NAME AND TRADEMARKS
It has come to Soke Kubota’s attention that some organizations
around the world may be using IKA’s name and trademarks without
permission. The name ”International Karate Association, Inc.” (IKA)
and its registered trademarks may be used by affiliated organizations
only after first receiving Soke’s written permission. In addition,
Soke’s hand written signature or the red Japanese signature stamp
must not be used without his expressed permission. The red stamp is
like a legal signature in Japan and is a symbol of authenticity. It
should not be used by anybody except for Soke or for purposes that
he authorizes. The “International Karate Association” name must not
be used by itself to represent your organization. There is only one
International Karate Association, Inc. and it is at Headquarters in
Glendale, California, USA. After receiving approval from Soke, you
may use the IKA name, but it must be attached with another
description to differentiate it from the IKA Headquarters. For
example, if you are from the state of Nebraska, you could use the
name, “International Karate Association of Nebraska” or something
similar. The use of the trademark is contingent on maintaining
membership in good standing which includes payment of annual
membership fees.
DOJO RULES
Each seek perfection of character.
Develop morals, ethics and distinguishable attributes.
Each be faithful.
Be loyal and devoted to a person, cause, or idea.
Each endeavor
Have conscientious or concerted effort toward an end with
an earnest attempt.
Each respect others
To feel or show deferential value, honor, appreciation and
regard for another.
Each refrain from violent behavior.
To hold oneself back from responding with inappropriate
anger and physical force.
COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL
Please note that proper protocol (Reigi) requires that information
matters directly relating to IKA Headquarters, IKA tournaments,
karate training and seminars must be communicated to Soke Kubota
first before contacting other members within the organization. It is
improper for Soke to be the last person to be informed of matters that
directly involve him and IKA Headquarters such as, for example,
your intention to attend his tournament or invitations to tournaments
that are addressed directly to a Headquarters student without Soke’s
knowledge. It is proper respect in both of these cases to inform Soke
first or at the same time that the student is contacted. Thank you for
your consideration in these matters.
INSURANCE ISSUES
Due to increased liability risks, it is necessary that all IKA schools
carry some form of liability insurance to protect the school from legal
issues that may arise from accidents. The amount of liability
insurance will depend on your location. USA schools are suggested
to carry one-million dollars of liability insurance.
Please contact Soke at Headquarters if you have any questions.
Please address all email regarding Affiliation, Membership, Tournaments, Seminars,
Karate and Police Training to: Soke@ikakarate.com
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February / March 2015
CURRENT IKA HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTORS
List of IKA Headquarters Staff and Instructors
President and Founder
Soke Dai
Vice-President
Office Manager
Senior Technical Advisors
Technical Director
National Coach and Advisor
Secretary
Liason, Special Projects
Medical Advisor
Webmaster
Official Photographer
The average training time for the Hanshi/Kyoshi/Shihan
(Master) level instructor is 30-40+ years of training and teaching
and have a minimum required rank. Each instructor not only
teaches but trains as well in order to maintain his/her status.
Title is not automatically bestowed with rank. Soke also has
several other master level instructors in Kubojitsu , Kobudo and
IPT (International Police Training). Shihan Dai is a Deputy
Master level instructor with an average of 20-30 years of
training and teaching. Titles are reserved only for instructors
that are ACTIVELY teaching at IKA Headquarters. Dan ranks
are retained but titles can be changed as Soke sees fit.
Soke Takayuki Kubota
James Caan
Thea Kubota
Carmen Kim
Val Mijailovic, Boban Petkovic
Rod Kuratomi
Ted Bratakos
Judy Rao
Sara Kubota
Dr. Ashok Rao, M.D.
Brian McEvoy
Lee Fisher
Soke Takayuki Kubota – 10th dan
Boban Petkovic
Hank Hamilton
Paul McCaul
Val Mijailovic
Antonio Antonetti
George Sinani
Rod Kuratomi
Tatsuo Hirano
Ted Bratakos
Mark Grigorian
Demetrio Munoz
Marcial Soto
Norvell Carrere
Danny Kahan
Sami Asmar
Stuart Richman
Victor Chico
Alfanso Espinosa
Anthony Boosalis
Fumiko Hamada
Judy Rao
Patrick Reddy
Roy Simmons
Martyn Romero
Randy Blue
8th dan
8th dan
8th dan
8th dan
7th dan
7th dan
7th dan
7th dan
7th dan
6th dan
5th dan
5th dan
5th dan
4th dan
4th dan
4th dan
4th dan
3rd dan
2nd dan
2nd dan
2nd dan
2nd dan
2nd dan
1st dan
1st dan
Hanshi
Hanshi
Hanshi
Hanshi
Kyoshi
Kyoshi
Kyoshi
Kyoshi
Kyoshi
Shihan
Shihan
Shihan
Shihan
Shihan Dai
Shihan Dai
Shihan Dai
Shihan Dai
Sensei
Sensei
Sensei
Sensei
Sensei
Sensei
Sensei
Sensei
We welcome any contributions you may have that you wish to
have published subject to approval by Soke. Submit the articles
to Soke in writing or e-mail them to him at:
Soke@IKAKarate.com
Please address all email regarding Affiliation, Membership, Tournaments, Seminars,
Karate and Police Training to: Soke@ikakarate.com
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