Dojo News for the Month of November, 2011

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Last month, the white belt student who logged the most training hours was Michael Frank. The black belt student who logged the most training hours was Carrie Matteoli. The hours of dedicated training these students put in deserve our recognition! Congratulations!

Last month, the following students were promoted: Taylor Busacca (5th kyu), Sean Scank (6th kyu), Alan Abelson (6th kyu), Jonathan Gill (6th kyu), and Warren Bradford (6th kyu).

Finally, in November we also welcomed 11 new members to our dojo. Please welcome Dren Lithear, Jon Guevara, Jake Mowatt, Autumn Boyette, Adam Preston, Richard Wallace, Cortlandt Barnes, Erik De Jesus, John Tetreault, Eric Hoyer, and Lydia Koller!

Announcement: November Schedule and Testing

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Thanksgiving holiday season is upon us, and this year the USF Campus Rec facility has a limited schedule which means changes for our training schedule.

Monday, Nov 21: Normal class. Practice tests.

Wednesday, Nov 23: Facility closed; no classes but pay attention to Facebook as we may be organizing a carpool to another dojo.

Saturday, Nov 26: Closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Chances are, however, there will be class both Saturday and Sunday at the Largo dojo.

Monday, Nov 28: The facility is open, but our regular room (room 101) is unavailable. We are looking into other room options, stay tuned!

Wednesday, Nov 30: Testing! There will be a class before testing. Please come even if you aren’t testing yourself!

Dojo Training Update for the Month of October, 2011

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In October, the white belt students who logged the most training hours were Michael Frank and Sean Scank (his second month at the top!). The belt belt students who logged the most training hours were Jon Posnick and Barry Engh. The hours of dedicated training these students put in deserve our recognition! Congratulations!
 
Finally, in October we also welcomed 1 new member to our dojo. Please welcome John Tetreault!

Dojo Training Update for the Month of September, 2011

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Last month, the white belt student who logged the most training hours was Sean Scank. The belt belt student who logged the most training hours was Meredith Abel. The hours of dedicated training these students put in deserve our recognition! Congratulations!

In September we also welcomed 14 new members to our dojo. Please welcome Michael Frank, Dren Lithear, Jon Guevara, Sean Scank, Alan Abelson, Jake Mowatt, Autumn Boyette, Adam Preston, Richard Wallace, Cortlandt Barnes, Jonathan Gill, Marcelino L. Rodriguez, Erik De Jesus, and Warren Bradford!

ASU Yudansha Exam Preparation Handbook

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In theory, regular practice of Aikido under a qualified instructor will prepare a student to pass their black belt test and to handle situations of stress, aggression and violence.  However, we are often nervous when test time approaches, as subconsciously we don’t have confidence that normal keiko is sufficient preparation for the above-normal stress and performance associated with testing.  We’ve all heard stories about students who have trained for a long time but had bad tests or even failed.

Psychology teaches us that humans perform best when provided clear and consistent goals and expectations, and then are given the tools to achieve them.  This handbook was assembled to help bridge the gap between testing expectation and preparation by sharing the best advice of some of ASU’s top instructors.

Sharing this handbook and linking to this page are encouraged; please, however, link to the page and not directly to the handbook. While the handbook is worded and focused foremost for members of the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba, it’s our hope that the concepts and advice will be useful for Aikido students regardless of their affiliation or style.

ASU Yudansha Exam Handbook
Title : ASU Yudansha Exam Handbook
Candidate Bio Template
Title : Candidate Bio Template
Sample Seminar Submission Letter
Title : Sample Seminar Submission Letter

Seminar: Sensei Ikeda at Shindai Aikikai, November 11-13 2011

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Our sister dojo, Shindai Aikikai in Orlando will be again hosting Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan this November 11-13 2011.

Hiroshi Ikeda is the founder and chief instructor of Boulder Aikikai, a non-profit school of aikido in Boulder, Colorado, USA. He currently holds the rank of 7th dan through Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and the Aikido World Federation (Honbu Dojo).

Ikeda Sensei began his study of aikido in 1968, as a college student at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo. In 1978, he followed Saotome Sensei to Sarasota, Florida. In 1980, he moved to Boulder to establish Boulder Aikikai, an associate of Saotome Sensei’s Aikido Schools of Ueshiba.

Ikeda Sensei lives with his family in Boulder, where he teaches at Boulder Aikikai. He also travels extensively as a guest instructor, conducting aikido seminars at dojo around the country and abroad.

You can download the flyer below. USF Aikido will be coordinating carpooling, and shared hotels to attend the seminar as a group.

Ikeda Sensei 11-11-2011 Flyer
Title : Ikeda Sensei 11-11-2011 Flyer
Ikeda Sensei Seminar - Shindai Registration Form
Title : Ikeda Sensei Seminar - Shindai Registration Form

Seminar: Sensei Choate at Shindai Aikikai September 23-25, 2011

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Our sister dojo, Shindai Aikikai in Orlando will be again hosting Kevin Choate Sensei this September 23-25. Fees are $85 pre-registered, $95 at the door.

Kevin Choate Sensei has thirty years’ of Aikido experience. He began training in 1976 with Shigeru Suzuki Sensei, where he learned the fundamentals of vigorous training and rarely missed a class. He became chief instructor at Chicago Aikikai in 1981 and has earned a reputation for high-quality instruction, always demanding the best from his students as well as himself in his own personal training. Choate Sensei has trained thousands of Aikido students in the Chicago area, including classes for senior citizens, youth, actors, and dancers.

In 1998, Mitsugi Saotome Shihan awarded Choate Sensei his 6th degree black belt as recognition of his skill and dedication to Aikido. Today, Choate Sensei continues to train as a student of Saotome Shihan and Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan. Choate Sensei teaches as a senior instructor for the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba and travels frequently to conduct Aikido seminars across the country and overseas.

You can download the flyer below. USF Aikido will be coordinating carpooling, and shared hotels to attend the seminar as a group.

Seminar: Systema Mastery with Vladimir Vasiliev at USF Tampa, April 28-29 2012

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Systema instructor Adalberto “Kenny” Gonzalez will be hosting a seminar by legendary Vladimir Vasiliev at the University of South Florida Tampa campus on April 28-29, 2012. This will be an unusual opportunity to see one of the masters of Systema in Florida. There will be more details as the seminar approaches; in the meantime, visit Mr. Gonzalez’ website for waiver and participation information:

Satori Warriors: Russian Martial Arts Instruction of Tampa

5-28-2012 Systema Seminar with Vladimir Vasiliev Flyer