Kosho School of Karate

Congratulations to everyone promoted on Saturday, June 5th!

Yellow Belt: Glenn, Adam, Matt, Jim, & Nick

Jr. Brown Belt: Reggie Kelley

Brown Belt: Becky Kelley

Congratulations to all the Juniors (and one dad) who was promoted on Wednesday, March 10th! Great job everyone!

Yellow Belt: Richard, Djulien, & William

Blue Belt: Levi, Bryan, & Bryson

Congratulations to everyone promoted on Saturday March 6th! Great to see everyone working so hard and earning your new belts!

Blue Belt: Chalice & Ashley

Green Belt: Rahul, Rayva, & Mathew

Brown Belt 3rd Kyu: Michael & Andrew

Brown Belt 2nd Kyu: Edward, Drew, & Andy

Brown Belt 1st Kyu: Akhmed & Selima

Happy World Uchinanchu (Okinawa) Day! October 30th is a day designated to celebrate Okinawan culture around the world. Of course, the most famous cultural export of Okinawa is Karate! The Kosho School of Karate was invited to make a short video to include in the celebration.

Thanks to friend of the school, Mutsuki Tomoyose for inviting us to be a part of the video. Also, thanks to members of the Kids & Family class for running a graet kata for the video, and Kosho members Andy Clark for teaching us an Okinawan dance, and Ashley Hopkins for making the video!

Congratulations to everyone promoted in August!  All students have done a great job continuing to work out under such unusual circumstances. All members joined video classes until the dojo was able to re-open for in person classes in May.

Jr. Purple Belt: Thanh-Nya

Purple Belt: Ahshley & Than-Tu

Brown Belt (3rd Kyu): Andy, Drew, & Edward

Congratulations to everyone promoted to yellow belt in August! All students have done a great job continuing to work out under such unusual circumstances. All members joined video classes until the dojo was able to re-open for in person classes in May.

Yellow Belt: Matt, Chalice, Bryan, Stefan, & Ashley

Jr. Yellow Belt: Adrian & Bryson

Andrew Clark, another member of the Kosho School of Karate, was a guest on Chop Talk this week! Andrew Clark joined the show to discuss his experience living in Japan and training in Okinawan and Japanese Sumo. Andy moved to Japan 2004,  to teach English on the tiny island of Kitadaito Jima,  a few hundred miles East of Okinawa. While there, Andy had the unique opportunity to train both Kakuriki, or Okinawan Sumo (also known as Tegumi & Muto), and Edo Sumo, which is the Japanese sumo that most people are familiar with. Okinawan Sumo and it has been a popular grappling art for hundreds of years. Some people, including Shoshin Nagamine, thought that Okinawan Sumo was the original martial art of Okinawa, which later developed in the striking art of Te and ultimately Karate.

At the start of the show, Andy talked about how he arrived in Japan, and his first impressions of his new home. He then talks about how he got involved with the Kitadaito Sumo team, and explains the differences between Okinawan Sumo and Edo Sumo. At the end of the show, he gets into some of the challenges he faced during his training, and the best way to see Okinawan Sumo for yourself.

Listen to the episode here: CT081 Okinawan Sumo with Andrew Clark

This week, Kosho Member, Dr. Andy Wells, joined the Chop Talk podcast to talk about COVID-19 and the Corona Virus. Dr. Wells is an Internal Medicine physician, and will be starting a Cardiology fellowship this summer, at a major academic medical center.  

In the episode, Dr. Wells broke down what this virus is, what makes it different that the flu, the best way to prevent yourself from getting it, what to do if you have symptoms, and the current  situation with protective equipment at the hospitals. He also describes  the best way to stay safe and prevent infections at the dojo. At the end of the show, the doctor and host, Nate England, discuss horrific martial arts injuries and how to treat them.

If there is anyone out there, such as Dentists or Veterinarians, that has mask, or gloves, or other medical equipment, please consider donating it to your local hospital. 

To find the latest info on the Corona Virus and Covid-19, visit the CDC’s website at www.CDC.gov.

Listen to the episode here: https://choptalk.podbean.com/e/ct080-covid-corona-karate-with-dr-andy-wells/

Online Classes began this week, and were a major success! On Monday, Sensei Hamann taught the first ever video class for the Kosho School of Karate. By Wednesday, attendance for online classes was as high as normal classes! Its great to see everyone’s dedication to training! Your home work out areas are looking great too. Keep it up and see you back at the dojo soon!

On Monday, the governor ordered that all Fitness Centers, Gyms, Workout Facilities, Yoga Studios, etc must stop operations as part of the fight against Covid 19 and the Corona Virus. 

But that doesn’t mean that Kosho members are ready to quit training just yet! Our students are now setting up training areas at home and getting to work! Thanh-Tu & Thanh-Nya followed the kids class curriculum on Friday at the same time as their usual class. At the same time at the dojo, Nate England ran all of his kata, hit the bag, and did some weight training. Then on Saturday he went for a run and did kata in the park. Sensei Hamann did his Saturday morning training routing, working out for 2 1/2 hours and worked on some good training routines that he will share with the students soon. Dave Swingley & Levi worked out Saturday afternoon, and Levi’s block is looking strong! Rahul & Rayva worked out in their living room, doing kata and partner work. Rahul even got in some jo training!!
Great job everyone! Keep training!