Home - Ohtsuka Amateur Karate Foundation (AKF Karate)

AKF Tournament 2018

What a great day we all had!

There was a buzz in the room all day! We had such a great turn-out, and such energy from everyone!

For those of us travelling up from Calgary, the day started with a 7:00 a.m. bus trip and ended with a 7:00 p.m. arrival home. We saw the sunrise and the sunset from the bus! Our food, and bus visiting was so great – on the trip to Edmonton we talked about Tournament organization, reviewed the Double Elimination Sheets, and Judging practices. Our Youth Leadership Program (Kohai) students were very interested to know how a Tournament works. We will have them assist at the Score Keeping tables next year! On our return trip, the students were overflowing with enthusiasm about the day, and upcoming training.

The shirts and posters are fantastic! During the competitions, the rings were managed so well. The Judging was excellent! Parents, competitors and siblings were watching intently from the sidelines. Our Kohai students were practicing their Judging from the sidelines, enjoying the experience. There were so many wonderful conversations during the day! Students had to deal with the nerves, the events, winning or not winning. The medals were well-deserved, and the overall effort of all the competitors was outstanding.

The Black Belt competition turned into a demonstration because Sensei Rempel was not able to attend. The level of accomplishment was incredible, and our praise and thanks go to those who stepped up to perform. A few of them had a 10-minute heads-up and had to perform on the spot!

Scott took a few hundred pictures, and the best shots are posted on the website. Thank you!

I know that all the Instructors are so proud of their students! We all look forward to our upcoming events and our time together. We wish Sensei Rempel a good recovery, and we look forward to April!

Sensei Trudy

Little Dragons Tournament Training

This is what we do on a cold winter's night in our Karate at Hillhurst club! We are preparing for our annual Karate tournament, which is coming up on March 10th, 2018 in Edmonton, Alberta. Our Little Dragons class had our share of fun with a Haga Kuri ring and a Board Breaking station.

The Kohai program is strong; our Youth are assisting and leading the classes! They are learning to be judges for games, they present an example for techniques, and they assist in Board Breaking.

We are looking forward to our annual bus ride to Edmonton!

Mustard Seed Christmas Donation

This year the Karate at Hillhurst club decided to collect socks to donate to Mustard Seed. They will be put to good use with those that need them!

What inspired this donation? One of our instructors, Sensei Chris, left his socks in the change room during class. When he was changing back into his regular clothes he noticed that his socks were missing! Hmmm... That started Sensei Trudy thinking about the homeless folks needing socks! Well, she made an announcement in class for donations, and we have a huge number of socks, plus a toque, two really warm jackets and some cash!

Thank you to all for your generosity! We really appreciate your donations!

Instructors,
Karate at Hillhurst

"Break The Cycle" Breaking Event 2017

Most fun day ever!

We had an exceptional turnout this year and the “breaking fever” was high! Our participants aged from 10 to adult, and came from our Hillhurst Club, Bow Valley Martial Arts and from our charity, Redefin’d. The volunteers from Redefin’d were so enthusiastic and gained confidence by the break! At the start the youth and young adults were shy to get started, and then as the day progressed, they gained so much confidence and enthusiasm, they ended the day smiling and talking to everyone! Thank you to all that helped prepare for the event!

One of our youth had a stack of broken boards almost as tall as he is!

We are so proud of our members and the young adults from Redefin’d, as well as the efforts of the adult volunteers. We are pleased to donate funds to this wonderful association designed to help young adults transition.

Here is a quote from Liz Duerholt, the President of Redefin’d, to Trudy and Richard Fossey.

“I want to send huge thanks out to you, Richard and your fellow AKF club members. We had an absolute blast yesterday. The youngsters on your team displayed hearts of lions. They kept on trying! I also loved seeing your team teaching and being so supportive of everyone. Our Krew had the courage to break in front of the crowd and by the end, they were chatting up the audience. The day was a huge confidence booster.

A couple of special guests to mention. We had a visit from a photographer that was shooting Redefin'd for an article on ATBX Cohort 2 and we were joined by a member of our board of directors. It was a fantastic day and everyone was more than impressed by the show.

I also want you to know how grateful I am for you. Thank you, doesn't seem enough. You believed in me and the idea of Redefin'd before anyone else and your generosity was the seed funding that turned a dream into reality. Your continued support has been a blessing. My heart thanks you.”

AKF Karate Offers Karate StrengthFit Sparring Class

AKF Karate at Hillhurst is pleased to offer a StrangthFit sparring class in Calgary. Burn calories and learn self-defence at the same time with our Karate StrengthFit Sparring class.

This class covers the karate basics, including kicking, blocking, and punching, and incorporates the latest in fitness elements including body-weight training for strength, cardio movements for stamina, and yoga basics for increased flexibility. By the end of this class, you will have developed a solid foundation in Karate basics, sparring, and self-defence.

Classes run on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 - 8:00 pm and on Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Cost: $140 for the Fall & Winter terms and $80 for the Spring term. There are no uniform (Gi) requirements or memory work. Sign up today!

Karate is Safe … Really!

A number of years ago, one of our Senior Black Belt Instructors was overheard saying “this ain’t tiddlywinks ya know” … hardly a truer word has been spoken!

But, all kidding aside, we all know that we want to be safe in our pursuit of Karate. We want to ensure that everyone from Instructor to student can appreciate Karate for a long time – if we are injured, we can’t train.

Every Black Belt Instructor of the AKF is very aware of the potential for sports injury … especially concussions. Many of us are parents ourselves and work as doctors, nurses, teachers and other professionals who take safety very seriously. The result is that Instructors plan all activities with safety in mind and even though Karate is a contact sport, the incidence of injury in the AKF, including concussions, is virtually zero. The reasons for this are many including:

Kids working kumite with safety gear

The ever present attitude of safety first
- Required First Aid/CPR and Police Checks
Direct, proven, real-life instruction from Black Belt Instructors
Black Belt Instructors ensure all training, including Kumite (sparring), is practiced in a safe, controlled manner
World-class training in proper techniques including
- Blocking
- Punching
- Kicking
- Kumite
  - Partner work
  - Sequences
  - Controlling the fight
- Self-defense
  - How to prevent bad situations
  - How to fall
  - How to get up
Training in proper etiquette
Promoting the use of proper protective equipment suitable for the training
Training to harness and manage the competitive spirit

Another cause of injury can be from improper warm-up and insufficient strength in the muscles and joints. To help combat this, Black Belt Instructors:

Conduct regular warm-up activities including running and stretching to limber up the muscles and joints before Karate training begins
Include strength training and range of motion activities to help build strength and flexibility
Regularly train both sides of the body through line-work and Kata to develop a higher level of coordination and movement

All of these elements, plus more, have helped ensure our clubs are safe environments for Instructors and students alike – all while training hard. This provides for a great learning experience and allows everyone to help themselves, and others, to be safe.

Welcome!

There are many reasons why you might want to learn Karate. For most, Karate is seen as a journey. For some, the journey is short; maybe their goal is to acquire their Black Belt or to learn some self defense skills. For others, the journey lasts a lifetime and becomes a journey of self-discovery, more than simply the pursuit of a martial art. Regardless of your journey...