Mid-America Karate
Greer Golden, Chief Instructor
Martin Vaughan, Assistant Instructor
James M. Nelson, Executive Director
9192 Norbury Dr., Swartz Creek, MI 48473-1167
PHONE 810-635-7841 FAX 810-635-2189 CELL 810-252-7696
E-Mail: MidAmericaRegion@aol.com
http.//members.aol com/cldwdiver/sckc.htm
2nd Quarter 2007

SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

Spring Camp Showcases Mid-America Talent
This year’s spring camp was held at Willis Intermediate school and the Delaware Hotel on April 14 and 15, 2007. Our special guest instructors included Dr. Martin Vaughan, Indiana ISKF; Carol Glenn, Swartz Creek Karate Club; James Oberschlake, Brown County Shotokan Karate Club; Tatsuun Ryu, Shotokan Karate of Anderson; and David Talley, West Side JKA; all top level karateka within our own Region. Each instructor emphasized a different aspect of karate training; however, all of their lessons blended together to make spring camp a memorable experience. Again, its not just about punching, kicking, and blocking in karate, but also the development of character and a fine personality that each of the instructors exhibited. On Saturday night, everyone gathered at the Brown Jug restaurant for dinner and drinks.
There were forty three students from twelve of the dojos in the Region. Our goal for next year is to get every dojo to send at least two representatives including kyu ranks. The time and place for next year’s Spring Camp is yet to be determined.

Regional Tournament Numbers Down
The Regional tournament was held on Saturday, May 19, 2007, at Willis Intermediate. There were only thirty-one adults and thirty-three youth in attendance, and most of those were from three clubs; Shotokan Karate of Anderson-twenty, Swartz Creek Karate Club-thirteen, and Brown County Karate Club-nine. The good news is that there were more adult kyu ranks than last year, and the competition was excellent in both the men’s and women’s black belt divisions. There were no collegiate participants.
Debbie Hofmann-Ohio State University Karate Club, won the women’s black belt kata division and Tatsuun Ryu-Sotokan Karate of Anderson, won the men’s division. David Talley-West Side JKA, placed first in men’s black belt kumite, and Carol Glenn-Swartz Creek, was first in the women’s division. Returning two time national champion, Chiho Bare, Swartz Creek Karate Club, placed first in senior kata.
There was also controversy at this year’s tournament. Several parents were unhappy because of the way some of the young men and young women were grouped together in the same kumite division. Jim Nelson, tournament director, apologized and promised that it would not happen again. Next year, all youth ages thirteen and above, will be separated by gender in the kumite division. If there is only one person in a particular age group then that person will receive a medal, but will not be able to compete against others. This does not apply to kata were there is little chance of injury.
See page 7 for a complete list of all participants and places.

Regional Meeting Notes
The annual Board of Directors meeting was held on Sunday, May 20, 2007, at the Delaware Hotel, in Delaware, Ohio. Dr. Martin Vaughan, president, presided over the meeting. Thirteen of the twenty Board members were present. In addition, there were six senior students in attendance. Discussions ranged from the ISKF - JKA split to chain of command request. Dr. Vaughan gave a brief history of what has lead to this decision by Master Okazaki and the ISKF Board of Directors to break away from the JKA.
The ISKF - JKA split will have an impact at the national level, but very little change at the regional level. For example, Masters Takashina, Koyama, and Mikami have all elected to remain with the JKA; therefore, they will not be in attendance at Master camp, and Master Takashina will not be at summer Camp. In the future, all dan certificates will be issued by the ISKF, and not the JKA. The final split will be voted on at Master Camp. The technical manual for kata will remain the Best Karate™ series.
Dr. Vaughan also requested that no one contact ISKF headquarters regarding Regional matters unless given permission to do so by Sensei Golden, himself, or Jim Nelson.
Jeff Weber gave a report on Team Gear. He said we have received a profit of $95.75, for 2006. Jeff also commented that the Region would like to keep its profit margin down to make items more affordable. Thus, trying to get everyone outfitted with Mid-America Team Gear.
There is concern that the winter months present a problem for the regional training clinics. A decision was made to continue with the present schedule. Training will be kept at Willis Intermediate; however, there is a possibility that there will be a last minute cancellation due to poor weather conditions. In anticipation of this, a fanout will be developed so that all regional instructors will be contacted as soon as possible. Interested persons may also contact Jim Nelson at 810-635-7841.
In other business, the Delaware Hotel accommodations are not up to the standards that Board members felt they should be, so Kim Weber is looking into finding another location for fall camp. Jim Nelson is in the final phase of completing the Not-For-Profit status for the Region. He has been greatly aided in this effort my Tony Sammons, Kentucky Shotokan Karate Club.

Two Promoted to Black Belt
On Sunday, May 20, two students took the shodan exam. Both Tony Sammons, Kentucky, and Cody Zelaney, West Side JKA, passed. Shodan exams require a mastery of kihon (basics), kata, and kumite. Congratulations to both for doing an outstanding job! The next dan exam for shodan and above will be on December 15, 2007, at Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, starting at 12:00 PM.

Swartz Creek Karate Club Profiled
The Swartz Creek Karate Club was founded in 1973, in Swartz Creek, Michigan. At that time, they were members of the AAKF (All American Karate Federation). In 1977, they became members of the ISKF. Jim Nelson, yondan, began teaching karate in 1982 , and has been chief instructor since 1983. He is assisted by Miguel Garcia, yondan, and Roy Spencer, sandan. Chiho Bare, nidan, also plays an important role in helping with classes. Currently, there are fifty active members, of which sixteen are black belts. Miguel teaches all beginning classes, and Roy teaches the intermediate classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6:40 PM until 7:40 PM. Jim teaches the advanced classes on Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 PM until 6:30 PM, and most Saturdays from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM. He also teaches the intermediate class on Saturday, which meets from 10:05 AM until 11:30 AM. Miguel usually has two beginning classes which run for eight weeks, and cost $40.00. There are three sessions per year; fall, winter, and spring. Club members pay $20.00 per month for training. This includes membership fees. This is made possible because the club meets at the Mary Crapo school in the Swartz Creek school district, and they are affiliated with the Swartz Creek community education program.
Jim started his karate training in October of 1976, at the Swartz Creek dojo. At that time, classes were not continuous year round, so he also trained at the University Karate club in Flint, Michigan. Mark Warner was his first instructor, and there were only a few students with the highest rank being a six kyu.
He first became interested in karate for self-defense and as a way of keeping physically fit. Jim has been to many camps, clinics, and tournaments to gain experience. He also trained in Japan in the summer of 1988.
Probably the person who has had the biggest influence on his karate training has been Don Elford, yondon. Don no longer lives in Michigan, but has been a long time friend and mentor. He has also been greatly influenced by Sensei Golden, and Masters Okazaki and Takashina. One of the memorable moments in his karate life was testing for nidan under Master Nakayama (he did not pass). His favorite type of training is kata practice.
Jim is a retired school teacher, and his other interests include golf, reading, writing (he is a published poet), coaching wrestling, playing the guitar, and going for long walks. He is divorced and has one son, Sean. Jim is the current Executive Director of the Mid-America Karate Region, and plans to continue teaching karate as long as possible.

16 From Mid-America Attend Master Camp Master Camp was held at Camp Greenlane, Pennsylvania from June 8 - 14, 2007. Sixteen karateka from Mid-America attended. The special guest instructors included Mr. Hideo Ochi from Germany, Mr. Hirokazu Kanazawa from Japan, as well as Mr. Yutaka Yaguchi, Mountain States, and our Chief Instructor Mr. Teruyuki Okazaki, East Coast. Training at Master Camp includes the morning run, three workouts a day, meetings, and evening lectures. It is also a time to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. If you have not been to Master Camp, please put that down as one of your “Must Do” things for 2008. At the annual ISKF Board of Directors meeting, the split between ISKF - JKA/WF became final. If you would like more information regarding this matter, please check out the ISKF web site at: iskf.com. One of the memorable events at camp was the interview with Mr. Kanazawa (see related article). He articulated what karate has meant to him, and the importance of harmony in all things. Master Camp offers a unique opportunity to train with some of the finest instructors in the world. It is held early in June of every year, so make plans to attend in Master Camp in 2008.	James Oberschlake (Brown County) Master Yaguchi, Mountain States, Chiho Bare, and Michael Busha (both from Swartz Creek)
	Chiho Bare, Mr. Hideo Ochi from Germany, and Lexie Pry, Swartz Creek.
Pictured above: Greg Hoplamazian, Tatsuun Ryu, Lexie Pry, Sherry Stuermer, Kim Weber, Jim Nelson, Rachel Ryu, Debbie Hofmann, Chiho Bare, Martin Vaughan, Andrew Wolff, Michael Busha, Eric Gunn, James Oberschlake, Adrian Manaila, Jeff Weber.

Lecture by Mr. Hirokazu Kanazawa
By Chiho Bare

In his interview, Sensei Kanazawa stressed the importance of harmony. He set forth five principles to reach this:

• Harmony with yourself;
• Harmony with each technique;
• Harmony in movement and breathing;
• Harmony in power and technique; and
• Harmony in punching and twisting.

He also discussed five of nine principles as related to the concept of harmony.

• Beginning-a flat surface.
  
• The principle of Yin and Yang-for example, as we use the right side of our body we also use the left side of our body. The two are not separated, but work as one.
• The principle of Heaven, Earth, and People.
• The principle Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
• The principle of Trees, Fire, Soil, Water, and Metal.

When asked if there is a written summary of the nine principles, he said, “No.” (Author’s Note) Perhaps these will be explained fully in his next book.
He also talked about the importance of harmony in both kumite and kata in order for a karateka to become complete. For example, when doing Ippon Kumite, it is very technical, but when doing Jiyu Kumite it is more in line with reality. It is no use if the person has not acquired the basic techniques such as timing and distance. When you attain this, then you can start to see the invisible. This is very important for the martial artist.
When doing kata, one must be in harmony with nature. Human beings are just a small part of the Universe, so if you understand your place within the Universe, then you can understand the physical aspects required when doing kata. He also stressed the importance of using the hip and Seika Tanden (center of the abdomen) when doing kata. These are also in harmony with one another, so both the punch and block must be from the hip and Seika Tanden.
Kanazawa Sensei also shared some stories with us. He discussed the importance of karate for children, and how it helps improve their focus and will help them achieve good grades. Sensei was invited to a school to teach karate. He expected that children would be waiting for him, but instead he found only the teachers in the gym. They were very curious about karate because they realized the strong relationship between good grades and karate training. Sensei explained that we do concentrate when we do karate, and that the brain cells and seika tanden cells serve the same function. He recommended that children practice the Sonkyo position (squat with the weight on the balls of your feet, back straight, while your hands rest palm up on your knees-thumbs and index fingers touch) with their eyes closed in order to improve their attention span.
Sensei Kanazawa learned two very important lessons through two different events in his life. The first was in 1957, and involved the JKA All-Japan Championship Shiai (tournament). A young Mr. Kanazawa had a broken arm, so he decided not to participate in the shiai; however, his mother came from Iwate prefecture to Tokyo to watch him compete. At that time, it was a very long train ride from north Iwate to Tokyo. He told his mother he was not competing because of his broken arm. His mother asked him, “Do you do karate with only one hand?” So, in order to please his mother, he competed with a broken arm. To his amazement, he won the tournament. The lesson he learned was that if he was in complete harmony with his opponent, then all of their movements seemed to be in slow motion. He did note that all his attacks and counters were with kicks. This was one year before the famous kumite match with Mr. Mikami.
The second lesson happened while he was visiting England. Someone told the BBC that he could break boards placed in four different directions. When he went to the BBC for the demonstration, he found that the boards had been soaked in water. He told them he could not break the boards because they were waterlogged. The BBC told him that if he did not break the boards then they would consider him a fake. So, he gave his very best effort, but only managed to break one board. He left his foot impression in another one, but it did not break. When trying the third board he heard something break, but it was his elbow and not the board. So, with a shattered elbow, he focused his energy on the remaining unbroken boards. As he related the story to us, his movements seemed to be in slow motion, but he broke the rest of the boards very easily.
Sensei thought about his experience at the BBC demonstration for two or three years, and finally realized that he had used his “Ki” (“Chi” in Chinese) in order to break the wet boards easily. He related this to being in harmony with his surroundings and the Universe.

Memories of Master Funakoshi.
Mr. Kanazawa said that Master Funakoshi could read his students minds. Once when they were taking a taxi ride, Sensei Kanazawa was thinking whether or not he could attack Master Funakoshi while in the taxi. At that exact moment, Master Funakoshi said to him, “What are you thinking?” All thoughts of attacking him disappeared.
He also said that Master Funakoshi disliked snakes, so when the student were very tired from training they would bring a snake to the dojo so Master Funakoshi would stop the class. It worked every time.

Sign Up Now For The Golf Outing
On August 11, 2007, Mid-America will host its second annual golf outing. It will again be at the Friendly Meadows Golf Course, in Hamersville, Ohio. There will be a wave start beginning at 11:25 Am. It is $75.00 per person or $280.00 per four person team. This will include green fees, golf cart, lunch, a door prize ticket, dinner, beer, soft drinks, and a goody bag. Hole Sponsorships are $100.00. Deadline for registration and payment is July 30, 2007.
Proceeds will be used to support the local Mid-America youth and adult representatives attending the ISKF National tournament in San Francisco, California, on October 20-21, 2007.
For more information on registration, sponsorship, or making a donation, please contact Mid-America’s coordinator, Jim Oberschlake at 513-312-7040, or JOberschlake@hotmail.com. You can also visit Mid-America’s web site at, www.MidAmericaISKF.com. On a Friday night, August 10, 2007, there will be a Regional training at the Brown County Dojo, starting at 6:30 PM.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?
By Pat Pollock, SSC (reprinted without permission)

The human body is composed primarily of water. In fact, water makes up 75% of our bones, muscles, and brain, while an even greater percentage makes up our lungs and blood. As the main component of body tissue, water plays a crucial role in all metabolic processes - particularly those that affect sports performance.
Your ability to contract muscles, maintain endurance, burn fat, replenish intra muscular glycogen stores, regulate body temperature, transport nutrients and recover from training and competition hinges on the amount of water in your body. Consequently, you must drink an adequate quantity of H2O to perform at maximum capacity.
Researchers have known for years that losing as little as 4 percent to 5 percent of body-water weight can translate into a 20 percent to 30 percent drop in peak physical ability. For example, a 3 percent dehydration of one muscle can cause a 10 percent loss in contractile strength and an 8 percent decrease in speed. For a person who is training to be a champion, that is unacceptable. Therefore, all martial athletes should adhere to the following guidelines to ensure that they are drinking enough water:
Never wait until you're thirsty to drink. You can be partially dehydrated without feeling thirsty – particularly when you are training or
competing. Make water your primary beverage. Milk, juice and other drinks shouldn't count when you're planning for optimum hydration. If you simply drink water instead of soda, coffee, tea and other beverages, you'll take a big step forward.
Drink water throughout the day, with the largest percentage of your intake between meals.
Drink a lot of water before, during and after training or competing. Doing so will optimize your readiness for exertion, maintain your ability to function during the task and facilitate your body’s recovery when you are resting.
Drink water that is as cold as you can stand. This will help keep your exertion temperature down a bit while working out.
After urinating, drink enough water to replace what you've lost – even if you don't want to.
Sip – don't gulp – your water to avoid ingesting large amounts of air, which can be uncomfortable while you train.
If you train heavily, you should consume at least two gallons of water a day.
Judge your hydration status by the color of your urine: the closer it is to appearing clear, the more fully hydrated you are. If it’s golden, you're in trouble and should drink more water.
By not only optimizing your hydration status you'll also be laying the foundation for improved athletic performance.

Water or Coke?

WATER
#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)
#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak
that it is mistaken for hunger.
#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
#5. Lack of water, is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?
COKE
#1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes
stains from vitreous china.
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.
Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix
with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
#8... To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen
grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
#1. the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail (or a tooth) in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a Hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of their trucks for about 20 years!
Now the question is, would you like a glass of water? or Coke?

Letters to the Editor
Note: The view expressed below by Mr. Young does not reflect the opinions of the editor, Mid-America Karate Region, or its instructors.

Dear Editor,
I found the remark in the article that sensei Okazaki split ISKF from JKA because of lack of representation and lack of democracy rather amusing. Does he look in the mirror and into his own past? I believe the AJKA (AAKF) split from him for exactly the same reasons.
Out of curiosity, did the Mid American Region get a "vote" in the split? Did the ISKF use "democratic" principles in deciding to split from JKA? Maybe the Mid-American Region would like more representation? A larger cut of the dan grading fee and registration pie? Less dues flowing to National? Maybe a vote would be in order. Somehow I doubt it would work.

Writing from Tokyo,
Joel Young

Editional
This was my thirteenth or fourteenth visit to Master Camp (I have lost track over the last twenty-four years), and each time I return home I always feel energized. I often asked myself why is this so? Is it the great training (The best in the world!)? Food (You must be kidding, right?)? Living conditions (What’s better than sleeping in a cabin with sixteen snoring men?)? The camaraderie? New friends I meet and old friends I reconnect with? Who is to say for sure? Perhaps it is a combination of all of these things and more.
Training two or three times a day for six days straight is exhausting (see picture below), so perhaps that is the key. It is something I have accomplished, lived through, and look forward to again the following year.
Each year as I walk around camp, I see four or five hundred men, women, and children who are physically fit, self-confident, and ready to take on what ever life throws their way. How does this compare to the general population? For example, the week after I returned from Master camp, I went to a jazz concert held in the city park in Flushing, Michigan. There was a large crowd of about the same mix as I observed at camp; however, that is were the comparison ends. At least seventy percent of the crowd was overweight, and of those, half would be considered obese. A lot of people were smoking, and many had difficulty walking. After looking at that crowd, I felt blessed that I had chosen a life style and a martial art that encourages me better to challenge myself to become a better person each day. I hope each of you will take on the challenge of pushing yourself a little harder than you thought possible. Then, perhaps you too will feel energized when you step out the door each morning, and will be ready to take on the many adventures the world has to offer.
-Jim Nelson

Regional Calendar 2007

• August 10, 2007, 6:30 PM
  Regional Training
  Brown County Karate Club
• August 11, 2007, 11:00 AM
  Golf Outing
  Friendly Meadows Golf Course
• September, 15-16, 2007
  Fall Camp
• October 20-21, 2007
  National Tournament
  San Francisco, CA
• November TBA, 2007
  Shiai
  Delaware, OH
• December 15, 2007, 12:00 PM
  Dan Test and Clinic
  OSU Campus

Editors Note
If you would like to make a contribution to next quarter’s newsletter, please forward it to regional headquarters for printing. Thanks to all those who helped with this newsletter. Jim Nelson