The Official Dojo Newsletter/JKS Connecticut

-February 2018-

The purpose of this newsletter is to strengthen the Dojo community by informing the students of past events, the state of

the Dojo, and what is being planned for the future. It will also contain interesting facts about Karate, a message from Sensei,

and other informative content. Please remember to log onto our website www.actkarate.com or follow us on facebook at

facebook.com/ryokubi.

Past Events (Saikin no Dekigoto): I. At the International Seminar in Tokyo, it was made clear that JKS needs to grow in the United States. In Europe

and South America, JKS is very strong with over 60 branch Dojo’s. However, in the United States, the Ryokubi Dojo

(JKS/New York&Connecticut) is the only active Dojo in the United States. Sensei Joe-Joe must grow the

organization within the US, which will make the Ryokubi Dojo stronger. By making the JKS stronger in the United

States, it will strengthen our Dojo I immensely. I am looking forward to this challenge, but it will require a bit of

travelling. I ask my students to help support this endeavor by training hard, while I am travelling.

II. January has been a great month. We welcome Jayce to Tiger Cubs Program.

III. Congratulations to Mr. Justin Weisz (1rst Kyu) and Maryam with their new beautiful, healthy baby boy,

named Sami. So wonderful!

IV. Congratulations to Excelsis on passing to 5th Kyu Purple Test. He trained very hard, and we are very proud

of him.

Future Events (Korekara Yotei):

I. In April, we are planning our first Annual Dojo Fitness Competition. This event will be held on one of the

Saturdays to be announced. Each student will be broken up by age and tested in the catagories of strength,

endurance and agility. A fitness trophy will be awarded to first-place winners in each of the Age Groups. This

event is designed to encourage everyone to be fit and healthy. There will be a party afterwards.

II. In April, we are planning a Women’s Self Defense class. It will be for free and open to the public. If you know

anyone interested in attending, it will be a very informative class on what to do in a confrontational situation.

Important Announcements:

I. There will be no Monday class on February 12th. There will be regular classes on the 17th and 19th Presidents

Day weekend.

II. Please visit our new website at actkarate.com or ryokubi.org. There we post a lot of photos of past events,

testing schedule, important information. We are in the processes of fixing the blog page.

III. Please follow us on Facebook.com/Ryokubi. We post a lot of current events, as soon as they happen. The

Sensei’s are not strong with social media, but are trying their best to learn. Any help or suggestions you can

give them, please do. Should we have twitter?

IV. The Ryokubi Dojo is looking to relocate in the Glenbrook area in the next couple of months. Because the

parking situation is so bad, we have must look for a location that offers better and safer places to park for our

students. We have a couple of locations in mind, are in the process of negotiating rent and lease terms. We

will keep everyone updated on our website and Facebook page.

V. Monday Classes are back!

Kids Kobudo class starts at 5:30-6:15pm, ask Sensei about trying out our Weapons Class

Open Mat for Green Belts to Brown Belts at 7:15-8:15

Advanced Class (Red to Blackbelt only) at 7:15-8:15.

Cardio-Kickboxing class from 8:15-9:15

VI. Our Conditioning Class now meets 3 times a week. Anyone 14 years or older can join. You don’t have to be

a karate student, and you don’t have to come everyday. If you know anyone who is looking for a workout

program, please recommend. First week for free!

Get in shape in our Conditioning Class Build muscle and lose weight

VII. We have 2 JKS members interested in Judo. The Judo program needs 2 more Tryouts to activate the Kids

Judo class. Kids Judo meets 6:30-7:10 Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in joining our Judo team,

talk to either Sensei Joe-Joe or Sensei Mikiko.

Featured Article:

Bojutsu/The Art of the BoThe Bo (commonly referred to as a "Staff") is a wooden stick

approximately 6' (152 cm-183cm) in length. They are made of either bamboo, oak, or

rattan. In modern day, some Western dojo uses a very thin and light acrylic bo to

showcase speed and dance-like technique.

According to Japanese legend, the Art of Japanese Bojustsu was founded by the great samurai, Iizasa Ienao (1387-1486). Finding himself outnumbered, he had broken his spear against a tree, but was able to defeat his adversaries with just the shaft. After this surprising victory, the bo was incorporated into the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu (the oldest known Japanese Martial Art). This was the essential part of the Budo curriculum for the samurai.

The Bo was also developed in Okinawa when the weapons were banned by the Shimazu clan of Satsuma in the early 1600's. In the Okinawan Karate tradition, the Bo is taught alongside their empty handed Kata (forms). Unlike the Japanese Bojutsu, which is practiced with the tenents of Kendo, the Okinawan Bo is primarily showcased in kata form.

It is also important to note that there is no definitive Bo or Bojutsu style. As with all Okinawan and Japanese martial arts, each Dojo has their own style or preference, according to the founder and teacher.

Universally, some sort of Bo utilization can be seen in almost every martial art of every country. It is a very simple, convenient, and inexpensive weapon. A shopkeeper can turn his broom into a Bo. A traveler uses a Bo as a walking stick. A hunter flushes an animal out of their lair with a Bo. A farmer uses the Bo for a multitude of reasons, like carrying water or grain buckets, and virtually anyone can find a stick in the woods.

To be a proficient Bojutsu-ka (one who trains in Bojutsu), you need strong wrists and forearms. Strength training is a must. Please look at my YouTube video for wrist and forearm training at: (plug-in).

Bo Kata is pre-arranged form to mimic the movements to fighting multiple attackers. In our system of Yanagawa-Ryu, we have 6 Bo Kata's: Shushi-no-kun Sho, Rinbu-no-Bo, Tenchi-no-Bo, Hikari-no-Bo, Shushi-no-kun Dai, and Yanagawa-no-Bo. Each kata has its own flavor, and showcases a unique attack or approach to the Bojutsu-ka's arsenal of technique.

Bo Kata can also be found in Shito-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, and Goju-Ryu, as well.

I highly recommend you take up this wonderfully profound art...you may never look at a stick in the same way!

If you want to join our adult or kids Kobudo Program let Sensei know.

Words from Sensei:

As always, I want to thank all the students for their continued support. I never understood New Year’s

Resolutions. People make promises to themselves to have a better year, but you can do that anytime. I want

all my students to look at every day as New Years day, and make each day better and brighter. Every day

should be filled with new goals, new adventures, and new challenges. Write down what you want to achieve

today, this month, and this year and pin it to a place you see every morning. This will remind you of what you

expect of yourself and help you to stay focus in achieving those goals. For example, today’s goal: work on fixing

backstance; this month’s goal: make my kicks faster, this year: advance my belt level with good technique. You

can do this with work, school, friends, daily living (eating healthy, fixing up the home, losing weight, exercising

more), etc. Remember, a goal is not a promise or a resolution. A goal is actually accomplishing an outcome you

have set for yourself. Go out and achieve your goals.

Quote of the Month:

“There is no first attack in Karate” -O Sensei Funakoshi’s saying

Birthdays! (Tanjobi):

The following people are celebrating their birthdays in February. Please wish them “Happy Birthday!” or

“Tanjobi Omedeto!” when you see them.

Mr. Chui-JKS (2/9), Sensei Danny-JKS (2/17), Spriha-JKS (2/18), Jayce-Tiger Cubs (2/24)

Final Thoughts:

To the adult students and parents of students: anyone who wants to advertise their business on this Newsletter,

please contact Sensei. The Dojo is a community where students (and their family) help each other. And is it is

always good to know a good Doctor, Plumber, Dentist, Accountant, Painter, Gardener, Dog Walker, etc. The

advertisement is for free, and all I ask is that advertisers be affiliated with the Dojo. Please contact Sensei if you

want to do so.