‘ 北剛柔空⼿道 Karate Studio of Utica Personal Development Student Guide UticaKarate.com Karate Studio of Utica Chief Instructor Profile Kyoshi Shihan Efren Reyes Has well over 30 years of experience practicing and teaching martial arts. He began his Karate training at age 19. No stranger to combative arts since he was already experienced in boxing at the time he was introduced to karate by his older brother. He has groomed and continues to mentor many of our blackbelts both near and far. He holds Kyoshi level certification in Goju-Ryu Karate under the late Sensei Urban and Sensei Van Cliff as well as a 3rd Dan in Aikijutsu under Sensei Van Cliff who has also ranked him master level in Chinese Goju-Ryu. Sensei Urban acknowledged Shihan has the mastery and expertise to be recognized as grand master of his own style of Goju-Ryu since he development of Goju-Ryu had evolved to point of growing his own vision and practice of karate unique to Shihan. This is what is practiced and taught at the Utica Karate. He has also studied Wing Chun in later years to further his understanding and perspective of techniques in close quarters. Shihan has promoted Karate-do through his style of Goju-Ryu under North American Goju karate. Shihan has directed many classes and seminars on various subjects’ ranging from basic self defense to meditation. Karate Studio of Utica Black Belt Instructor Profiles Sensei Philip Rosa Mr. Rosa holds the rank of Sensei (5th degree) and has been practicing Goju-Ryu Karate under Shihan Reyes since 1990. Studied Judo, Shotokan karate as well as Hung Gar Kung fu. Mr. Rosa is the Head Instructor under Kyoshi at the studio. Being Blackbelt in 1995 he is owner / director of our Utica Karate’s programs with the guidance of Kyoshi. Received All American honors while in college for Judo for his performance in national level collegiant competition in San Francisco during his 95-96 college semesters. Karate Studio of Utica Dojo Kun (Maxims, Guiding Principles) North American Goju ! Northern Goju is my secret I bear no arms, May God help me if I ever have to use my art. ! Love is our Law. ! Truth is our worship. ! Form is our manifestation. ! Conscience is our guide. ! Peace is our shelter. ! Nature is our companion. ! Order is our attitude. ! Beauty and perfection is our life. Reyes’ rules of life ! Keep eating ! Keep breathing ! Keep usefully busy ! Block Soft, Hit extremely hard ! Meditate often Student creed ! I will develop myself in a positive manner and avoid anything that would reduce my mental growth or my physical health. ! I will develop self-discipline in order to bring out the best in myself and others ! I will use what I learn in class constructively and defensively to help myself and never be abusive or offensive Dojo Rules & Regulations (please read thoroughly) • Enter the Dojo with an open and receptive mind. • Senior students must call everyone to attention upon Sensei’s arrival and line up by rank. • Everyone must bow in and out before entering and leaving Dojo. • Everyone must have proper uniform attire, clean and neat. • It is not proper to wear your obi (belt) outside of the Dojo. • Only a white Gi (uniform) will be permitted during regular class (beginners) • There will be no unnecessary talking during class unless permitted by Sensei. • No sparring is allowed without supervision by an Instructor. • If you are late to class perform warm-up exercises and kneel at the back of the class until asked to join the class. • If you have any questions, raise your hand and wait to be called upon. • Respect all ranks above or below your own regardless of age. • Refer to the Chief Instructor as Sensei or Shihan. • Refer to all especially black belts as: Sir, Mr., Mrs., or Miss. • Always ask Sensei/Instuctor for permission to leave class or the Dojo. • To prevent disruption, all students are to stay out of the office area--unless invited in. • Make sure all of your equipment, including your bag, is clearly marked with your name. We are not responsible for any articles lost, stolen, or left in the Dojo after class. • Parents and siblings should be quiet while classes are in session. Our younger students are easily distracted. • You should never ask to be tested or to learn a new kata--it is a sign of disrespect and lack of patience. • If any questions or concerns arise, it always best to "go to the source" rather than be upset or "gossip" with other parents or students. We will do our best to address any problems and explain our policies/ procedures. • Weapons/Equipement are not toys, they are a part of your serious karate training and should be treated as such. Membership types: 3 types available after Intro program ! Goju junior - (Basic curriculum intended to get you ready for more training, 2 classes/week) ! Goju Warriors - (Warriors include 2 regular classes per week, plus kata class. ) ! Goju Masters - (min 1 yr of training required, unlimited classes, free to enjoy all classes offered, Discounted rates on seminars in house. Vacations: The school is typically closed for most major Holidays and for a 7 to 10 day period in the summer (usually July 4th week) and a 7 to 10 day period between Christmas and New Years. If you will be missing class for vacation or an illness for a period of more than a week, please notify the program director in writing. You are still required to make payments on your program during the time you are away. Upon your return, time will be added to the end of your program. Practicing at Home: Practicing at home is vital for the student to progress in martial arts training. 80% of what a person learns is directly attributed to the amount of time a student spends taking what they learned in class and practicing it at home. All you need is a little space and as little as 15 minutes a day. Not having enough space or time is no excuse not to practice! Some of the activities, such as stretching and balancing, can be done while you are wasting your time watching TV! Remember the saying, "Perfect practice makes Perfect." If you are not sure about any of these activities please ask your instructor. Practice takes discipline and in order for it to be effective, you must develop a habit of practicing. Start today and monitor your progress for 21 days straight, by then you should have developed a habit of practicing. Parking limited spots available in the plaza however additional parking is available across the street or on the side streets. Take care where parking on the side streets or across the street. Use caution when you have to cross the street to ensure you get to and from class safely. Class cancellations: We reserve the right to cancel class when attendance is below 5 students. In the event that we have to cancel classes for reasons such as bad weather or unforeseen circumstances we announce it on WKTV and/or put it on our Facebook page. Website Don’t forget to visit our website for news and info. We are trying to get info on the website for kata’s, the handbook and training video that will help with your training even when you’re not in the Dojo. It’s like having access to us 24 hours a day for a private lesson. www.UticaKarate.com Belt Stripes What are the Stripes? The stripe system was developed to help make sure the student succeeds not just in Karate, but also at home, professional life, and school. Stripes are a great way to build self-esteem as well as help build a positive attitude. This is one way Karate Studio of Utica uses positive reinforcement in life-skill development. Curriculum Stripes At each belt, this helps motivate the student to learning their curriculum. It also helps the instructor’s know what areas he or she may need help with. Black Stripe #1 – Technical,ie Kicks, punches and Combinations Black Stripe #2 - Forms /Epons Black Stripe #3 - Sparring or sparring drills Personal Development Stripes Red Stripe (Attitude) - This is a class attitude stripe. The instructor will give a student this stripe when they show great attitude in class or significant improvement in a certain skill. White Stripe - Adult (Goal Setting) / Child (Academic) – This stripe is given when an adult turns in a “Goal Sheet” At times, the difference between whether a goal is accomplished or not can be as simple as writing it down. The goals can be anything that helps improve your life, anything from cleaning a certain room to setting professional goals. Younger teens are to bring their latest report card or progress report. This stripe is given when the student brings a great grade from school. Students bring in a quiz or test and turn it in with their class card. At the end of class, we will publicly reward them for a job well done. In the summer, a note describing something new the student has learned will suffice. Blue Stripe - Adult (Physical) / Student (Home) – The physical stripe is given at the instructor’s discretion. As long as a student shows physical improvement in class, he/she will be rewarded with a stripe. The home stripe is intended for the younger teens to make sure their attitude at home is excellent. A note is needed for the home stripe. This stripe is given when a student turns in a note from home describing something positive they have done to show great attitude (saying “Yes Sir/Ma’am”, completing chores without being asked, etc.) This note should be turned in with their class card.