On Wednesday, July 20th, 2016, I tested for Nidan, along with another Nidan candidate, two Shodan candidates, and several brown belt candidates. The testing panel consisted of: John Dominguez, MD, Shodan Jim Mitchell, Shodan Richard Poage, Renshi, Godan Michael Newland, Renshi, Rokudan Jeff Allred, Renshi, Rokudan Eddie Bethea, Kyoshi, Hachidan The Shodan candidates had to complete a written exam, which […]
Some of you may remember that, last year, our dojo participated in a new tradition to celebrate Karate no Hi (Karate Day)–the 100 Kata Challenge. For those who are unfamiliar, Karate Day was designated by the Okinawan Prefectural Government in 2005, as a way to celebrate the importance of karate in Okinawan culture. The date of October 25th was […]
As of the writing of this article, I have only been training for a little over 8.5 years, and I only just earned my shodan (1st degree black belt) last Summer. Even so, I’ve seen and heard of so many instances of the “shodan slump” to know that it’s real, and I feel grateful that I have managed to avoid […]
On October 25th, 2005, the Okinawan government, in partnership with several Okinawan karate masters, held the first Karate no Hi (Karate Day) celebration in Naha, Okinawa. Since then, every year there are demonstrations and seminars on the 25th of October to support and spread awareness of Okinawan karate. This year, the DOJO Bar has gotten together with some other sponsors […]
Saturday, August 10th, 2013 was the day of my amateur MMA debut. I arrived at the venue a little after 4pm, as requested by the organization, and filled out paperwork, made weight (170.7lbs–a week prior, I was 180.8lbs), and received my pre-fight medical evaluation, since this is really necessary for a safe fight, and if the medical do a bad […]
