Applications for Gasshuku 2008 (Summer Camp) are now available! With only 130 spots available, it's important to complete and application as soon as possible if you're interested in attending ggg event.

The 2008 edition will be held July 11th through July 13th, and promises to be an exciting and entertaining event for everyone. Previous years have all been sell-outs, and it's easy to see why: it's hard to beat getting away from it all for a few days with fellow karateka to do karate and have a great time.

The deadline for applications is June 11th; however, a discount is available for registrations received by Wednesday, April 30th.

In addition, a bus charter seat is available for $60 (round-trip) -- payment deadline for reserving this seat is June 18th. (The bus leaves Honbu at 8:30AM on July 11th for the retreat area.)

The Gasshuku 2008 application is available here for download.

Kaicho and Nidaime announced a new promotion schedule, effective April 2008, for all adult and children's promotions taking place at Honbu.

Beginning in April, promotions will be conducted bi-monthly (on each even-numbered month) for both adults and children.

A full updated promotion schedule can be found here on SEIDO.COM

In recognition of Kyoshi Akira’s growing responsibilities and obligations in his role as Vice Chairman of the World Seido Karate Organization, Kaicho made a special announcement before more than 300 Seido karateka at Kagami Baraki: effective immediately, Kyoshi Akira’s new and official title is “Nidaime Kyoshi Akira.”

Nidaime Akira
The literal translation of the word is derived from the word Ni for the number “two.”

Kyoshi Akira maintains his current rank of Godan, but the addition of the title “Nidaime” (pronounced nee–DYE–meh) distinguishes him as the “successor” or “second-in-line” to carry on the leadership of Seido Karate – the position Kaicho established for him in 2001.

Kaicho assures us that he has no intention of retiring and the current structure of the Seido Karate Organization remains the same. He will carry on as our Grandmaster. The formality of the title is to give Nidaime the distinction of his position and to assure the future and leadership of Seido when the time comes.

Honbu held its annual Kagami Biraki (the traditional Japanese event of ringing in the New Year) on Sunday, January 6th at 8am.

The Workout
The 2008 edition of this ongoing event was extremely well-attended, with almost 300 karateka packing the third floor dojo in an intense group workout. In the true spirit of solidarity, participants ranged from the newest white belt students to senior blackbelts.

With that many people working so hard in such a small area, the dojo quickly fogged over -- even the mirrors along the west wall became completely opaque as the energy of hundreds of Seido karateka combined.

In fact, the very atmosphere seemed electric, as everyone's energy and spirit came together. Hundreds of repetitions seemed to only increase the volume of everyone's kiai's, and before the morning's workout was done, everyone -- and everything -- was drenched.

But everyone agreed: there are fewer more exhilarating ways to start the New Year!

Plus, in addition to the elevated spirits from a quick and vigorous workout, Seido members were heartened to see many old and familiar faces mixing with the new ones who've joined the dojo since last year.

Kaicho’s Message for 2008

Didn't make it to the 31st Anniversary at Hunter College in New York City? Or just want to relive the memories of this exciting tournament and Seido gathering?

Then check out the new Photo Gallery now available -- with complete coverage of the Children's Tournament, Adult Tournament, the exciting Sogo competition, and the Grand Championship finals.

Plus we go behind-the-scenes and into the crowds to offer glimpses of many different parts of the worldwide Seido family, and we have exciting photos of Kyoshi Akira's special demonstration kata.

Fall usually brings special seminars to Honbu, and Fall 2007 is no exception. On Friday, November 9th, Honbu will hold its annual Judo Seminar; and Friday, November 16th, Honbu will offer its annual Breaking Seminar.

Judo Seminar
The Judo Seminar will be taught by Shihan Matsumura and some of his senior students, and offers ninety minutes of in-depth Judo training and a comprehensive introduction to Judo for those who haven't been exposed to this martial art before.

The Judo Seminar is open to both Seido karateka and their friends; however, a Gi top must be worn by non-karateka. Cost is $30 for Seido members, $35 for non-members.

Breaking Seminar
One week later, Kaicho offers the annual Breaking Seminar at Honbu. This seminar is both an excellent introduction to breaking as well as a good refresher course for those who haven't attempted breaks recently, or who are trying to improve their technique.

Please note that the Breaking Seminar is only available to Green Belts and above; boards for use at the seminar must be purchased through Honbu (see Seminar Application for pricing). Seminar Fee is $30 per person.

Registration

I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and thank each and every volunteer, competitor, sponsor, family member and friend who came to watch and cheer everyone on at Hunter College for Seido Karate’s 31st Annual Benefit Tournament which was held on Saturday, October 20th.

The overall success of hosting a tournament hinges upon the support of all our members working together and this year was no exception. The level of planning involved in launching an event of this scale requires an incredible amount of work and coordination behind the scenes weeks and even months in advance of the big day. In fact, because we were working with more stringent timeframes and tighter deadlines than we have had in the past, the success of the 31st Anniversary Tournament was an even bigger accomplishment we can all be proud of.

Seido blackbelt women instructors organized and produced a comprehensive 90 minute seminar to teach women basic street self-defense in a highly successful event held on Honbu on Saturday, September 8th.

The seminar featured a number of different techniques that could effectively be applied by non-karateka to defend themselves in the event of an attack. Even though an hour and a half seemed like a long time, most participants were amazed at how quickly the time flew by, and many were left curious to go further and learn the benefits of a more comprehensive level of training that Seido Karate offers.

Attended by over 100 women from all walks of life, a wide range of backgrounds, and even a diverse set of physical capabilities and skills, the free seminar occupied the entire upstairs dojo at Honbu.

After a brief introduction, and a series of warm up exercises designed to get participants ready to do the technique drills, the participants were treated to demonstrations of each of the basic techniques outlined in six different scenarios.

This October, Seido Karate will celebrate its 31st Anniverary with a special Benefit Tournament held at Hunter College. Many more details will be published in the coming weeks, but brief scheduling and location information (including an interactive map) is now available here on SEIDO.COM

Click here to read more about the Tournament.

Seido Karate Japan has debuted its website for the 2007 International Tournament in Aichi, Japan.

Information on schedules, travel arrangements, and tournament details can all be found at seidojapan.com in both English and Japanese.

In addition, the website offers links to hotel reservations and travel arrangements for those planning on visiting Japan for the tournament.

The Tournament will be held from November 29th (Thursday) to December 3 (Monday), although most events will be on Saturday and Sunday, December 1st and 2nd.

A special workout with Kaicho and Kyoshi Akira will also be held on Friday, November 30th, in the early evening at the Chikusa Sports Center.

Seido Japan is also working with a numer of local tour companies, vendors, and places of interest to arrange tours and other special events. You can get more information on these wonderful opportunities on the Seido Japan website as well.

For more details, please visit seidojapan.com.