ELITE KARATE ACADEMY NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018

Welcome to our March Newsletter.

This email newsletter will hopefully keep you up to date with all you need to know about what’s going on in Elite Karate Academy over the coming months.  Please feel free to share this newsletter with family and friends, I hope you find it informative.  Feel free to comment on our Facebook  page with comments and be sure to like our page while you’re there.  Sign up for our newsletter at here

News – Updates – Events At A Glance

• Elite Karate Academy Expo on April 15th, 2-6pm, Green Isle Hotel. All students including beginners will be taking part on the day, with either/both gradings and demonstrations.

• This is the last week to sign up for this year’s Sparring Competition. Registration closes 9pm Friday 9th March 2018. See below for more details.

• St Patricks Day Parade. Come walk with us.  Find out more below.

• Raffle & Cake Bake Sale. Can you donate something?

• Donations for St Vincent de Paul of clothes, bedding, toys, books, household items, DVDs etc. as always may be dropped off at the dojo anytime.

• Referral Competition – Find out more below

Sparring Competition

The early rounds of this non-contact 3 points-wins tournament will take places within your child’s normal classes and is completely voluntary.  With the semi-finals and finals taking place at this year’s Expo.  All student’s must have their own sparring gloves, (click here), sparring boots are optional but are recommended. Only students who have graded may take part in this tournament.

Entry costs €10 per student and must be registered before 9pm on this Friday 9th March 2018.

St Patrick’s Day Parade

Once again this year the Academy will be walking in this year’s Clondalkin Parade.  Students, families, and their friends are all invited to join us on the day.  Assemble point is 1.30pm in the car park of Clondalkin Sports and Leisure, Old Nangor Rd on (obviously) 17th March 2018.  If the weather is poor, please wear normal clothes under your karate uniform.

Elite Karate Academy Expo

Our 7th Elite Karate Academy Expo will take place on Sunday 15th of April between 2pm-6pm, in the Green Isle Hotel.  Doors open at 1.30pm and there will be a full bar service available.  All students will be taking part, those not grading will be involved in demonstrations.  All students must wear their karate uniform.  The aim of the Expo, as always, is to allowing students demonstrate their skills and abilities to their family and friends, whilst educating parents about the aims and ethos of Elite Karate Academy, in a relaxed fun environment.  This event is open to anyone, so extended family and friends are welcome, this year’s Expo will include;

• Grading (Usual fee of €20 applies for those eligible to grade, payable by 31st of March)

• Club Sparring Competition (semi-finals and finals only, entries close Friday 9th March 2018)

• Demonstrations (Instructor & Students)

• Award Ceremony (Grading, Competition, and Special Awards, including Student of the Year)

• Unveiling of Elite Karate Academy’s newest Senior Black Belt

• Bake & Cake Sale. Why not bake something to bring on the day?

• Raffle (asking parents to donate a price if they can)

Grading

Those eligible to grade must pay their grading fee before 31st of March to insure they receive their certificate at the Expo.  Please check with Sensei Gareth if your child is eligible to grade.  Students may only grade at the expo.   Students may only grade if they are eligible and hold a current up to date grading licence, which must be presented with the usual fee of €20 before 31st of March.  See below if you need to get a grading licence.

Tickets

Tickets are now on sale.   Buy them before 13th April to avail of the cheaper rate. Grandparents, family or friend’s tickets can all be bought before the day.  Presold tickets simply check in on the day.

Tickets cost:                                                    Before 7th April                       On Door

Adult Ticket                                                    €8                                €12

Child Ticket*                                                  €5                                €8

*Current students only or under 5’s do not need to purchase tickets.

Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children)            €20                              €30

 

Bake sale and raffle

Once again, we will have a bake sale in aid of Barretstown and a raffle.  Parents/students are encouraged to bake or bring something for the day.  We need your help in getting prizes for our raffle!!!  Give a prize or a voucher from your work.  Please donate your price before 13th of April, if possible.

 

Referral Competition

Our referral competition is now up and running.  Which will run until the end of April.  That so many of you recommend our Academy is a great source of pride for me.  And I want to give something back.

Entry is easy.  Simple refer a friend, child or adult, to either our Karate or Fitness Classes.  They get a free trial class.  If they then sign up for a minimum of 1 month.  You or your child receive 1 weeks training for free…  If they sign up for 3 months, you receive 2 weeks free training.  Sign up for 6 months your get 3 weeks free training and if they sign up for a year you receive 1 month free training.

Cardio Fitness Boot Camp

Cardio Combat Fitness Class.  New Members are always welcome.  Class are suitable for all fitness levels from Beginner – Advanced.  You go at your pace.  This easy fun fitness class is designed to help lose weight & get fit. And features a mix of Circuits, Core, Fitness & Karate.  If you can walk and talk you can do this class.

New Times Monday & Wednesday 8.15-9.30pm.  Check Out Here For More Information.

Character Education Program

Once again, we start our Word of the Week program in class.  Our specially designed word of the week program teaches 14 core values to your child in a 5 minute ‘mat chat’ within their normal class. Your child will grow as people not just stronger and fitter.  No other club offers this type of program.

Our 14 words are: Courtesy, Growth, Honesty, Obedience, Courage, Sincerity, Humility, Perseverance, Honour, Loyalty, Self-Control, Knowledge, Respect, Integrity.

Each week these lessons will be posted on our Facebook page or the full course can be viewed here in our blog section of our website.  I strongly urge parents to get involved with their child’s learning by reading these posts or discussing after each class what they learnt.

Website

Every week we have new blogs on our website.  Click here to read about them

Dojo Kun Programme – Most club’s dojo rules consist of no shouting, no chewing gum etc. Our Dojo Kun program teaches your child 25 rules of life. These rules teach your child how to follow and make their dreams come true, through hard work, passion, and dedication.

Elite Mental Training – This program teaches students the mental strategy of fighting, topics introduced can be used in all areas of life, reducing stress, and increasing mental wellbeing. Read some lessons covered in our blog section below.

Anti-Bullying Programme – We teach your child how to deal with bullying in a non-aggressive way without having to resort to violence. A great program for boosting confidence and self-belief.  This starts in September.

Newer material will be shared weekly on our Facebook page, much will be of interest even to those who don’t train.

Coming later in the Year

Other events coming up this year after the Expo, will be our Karate Summer Camps and Summer Party.

Testimonials Request

That so many of you praise our Academy is huge source of pride to me.  Please write a review/testimonial here.  They will then be added to our website.  Student / parents or both may write a review and you may write a new one if you wrote one before.

Zen Tip

Our own worst enemy cannot harm us as much as our unwise thoughts.  No one can help us as much as our own compassionate thoughts.

Fitness Tip

Myth Buster – Cardio is the best method for fat loss.

Not only does strength training or our Cardio Combat add more definition to your entire body (hello, abs!), but it has a ton of other health benefits too. My favorite: It increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which means you’ll burn more calories throughout the day—even when you’re not working out. The result is more lean muscle mass and less body fat, and that’s something you can’t get that with just cardio.

And because I like lists, here’s one full of other health benefits you get from strength training:

• Increased bone density

• Better balance, coordination, agility, power, and mobility

• An ability to do everyday activities without worrying about getting hurt

• Fewer symptoms associated with arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity, and back pain

• Improved sleep patterns, mood, and stress levels

As you can see, strength training does more than make you look—and feel—confident . And the benefits only multiply as we get older. As we age, our bodies are at an increased risk of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and osteoporosis (decrease in bone density). A regular training plan can help to combat those losses. Luckily, women are starting to make their way into the weight room—so now it’s your turn.