We start up again on September 12th, the second week back at school. This session is 12 weeks long (over 14 weeks), and will be $120. Unfortunately, I am only offering one older and advanced class this year. Advanced belts are being encouraged to come to any other class they like, to help out the new students, and work with me on their own techniques for a short period of time after. I am sorry for the decrease, but due to my own schedule and desire to spend some time with my son, the double class nights were becoming too long. For those in the kids classes, please send me a message with your day preferences. I have some people on the waiting list and I need to see where they will fit.
Sorry for posting so late, but I wasn’t positive what the final schedule would be this session.
We start up again on September 15th, the second week back at school. This session is 12 weeks long (over 14 weeks), and will be $120 for once a week, and $150 for twice a week. Classes are still on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kids class (6-12yrs) from 5:00-6:00 and Older and Advanced class from 6:15-7:15. Send me a message or give me a call to make sure I have you on the list.
Please remember that many of my orange and green belts have been asked to attend the later class. I look forward to seeing you all soon!
The January -March session at Gage Martial arts starts this week on January 6th and runs until March 12th (minus a few possible cancelled classes). The price you ask? $80 for once a week and $100 for twice a week. Call me or send me an e-mail to reserve space. Classes are limited to 8 students, and as I have another career as well, we only run 2 kids and 2 adult/teenager classes per week. See you in the dojo!
The summer is coming to an end, and that means it is time to start training again. The September session at Gage Martial arts starts next week on Tuesday September 9th and runs until December 18th (minus a one week break in October and a possible cancelled class due to unforeseen circumstances). The price you ask? $130 for once a week and $160 for twice a week. Call me or send me an e-mail to reserve space. Classes are limited to 8 students, and as I have another career as well, we only run 2 kids and 2 adult/teenager classes per week. See you in the dojo!
Here at Gage Martial Arts we proudly study traditional Okinawan Goju Karate. Students are taught one traditional Goju kata along with one foreign kata at each level. I plan to slowly develop resources for my students and anyone who wants to learn Goju online. I figured that a great first step would be to post some videos of the traditional kata here.
Kata is the foundation of karate. Although it is very unlikely to ever use the exact sequence of moves in a kata during a self-defense scenario, kata teaches us many techniques that can be applied in a multitude of ways for self-defense. Some of these moves are obvious, while others require a clear understanding of the ways in which these movements can be applied. For the latter, I recommend going to a real dojo, like mine, where you can study these moves with an experienced Goju Karate practitioner. The point of kata is to practice various ways of moving from technique to technique and from direction to direction, while at the same time strengthening the body and the mind. In kata we practice imprinting muscle memory for these various moves with the hope of making them automatic when required. The other great benefit is that they are designed to be done by yourself. Unlike many other martial arts that require a partner, Karate’s use of kata allows us to practice our martial arts without relying on someone else, and without the fear of hurting someone else when we practice these moves at full strength.
Of course we need to regularly think about and practice applying these moves with a partner (again, this is why you should take lessons), but the ability to practice them without a partner allows us to work on them anywhere and anytime we choose. For example, you could work on them right now. If you forget them, or are having trouble with a specific part of a kata, why not try one of the videos below of Chinen Sensei going through all the Goju katas in someone’s backyard. The quality isn’t awesome, but it was taped in 1986 so you are going to have to deal with it. It is viewable and a good resource when practicing kata at home.
I put some pictures up today and I have already been asked what the deal with Murray is. I built him last summer out of plumbing supplies, clothes hangers, pool noodles, and a lot of duct tape. I had some techniques I wanted to practice but my wife wasn’t too excited about being my Uke (roughly translates to one who receives pain or something). I can’t really blame her. Instead I took to youtube and researched how to make your own grappling dummy. You can see it here:
When I made mine he looked kind of sad. It might be because of his eternal status as an uke, or because of the poorly placed duct tape nose I gave him, but the reason isn’t really important. One day I jokingly told him to cheer up, which caused a Flight of the Conchords song to pop into my head: “Cheer up Murray.” The name stuck. I don’t really recommend children click on the video as it has a couple lyrics that parents might have to explain to them later. I doubt they are reading this but I am a fan of informed choice when it comes to the internet.
Those of you who know me know that I am not the biggest fan of getting my picture taken, so when it came time for me to add pictures to my website I realized that I really didn’t have any. Luckily for me I have a great father who popped over and took a few quick photos before picking up the ladder I borrowed from him a month ago. He normally takes pictures for his website Made in Haliburton and has access to all kinds of lightboxes and lights and a bunch of other photography stuff that I couldn’t name. I was just happy he had a camera that wasn’t attached to a phone.
I haven’t made any kind of webpage since I was 11 or 12 years old, but I figured it was about time to get Gage Martial Arts Haliburton on the web. Other than a poorly done facebook page that I made at the end of last summer, I haven’t done a single thing to advertise. Hopefully my current motivation to learn about basic webpage construction will last and the page will continue to be updated.
Right now I hope it can be the digital home of Gage Martial arts for announcements, news, and general information about Goju karate. If I really get my stuff together I will start posting on techniques used at my dojo. We will just have to wait and see.
Gage Martial Arts in Haliburton Ontario 