2009 Guardian Dojo Karate Camp...

This past weekend I attended the 2009 Guardian Dojo Karate Camp (and belt testing) held in Arnes (north of Gimli), Manitoba.



Guardian Dojo students partook in 'lake-training', practiced Goshin Jitsu (self-defense) techniques, throws, kata, kihon (even some bo-kihon)...

If you're interested, I've uploaded the photos I took during the camp to my Flickr, here - enjoy!


The bugs were pretty wicked at times. ;P

Congratulations to all the students who tested... IMO, I think you all did very well. Once again, many thanks to Shihan Beltrán, Sempai(s) Rhea and Sean for organizing and facilitating the 2009 Guardian Dojo Karate Camp! Osu!

Recommended Viewing | 2008 Guardian Challenge - Photo Highlights...

Well, better late than never. ;P It has taken me months to sort through the 1000's of photos that my good friend, local designer and fellow blogger, Doug Fedrau (aka 'The Orange Kid') took at the 2008 Guardian Challenge - Kyokushin Karate Knockdown Tournament.

I'm very happy to say that (I think) I've managed to sort through the lot and have selected the 'highlights' from the semi-contact and full contact action to share with you.


Please feel free to check 'em out on my Flickr account... you can see the semi-contact highlights in the semi-contact Flickr set, here and the full contact highlights in the full contact Flickr set, here - enjoy!

A huge thanks to Doug (and Rae) for taking the photos! On behalf of the Guardian Dojo... many thanks! Cheers!

A Series of Congratulations...

A series of congratulations is in order... first to my friend, local designer, photographer and blogger, Doug Fedrau for his 90+ days of being smoke-free! A huge thanks to Doug, his brother Jeff and Raelene, they were all on hand at the 2008 Guardian Challenge (this past weekend), they spent hours taking thousands of photos and hours of video! Cheers!

Congratulations to all of my Sempais and Kohais who fought in the tournament! Osu! A huge thank you to Sensei Diego Beltrán, all the volunteers, and to the organizing committee, for making this event a huge success! Osu!

Image: Fubuki Daiko (blizzard drums) performing on the tatami, inspiring the fighters, during the half-time show at the 2008 Guardian Challenge Kyokushin Karate Tournament.

Tickets in Hand...

Tickets! I've got tickets!!! The tickets for this year's 2008 Guardian Challenge – Kyokushin Karate Knockdown Tournament have been printed, and distribution has begun! If you're a fan of martial arts, MMA, UFC, contact sports, etc., you'll definitely want to come and watch this day-long event.


Here's the poster I created for this year's event which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 15th at the St. Vital EMC, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Interested in watching the event? Get in touch with me, and I'll see how best to get you the tickets.

Tickets will also be available shortly at Miyabi in Osborne Village, as well as from other members of the Guardian Dojo, and at the Dojo during regular class hours. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door (a serious bargain). Until then, you can watch footage from the previous tournament on YouTube - enjoy!

2008 Guardian Challenge Kyokushin Karate Knockdown Tournament – Saturday, November 15th...

My apologies for the lack of posts... I've been busy. ;P First things first:

Congratulations! to my Senpai(s) and kōhai(s) who fought in the Kyokushin-kan Pan American Championship this past weekend in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. From what I've been told, our fighters were atop the podium for the majority of events they competed in. More information will be posted to the Guardian Dojo website upon their return... check often for news updates. Osu!!!

Anyhow, one of the things that has been occupying my spare time is the design of applications for this year's 2008 Guardian Challenge – Kyokushin Karate Knockdown Tournament, one of which you can see above. The image shows the promotional poster I created for this year's event which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 15th at the St. Vital EMC, it's the same venue as last year.

The poster and the majority of additional applications were output digitally by the fine folks over at Industry Images, they've been very helpful in accommodating my 'small-run' projects. This version was for the initial run... we've got more sponsors to include, but only these were confirmed (and had their logos available) at the time of printing.

Tickets will be going on sale for the event shortly... if you're interested in watching the event, drop me an email and I'll see what the best way to get you tickets would be (a limited number of advance tickets will be available at Miyabi in Osborne Village, from members of the Guardian Dojo, and at the Dojo during regular class hours). Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door (there may be only a limited number available at the door so I'd recommend you purchase in advance if you plan to attend). If you'd like an idea of what you can expect to see, you can see amateur footage from last year's tournament on YouTube, here.


Here's a detail from the poster... all the images used to create the poster are from last year's tournament, which you can see collected on my Flickr (the photos were taken by my friend and local designer, Doug Fedrau). I'll post more information, and additional imagery as it becomes available... check the Guardian Dojo website often for more info and updates, go to http://www.guardiandojo.com/ - cheers!

Recommended Viewing | Father & Son Ironman...

This is a truly incredible, inspirational, and deeply touching story/video, that I just had to share with you all:

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'. The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.

They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes' too.

For those who don't know, the Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together... the video has been embedded below.


If you're unable to view the embedded video, you can also view it here:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

I encourage you to share this truly incredible story with all your friends and family. Thanks to Sensei Diego Beltrán for sharing this incredible story with me. Osu!

Osu! Congratulations Sempai...

As some of you are aware, I'm an active Karate-ka training out of the Guardian Dojo in Winnipeg. Yesterday evening (after class) at the Dojo, Sensei Diego Beltrán of the Guardian Dojo presented Sempai Sean Devlin with his Shodan.

Sempai Devlin is the first to achieve a black belt with the Guardian Dojo in Canada, under the tutelage of Sensei Beltrán.

It takes a great deal of commitment and effort to become a black belt in Kyokushin Karate. All of the Guardian Dojo students are very proud of Sempai Devlin's achievement, and we all look forward to training with him as we all continue to train our hearts and bodies for a firm, unshaken spirit, to pursue the true meaning of the martial way, so that in time our senses may become alert! Osu! Congratulations Sempai! Osu!

A Quick Osu!

These past few weeks have been a blur of work, activities, painting and Karate. The belt testing which took place this past weekend at the Guardian Dojo was a true test for all who took part. Osu!

Congratulations to all my Sempai(s) and Kohai(s) who completed the test! I was happy to have been able to shed the blood, sweat and tears with you all! Osu!

Now that the belt testing is complete, and I've been able to catch up on most fronts I expect to be back to a regular posting schedule soon! Cheers!

James Gillespie's - Hellboy Watercolor...

I've recently added to my ever growing art collection... many thanks to my good friend and fellow designer, James Gillespie for presenting me his Hellboy watercolor painting. I feel obliged to mention the quote he wrote on the back:

For Adrian
"Crush your enemies.
See them driven before you.
Hear the lamentation of the women."
–Conan (What is best in life?)
From James

;) I should mention that James and I also train together at the Guardian Dojo where we practice Kyokushin Karate under the tutelage of Sensei Diego Beltran. To learn more about Kyokushin Karate visit the Guardian Dojo website at http://www.guardiandojo.com - cheers!

Thanks again for the painting James! Visit KALAMAFRAZ, James' blog at http://kalamafraz.blogspot.com - enjoy!

Don't Choke! 8 Steps to Succeed Under Pressure...

Some of you may already be aware of this but, for those of you who aren't, I'm currently studying Kyokushin Karate under the tutelage of Sensei Diego Beltran at the Guardian Dojo.

Anyhow, aside from being my Sensei, Diego is a talented software development consultant. The other day he sent me this article, The Ultimate Guide to Not Choking Under Pressure... although the article is situated on a software development blog, the advice given within is applicable to anyone facing the pressure/stresses of daily life in our 'modern' society. Read the article here.

Guardian Dojo - Photo Albums Updated

The above photo is from this past weekend when the Guardian Dojo was invited to participate in a healthy activity initiative at MacDon Industries. It was quite an interesting time! Anyhow, in case you're interested the Guardian Dojo website has been updated with photos from recent and past events... take a minute to check out some of the pics. See all the albums, here. Cheers!

Guardian Dojo - Kyokushin Karate

Also mentioned previously, I'm currently studying Kyokushin Karate at the Guardian Dojo - where I feel very privelaged to be under the tutelage of Sensei Diego Beltran, 4th Dan. I've dabbled in various styles of martial arts since youth, and I must say that the Kyokushin experience has been by far the most challenging. This past June we held the first Kyokushin Karate tournament in the Prairies - The 2007 Guardian Challenge, it was a huge success (you can watch some of the action on YouTube, or you can check out some of the wicked pictures that Doug Fedrau took, which I've posted to my Flickr account).

Kyokushin is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達). Kyokushinkai is Japanese for “the society of the ultimate truth.” A very practical method of self defense, Kyokushin emphasizes realistic combat and physical toughness, and it is deeply rooted in the philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has gained wide international appeal, with more than 10 million practioners worldwide.

The Kyokushin way is not for many... but if you're interested in training in any type of martial arts, I'd highly recommend that you look into Kyokushin Karate. For more information, visit Guardian Dojo's website at http://www.guardiandojo.com/