Cupertino Dojo, Shotokan Karate of America

NorCal 2018 Winter special training January 19-21, 2018 led by Brad Marsh

2018 Oizuki Practice!

Adult karate practice will continue on the regular schedule over the holiday break: Tue/Thurs 8-9:30 pm, Sat 3-4:30 pm. Kids karate practice is on break until the new session begins on Tuesday January 2, 2018.

Deke Keasbey led an excellent practice last night! Thanks, Deke! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

2017 SKA NorCal Women's practice participants hosted by Cupertino Dojo in May.

16th Annual NorCal SKA Women's Practice Saturday, May 13, 2017 2pm-2:50pm: Self-defense Class for Women and Children (also open to Y members) 3pm-5:30 pm: Women's Practice (SKA women members only, all ages/levels) ... Cupertino Dojo: 20803 Alves Dr., Cupertino, CA 95014 Leaders: Hiroko Mori and Liny Chan Donation: $20 Contact: Carolyn Seeley See more

NorCal SKA winter special training 2017. Great job everyone!

2017 Oizuki Practice!

New session starts Tuesday January 3, 2017.

The 2016 Fall Kyu tests will be held on: Kids Kyu Test Saturday November 12, 2016 at 2 pm at the Northwest YMCA, 20803 Alves Drive, Cupertino CA... Adults Kyu Test Saturday November 19, 2016 at 1 pm at the Southwest YMCA, 13500 Quito Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070 Practices at the Northwest YMCA will be canceled on these days.

Congratulations to the participants in the SF Bay Area adults' kyu test held Saturday April 30, 2016 at Cupertino: Vijay D’Silva, 1st kyu Maxime Dabilly, 1st kyu Jose Corbacho, 1st kyu... Neo Bautista, 2nd kyu Ed Yang, 2nd kyu David Gong, 2nd kyu Nicolas Miyazaki, 3rd kyu Robin Martin, 4th kyu Sonia Centonze, 4th kyu Carlos Ramos, 4th kyu Samuel RubioCremades, 4th kyu Cheng Hwee Chee, 4th kyu Kinsing Lee, 4th kyu Alex Michael, 4th kyu Xi Lin, 4th kyu Arik Zafirani, 5th kyu Huiming Wen, 6th kyu Kenneth Sieu, 6th kyu Raul Ramos, 6th kyu Leemin Chong, 6th kyu Luis Morante, 6th kyu Toshishige Yamada, 6th kyu Michael Wong, 6th kyu Suzanne Eisler, 6th kyu Olga Okner, 7th kyu Regis Dannon, 7th kyu Rick Rodriguez, 7th kyu Michael Hadd, 7th kyu Tiffany Woods, 8th kyu Daniel Miao, 7th kyu See more

Congratulations to the participants in the SF Bay Area kids' kyu test held Saturday April 23, 2016 at Cupertino: Arnav Kapur, 3rd kyu Gabriel Okner, 4th kyu Aref Anwar, 4th kyu... Lena Nezamzadeh, 4th kyu Matthew Okner, 5th kyu Ethan Eisler, 6th kyu Dana Sanei, 6th kyu Mark Rokhlin, 6th kyu Davin Sieu, 7th kyu Ananya Sirigineedi, 7th kyu Alexander Rodriguez, 7th kyu Michael Slain, 7th kyu Gillie Ross, 7th kyu Grace Morton, 7th kyu Heather Swinehart, 8th kyu Hayden Honjo, 8th kyu Alakananda Roy, 8th kyu Omoeghie Obidah, 8th kyu Tejas Shah, 8th kyu See more

Norcal Winter Special Training, January 15-17, 2016

Saturday April 23, 2016, 2 pm at the Northwest YMCA - Bay Area Spring Kyu Test - Kids ages 7-12 Saturday April 30, 2016, 2 pm at the Northwest YMCA - Bay Area Spring Kyu Test - Adults

Congratulations to Neil on his promotion to shodan, and Maurice on his promotion to nidan at Summer Special Training West!

Congratulations to Fumito, Cupertino's newest shodan!

The Norcal Bay Area 2015 spring kyu test (adults, ages 13+) will be held on Saturday April 18, 2015 at 12 pm at the Berkeley YMCA. The kyu test for kid (12 and under) will be held on Saturday April 25, 2015 at 2 pm at the Cupertino dojo at the Northwest YMCA.

Please be advised that we have rescheduled the kids kyu test to: Saturday April 25, 2015 at 2:00 pm at the Cupertino dojo. This change is already reflected in the NorCal calendar.... Dojo leaders, please let your members know. Regards, Curt

Last practice of 2014 will be Saturday December 20, 2014. First practice of 2015 will be Tuesday January 6, 2015. 2015 Oizuki practice will be held on Saturday January 10, 2015 at 3 pm. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. Best wishes for the new year.

Great turnout for the 2014 Year End Practice with Ohshima Sensei, December 7, 2014

No practices today, Thursday November 27, 2014. Practices resume Saturday November 29. Happy Thanksgiving!

Reposting to see if this shows up on the Cupertino Facebook page as expected: Congratulations to all of the Cupertino Dojo members who participated in the Norcal Bay Area 2014 Fall kyu test held yesterday at the San Jose Dojo: Name Previous rank New rank... Ahlstrom, Kajsa 8 7 Anwar, Adil 8 7 Anwar, Aref 8 7 Anwar, Aseem 8 7 Anwar, Samiya 8 7 Anwar, Sridevi 8 6 Araiza, Jessica 4 3 Araiza, Paty 4 3 Araiza, Salvador 4 3 Breen, Zoe 4 3 Bryson, Sarah 3 2 Feregrino, Patricia 4 3 Holmes, Blanka 4 3 Kumar, Ashwath 4 3 Kumar, Mahima 4 3 Lin, Xi 8 7 Magalit, Anthony 2 1 Miyazaki, Nicolas 7 6 Nezamzadeh, Lena unranked 8 Peck, Andy 7 6 Peck, Dave 6 5 Pham, Meelana 6 5 Valverde, Josue Danny 7 6 Wensel, Sean 3 2 Yang, Ed 8 6 Zafrany, Arik unranked 7 See more

2014 Shodan Practice

Sessions for the rest of 2014 are scheduled for: - July 1 - Aug 23 (8 weeks) - Aug 26 - Oct 18 (8 weeks) - Oct 21 - Dec 20 ( 9 weeks)... Register at the front desk of the Northwest YMCA.

Members from dojos in Northern California at Summer Special Training West 2014

Cupertino dojo members at Summer Special Training West 2014

Norcal Women's practice Saturday May 10, 2014 at the Southwest YMCA, 13500 Quito Road, Saratoga, CA 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Self defense - open to all YMCA members 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Practice for SKA members

Congratulations to all of the Norcal SKA members who participated in the Bay Area kyu test last Saturday April 5, 2014. We had a total of 67 participants, the second highest ever. Cupertino dojo members who were promoted are: Ahlstrom, Kajsa - 8th kyu... Anwar, Adil - 8th kyu Anwar, Aref - 8th kyu Anwar, Aseem- 8th kyu Anwar, Samiya - 8th kyu Anwar, Sridevi - 8th kyu Araiza, Jessica - 4th kyu Bautista, Neo - 3rd kyu Breen, Zoe - 4th kyu Corbacho, Natalia - 6th kyu Feregrino, Patricia - 4th kyu Gupta, Siddharth - 5th kyu Holmes, Blanka - 4th kyu Kathardekar, Anand - 8th kyu Kayama, Fumito - 1st kyu Kojima, Naoto - 8th kyu Kumar, Ashwath - 4th kyu Kumar, Mahima - 4th kyu Lam, Kelly - 3rd kyu Lin, Xi - 8th kyu Miyazaki, Nicolas - 8th kyu Peck, Andy - 7th kyu Peck, David - 6th kyu Pham, Meelana - 6th kyu Valverde, Danny - 7th kyu Wallace, Elizabeth - 6th kyu Yang, Ed - 8th kyu See more

Saturday April 5, 2014: The Norcal 2014 Spring Kyu test will be held at the San Leandro Dojo, 1285 Hays Street, San Leandro, CA. Kids 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm Adults 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm... There will be no classes at the NW YMCA.

The Norcal Winter Special Training led by Hiroko Mori set the following records: The highest number of participants: 62 The highest number of white belts: 19 The highest ratio of white belts: 30%... The highest number of women: 21 The highest ratio of women: 34% Awesome job everyone!

2014 Oizuki Practice. A strong start to a new year!

2013/14 Holiday practice schedule: Tues Dec 24 - no practice, Christmas eve Thurs Dec 26 - regular schedule Sat Dec 28 - regular schedule... Tues Dec 31 - no practice, New Year's eve Thurs Jan 2 - no practice Sat Jan 4 - regular schedule Tues Jan 7 - regular schedule Thurs Jan 9 - regular schedule Sat Jan 11 - 2014 oizuki practice We will make at least 500 oizuki each practice between now and Jan 11, 2014.

Highlights from practice led by Norman Welch- November 17, 2013 Shotokan Ohshima Dojo

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Bay Area Kyu Test: _Berkeley YMCA Dojo_ Martin Mercy, 7th kyu Khadijah Coleman, 7th kyu... Nafisa Coleman, 7th kyu Aashna Koko, 6th kyu Dylan Jones, 5th kyu Evan Jones, 5th kyu Niko Villars, 5th kyu Tiago Pinto, 3rd kyu Alicia Greco, 2nd kyu Hong Bao Doan, 1st kyu _Cupertino Dojo_ Danny Valverde, 8th kyu Jeremy Liu, 7th kyu Meelana Pham, 7th kyu Ashwath Kumar, 5th kyu Mahima Kumar, 5th kyu Jessica Araiza, 5th kyu Anthony Daniel, 5th kyu Patricia Araiza, 4th kyu Blanka Holmes, 5th kyu Salvador Araiza, 4th kyu Sarah Bryson, 3rd kyu Fumito Kayama, 2nd kyu Neil Bautista, 1st kyu Nikko Bautista, 1st kyu _Redwood City Dojo_ Carlos Ramos, 8th kyu Javier Fernandez, 2nd kyu _San Francisco Dojo_ Amy Padula, 7th kyu Bruno Torres, 7th kyu Mike Foti, 5th kyu Shawn Connearney, 4th kyu Johnny Hernandez, 2nd kyu _San Jose Dojo_ Solange Emsallem, 7th kyu Juanita Licea, 7th kyu Kevin Daniels, 7th kyu _San Leandro Dojo_ David Hua, 8th kyu Jeremiah Murphy, 7th kyu Maxime Dabilly, 6th kyu _Saratoga Dojo_ David Peck, 7th kyu Gabriel Okner, 6th kyu Zoe Breen, 5th kyu Cheng Chee, 8th kyu Alex Michael, 6th kyu John Brosnan, 6th kyu Jose Corbacho, 6th kyu Neville Carvalho, 5th kyu

Highlights from the Norcal SKA tournament last Saturday October 26, 2013. Videography and editing by David Powers.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Norcal Tournament: Women's division: Third: Heather Kollenborn Second: Paula Piemonte... First: Yuka Kono-Soosaipillai Brown belt division: Third: Hong Bao Doan Second: Fumito Kayama First: Scott Schumacher Black belt division: Third: Alaa-Eddine Djedouani Second: Olof Tornblad First: Michael Bauer

The 2013 NorCal SKA Annual Tournament will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 1 pm - 5 pm at the Northwest YMCA, 20803 Alves Drive, Cupertino, California. Participants must be current members of SKA over the age of 16. There will be three divisions: Black Belt, Brown Belt, and Women. The women's division will be open to all ranks.... Date: Saturday, October 26, 2013 Time: 1:00 pm 5:00 pm Location: Northwest YMCA, 20803 Alves Drive, Cupertino, CA Cost: $20 Protection: Hand guards may be used. Hand guards must have a single, smooth covering over the knuckles. No other types of hand guards will be permitted. Mouth guards, and cups may be used. Chest protectors (for women only) may be used. No other protection will be permitted (shin guards, instep guards, or forearm guards, for example). For further information, contact Curt Wvong at [email protected]

Weeding out bad habits The Shotokan Ohshima Dojo belongs to all of us it is a place where we can come together in unity and harmony to practice. We need to maintain it so that we continue to be able to practice there. Ohshima Sensei has said that we should continuously try to improve ourselves through practice. We are aiming for perfection of our characters. We may never achieve that perfection, but it is the trying that matters most.... Weeds are a fact of life. A few (very few) dedicated individuals participate in the once a month weeding sessions. But within a few weeks, it looks like it did before the weeding. I realized this weekend, that weeding the dojo garden is like seeking to eliminate bad habits from our practice. It requires continuous effort. If we ease up in our efforts, the weeds will grow back. If it were easy to keep the dojo weed free, like improving in our practice, we would not appreciate the results as much. Just like practicing really hard for one day and then not practicing for a month is detrimental to our progress, pulling out all the weeds once and leaving it for a month just results in the weeds having a whole month to grow back. We need everyone’s help in contributing to the maintenance of our dojo every time you are at the dojo. Don’t wait for someone to ask you to do something or leave it expecting someone else to do it. If you see something that needs to be done, do it. Come prepared bring sunscreen, a hat, and clothes you don’t mind doing some weeding in when you come to the dojo for a practice, and do a bit of weeding before and/or after practice. If everyone spends a few minutes doing a bit of weeding every time they are at the dojo, it would look much better and require much less effort to maintain.

Curt Wvong, with Johnny Martin, demonstrates "nage waza" (throwing techniques) at the 57th Annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition and Tournament on August 10, 2013 at Caltech in Pasadena, California

Olof Tornblad, with Kevin Floyd, demonstrates "torite" (escaping techniques) at the 57th Annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition and Tournament on Saturday August 10, 2013 at Caltech in Pasadena, California.

The Norcal dojos demonstration of Heian Nidan led by Paula Piemonte at the 57th Annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition and Tournament on Saturday August 10, 2013. Even with the bad video quality, IMO, the last kiai is tremendous.

Practices are canceled this Saturday August 10, 2013 as many of the senior members will be attending the Nisei Week SKA Tournament and Demonstration in Pasadena, Calfornia.

Kyuzo Mifune - in 54 years of training (at the time of filming), never missed a day of training.

NorCal dojo members have been invited to demonstrate the kata Heian Nidan at SKA's annual Nisei Week tournament and demonstration in Pasadena. Let's continue our tradition of strong spirit and participation! Why join us in LA for the weekend? --To come together to present our kata to Ohshima Sensei... --To watch some of our best fighters apply the techniques we practice in a time-honored jiyu kumite tournament --To see Curt Wvong demonstrate throws and Olof Tornblad demonstrate escaping techniques --To experience our organization outside our home dojo to gain deeper understanding of SKA and of practice --To make new friends and meet some of our most senior members - members you hear stories about almost every week --Most importantly, to practice with Ohshima Sensei at the Shotokan Ohshima Dojo This is a terrific experience for member white belts, brown belts, and kids - please plan to come! The Nisei week tournament will take place on Saturday, August 10 at 11:00 am at the Braun gymnasium at the Caltech campus in Pasadena. We will make our kata during a break in the tournament. On Sunday, August 11, we will practice with Ohshima Sensei at 11:00 at the Shotokan Ohshima Dojo. Enrich your practice, get involved, and make plans now to participate!

Summer special training West 2013 at Cal State University Channel Islands - group photo

Upcoming open practices with Ohshima Sensei - everyone should make an effort to attend. Saturday July 27, 11 am SOD Open practice led by Ohshima Sensei. Please RSVP for Bento Lunch. Saturday August 10, 11 am Caltech University, Pasadena 57th annual Nisei week tournament and exhibition... Sunday August 11, 11 am SOD Open practice led by Ohshima Sensei. Saturday November 2, 11 am SOD Practice for white belts over 40, brown belts over 45 and black belts over 50. Saturday November 16, 3 pm SOD Jiyu ippon gumite practice led by Norman Welch Sunday November 17, 11 am SOD Kneeling and throwing practice led by Norman Welch Saturday December 7, 11 am SOD Year end open practice led by Ohshima Sensei

Practices will be canceled on Thursday July 4, 2013 as the NW YMCA will be closed. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Congratulations to the Norcal members who were promoted at the 2013 dan test at Summer Special Training. Yodan - Jane Uyeda Sandan - Olof Tornblad, Saratoga... Nidan - Johnny Martin, San Jose - Shrijeet Mukherjee, Redwood City - Paula Piemonte, Cupertino - Donal Breen, Cupertino - Cindy Mosher, Sacramento - Matthew Curtis, Sacramento Shodan - Carolyn Seeley, Cupertino - Yuka Kono-Soosaipillai, San Leandro - Brett Stapleton, San Francisco - Michael Bauer, San Francisco

A reminder that practices are canceled this Saturday June 22, 2013 at the Cupertino dojo in observation of Summer Special Training West at CSU Channel Islands.

SPECIAL TRAINING WEST 2013 Leader: Curt Wvong Location: California State University Channel Islands, One University Drive, Camarillo, California 93012 ... Website: www.csuci.edu Dates: Wed, 6/19/13 thru Sun, 6/23/13. Check-in: Wed, 6/19/13, 4:00-9:00pm, Anacapa Village (no meal provided on Wednesday) Price: $350.00 Deadline: May 25, 2013, late fees apply after deadline Late Fee: $50.00 Make checks payable to: Shotokan Karate of America Mail application and payment to: Shotokan Karate of America, 222 S. Hewitt St., Rm 7, Los Angeles, CA 90012 First Practice: Thur, 6/20/13 Last Practice: Sun, 6/23/13 (ends around 8:00am) Meals: Thurs thru Sat.-Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Sunday - Breakfast only. Accommodations: 4 Bedroom apartments with bare mattress. Card operated washers and dryers are available. Parking permits of $10 may be purchased at registration. What to Bring: Toiletries, sleeping bag/sheets, pillow, towel, alarm clock... Transportation from LAX: Road Runner Shuttle If you have any questions, please contact Frank Lee: [email protected] or call (626) 757-1714.

Congratulations to the Cupertino dojo members who were promoted at the Norcal Spring Kyu test on Sunday April 28, 2013: Lakshmi Kavil, 8th kyu Meelana Pham, 8th kyu Sandra Daniel, 6th kyu... Anthony Daniel, 6th kyu Siddharth Gupta, 6th kyu Blanka Holmes, 6th kyu Mahima Kumar, 6th kyu Ashwath Kumar, 6th kyu Jessica Araiza, 6th kyu Patricia Araiza, 5th kyu Salvador Araiza, 5th kyu Patricia Feregrino, 5th kyu Neo Bautista, 4th kyu Fumito Kayama, 3rd kyu Sean Wensel, 3rd kyu Anthony Magalit, 2nd kyu Neal Bautista, 2nd kyu Nikko Bautista, 2nd kyu Robert Carrillo, 1st kyu See more

Women of Cupertino- Please check your email for a message from Carolyn regarding carpooling to the practices at SOD March 16-17. If you don't see a message in your inbox, please check your spam folder! Thanks!

Hi everyone- Please click on the "Events" link above for information about practices at the Shotokan Ohshima Dojo March 16-17!

Practices are canceled today, Saturday February 23, 2013. Senior members will be attending SKA's annual black belt convention in Carpinteria, CA. See everyone next week.

"... BUT BASICS ARE BORING!" I hear this excuse far too often, usually right after someone starts complaining about their lack of progress. First and foremost i...t is important for you to understand something. It is not necessary to love the basics; it is simply necessary that you do them. Think of this as a test to prove yourself - to YOU. Do not allow yourself to be a dilettante. Dilettantes (those people who merely dabble with new program after new program) usually jump ship as soon as the training either gets hard or boring - thereby ensuring that they will never be good at anything; forever remaining perpetual beginners. Isn't it interesting to note that in GST as with life, you get out of it what you put into it? Yours in Fitness, Coach Sommer