Shoka Magazine May 2024

Marty Callahan 8th Degree Black Belt

May 1, 2024

When the weather is nice, we do all we can to get out in the community. You will see us at the following festivals, parties, and live events in the month of May There will be others throughout the summer and fall. So, if you’re out and about, look for us at the following events and stop by and say hello. Also, we will be making appearances at schools, churches, non-profits, businesses, and other groups either with a booth or with speaking engagements. So, if you have an event that you know about, and you’d like us to be there let us know and we do what we can to make it happen. And if you’d like me to speak at an event, we could probably make that happen as well.

• Human Race Sat. May 4th Downtown Plaza

• Wednesday Night Market – Wed. May 8, 15, 22, 29

• Rose Parade. Sat. May 18th Downtown Santa Rosa

Welcome to our new and returning students: Audie Hernandez, Guilietta Gonzalez, Stella Gutierrez, Giovanni Scalfaro, Anayeli Ortuno, Missael Flores, Jayce Relota, Woody Cla rk, Johnny Giroux

Here’s what’s in it this month’s Shoka Magazine:

• Dan Exam, Instructor Exam and Tournament Results

• Chief Instructor Remarks from Award Ceremony

• Pre-launch of our next book: Hero’s Journey Act II – The Initiation

• Sat. May 18th Luther Burbank Rose Parade... we want you to march with us!

Yours truly,

Marty Callahan, Chief Instructor, 8th Degree Black Belt, Speaker, Award Winning Author of The Hero’s Journey Act I – The Separation

Shotokan Karate Leadership School®

3082 Marlow Road B1, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

707-575-1681-ph, 707-861-0092-txt

Black Belt Exam, Instructor Exam and Tournament Results

1st Degree Black Belt

Samantha Pureco

Nico Ascencio

Sammy Gonzalez

Chhring Sherpa

Dikshant KC

Instructor Ranks

Nico Ascencio – Jr. Instructor

Sammy Gonzalez – Jr. Instructor

Dikshant KC – Jr. Instructor

Jacob Reynaga – Instructor

Tournament Results

Division 1 White to Blue Belt

Kata – Heian Nidan Kumite – One Step

1st Titi Dawit

2nd Anakin Yin

3rd Jesus Gonzalez

1st Dalton Elliot

2nd Titi Dawit

3rd Anakin Yin

Division 2 Purple & Brown Belt

Kata – Heian Godan Kumite – Semi-free Kumite-Free

1st Dikshant KC 1st Nico Ascencio 1st Miguel Barbosa

2nd Nico Ascencio

3rd Miguel Barbosa

2nd Dikshant KC

3rd Miguel Barbosa

Best Contestant Niko Ascencio

Marty Callahan 8th Degree Black Belt

Chief Instructor Remarks Award Ceremony

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Tenacity, Resilience, and Unstoppable Mind!

Our mission is to prepare you and your child to face the worst things life may throw at you. To do this you must develop the heroic qualities of tenacity, resilience, and an unstoppable mind.

Let’s start with some definitions. Tenacious means to hold firm to something. To not readily let go of a position, a principle, or a course of action. In other words, it means to be determined. Resilient means to be able to recover quickly from damage, illness, injury, or a bad experience. Unstoppable means just that... not capable of being stopped. The stronger these qualities are in you the more successful you will be.

How does a person develop these qualities?

These qualities are developed when you go up against something that tests you. The more you are tested and the harder the tests become the stronger these qualities become in you. This something that you go up against must be hard to do. It must be hard enough to make you want to quit. It must be hard enough to make you want to abandon your principles. It must be hard enough to break your determination It must be harder enough that most people can’t do it This something is the real and imagined opponents that we face in life and as we train in karate.

Karate isn’t hard. It’s our opponents who are hard. Karate training gives you, the tenacity, resilience, and an unstoppable mind that you need to stop your opponents from defeating you Your opponents are bigger, stronger, faster, and more experienced than you are. They want to break your will, they want to make you quit, they want to break your determination, they want to force you to abandon your principles. They want you to be the worst you can be.

Now you could give in to them, you could quit, but what will that get you? Nothing. They will have dominion over you. You will be forced to settle for less. You will be forced to live a life that you don’t enjoy. Perhaps working long hours at a difficult and demanding job. Being paid less than you are worth. Eating poor food. Accepting abuse as what you have to take. None of this is good for you and it’s certainly not good for your child. We are not meant to live this way. We are meant to achieve, to win, to thrive, to become the best we can be.

So, how do you help your child?

You help them by first giving them principles to live by and then not letting them abandon them. You help them by not letting them quit. You help them by making sure that they get back on their feet quickly after an injury, or an illness, or a disappointment, or a bad experience. You help them by leading your family and not letting them decide. You help them by making sure that they don’t let their opponents break their spirit, that they become unstoppable. So, when your child tells you that they don’t like karate, that it’s too hard, that they can’t do it, that they want to quit. Know that you are in the right place, that, yes our training is hard, but it needs to be this way because our opponents are hard, because life is hard. Know that our training will give you and your child the character traits you need to face the threats you will have to face in life. As a result, you and your child will become the best person you can be. For a parent there is nothing more satisfying than to see this happen for your child!

We’re going to be in the Rose Parade and we want YOU! to march with us!

If you ’ve never been in a parade... well here’s your chance. You can’t imagine how much fun it will be!

The date is Saturday, May 18th at 10am.

Festival immediately following!

We’re waiting for more information from the parade organizers and once we know we’ll let you know all the necessary details.

GREAT FUN WILL BE HAD BY ALL!

3082 Marlow Road B1

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Shotokan