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Benefits of Martial Arts General Special Events

NWSMA & Fudo Yama Students Make Donation!

 

Students, parents, and Senseis from NWSMA & Fudo Yama after making their donation.
Students, parents, and Senseis from NWSMA & Fudo Yama after making their donation.

Students from Stanwood’s Northwest School of Martial Arts and Fudo Yama Karate-Jutsu made a donation to the Stanwood Food Bank on Monday, December 16, 2013. The donation ended a month-long competition between the two schools to see who could collect the most food.

We’d like to shout out a big “THANK YOU” to our parents for helping our kids collect the food!

And to everyone in the Stanwood-Camano area, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and warm season wishes from all of us at NWSMA!

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Special Events

2013 Sparring Tourney Team!

tournament sparring
NWSMA Sparring Animals

Congrats to the sparring tournament team on last week’s sparring extravaganza! Pictured are six of the nine students who participated. Look at all that bling! It takes a lot of guts to get out there in the ring, so excellent work. Thanks also to TMA – Pine Lake and TMA – Overlake for putting on a great event!

Categories
General Musings Special Events

Black Belt Halloween Safety Tips by NW School of Martial Arts

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday, so I wanted to write up my top 10 Halloween safety tips to share with everyone!

Halloween safety tips
Do not mess with these pumpkins…

Halloween is a holiday that makes a lot of moms anxious: gobs of candy to check, gobs of candy ruining appetites, strangers interacting with your kids, and the possibility for teenage mischief-makers.

Don’t let yourself stress. Create a set of ground rules with your kids, using my top 10 as a starting place. Click “more” for my top 10 Halloween safety tips for adults and kiddos.

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Special Events

Save the Date: Sparring Tournament November 9, 2013

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Sparring Tournament, hosted by True Martial Arts – Pine Lake!

Kicking high at a sparring tournament.
Kicking high at a sparring tournament.
  • Date: November 9, 2013.
  • Time: White-adv. green belts begin at 10 am; blue belts & above at 11:30.
  • Place: True Martial Arts – Pine Lake (located at 2912 228th Ave SE, Sammamish 98074).
  • Gear requirements: mouth guard, hand pads, foot pads, head gear, and groin guard (for gentlemen).

We have a few registration forms available in class, but you can also download and print one (below, both files .docx). Please also download & read through the rules on your own. We will dedicate some class time to point sparring practice, but it is your responsibility to be familiar with the rules.

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Categories
Special Events

Women’s Self-Defense Class – Sept 28

Taught by women for women, our September 28th Women’s Self-Defense Class is a great class for women ages 13 & up! Scroll down for time, location, and price. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Books for Bikes charity.

Doris Eastbury, owner & chief instructor of NW School of Martial Arts, will be teaching the class. Doris is a 4th degree black belt with over 25 years of martial arts experience–and has a story or two to tell about why women need self-defense skills!

SBN/Sensei Doris (on the right) with Irna.
Sensei Doris (right) with Irna, a karate mom.

Class content includes:

  • “5 A’s” of self defense;
  • Walking with confidence: posture & body language tips;
  • How to effectively use your voice;
  • Decision-making: thinking through a self defense situation;
  • Simple, effective release & escapes from standing grabs and holds;
  • What to do if you get knocked to the ground;
  • Simple, effective strikes against vital targets.

Protecting yourself shouldn’t be complicated or confusing. We keep the techniques simple, and we break information down into easy-to-remember points (like the 5 A’s and a girl’s best 3 weapons).

Sempai Jasmine as a brown belt.
Jasmine takes down her partner. You go girl!

NWSMA female black belts will be on hand to assist and answer questions. Our goal is to create a safe and fun environment for you to learn self-defense that may someday help you escape from a threatening situation.

  • Date: Saturday, September 28th, 2013 from 12:00-2:00pm
  • Location: Stanwood Masonic Hall (downtown Stanwood)
  • Ladies 13 years & up are welcome. 🙂
  • Price: Back-to-School Special of $47 (normally valued at $97)
  • Bring a friend (or two) and you both will receive a 25% discount, making the price just $35/person!!
  • Participants will receive a safety handout and a self-defense stick keychain.
  • Contact us to reserve your spot. Pay on the day of, cash or check please.

The ladies in our most recent seminar really enjoyed talking and sharing experiences. Self-defense skills are truly priceless. We’d love to help you gain the confidence and knowledge that could protect you and your loved ones.

See you there!

Categories
Benefits of Martial Arts General Special Events

NWSMA Campers Make Donation

nw school of martial arts
NWSMA campers with their donation at The Caring Place.

NW School of Martial Arts collected school supplies during its annual week-long summer camp. Summer campers walked the items over to The Caring Place in downtown Stanwood to make the donation. Students got a mini tour and talked to volunteers about what The Caring Place does for the local community.

As martial artists, we strive to reach our personal best AND to help others. Donating school supplies to those in need is a great way to make a difference! Thanks, everyone!

Categories
Media Special Events

NWSMA 2013 Camp Photos

stanwood karate

First camp photo! Look at all these happy campers!

We have a parent who is a professional photographer, and she’s charging a small fee for prints (just to cover material and printing costs). Parents, if you’d like a copy of any of the photos, please see us at the dojo for the order form.

More photos after the jump….

Categories
Special Events

Save the Date: Upcoming Forms Tournament!!

Hello, folks! We’re very excited to announce that we have registration & information for the upcoming forms tournament. (Download information and reg form below in .docx format).

  • Who’s invited? We encourage all NWSMA students to participate~
  • When? Saturday, September 21, 2013.
  • Where? TMA – Overlake in Redmond!
  • White-advanced green belt divisions start at 10 am. (Blue belts in karate are equivalent to green belts in Tae Kwon Do)
  • Blue belts & up start at 11am. (Green belts in karate are equivalent to blue belts in Tae Kwon Do)
  • The last event is group synchronized form for all ages/ranks.
  • How much? Only $15/student!!

To sign up, complete the registration form and turn it in to Sabumnim Doris before the tournament. Come out to support your school and fellow students!

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Categories
Benefits of Martial Arts Special Events

2013 “Karate Summer Camp” Open to the Public – August 12-16, 2013

We have exciting news for you! For the very first time, NW School of Martial Arts’ 2013 Karate Summer Camp is open to anyone ages 6-17!! That means you don’t have to be an NWSMA student to take part in the summer martial arts fun!!

NWSMA students, you know what that means? Bring a friend with you to camp!

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summer camp
A group of NW School of Martial Arts students think hard during a mental challenge.

Camp will take place over the course of 5 days, and each day has a theme. Focusing on one skill a day, such as kicking and grab releases, children will learn the basics of how to defend themselves. Benefits of summer camp include:

  • Gaining self-confidence;
  • Learning some basic self-defense skills;
  • Working with a small group to create a short skit about how to peacefully resolve a bullying situation;
  • Making new friends, learning to share & helping others;
  • Being active and exercising in a safe, friendly environment;
  • Getting creative with crafts and games!

Here’s the what/when/where:

  • Karate Summer Camp takes place August 12-16, 2013, Mon-Fri 10:30am-3:00 pm
  • The cost is $100/child/week OR $25/child/day
  • *Bring-your-own lunch except Friday* (We’ll serve pizza on Friday)
  • Located @ Stanwood Mason Hall in downtown Stanwood. We will donate a part of our proceeds to Bikes for Books.
  • Camp t-shirts with NWSMA logo will be available for an optional $20.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT ASAP! Contact us at nwschoolofmartialarts@gmail.com, and we’ll email you the registration form and camp program.

Payment will be due in full, cash or check to NWSMA, on the 1st day of camp (August 12). Children will not be allowed to take part if their parent/guardian has not completed & returned the registration form with payment.

Grinning with their trophies after a tournament.
These two love summer camp (and winning trophies at tournaments!!)

NW School of Martial Arts, owned by Sensei Doris Eastbury, has been serving Stanwood since 1988 with martial arts & self-defense classes for all ages. Assisting her with camp are certified black belts who regularly instruct & help in our year-round programs.

Hope to see you at 2013 Summer Camp!

Categories
Special Events

June 8 Board Breaking Seminar

Sempai Jasmine doing a combination break.
Sempai Jasmine doing a combination break.

Saturday, June 8, 2013, NWSMA will be hosting two guest instructors from TMA Overlake to give a board breaking seminar.

  • We will still hold regular class.
  • Seminar will begin at 12:00 pm. 
  • Cost is $20 and includes 2 boards. Additional boards will be a small extra fee $3/board. You must decide ahead of time how many boards you want.
  • AGE LIMIT: 8-11 year-olds will only be doing stomp kicks. 12 year-olds will be considered on an individual basis. This is for safety purposes.
  • Fill out a sign-up slip in class. One per student. We need this done ahead of time so we can order boards.