A-KaTO News

May 13, 2008

Eighteen people were promoted to brown belt at the Richardson Y on the 10th. See the pics here.

April 29, 2008

  • MEMORIAL DAY BLACK BELT CLASS
    Sensei Dan Anderson will be teaching a special Arnis seminar for A-KATO Black Belts and selected Brown Belts on Monday evening, May 26th, 7 PM at the Richardson YMCA. Yes, that's Memorial Day, but most of us will be back in town that evening ready for work the next day. Not only is he one of the big names in early American martial arts, he has earned quite a reputation as a master Arnis teacher and that's what he wants to do for us in May. It'll be $30 for an hour and a half. Contact Mr. Yates at kyates10@gmail.com, if you plan to attend. We'll be parking near the soccer fields, since we'll have to enter by the North side door.

  • UPCOMING BLACK BELT TEST
    The next A-KATO Black Belt test will be Saturday, June 28 at the Richardson YMCA.

  • Mr. Yates' new book, The Complete Guide to American Karate and Tae Kwon Do, is now in! Read what martial arts greats Jhoon Rhee, Chuck Norris, and others have to say about the book, and find out how to order your very own autographed copy here.

    • April 20, 2008

    Click here for pictures from the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame induction of Larry Caster held in Ft. Worth on April 19. Grandmaster Keith Yates and Michael Proctor Sensei joined martial arts legends Pat Burleson, Troy Dorsey, Jim Harrison, Raymond McCallum, Joy Turberville, Fred Wren, and others to honor Mr. Caster.

    March 12, 2008

    A-KATO ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND UPPER DAN TEST
    Members from five states gathered for the 32nd Anniversary celebration of A-KATO on March 8th. The day began with an impressive upper dan Black Belt exam featuring well-received specialty demos. Congratulations to new 3rd Dans Ceasar Johnson (specialty: Advanced Tai-Subaki) and Velmor Estillore (specialty: Bunkai of Chunji.) Congratulations to new 2nd Dans Kathy Rhine (specialty: Practical Cane), Ysabel Merhout (specialty: Tai Chi), John Egan (specialty: Small Joint Manipulation), and Lee Washburn (specialty: Plan B Knife Defense.)

    Later in the day, over 70 martial artists participated in excellent, hands-on seminars taught by Masters Tony Tempesta and Sam Perez. And that night, over 190 attended the banquet in downtown Dallas, where A-KATO schools recognized their Students of the Year, Tenets of Tae Kwon Do awardees, and special Black Belt recognition awards. Grandmaster Yates' guests included Grandmasters Skipper Mullins, James Toney, Royce Young, Michael Proctor, Duane Ethington, and Bob Beasley, as well as nationally known motivational humorist Robert Duckworth, who was the evening's very entertaining speaker.

    Pictures of the awardees are available for purchase on Lyman Roark's website, at www.roark-photography.com. The A-KATO gallery of pictures of the day's event are here.

    Here is the list of the 2008 awardees:

    2008 Students of the Year
    Alpha Fitness Center  Tory Smith
    Alpha McKinney  Benjamin Turner
    American Karate  Shayan Safar
    Cooper Fitness Center  Trent Small
    Dragon School TKD  Thad Plymill & Robert Opalecky
    Denison Family Karate  Fred Stephens
    Future Generations  David Martinez
    Garland YMCA  Angel Perez
    Richardson YMCA   Joel Jenkins
    Richardson YMCA (Sat)  Lucas Eddy
    Iss Hogai  Chadrick Cooper
    J&R Black Belt Academy  Ryan Schinder
    AWTC TKD  Cole Adams & Reid Combest
    Strom's Black Belt Academy  Toni Baer
    Blue Cliff TKD  Nicole & Michelle Marquez

    2008 Tenets of Tae Kwon Do Awards
    Courtesy  Mark Hollon
    Humilty  Daniel Hunt
    Integrity  Chris Landino
    Perseverance  Robert Croker
    Self-Control  Lindsey Baker
    Indomitable Spirit  Stephanie Bys

    2008 Dan Awards
    Instructor of the Year  Tim Looney
    Garrett Seaback Award  Randy Miller
    Marian Erickson Award  Caroline Goodspeed
    6th Dan  Sam Perez

    More A-KaTO News:

  • On February 16th, Mr. Yates traveled down to Seguin, Texas to observe the Jung Tong Moo Sul Tae Kwon Do Black Belt test hosted by Grandmaster Dick Strom. Congratulations to new Black Belts Ashton Mueller, Toni Baer, and John Baer, new 2nd Dans Lucinda Pouncey and Payton Mueller, new 3rd Dan Mike Randol (specialty: Chinese Broadsword), and new 4th Dan Elaine Schreiber (specialty: Women's Self-Defense.) You can see the pictures here.

  • On December 8th, Master Duane Ethington held an Iss-Hogai belt exam for lower belts. Sitting on the board were Mr. Duane R. Ethington, Mr. Hap Ethington, Mr. Jeff Kowalski and Mr. Ceasar Johnson. The following students were promoted:

    December 20, 2007

    BLACK BELT TEST RESULTS
    On December 16th, in an impressive test, Alex Brown and Rob Whapham earned their Black Belts, and Aaron Barnett earned his 3rd Dan, demonstrating sai as his specialty. In a tribute to Grandmasters Yates and Toney, Mr. Barnett researched and performed the same sai kata and demonstration Mr. Yates had done thirty years ago for his 3rd Dan test. You can check out the pictures here.

    ADVANCED INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION
    After the test, Mr. Yates recognized Aaron Barnett, Kathy Rhine, and Lee Washburn with Advanced Martial Arts Instructor Certification. Check back here for dates of the next CPR class and Black Belt Continuing Education class!

     

     

     

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