A-KaTO News
Jul 1, 2008
BLACK BELT TEST
Mr. Yates promoted four young men to Black Belt and two to Yidan in a tough test June 28th. Lots of hard sparring and two very impressive specialty demonstrations highlighted the day. Congratulations to A-KATO's newest 1st Dans: Terry Heronime (best test), Drake Pledger, Jim Vincent, and Bill Vincent; and to new 2nd Dans Daniel Skipper (specialty: Jutte) and John Patterson (specialty: Naihanchi). You can see the pics here.
MEMORIAL DAY BLACK BELT CLASS
Sensei Dan Anderson, the founder of Modern Arnis 80, taught a special Arnis seminar for A-KATO Black Belts on Memorial Day. Over two dozen martial artists from several different schools participated in this dynamic class. Check out the pics here.
| 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:
- To Red Belt: Tony Wright, Jeff Bys, Cory Bys and Chris Houtchens.
- To Brown Belt: Josh Hunt
- To Blue Belt: Stephanie Bys, Matthew Warren, Chad Cooper, and Jerry Horn
- To Orange Belt: Brandon Schweers, Jared Schweers, Felipe Ibarra, and Alex Ibarra
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.
The A-KaTO awards this certification to currently teaching Black Belts who:
- complete at least eight hours of continuing education as set forth by the Certification Committee,
- pass a CPR certification class, and
- are evaluated by at least two senior A-KaTO instructors.
Black Belts can begin earning CEU hours any time after earning their 1st Dan, but must have held the rank of 1st Dan for at least one year and be at least 17 years old before receiving Advanced Instructor Certification.
Check back here for dates of the next CPR class and Black Belt Continuing Education class!
www.akato.org - the american karate and tae kwon do organization