21st Annual Sierra Camp will be August 14-15-16, 2009

Karate in the Sierras!

Every year ISKA hosts a two-day, multiple-instructor training camp in the Sierra Nevada mountains right outside Yosemite National Park.

The next camp will be August 14-16, 2009!

Master Vincent Cruz and the ISKA Senseis invite you to our annual Sierra Camp, three days of karate training and martial arts fellowship at Camp Green Meadows, Fish Camp, CA.

Discover karate's Basic Principles! The basic principles are the skills inside the skills.

Sharpen your Kumite! Footwork, timing and spirit are the keys to kumite. Kumite sessions emphasize victory through strategy and superior timing.

Analyze your Katas! For kyu ranks we study Bassai Dai, Empi, Kanku Dai and Jion, presenting one kata per year in rotation. For black belts, we rotate through the Sandan katas: Hangetsu, Gankaku, Jitte, Tekki Nidan and Tekki Sandan. We often devote Sunday morning to the applications of the Heian katas. For advanced black belts we keep things lively with advanced katas and special sessions tailored to the audience.

Make Lifelong Friends! Karate friends are friends forever. At the Sierra camp, strangers become friends you'll see again and again at ISKA events and seminars. At the campfire session, people share their experiences about karate and life.

Relief for Aching Feet! The ISKA Sierra Camp has its own dedicated massage therapist (an honorary sandan), trained in Swedish Esalen and Hawaiian Lomi-Lomi techniques. She sets up shop in a quiet spot near the creek, and rubs tired shoulders and aching feet between sessions.

Camp Agenda

(This is the 2008 agenda. The 2009 agenda has not been determined yet.)

Friday August 15

Camp Opens at Friday 2:00 pm. Registration begins at 2:00 and continues into the evening.
3:30 to 5:00 Kobudo kata Koubu Nunchaku with Sensei John Kinsey (Nunchakus available.)
6:00 - Light dinner
7:30 – 8:30 Self-defense art for very young ladies. Sensei Bruce Clayton.
9:00 Campfire Program (get acquainted, Sensei Beth Waldow )

Saturday August 16

 

6:00-6:45 Spirited Sunrise Workout – Sensei Alex Huichapan; Sempai John Morris

Optional early morning run with Sensei Beth Waldow.

 

7:00-8:00 Breakfast

8:30-11:30 Black Belts: Kata Suishu Asai, presented by Hanshi Vincent Cruz and his Uchi Deshi students. See YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvxsNQTsizM.

Colored Belts: “Witchdoctor” kata (Cruz Instance 1, see YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfui7EKPOxY), presented by Sensei Bruce Clayton and Sensei Tony Wilcox.

 

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 Dan Kata: Chinte - Sensei Ricardo Llewelyn

Kyu Belt Kata: Tekki Nidan - Sensei Armando Jemmott; Sensei John Kinsey.

Jr Kyu Belts: Heian Nidan - Sensei Davis LaVerne; Dianne LaVerne

2:30– 4:00Self Defense Karate Juttsu - Sensei Justin Butler.

4:00 - 5:30 Saht Gwan (“killer blow') single-end staff kata from Hungar Kung Fu, presented by Sifu Albert Aranda. This can be performed using a bo staff

6:00 – 7:00 Supper

7:30 - 9:00 Black Dragon
9:00-10:00 Campfire Program.

 

Sunday August 17

6:00 6:45 Spirited Sunrise Workout - Sensei Jenny Williams
Optional early morning run with Sensei Waldow

7:00 -8:00 Breakfast

8:10 – 10:00 Basic Strategies of Kumite Sensei Robert Stevenson; Sensei John Leggett

10:00 11:00 Closing Ceremonies - Hanshi Vincent A. Cruz

12:00 Lunch, camp clean-up

Camp Green Meadows

The ISKA Sierra Camp is held at the Jack L. Boyd Outdoor School at Camp Green Meadows, in Fish Camp, CA. Fish Camp is about 1.5 hours north of the Fresno Air Terminal on Highway 41. Go past the pond and the bridge, and turn on White Chief Mountain Road. Note that on-line mapping services mislabel this road. For detailed directions click here.

Your camp fee includes bunkhouse accommodations, hot showers, and free meals for the duration of the camp. For those who require more privacy, Fish Camp offers many lodging options, some within walking distance of the training hall.

Between training sessions, ISKA participants enjoy the camp's tall trees, green lawns, burbling brook, hiking trails, horseshoe pits, basketball court, volleyball/badminton court, campfire meetings, and restored Miwok Indian village.

WHAT TO PACK. Download a list of clothing and equipment to bring to camp. Click here.

What if you don't want to sleep on a bunk bed? The camp does not have accommodations for families. There is a limited amount of room for RV's and tent camping, and there are several nearby motels and hotels. We made a list for you. Click here.

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