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Celebrating our Past, Present, and Future
American Karate Academies National Association (AKANA) is a national karate organization founded by GM Jerry Piddington in 1976, first known as the National Karate Association (NKA). It evolved into the American Karate Academies in 1991 and now has AKANA chartered schools, individual black belt members, and individual kyu-rank members across the nation. AKANA is a gathering place for everyone who is a part of the history and lineage of O'Shihan Piddington from the beginning to the present. AKANA is a family of like minds that are bonded together for the purpose of supporting and encouraging each other.
An AKANA Family Reunion is a gathering of AKANA family members who gather together in a relaxed family environment to celebrate our past, present, and future. Our East Coast Members will meet our West Coast Members. We will train and share old and new methods of our art with 12 seminars on Friday and Saturday. It will be an opportunity to learn from the pioneers that paved the way along with the younger teachers who will carry us into the future. Members will learn about our rich history from the Grandmasters who made it all happen with a rare opportunity to see them perform their art. Black Belt Members will be given the honor to receive rank and titles from our peers along with special awards and recognition. We will unite as one body encouraging our leaders to continue spreading good karate throughout the world. We will honor our heritage and move forward with new ideas. We are AKANA and we are family!
The 2023 AKANA Family Reunion & Seminars will be held the first weekend of August on Thursday, August 3rd, Friday, August 4th, and Saturday, August 5th. AKANA Board Members and Advisors will arrive on Wednesday, August 2nd. Early arrivals are welcome to join the SideKick Dojo Classes on the afternoon of Thursday, August 3rd. The seminars and actual events are Friday, August 4th, and Saturday, August 5th. The AKANA promotions are Friday afternoon on August 4th and the Ceremony Awards Dinner will be Saturday afternoon on August 5th.
The 2023 AKANA Reunion will be held at the SideKick Karate Dojo of Salisbury, North Carolina. The AKANA East Coast Director, Ricky Smith, and his wife Edie, will host this event.
Anyone! All are welcome, although some scheduled events will be for AKANA Black Belt Members only. AKANA Members and School Charters receive a significant discount, along with perks for the event, so we invite you to consider joining.
Grandmasters such as O'Sensei Robert Bowles and O'Shihan Jerry Piddington (our founder), along with Grandmaster Joe Martin and Danny McCall will offer their knowledge. Kyoshi Ricky Smith, Robert Taylor, Troy Price, CJ Mayo, Cliff Kinchen, and Brandon Bennett are scheduled to share their respective arts. Shihan Hari-Om and Randy Smith, Sensei Alex Stephens, Luke Miller, and Madison Hobbs will also offer their skills. Plus, there will be several well-known surprise guest teachers.
Must pre-register to receive this discount price with a free 2023 AKANA Family Reunion T-Shirt (value of $30) and a seminar certificate that can be signed by seminar instructors of each class completed. For non-AKANA members, please join here to receive an AKANA patch and certificate or add $50 to the price. All new AKANA members will receive an AKANA membership certificate honoring their existing rank at the Awards Banquet. There will be no refunds.
VIP AKANA Member Price: $175
(Includes all seminars with lunch on both days and banquet dinner along with special AKANA meetings and events with special access to AKANA VIP Room)
Non-AKANA Member Price: $225
(Includes all seminars with lunch on both days and banquet dinner along with events)
Friday Seminars Only: $100
(Includes lunch)
Saturday Seminars Only: $100
(Includes lunch)
Kata Competition and Dinner Banquet Only: $50
(Kids under 12 yrs. old: $25)
Due to space, Martial Artists that are just spectators must pay the same fee.
(No Filming)
Dates:
Wednesday, August 2 - Saturday, August 5, 2023
Wednesday, August 2
2:00-4:00 pm: How to Instruct Adaptive/Special Needs Students by Tashi Alex Stephens
3:00-4:00 pm: AKANA Board Meeting (Directors/Advisors)
4:00-7:00 pm: SideKick Karate Classes by AKANA Guests Instructors
7:00-8:30 pm: Seventeen Kata Tomoe (Must schedule by April 15, 2023)
Thursday, August 3
1:00-2:00 pm: Meet & Greet (Registration and Packet Pickup)
2:00-3:00 pm: Registered AKANA Black Belt Meeting
3:00-4:00 pm: AKANA Black Belt Fellowship
SideKick Karate Classes (Visitors welcome)
4:00-5:00 pm: Kids Class by Gold Dust Twins and all AKANA Instructors
5:00-6:00 pm: Two-Man Bo Set by Kyoshi Smith
6:00-7:30 pm: Lion Form Bunkai by Kyoshi Smith/Kyoshi Taylor/Kyoshi Price
7:30-8:00 pm: Depart for Dinner (Longhorn Steak House) Not included in the price.
Friday, August 4
8:00-9:00 am: Yoga by Eclectic Holistic Asian Martial Arts (EHAMA)
9:00-10:00 am: Registration and Packet Pick-up
Weapons Training
10:00-11:00 am: (1) Eskrima by Shihan Hari-Om (All You Can Eat Buffet of Eskrima and How to Incorporate it into Your System of Study)
11:00 am-12:00 pm: (2) Kubaton by Kyoshi Brandon Bennett (Almost Anything Can be used as a Self-defense Tool)
Catered Lunch Meeting
12:00-1:00 pm: All AKANA Members (Discussion on Titles by Kyoshi Mayo)
Combative Arts
1:00-2:00 pm: (3) Combative Self-Defense by Kyoshi Kinchen (Developing Elite Special Awareness Inside the Box)
2:00-3:00 pm: (4) Combative Self-Defense Against a Knife by Grandmaster Hanshi McCall (Four Myths of the Blade with Real-life Experience in a Knife Fight)
Bujutsu Arts
3:00-4:00 pm: (5) AKANA Approved Boatman Kata with Breaking, Bending, Twisting, & Locking Manipulations
4:00-5:00 pm: 6) Entering/Striking/Locking Applications of Kata by Kyoshi Troy Price and Kyoshi Robert Taylor
Official AKANA Program
5:00-5:30 pm: Introduction of AKANA Members (Registration and Packet Pick-up)
5:30-6:00 pm: Vision Message by AKANA Board of Directors/Advisors
6:00-7:00 pm: Grandmaster History Presentation of AKANA (Question and Answers)
7:00-8:30 pm: Black Belt Promotion Exams (AKANA Board/Advisors including 4 GMs)
8:30-9:00 pm: Depart for Dinner (Los Arcos) Not included in the price.
Saturday, August 5
8:00-9:00 am: Yoga by Eclectic Holistic Asian Martial Arts (EHAMA)
9:00-10:00 am: Saturday Registration and Packet Pick-up
Soft Style Concepts
10:00-11:00 am: (7) White Crane Fist Style by O'Sensei Robert Bowles (Hakutsura 1 & 2 with Bunkai)
11:00 am-12:00 pm: (8) Soft Style Concepts of Tai Chi & Qigong by Grandmaster Sifu Joe Martin (Bridging the Gap between Hard and Soft Styles)
Catered Lunch
12:00-1:00 pm: AKANA Fellowship Meeting
1:00-2:00 pm: (9) Basic Yang Taijiquan by Itipon Somboon (P’nut): Rooting (Gaining Balance), Redirecting & Borrowing Force, Power More Than Physical
Fighting Arts
2:00-3:00 pm: (10) MMA by Madison Hobbs/Josiah Newton (Bridging the Gap from Tradition to Modern Fighting Styles)
3:00-4:00 pm: (11) The Art of Pad Holding by The Gold Dust Twins (Incorporating Pad Drills to Improve Offensive & Defensive Footwork & Fighting Skills)
Karatedo Concepts
4:00-5:00 pm: (12) O'Shihan Jerry Piddington (Developing Kime with American Open Style Concepts of true Karatedo)
Setup for Dinner
5:00-7:00 pm: Trained crew will reorganize the dojo for dinner.
Main Event (Dressy Casual)
7:00 pm: Doors Open for Dinner & Awards Banquet
7:15 pm: Welcome and Blessing
7:30 pm: Five-man East Coast vs. West Coast Kata Competition
8:00-9:00 pm: Presentation of Awards & Promotions, Demonstrations, Fellowship, Memorable Pictures, and Lots of Fun!
Aftermath Festivities
9:30-12:00 am: Aftermath Festivities: (Bonfire & Fight Stories) Located across the street at Bonaparte Castle (Check it out on FB) or BonaparteCastle.com
Sunday, August 6
8:00-9:00 am: AKANA Member Breakfast (TBA)
10:00-11:30 am: AKANA Family Worship at Cornerstone Church of Salisbury (Shuttle from SideKick Karate Dojo or hotel) AKANA Spiritual Advisor, Pastor Brandon Spiker, will give the message.
Register right here.
If you are not an AKANA member and would like to join, AKANA would love to bring you into our family. Plus, all new AKANA members will receive an AKANA certificate honoring their existing rank at the Awards Dinner. Click on the application link provided here.
AKANA Membership Form (Black Belt or Below Black Belt Individual Membership)
If you would like to register for the AKANA Family Reunion, please click on the payment link provided here. These pre-registration prices are available until May 24th, 2023.
2023 AKANA Family Reunion Payment Form (VIP AKANA Member Registration, AKANA Non-Member Registration, Seminars, Events, Promotion, Awards Banquet, & Family Reunion T-Shirt)
Seminars
There will be a total of 12 Seminar classes taught on Friday and Saturday with some of the greatest masters of our time including O'Shihan Jerry Piddington, O'Sensei Robert Bowles, Grandmaster Danny McCall, and Grandmaster Joe Martin. The theme of our seminars will be, "Bridging the Gap between Traditional Karate and Modern-day Arts of Combat."
Awards Banquet
The Awards Banquet is a way to honor individuals in front of all Board of Directors and Senior Level Black Belts. Examples of Awards that will be presented are the following:
Dress Code: Dressy Casual Attire
Black Belt Promotion Review
All AKANA Yudansha Members that wish to be reviewed and recognized with a promotion in rank during the AKANA Reunion will need to complete the following:
AKANA Board will wear formal uniforms.
TEAM KATA COMPETITION
The Team Competition will be an Annual Competition. The rules are as follows:
Quality Inn
825 Klumac Road
Salisbury, NC, 28144
704.633.5777
Hotel in Salisbury, NC | Quality Inn® Official Site | Quality Inn & Suites (choicehotels.com)
There is an AKANA block of rooms for August 3, 4, & 5, please reference SideKick Dojo (A mix of Kings and Doubles).
The hotel is 5 minutes from SideKick Karate. If you do not prefer to rent a car, SideKick Karate can provide a shuttle bus between the Hotel and the SideKick Dojo.
SideKick Karate of Salisbury
520 South Main Street
Salisbury, NC, 28144
For any questions, call 704.216.2258 (Ask for Edie Smith)
or you can text 704.202.6454
or email us at skkarate@aol.com
For map, click on Contact Us - SideKick Karate Dojo of Salisbury, NC (sidekickdojo.com)
Bonaparte Castle Event Venue
619 South Main Street
Salisbury, NC, 28144
(704) 998-7860
After the Awards Banquet, the aftermath festivities will be held across the street in the historical Bonaparte Castle which has been transformed into an event venue that includes a large lawn with firepits and seating. We will relax, sit around the fire, and tell our old war stories with the GMs of American Karate.
AKANA Headquarters
PO Box 922, China Grove, North Carolina 28023
Phone: 704.216.2258 or Text: 704.202.6454
Copyright © 2023 AKANA - All Rights Reserved.
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