2023 AKANA Family Reunion

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 3, Friday, August 4, and Saturday, August 5. AKANA Board Members and Advisors will arrive on Wednesday, August 2. Early arrivals are welcome to join the SideKick Dojo Classes on the afternoon of Thursday, August 3. The seminars and actual events are Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5.  The AKANA promotions are Friday afternoon on August 4 and the Ceremony Awards Dinner will be Saturday afternoon on August 5.

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. But 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 it would make sense 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 Sensei Alex Stephens, Luke Miller, and Madison Hobbs will also offer their skills. Plus, there will be a surprise guest teacher.

Must register by April 1st to receive this discount price with a free 2023 AKANA Family Reunion T-Shirt (value of $25) 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.

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)

Dinner Banquet Only: $50

(Kids 12 & under: $25)

Due to space, everyone must pay, whether you watch or participate.

Dates:

Wednesday, August 2 - Saturday, August 5, 2023

Wednesday, August 2

6:00-7:00 pm:  AKANA Board Meeting (Directors/Advisors)

7:00-8:30 pm:  Seventeen Kata Tomoe (Must schedule by April 1, 2023)

Thursday, August 3

1:00-2:00 pm:  Meet & Greet (Registration)

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:  Friday Registration and Packet Pick-ups

Weapons Training

10:00-11:00 am:  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:  Kubaton by Kyoshi Brandon Bennett

Catered Lunch Meeting

12:00-1:00 pm:  All AKANA Members (Discussion on Titles by Kyoshi Mayo)

Combative Arts

1:00-2:00 pm:  Combative Self-Defense by Kyoshi Kinchen (Elite Awareness in the Box)

2:00-3:00 pm:  Combative Self-Defense Against a Knife by Grandmaster Hanshi McCall (Shutting down the Brain Center)

Bujutsu Arts

3:00-4:00 pm:  Boatman Kata and Application by Tashi Alex Stephens 

4:00-5:00 pm:  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-ups)

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:  Saturday Registration and Packet Pick-ups

Soft Style Concepts

9:00-10:00 am:  White Crane by O'Sensei Robert Bowles

10:00-11:00 am:  Soft Style Concepts by Grandmaster Sifu Joe Martin (Bridging the Gap between Hard and Soft Styles)

Catered Lunch

11:00-12:00 pm:  AKANA Fellowship Meeting

Kids Seminar

12:00-1:00 pm:  Karate/Kobudo Basics by all AKANA Instructors led by the Gold Dust Twins

(Pictures of Kids with O'Shihan Jerry Piddington and O'Sensei  Robert Bowles)

Fighting Arts

1:00-2:00 pm:   MMA by Madison Hobbs/Josiah Newton (Bridging the Gap from Tradition to Modern Fighting Styles)

2:00-3:00 pm:   TBA (Kickboxing/Muay Thai/MMA)

Karatedo Concepts

3:00-4:30 pm:  O'Shihan Jerry Piddington (TBA)

Kata Competition

4:30-5:00 pm:  Five-man East Coast vs. West Coast Kata Competition

Setup for Dinner

5:00-7:00 pm:  Trained crew will reorganize the dojo for dinner.

Main Event

7:00-7:30 pm:  Doors Open 

7:00-8:30 pm:  Black Belt Promotions, Awards Ceremony with Dinner, Kata Performance from the Winners of each Team, Demonstrations, Lots of Fellowship, Memorable Pictures, and Lots of Fun

Aftermath Festivities

9:30-11:00 pm: TBA

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 April 1, 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."

• Everyone must be registered and stamped to participate in the seminars
• Due to space, everyone must pay, whether you watch or participate
• May participate in all of the seminars of your choice
• No filming will be allowed during seminars
• Must wear an appropriate martial arts uniform unless it is a combative or MMA seminar

Awards Banquet

The Awards Banquet is a way to honor those in front of All the Board of Directors and Senior Level Black Belts. Examples of Awards that will be presented are the following:

• Proclamation/Head of System of Study Certification
• Yudansha Rank Certification
• Teaching Title Certification
• Honored Title Certification
• Pinnacle Award Recipients 
• Team Kata Winners Certification and Plaque
• Special AKANA Awards
• AKANA Hall of Fame Inductee from the East Coast and West Coast

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:

• Be a current AKANA Member in good standing
• Be recommended for promotion by their instructor
• Be approved to go in front of the promotion board by AKANA Board of Directors
• Pass a normal rank exam by their instructor
• Information for AKANA paperwork must be sent by email to the AKANA Hombu Dojo at least 30 days prior to AKANA Promotion Recognition
• Complete the Promotion Order Form from the AKANA website
• Complete payment for rank
• During the AKANA Promotion Review, each member will perform 6-8 minutes of techniques which highlight the exam they passed with their instructor. For example, they might perform a kata with bunkai, a weapon with application, self-defense techniques, or fighting/sparring techniques
• Once the rank examination is complete, the members will be presented their rank certification during the Awards Banquet

AKANA Board will wear formal uniforms.

TEAM KATA COMPETITION 

The Team Competition will be an Annual Competition. The rules are as follows:

• Each team member must be an AKANA member in good standing
• Each team (East Coast and West Coast) will have five (5) members. 
• Each team must have at least one (1) Male and one (1) Female
• All ranks are allowed to compete
• Traditional Katas Only (no screaming and yelling allowed)
• Teams Selected by the Coast Director
• Five (5) Officials selected by the Board of Directors
• A member from the East Coast Team will compete against a member from the West Coast Team
• The team that wins that round will receive one (1) point
• The team that receives the most points will win the competition
• Each member will receive a certificate acknowledging their team won the AKANA Battle of the Coast and will be awarded during the Awards Banquet
• A plaque will be kept at the Hombu Dojo stating the YEAR and COAST of the winning team

T-Shirt Contest

We are having a T-Shirt Contest for the design of our 2023 AKANA Family Reunion and Seminars T-Shirt. Here are the rules. The winner gets a prize!

• All T-Shirt Designs must be submitted to Hombudojo@akana.org by April 1, 2023 
• Must be Designed for a (black) T-Shirt
• Design cannot have more than three (3) colors
• Design must include the AKANA Logo
• Design must say 2023 AKANA Family Reunion & Seminars
• Design will be selected by the AKANA Board of Directors