The Black Belt Alumni Program
Since 1974, House of the Samurai has enjoyed the positive energy, knowledge exchange, and fun personalities of 1000'sof like-minded Karateka, over 500 of whom achieved Black Belt or beyond. While work, family, and other commitments sometimes make it impossible to continue regular training, many people would like to maintain their ties and to feel welcome to drop in for a refresher or simply to say "hello" to old friends. If this strikes a chord with you, the House of Samurai Alumni Program is your chance to rekindle friendships, memories, and karate spirit!
As a Member of the House of the Samurai Alumni Program:
+ Stay up to date, stay in-touch with friends, and refresh your skills by attending class up to 12 times per year.
+ Receive invitations to attend special training seminars at exclusive discount rates.
+ Receive House of the Samurai newsletters, announcements, training calendars, and updates.
+ Attend exclusive dojo social functions and events such as outings, student meetings, Holiday parties, etc.
+ Enjoy special member pricing for the finest martial arts training equipment, books, DVDs, and merchandise.
A little bit of you will never leave the dojo.... Reconnect with that part of you!
Letter From the Directors
Ken and Mandy (Smith) Akiyama
Dear Alumni and Friends,
"There are a lot of exciting things, both new and old, going on at the dojo these days. We have honored Hanshi Bernard's work in Goju-Ryu and Shorin-Ryu by integrating both systems. Now, we are practicing a streamlined, composite style that includes the traditions of the entire Okinawan archipelago AND we are incorporating many old school two-person flow drills, fascinating bunkai, and even take-downs and grappling for those who are interested. This is a great time to get re-involved, refresh old kata, and learn some new tricks as well!
Black Belt classes are as you remember, on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The Black Belt class has been extended to 1 hour and 20 minutes in length. The longer class-time allows us to amply warm up and stretch, get a great workout, and still have plenty of time to explore new dimensions at a comfortable pace.
Please accept our personal invitation to take advantage of this Alumni Membership opportunity. We hope you all have fond memories of training at the dojo; we certainly have many fun memories of training with you! If you have any questions or just want to say 'hello', stop by, give us a call, or shoot an email."
Yours in Karate-do,
Mandy & Ken (Renshi X2)
