Thanks to your continuing interest and membership support over the last five years, SMAI was awarded permanent status as a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation!
Please consider making a donation. Help us continue to provide the programs and space for thoughtful movement practice and intelligent instruction. Details are at the bottom of the newsletter.

SMAI prepares to launch its first green project initiated and sponsored by Donna Green, Diane Bank, Michelle Gay, Mark Deutsch and Cathryn Barmon. Curbcombers
For everything New Yorkers like to reuse, recycle and salvage! The website was designed and implemented by Undici Design! Check it out before you chuck it out!

Have a good trash to treasure story? Share your tales of good fortune and ingenuity on the blog. Tales of Rubbish

SMAI Executive Director Michelle Gay is putting the finishing touches on her first book: Brain Breaks for the Classroom, published by Scholastic and due out in the Fall of 2009! The book draws on her expertise as a Certified Movement Analyst, and more than 10 years teaching karate and fitness to children of all ages.

New Classes and Instuctors:
Brazilian Ju Jitsu - Professor Jucao,
Kali/Silat - Master Greg Alland,
Street Smarts Self Defense - Pascal Pfister
MMA - Fran Fontane

For current SMAI schedule

If you are interested in submitting a martial arts related article to SMAI's newsletter please contact: info@sfmai.org

On November 8th, 2008, World Kanreikai Karate held its second Open Full Contact Tournament in Danbury Connecticut. The event, hosted by Kanreikai founder Hanshi Manny Matias, was a well attended evening of much excitement.

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WKK Calendar 2008/2009

Promotion Test: December 13,2008 9am - 3pm
Annual Dojo Clean up: Saturday December 27, 2008, 10:00am
No children's karate classes: December 23-January 4,2009
New Years Training (HQ):
Saturday, January 10, 9am
Children's Winter Tournament Camp:
February 16 - 20, 2009
Dojo Tournament:
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Promotion Test:
Saturday March 14, 2009
Children's Spring Training Camp:
April 13 - 17, 2009
World Kanreikai Karate Tournament: (Montreal, Canada)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Promotion Test
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Children's Karate Summer Camp:
July 6 -10, &13 -15
World Kanreikai Summer Camp:
July 16 - 19

Spiral Space - by Chad Smith Sometimes when I get to roll with Professor, the experience is nothing short of a mind fuck. He does what he does, slowly, methodically, relaxed, laughing. But the positions are exotic to my white belt student mind. Position is a terribly inadequate word, implying that what he does is understandable in a quantifiable, component set of static placements. No, the movements are in a realm of movement I don't think in yet. When he rolls like this I am a grain of sand with an ocean floating around me. When he moves on to another student I sit there on the mat, perfectly uninjured, but my mind has been blown. I am waking up from a dream world: I was there, participating, but deep down completely helpless. What the heck just happened to me?

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Looking at the Tarot: Saturday, January 3, 2009, 2 - 5pm

Enrique Enriquez will share his unique and practical approach to the tarot and lead an exploration into the language of symbols found within the Tarot de Marseille. Participants will receive a copy of Enrique's E-book "Looking at the Marseille Tarot, Notes on an Optical Language" and a deck of the Tarot de Marseille. Class size is limited to 10 persons.
Workshop Fee: $100 ($75 for return readers)
%10 discount for SMAI members

"Looking at the tarot with Enrique is an engaging and rewarding experience, after which, one can't help but see things differently. I highly recommend it to those who like to play, tell stories, and trip over the truth." - M.G.

for more information: www.enriqueenriquez.net

A parent, whose child has been training with us for a couple of years, sent me this essay written by her son as part of his middle school application process.
It floored me that I had so much in common with a 10 year old's training experience. I too have changed a lot and have had many wonderful teachers to whom I owe a great deal for their patience, perseverance, wisdom, and humour. Ironically, the people I learn the most from these days are my students.
Thanks to all the kids at World Kanreikai Karate NYC dojo!

Tell us about a person who has been important to you.
Sensei has been an important person to me because she influenced me a lot. Sensei is my karate teacher. She has influenced me in and out of karate. Sensei tells us to work harder in and out of karate class. In karate, Sensei tells us to kick higher. When I kick higher I advance in karate belts. That's why I get to lead the end of the class sometimes. When I worked harder in writing class I got better at writing. Now I am happy because I like to write in a journal.

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Feet are Fundamental: Level I & II
In Level I we will look at the structures of the foot (bones, ligaments, and muscles), and how these structures work together to give us the dynamic balance that underlies grounding and agility. We will explore how the feet inform the spirals of the legs and pelvis, and how to strengthen and mobilize the feet in standing and walking. All levels of movement experience are welcome.
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Feet are Fundamental Level I (4 classes) - Michelle Gay,CMA
Saturdays 2:00 - 3:00pm January 17, 24,31 and February 7, 2009
Feet are Fundamental Level II (4 classes) - Amy Matthews, CMA, BMC Practitioner
These classes continue where Level I leaves off focusing on reflexes, gait analysis, and PNF patterns. All levels of movement experience are welcome.
Wednesdays, February, 4, 11, 18, 25.
12:00pm - 1:00pm

For a complete class schedule visit our website www.sfmai.org