Bushido Bulletin June 2019
We are very excited about the upcoming 2019 U.S. Karate Alliance World Championships to be held July 11th – 14th at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa.
We are especially excited to be returning back to Phoenix, Arizona for our 30th anniversary!!! This year’s event will be a very special occasion as we commemorate the life of Grandmaster Robert A. Trias “The Father of Karate in America” and the founder of the United State Karate Association.
As always, the USKA World Championships is an event that is open to all martial arts styles and organizations, domestic and international. With that being said, we look forward to seeing the various styles of martial arts and high levels of competition.
ROOM DISCOUNT AND PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 18th!!!
THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES KARATE ALLIANCE
by Cathy Davis and Buster Cotten, Co-National Directors
This year is the 30 th anniversary of the founding of the United States Karate Alliance. During these times, when there are now numerous martial arts organizations or halls of fame, it seems appropriate to detail the history of the United States Karate Alliance.Grandmaster Robert A. Trias, founded the United States Karate Association in
1948. Grandmaster James Hawkes was the Mountain States Regional Director for the USKA. Dr. David Jordan was the South Central Regional Director for the USKA. Sensei Hawkes had also been selected by Grandmaster Trias to be in the Trias International and in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was on the USKA National fighting team. Dr. Jordan had been the longtime National Points Coordinator for the USKA and hosted the USKA World Championships in 1985 in Houston, Texas. During the 1980s, their two regions had a very active USKA tournament circuit. Both Sensei Hawkes and Dr. Jordan won Coach of the Year and Team of the Year Titles during the 1980s. When Grandmaster Trias passed away on July 11, 1989, the path forward for the USKA was unclear as longtime members and instructors in the USKA began to leave the organization. Sensei Hawkes and Dr. Jordan were Shorin Ryu and Tae Kwon Do stylists, respectively, and greatly appreciated how Grandmaster Trias created an organization for all styles to share knowledge, attend seminars and compete together. Sensei Hawkes and Dr. Jordan negotiated with the family of Grandmaster Trias for
the purchase of the USKA and, when negotiations failed to lead to a purchase, they decided to form the United States Karate Alliance, Inc. in 1989.In 1989, Sensei Hawkes and Dr. Jordan were the sole shareholders (owners), each with a 50% interest. From 1990 through 1998, besides Sensei Hawkes and Dr. Jordan as the majority shareholders, there were other shareholders in the Alliance. Cathy Davis was a shareholder from 1990 through 1998 and she was also the National Administrator for the Alliance. Stephen Donaldson was a shareholder for approximately 5 years.The Alliance immediately went to work to organize tournaments and seminars to provide a seamless transition from the USKA to the Alliance. The first Bushido Bulletin was published in December of 1989. The USKA used to hold two major events during the year – the annual seminar in March and the World Championships in July (formerly known as the Grand Nationals). In March of 1990, the Alliance hosted its first seminar, which featured Sensei Osamu Ozawa, Sensei Fumio Demura, Sensei Roy Oyakawa, Sensei Robert Bowles, Sensei Bruce Heilman, and Mr. Benny “the Jet” Urquidez as the seminar instructors. Dr. Jordan hosted the first United States Karate Alliance World Championships in New Orleans in July of 1990. Several Trias International Society members attended the 1990 World Championships and they selected the first members of the United States Karate Alliance Hall of Fame – Mr. Mike Wall, Ms. Cathy Davis, Mr. Joe Dupaquier, Ms. Sherron Lesch, and Mr. Jack James.Thereafter, the Bushido Bulletin was published on a quarterly basis. Dr. Jordan continued to host the World Championships each July until his passing in 2016. In 1991, along with the annual seminar featuring notable martial arts instructors, Sensei Hawkes and Ms. Davis hosted the Alliance’s first Nationals, which was limited to black belts only, and known as the United States Karate Alliance Black Belt Cup. In 1992, the Nationals Tournament was opened to all ranks but, in order to compete, one had to qualify by placing at an Alliance World, National, State or Regional tournament or be ranked in the Alliance Point standings. In 1998, Ms. Davis decided that due to the time commitment of raising a family and running her law practice, she would need to resign as a shareholder, National Administrator and Nationals tournament coordinator although she remained as a Regional Director, the Alliance attorney, and a member of the Executive Board. Sensei Hawkes and Dr. Jordan were again the sole owners of the Alliance, each with a 50% interest. Sue Hawkes started karate in late 1994 and, after Ms. Davis’ resignation as National Administrator, she became the National Administrator and tournament coordinator assisting Sensei Hawkes in hosting Nationals.In 2010, Sensei Hawkes and Dr. Jordan began discussing with James Lee the idea of transferring the administration and the national points coordinator positions to James Lee and Headquarters to Eagle, Colorado. Mr. Lee made a presentation to the entire Executive Board in March of 2011, which was well-received and discussions intensified regarding the transition. During this time period, Dr. Jordan determined that he wanted Mr. Buster Cotten to be his successor in the Alliance and he began the process of transferring shares to Mr. Cotten. In March of 2012, Sensei Hawkes passed away. The loss of Sensei Hawkes was felt deeply by many and the Alliance mourned his passing. Pursuant to the Shareholders’ Agreement between Dr. Jordan and Sensei Hawkes, Dr. Jordan became the sole shareholder. In December of 2012, Dr. Jordan offered Mrs. Hawkes shares in the Alliance and the position of Vice-President. However, in January of 2013, Mrs. Hawkes decided that she wanted to leave the Alliance and start her own organization. James Lee and his students stepped up to run the Nationals in March of 2013. Headquarters was moved to Colorado and Mr. Lee became a shareholder in the Alliance. As before, Dr. Jordan and Mr. Cotten continued to host the World Championships each July and Mr. Lee hosted the Nationals through 2016. Mr. Lee ultimately decided he wanted to pursue other endeavors and resigned as the National Administrator, whereupon Dr. Jordan asked Ms. Davis to return as a shareholder in the Alliance. In September of 2016, Dr. Jordan unexpectantly passed away on his beloved ranch. Once again, the Alliance was in mourning. Ms. Davis and Mr. Cotten became the Co-National Directors. It is difficult to name a martial arts organization that has survived the death of its founders. However, our organization is strong and has been around quite a long time. Headquarters has moved back to its original home in Albuquerque, Mr. Cotten continues to host the World Championships, which have been held since 1990. Ms. Davis continues to host the Nationals, which have been held since 1991. The Bushido Bulletin continues to be published. The Hall of Fame meets twice a year. There are very loyal Regional Directors, State Representatives and school owners that have been with the Alliance for many years – many since the beginning. Mr. Joe Dupaquier has done a great job as the National Points Coordinator and handling memberships. Our tournaments attract talented competitors from all over and we continue to provide an organization and tournament circuit for martial artists of all styles. Join us in July in Phoenix, Arizona to celebrate the 30 th Anniversary of the United States Karate Alliance. We are looking forward to another 30 years.
Click to see the Robert Trias Tribute
OPEN TO ALL STYLES OF MARTIAL ARTS!!!
KATA/FORMS – WEAPONS – SPARRING – KOSHIKI – IPPON SPARRING
3 PERSON TEAM (FORMS, SPARRING & WEAPONS)
CHANBARA – SELF DEFENSE
Final National Point Standings
World Championships Special Events
2019 UNITED STATES KARATE ALLIANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2019 United States Karate Alliance World Championships are scheduled for July 11 through July 14 in Phoenix, Arizona at the Arizona Grande Resort. It has been thirty years since the passing of Grandmaster Robert Trias. On Thursday, July 11, at 7:00 p.m., the United States Karate Alliance will be hosting a memorial to honor Grandmaster Robert Trias. Grandmaster Robert Trias is the father of karate in America. He started the first dojo in the United States in Phoenix, Arizona and held the first tournament in the United States. Grandmaster Trias also held the first National Tournament in Chicago in 1963. There will be several of his Chief Instructors attending the Memorial and they will share their memories of him and discuss his contributions to the martial arts. From 8:00 to 8:30 p.m., Grandmaster Robert Bowles will lead a half hour memorial workout. After all, what better way to honor Grandmaster Trias than doing karate in his memory? The workout is open to all ages and styles. If you will be participating, please wear your karate uniform to the Memorial so there is no delay in starting the workout. The Memorial and the Memorial Workout are open to all ages, styles, and ranks. The National Directors and Executive Board will be participating and we look forward to seeing you there. The United States Karate Alliance will also be honoring Grandmaster Robert Trias at our Awards Banquet on Saturday night, July 13 and our Finals on Sunday night, July 14.
During the day on Thursday, Grandmaster Robert Bowles is hosting a coach tour of the locations of Grandmaster Trias’ dojos and he will be sharing memories of his time with his Sensei, Grandmaster Trias. The group will also visit Grandmaster Trias’ gravesite. The link to book your spot on the tour is available at the United States Karate Alliance website at uskaratealliance.com.
The flyer for the World Championships and the pre -registration link is on the website at uskaratealliance.com. The pre-registration deadline is June 18, 2019. You must reserve your rooms at the Arizona Grand by June 18, 2019, to receive the special suite group rate of $109.00, plus tax. Call 1-877-800-4888 and mention the World Championships. Our room block is sold out, but the hotel will honor that rate if they have any rooms available. Last year, after our room block sold out, the hotel sold out completely and several were disappointed that they had to stay at other hotels. You don’t want your kids to miss out on the amazing waterpark, so book your rooms now.
Banquet tickets are also available for purchase online. The Arizona Grand serves a wonderful banquet meal. The last two years we have sold out at the banquet. Unfortunately, the most we can fit in the banquet room is 450 and extras can’t be squeezed in, so please reserve your tickets early. At the Awards Banquet, we recognize the top 10 nationally ranked competitors. All top 10 competitors must be pre-registered by June 18 th to receive a Bushido Award. You can also reserve a table for your team, but you must send us an email by June 18 to bacotten@hotmail.com , with the name of your team and the requested number of seats.
We look forward to seeing you at the 2019 World Championships.
Sweeps & Going to the Ground in Sparring
A good martial artist will have a number of techniques to help them score and win a match. Some are simpler than others. Some should not be attempted at a tournament unless they have been practiced and trained at the dojo to proficiency. A sweep is one of these techniques.
A sweep itself does not score. After a safe sweep the competitor must immediately follow up with a controlled scoring technique. A safe sweep is defined as sweeping the front foot only and controlling the competitor’s fall. Judo throws or hip throws are not allowed and not considered sweeps. Sweeping above the boot is also prohibited. Keep in mind that the competitor who is being swept also has the ability to score.
