Evaluated by a true Kenpo lengend

I say this to my students all the time - it's really not about winning or losing. Of course, we try our best to win; but at the end of the day, it's all about putting forth 100% effort consistently. On August 9th, I was able to win the self-defense division at the 6th Annual Can-Am Kenpo Camp. But you know what? It really didn't matter to me how I placed. All I want to do is train hard and improve. What mattered to be about this particular tournament was to have the opportunity to be evaluated by Grandmaster Larry Tatum. Even if it's only for a short 3-5 minutes, for that brief time period, he was focused on me. I can't say this enough - if you haven't had the opportunity to train with Larry Tatum, you are really letting something in life pass you by that you will regret.

July Belt Promotions

Congratulations to Maria who was promoted to Purple Belt at Seabrook Martial Arts Academy in July.

Recap of the 6th Annual Southwell's Can-Am Kenpo Camp

From August 8-9th, Scott Southwell hosted his 6th annual Can-Am Kenpo Camp in London, Ontario. The camp was awesome, filled with intense training and a tournament. Camp instructors included Grandmaster Larry Tatum, Kyoshi Mike Leclair, Sifu Michael Shaw, Professor Jamie Seabrook, and Senior Instructor Scott Southwell. Grandmaster Tatum taught two-man set, and it was truly an honor to be able to do that set with him over and over. My seminar focused on Gracie Jiu Jitsu mount escapes and mount submission techniques, which is an overlooked aspect of self-defense in Kenpo Karate. These camps just get better and better, and I highly encourage all of my students to participate whenever possible.

The following students from Seabrook Martial Arts Academy also won 1st place in the self defense division in the tournament that was held after the seminars were finished (more important than placing, however, is that they had the opportunity to be evaluated by Grandmaster Tatum):

Victoria Brock
Ben Kopichanski
Matt Trejo (2nd-4th Degree Black Division)
Jamie Seabrook (5th Degree Black Belt and Up)