Here is some more MMA action from the Honour Combat fight night on November 27th at Edgewater Casino.

The first one is the Jonathan Agnew and Tak Sasaki filmed from the crowd by Sukhi Dhaliwal:

Here is the same fight shot by Stephen Hui of the Georgia Straight:

Stephen Hui also caught a round of a fight earlier in the evening between Jordan Knippleberg and Roland Wheeler.

First in a series of photos for Honour Combat Championships at Edgewater Casino in Vancouver, 27 November 2009.

Link to more photos from my flickr.com pool

Friday night is going to be a good fight night! If the MMA night at Edgewater Casino is sold out, go an check out the Fight Night at the View, 7 PM Friday November 27th  2009, featuring kickboxing and MMA fights. Info: http://www.gerrygionco.com/upcomingevents.html

Update:

Congratulations to Sensei Dean Lirette, I saw on Sensei Blake’s blog that Dean won his fight decsively in Victoria at Quest For The Title IV.

Osu!

Sensei Dean Lirette from the gym where I train, Versus21, is fighting at Quest for the Title IV. Go Sensei Dean! Hit em hard!!!!

Saturday October 3, Doors @6, Fights @7.

Victoria Arts Connection
2750 Quadra St.
Victoria BC Canada

More info to be found at: http://questforthetitle.com/

TOP RANK MARTIAL ARTS is bringing back the NORTH AMERICAN Challenge # 24

WHEN: Saturday April 4th, 2009
WHERE: Mickey McDougall Gymnasium in North Vancouver, BC
WHAT: LIVE Kickboxing, MMA and Muay Thai!
TIME: Doors open at 7:00PM fights start at 7:30PM
TICKETS: Available now by calling 604-318-1902 OR Reply to this email.

For seating chart, go to ringfight.com

North American Challenge is BACK in North Vancouver following the smashing success of the 23 previous installments. This show has reliably sold out well before the doors even open, so get your tickets soon! NAC 24 will feature an action-packed evening of exciting fights in a venue that offers incredible views from every seat in the house, and this event is supporting the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life!

This is your chance to cheer on some of the most explosive Canadian fighters as they do battle with notoriously talented Brazilians in North Vancouver, BC.

With a collaboration of top-level amateur MMA, Kickboxing and Muay Thai, there is something for every fight fan to enjoy.

The Brazilian team is coached by Morganti Jiu Jitsu expert Cesar Narita and includes:
Heavyweight Adam Godoy (Brazil) VS. Mike Gill (Canada)
Light Heavyweight Kyle Thorpe (Brazil) VS. Kyle Wisniewski (Canada)
Middleweight Lelo Aurelio (Brazil) VS. K the Marshall (Canada)

Local MMA fighters doing battle include:
Part Jenson VS. Matt Dwyer
Emilio Ditrocchio VS. Nael Anderson
Ramy Kadi VS. Alan Day
More local Kickboxing bouts include:
Nigel Miller VS. Adam Blanchette
Marc Bandeursen VS. Nicolas Migrane
Dustin Dickson VS. Logan Marten

**** Plus more exiting bouts **** ( Fight Subject To Change )
Tickets are on Sale Now!
For tickets or info, contact Mike at 604-318-1902 or fightspromoter@gmail.com

Directions to Mickey McDougall Gym:

Heading East or West on Highway #1, take Exit #18 (Lonsdale Exit). Turn down Lonsdale to 23rd St. and take a left at the lights (Centennial Theatre will be on your left). Continue to the 2nd block. Mickey McDougall Gymnasium will be on your left-hand side next to the Court House.

Kai Sinthong Muay Thai in VANCOUVER, BC. Kai Singthong will be hosting a Muay Thai Fight event showcasing Vancouver’s talented local fighters at the Maritime Labour Centre – 1880 Triumph Street.

Doors open at 6 and fights start at 8. Tickets are $30-$40 (save $5 by purchasing in advance). For tickets please contact Master Song at 778.896.1539

Proudly fighting out of Kai Singthong are Sean Kearney, Stanley Lam, Michael Khademi, Osmond Cheung, Cathay Cheng, Jessica Becher, Maylyn Silab, Walter Buse and Tai Lam.

Other fights include:
Scott Shaffer from Maurice Smith Seattle, Victor Wang and Alexandru Aparaschivei from Kel Lees Martial Arts, and John Edward and Colin Silver from KB One Kickboxing

This will be an action packed event with tons of Kicks, Knees, Elbows, Fists of Fury and Stand Up Grappling! This event is sanctioned by the Canadian Muay Thai Association and follows International Muay Thai Kickboxing rules and features some of the finest fighters from the Kai Singthong gym as well as other skilled fighters from Canada and USA. There will also be a special guest appearance by former UFC champion Maurice Smith.

MORE INFO Here: http://www.mantiskungfu.com/TigerBalmInternationals.htm

HOST TOURNAMENT FOR THE 2009 CANADIAN ISJA SPORT JUJITSU CHAMPIONSHIPS

SEE: Karate vs Kung Fu vs Tae Kwon Do vs Kenpo vs Jujitsu vs Kickboxing
See black belt contact fighting, including throws, and ground fighting
submission holds with the best competing for ISJA Canadian Sport Jujitsu
Championship gold medals.

NINE SPARRING CATEGORIES

SKIL point fighting, SKIL & WKC continuous sparring, Sport Jujitsu, padded weapons sparring,
San Shou fighting, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Free Style Grappling & Modified Pankration.

LOCATION:
Capilano College Sportsplex 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, B.C., Canada

WORLD MARTIAL ART GAMES:
The Tiger Balm Internationals is a W.O.M.A.A. sanctioned, qualifying event to help pick members for TEAM CANADA for The W.O.M.A.A. World Martial Games.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT IS MANDATORY:
Includes: Hand/foot pads, mouthpiece, and headgear. Protective equipment will be available for sale on site. Gloves will be provided for the WKC Continuous, and Sanshu sparring divisions.

NINE SPARRING CATEGORIES:
SKIL point sparring, SKIL & WKC continuous sparring, Sport Jujitsu, padded weapons sparring, Sanshu sparring, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Free Style Grappling, and Modified Pankration.

PADDED WEAPON’S POINT FIGHTING:

Padded weapon’s point sparring combatants are required to have the following:
Martial arts uniform, mouthpiece, athletic cup (male combatants), fingernails and toenails trimmed, and protective hand pads. Recommended equipment: Knee and shin pads (optional but highly recommended), shoes (non-marking soles), elbow pads (optional but highly recommended), and any safety pads a combatant feels are necessary to prevent injury without restriction of motion.

Supplied equipment by the event:
Weapon of choice (tomfa, nunchucks, three section staff, katana, staff, and arnis sticks), headgear (re-enforced steel wire cages and full faced head), and chest protectors.

MORE INFO Here: http://www.mantiskungfu.com/TigerBalmInternationals.htm

Only two weeks after the Steveston Judo Tournament is the 36th Steveston International Invitational Karate Tournament. There will be cash prizes for contestants and events will be scored by international caliber judges.

March 7, 2009. Tournament starts at 9:00 AM.

Steveston Indoor Tennis Courts

4111 Moncton St. Richmond, BC. Canada

Presented by J.K.F. Goju-Kai Canada.

More info, and results, can be found at http://uchiage-kai.com/.

The Steveston Judo Club cordially invites Judoka to participate in their 24 th annual Pacific International Senior Invitational Judo Tournament.

This year we are expecting a team of approximately 10 from Tokai University. This tournament will be followed by a 2 day training camp led by Jean Pierre Cantin, Canadian Junior National Coach.
This tournament is a Judo Canada Regional Points Tournament and also a selection tournament for BC athletes wishing to participate in the 2009 Canadian Senior Nationals.

Date:            Saturday, February 21, 2009.
Place:           Steveston Community Centre (Tennis Court Building)
4111 Moncton Street Richmond, B.C.
Start Time:      10:00 a.m.

More Info:

http://www.judobc.ca

http://www.stevestonjudo.com/

The new year is welcomed in with the traditions of martial arts with Kagami Biraki at North Shore Aikikai. The day began with a brief presentation to the audience about what Kagami Biraki means in terms of the traditions of martial arts and the culture of Japan. The event was also an open house for the dojo and was a great opportunity for teh public to learn more about the practices and traditions of Aikido, things that I had always wondered about. The following is a close transcription of the presentation by Sensei Joel Posluns, 6th Dan, Shidoin.

Kagami Biraki literally means ‘mirror opening’, it is an authentic Japanese celebration in that is held in many traditional martial arts schools or dojos, usually on the second or third Saturday or Sunday of January for all students to attend. It is also an old samurai tradition dating back to the 15th century that was first adopted into modern martial arts in 1884 by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, who adopted it as an opportunity for philosophical and spiritual reflection upon their activities. Since then other martial arts such as Karate, Aikido, Jujutsu have adopted the event as well. Kagami Biraki emphasizes renewal, re-dedication and spirit, values central to the practice of martial arts.

In Japan Kagami Biraki is still practiced by many families, as it marks the end of the new years holiday season which is by far the biggest celebration of the year. It is something that brings together Christmas, the family orientation of thanksgiving, mixed with the excitement of vacation and travel. It is a time when the whole nation goes on holiday and it is also a time for family to return to traditional roots, where prayers and offerings are made to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. People dress in kimono, enjoy traditional food and games. It is also a time when fathers are free to relax with their family, eat, play games, and in modern times, watch TV.

In most traditional dojos, preparation for the new years season begins as in most households. Towards the end of the year dojos are cleaned, repairs made, mirrors shined, and everything made tidy. In japan, many dojos retain the tradition of a purification ceremony, salt is thrown throughout the dojo, and salt is a traditional symbol of purity, which is a virtue, and then it is brushed away with pine boughs. Decorations are then frequently placed around the dojo, which in traditional Japan held great symbolism while today they are merely seen as holiday decorations.

Among decorations traditionally used are stacked rice cakes, an orange with a green leaf, as well as pine boughs, as well as a Shinto offering of salt, water and rice, as well as a little sake.

The offerings are for the kami, the sprit of the dojo resides in a little house with a door in the middle of the shrine, called a kamidana. On special days, such as Kagami Biraki, the door of the house is opened and a special ceremony is performed to invoke the spirit that looks over the dojo.

The Aikido shrine is known as a kamiza, also sometimes referred to as tokunowa or shinza. The kagami mochi, the rounded cakes are significant objects to the event, shaped in the fashion of a metal mirror, and formed from a hard dough of pounded rice. They symbolize full and abundant good fortune. The breaking apart of the cakes is the mirror opening, for they crack as they dry out. Traditional Japanese fare for this time of year is also consumed. A sweet Azuki bean soup is served with the mochi cakes from the kamiza and eaten in the soup.

The kamiza is the spiritual center of the dojo, decorated with gifts and offerings to the spirit of the dojo. Pine boughs are placed around the dojo around doors and in small vases and on both sides of the kamidana, which is also the ceremonial center.

Today, however, the new years celebration of Kagami Biraki holds no religious significance. It does however continue the old samurai tradition of kicking off the new year, and it is also a time when participants engaged in a common endeavor, can rededicate their effort and discipline towards goals such as training.

The presentation began with short session of Zazen, or kneeling meditation, ringing of the bell, lighting of the incense, opening of the kamidana door, followed by our traditional bowing to the kamiza, including two sets of claps, and two bows to invoke the spirit of the kami to come out.

North Shore aikikai indeed has its spiritual connection to the traditions of Aikido. But the dojo also possesses a physical connection those traditions, for among the most important possessions in the dojo is a rice paper scroll, written by the son of o-sensei, founder of Aikido, Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba.

A student explained the meaning of the kanji symbols on the scroll.

Ai, harmony
ki, spirit power
do, the way.

Together it means ‘The way to harmonize power’. It is not a system of fighting, but a way to cooperate and communicate with other people.

In every Aikdio dojo is a picture of Morihei Ueshiba, o sensei, the originator of Aikido, who was posthumously made a national treasure in Japan. Ueshiba is honored in Aikido not only for creating it, but for his efforts throughout his life as a true and dedicated martial artist.

More info: http://www.aikidofaq.com/history/osensei.html