Karate USA Blog

Old Videos Added to Information Section

Kevin Geary — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:07:36 +0000

We’ve added the old videos to the information section. We are currently working on recording the new forms video series which will be made available in the Virtual Classroom in 2nd Quarter 2010.

Notice

We are aware that there is a problem with the old Taeguk 3 video. It may not play all the way through. This issue will not be fixed as we are focusing all resources on creating the new video series rather than patching the old one.

If there are any problems with videos besides Taeguk 3, please let us know. Hope this helps everyone practice and prepare for exams.

Vote to Choose the First Place Prize for the 2nd Quarter Referral Contest

Kevin Geary — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:00:44 +0000

We want to offer you the prizes you want, not the prizes we think you want. That’s why we’re letting all students and parents vote for the first place prize for the 2nd quarter referral contest. Use the poll below to vote starting March 1st, 2010. If you have an idea for a first place prize that’s not listed, leave your idea in the comments section below and we’ll consider adding it to the poll.

Vote Now! The poll will expire on March 31st.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Live Chat Functionality Installed Today

Kevin Geary — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:33:25 +0000

We are always looking for ways to make it easy for you to communicate with Karate USA staff. Today, we’ve added live chat functionality to make it even easier for you to get questions answered.

In the sidebar of all pages on this site, you will see a live chat widget. The widget will tell you if a staff member is logged in. If it says we’re available, click the link and a chat window will open. You are now engaged in a live chat session with a staff member. Instead of sending an email or giving us a call, see if you can use the live chat feature to get your questions answered in real time (unless you prefer otherwise).

If you experience problems using the chat widget, let us know in the comments below. Have a great day!

Results from 2010 Ft. Oglethorpe Winter Battle

Kevin Geary — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:26:58 +0000

The tournament is complete and the results are in. It was a great tournament as far as competition goes (though it could have been organized better). There were many state and national champions in attendance from both AAU and USAT. It was great experience for all of our members. The event was double elimination sparring so winning required fighting more matches than usual.

Gold

Ruth Mendez
Arthur Gaskill
Mackenzie Cole
Connor Cole

Silver

Nick
Arthur Miller

Bronze

Gabriel Mendez
Mitchell Garrett
Molly Garrett
Mr. Gabriel Mendez (red belt fought in adult black belt division)

Highlights

Mr. Mendez got great experience fighting in a division way above the one he usually fights in. Great job Mr. Mendez!

Molly did excellent, defeating two girls to get to third place. With the caliber of athletes at this tournament, her performance was outstanding.

Mitchell and Gabriel were in a very tough division, with three National Champions leading the pack. They fought hard and gained more experience for the next tournaments coming up in our schedule. Great job guys.

Nick and Arthur Miller fought hard and endured some tough times during their matches to capture silver. While we have some improvements to make, we’re very proud of their accomplishments and spirit!

Connor and Mackenzie Cole both fought smart matches with excellent strategy and listening. The fights weren’t easy but they were prepared for the competition they faced and came out victorious.

Arthur Gaskill fought hard and claimed gold. I think he also gained some toughness from this experience .

Ruth fought in a division of four against two USAT/AAU/ATA Champions. They were about 6″ taller and had 10-12 pounds on her. She came from behind to win her first match. She won her second match in sudden death overtime via front leg counter axe kick, and defeated the first girl for a second time 10-3 in the gold medal round. The win was nothing short of impressive. Congratulations Ruth.

It’s back to training on Monday for TEAM KUSA. The upcoming schedule is:

March 6th: Georgia State Championships
March 27th: Southeastern Championships (Nashville)
April or May: Georgia Games

Thanks for all those who offered their support!

TEAM KUSA Fighting at Ft. Oglethrope Winter Battle on Saturday

Kevin Geary — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:33:49 +0000

Students from Karate USA’s elite competition team will be fighting on Saturday (01/23) at the North Georgia Winter Battle in Ft. Oglethorpe Georgia.

The students fighting are:

Ruth Mendez
Gabriel Mendez
Arthur Gaskill
Nick Thompson
Mitchell Garrett
Molly Garrett
Mackenzie Cole
Connor Cole
Arthur Miller

Results will be updated to this post Saturday night. We will post results, updates, and details live on Facebook/Twitter throughout the event. Wish them luck!

Win Discounts, Cash, Free Stuff, and Quarterly Bonus Prizes

Kevin Geary — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:08:11 +0000

We’re so excited to launch the new Karate USA referral program. It’s a fun and easy way to help promote Karate USA while earning discounts, free stuff, cash, and quarterly bonus prizes!

To earn points, complete any of these simple “referral activities.” Get started soon as the race for the quarterly bonus prizes (awarded to top 3 points leaders) has already begun.

Follow Karate USA on Facebook!

Kevin Geary — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:07:21 +0000

Karate USA uses Facebook and Twitter to connect with our students as well as the community. Many of our bonus referral activities are launched on Facebook and Twitter as well, so you don’t want to miss out. Stay connected.

Both Facebook and Twitter are free. To follow Karate USA and receive our Facebook communications, visit our Facebook page and “fan us” using the button you’ll see on the left. If you don’t have a facebook profile yet, create one.

Welcome to Karate USA Members Only (Beta)

Kevin Geary — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:47:05 +0000

You’ve made it to the new members only section of the Karate USA website. We’ve brought this new site to you to make it easier for you to get the information you need without having to sift through information for prospects and visitors.

There are many new features to talk about, so let’s get started with a quick overview:

Beta

Right now the website is in Beta, which means some things may not function or display correctly. Keeping the site in beta allows our members to test the site and send us feedback while we work on finalizing it. Most of the features should work correctly, so feel free to use it like it’s finalized and if something is broken please let us know.

The Home Page

The featured content slider at the top of the home page will provide you with the latest announcements and important information. The news and events section serves as the new blog, which will now be updated with members only content instead of content for the general public.

The bottom of the all pages features quick links to all of our sections and important information.

Account Portal

In the “information” section, you’ll notice the new “account portal”. The account portal allows our members to log into our database to view their account information. This will let you update personal information such as names, birth dates, addresses, and payment information. It will also allow you to pay bills on your account (you can now have exams, tournaments, pro shop, and other things charged to your account!).

Exam Requirements

Our exam requirements section has been redone. No fancy bells or whistles, just the information you need quick and easy.

Exam List

Our exam list will now give you more information about your testing status. Instead of just telling you that you’re eligible, it will now update you with how many stripes you have and what you need to work on in order to get your next stripe.

Private Lessons

It’s now easier to schedule private lessons online and even pay for them online. You can choose to bring friends to your lesson and split the cost. It’s all there and it’s easier than ever.

New Pro Shop

You’ve probably already heard, but we have a brand new pro shop. You can get to it by clicking on “pro shop.”

Share Us

The all-new “share us” section gives you information on how to spread the word about Karate USA and earn referral points with our new referral points system. You can submit a review of Karate USA on Google, Kudzu, and Yelp!, easily recommend us to a friend, fan us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and so on. Everything you do that helps spread the word about Karate USA earns you points toward gift certificates, exams, tournaments, pro shop, and even cash.

Contact

The new contact section has been revamped and expanded. You can now contact specific instructors and even send anonymous comments or opinions.

New Comment System

All blog posts (and some pages) now have a brand new comment system that’s easier than ever to use. All you have to do is enter the text you’d like to leave as your comment and hit the “leave comment” button.

Your comment will be left for all to see and for others to comment on. The comment system will notify you by email if someone responds to your comment so you can continue the discussion.

We hope you like the new site. You can leave some feedback by commenting on this post below…

2009 Fall Championships

Kevin Geary — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:08:52 +0000

This is a test event.

Video How-To for Tournament Presentations

Kevin Geary — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:26:03 +0000

The tournament is approaching and we’ve been spending some time on presentations. If you’d like an example of how the presentation needs to be done for forms and board breaking, check out these two videos:

Board Breaking

Forms

Thanks to Andres’, Savannah, Luke, Caleb and Molly for helping us out!