Sunday, December 21, 2008

Here is the Holiday Schedule from today through the end of the year. We do not have class on Wednesday, December 24, Thursday December 25, Saturday December 27, Wednesday December 31 and Thursday January 1. We do have class on Monday December 22, Tuesday December 23, Monday December 29, Tuesday December 30 and Saturday January 3rd. Thanks to everyone for making the Christmas party special. To see a larger image of the announcement above, click on the image.


Our Student of the Year for 2008 is Steve Bellingham. He is a Shodan who trains with his two sons at NIKI. He is very active in participating in events beyond the walls of the dojo. It is through challenging himself and keeping motivated that he and his family are so successful in Karate. Congratulations Steve on a job well done and a title well earned. Keep training hard everyone!


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Saturday, November 22, 2008

KYU TEST RESULTS. We did not do as well as a group on this test as the last. I think that everyone needs to concentrate more and focus more power towards the correct targets. I will work on exercises that emphasize these skills. If you didn't do as well as you expect of yourself, then re-double your efforts at each training. If you don't train with great intensity at the dojo it is very hard to perform well on these tests. Here are the results (double click on the image to see a bigger version):

Wednesday, November 5, 2008


STUDENTS OF THE MONTH. The student of the months for September was Nicholas Bellingham, for October was Jake Hebert and for November was Sammy Crochet. All three are brown belts and all three participated and did very well at the Youth Tournament last weekend in Ponchatoula. I will post a complete recap of that event soon. Congratulations to all three students for their recognition and thanks for the great work ethic each student has shown.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008


UPDATE. The JKAAF did very well at the competition, winning the women's individual kumite and kata events (Ray) and the men's kumite (Devin) and Kata (Lane) events. Ray was named the outstanding female competitor and Lane was named the outstanding male competitor. Our region won men's team kata and kumite and women's team kata amd kumite. It was pretty much a clean sweep of the tournament. Our Acadiana competitor who competed on Sunday did excellent. Lane Nevils won the silver medal in men's sparring, the gold medal in men's kata, and two gold other medals for team kata and kumite (as well as the overall best male competitor award). Holly Damico won a gold medal for women's team sparring. Soon Yeoh won two gold medals for men's team kata and kumite. Candis Durand won two gold medals for women's team kata and kumite.


The U.S. team trials were then held between tournament winners and Mr. Mori's competitor's from the SKDI. Having not competed in the tournament, the SKDI competitors were definitely in an advantageous position in the team trial competition. In addition to that, they were very strong at Karate. From the JKAAF organization, Candis, Ray, and Rachel competed on the women's side. Devin, Tony Nakamura, Lane, Dimitri and Soon competed on the men's side. Everyone did kata and fought very well and with great spirit. In the end, from our organization, Ray, Devin, Tony and Lane were named to the United States team that will be competing in Tokyo in 2009 for the world championships. Congratulations to everyone on a very successful tournament.


Saturday, October 11, 2008

NATIONALS UPDATE. Just a quick note to let everyone know how NIKI is doing at the nationals. First, Tampa is really very nice and everyone is having a good time. Our region and our dojo is very well represented. Sempai's Chad and Chase Norris competed in Kumite and Kata and both fought very well in very large divisions. Sempai Candis Durand took third place in women's Kumite in a very tough division and is now scheduled to participate in the team trials for a place on the U.S. team going to Japan's Shotocup in 2009. She will also participate in women's team kata and women's team sparring in the finals tomorrow (further updates will be given then).
Cody Sedlitsky took second (silver medal) in Advanced Youth Kata. Jon Decuir took third (bronze) place in men's collegiate kumite competing for LSU. Sensei Scott has been refereeing and acting as a tournament official throughout the day.
From our neighboring club, Holly is still competing in the women's team kumite event. Lane Nevils is in the top two men's Kumite finalist (the finals will be tomorrow) and he will be facing Devin Fadaol from New Orleans. Lane is also in the finals for men's Kata, men's team kata, and men's team kumite. Basically, Lane won everything. Soon also made the top four in men's kata and is still competing in men's team kata and kumite tomorrow. Overall, the Southern region (or the JKAAF as we are now called) has mopped up in the many divisions entered and our Acadiana area has done very well for the region.
I am very proud of the effort of all our students and and of our great organization. I will put another update on the Internet tomorrow to let everyone know about the final events and the U. S. team selection process. OSSU,

SENSEI SCOTT

Friday, September 12, 2008

Hurricane IKE. No class Saturday morning, 09-13-08 due to high winds and evacuations associated with the Hurricane. Stay safe. Classes are scheduled to resume as normal, Monday, September 15, 2008. The Youth Tournament has been postponed from Saturday September 27 to Saturday November 1, 2008. Everyone try to make it to class next week. OSU, Sensei Scott

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Hurricane Gustav Update. Today, Thursday, Sept. 4th we will reopen for Karate at the dojo. We had some minor damage to the glass framing and a little water incursion, but everything else seems to be fine. Here are some pictures of the dojo before and after the storm. Special thanks to Bobby Vincent, David Jeffreys and Steve Bellingham for the assist in boarding up and boarding down the dojo. I hope to see everyone at the dojo tonight.
SPECIAL NOTE AS OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008. Please note that there will be no Karate classes on Saturday September 6, 2008 due to continuing clean up efforts. We had quite a small but spirited group last night (Thurday). Classes resume as normal on Monday, September 8, 2008. Thanks for all the kind notes and comments.
OSU, Sensei Scott

Friday, August 15, 2008



DAN RESULTS / 2008 CAMP. Last weekend, NIKI co-hosted our annual Lafayette Training Camp and we made a very strong showing at a very vigorous camp. Candis Durand and Chad Norris were among the participants and each had an outstanding camp. Both Candis and Chad tested for and were promoted to Nidan (2nd Dan). They also both participated in the team trials for the All South National teams and Candis made both the women's Kumite and Kata team and Chad was named an alternate for the men's Kumite team. Congratulations to both. Here are some shots of them in action at the team trials. More photos can be found by clicking here. Thanks to Brayon's mom, Shantell, for taking many of these pictures. Candis and Chad will participate individually as well at the JKA nationals in Tampa on October 11, 2008 along with NIKI’s other youth competitors Cody Sedlitsky and Chase Norris. This tournament serves as a team trial for the national team selection for the Funakoshi Cup held every three years in Tokyo (September, 2009). Lane Nevils (men’s Kumite / kata teams), Soon Yeoh (men’s Kumite / kata teams), and Holly Damico (women’s kumite team) from the Lafayette Karate Club (LKC) will also be participating in the tournament. I wish all the best of luck to our local competitors. Let’s all strive to challenge them in the next couple months so that they will give their strongest performances.


Sunday, August 10, 2008

TEST RESULTS. I thought everyone did well and showed great spirit on the test. Please see your results below and the belts and certificates will be awarded next class.

Friday, August 8, 2008




Summer 2008. I am sorry that I have been unable to post more this summer. We had as our June Student of the Month Thierry Dardant. Our July Student of the Month was Kyle Jeffreys and our August Student of the month is his dad, David Jeffreys. Congratulations to all on a job well done. It is hard to train consistently during the summer and I appreciate everyone's efforts.
Our summer camp begins today, Friday August 8, 2008 at Heymann Park Gym, 1500 S. Orange Street, Lafayette, LA. You can find more details on it here.
Our kyu test is Sunday, August 10 at 11:15 a.m. at Heymann Park Gym, 1500 S. Orange Street, Lafayette, LA. I will try to promptly post the results of the exam on the web site for you and at the dojo.

Monday, May 5, 2008

ALL SOUTH SUMMER CAMP 2008. The 36th annual All South Karate Camp in Hammond Louisiana will be held Friday May 30, 2008 through Sunday June 1, 2008. You can find the camp brochure at this link. Special guest instructor will be Taniyama Takuya of the JKA Headquarters in Tokyo. Please make arrangement to attend this very important camp.

STUDENT OF THE MONTH. Reed Bellingham is student of the Month for May. He is our newest Shodan and is a great leader for a young man. Reed, and his whole family (father Steve and brother Nick) actively participate in all the All South events, including camps, clinics, and tournaments -- and it shows. As with any art, Karate is such that the more you put into it the more you will get out of it and Reed is a great example of this maxim. Congratulations Reed on your many Karate accomplishments.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

KYU BELT TEST RESULTS. Please see the image below for the results of the Kyu belt exam. I thought that everyone did very well. Some of you will be very pleased with the results and some of you may be a little disappointed, but greater effort in your training at the dojo will yield better results on the test. In other words, it is up to you to make the grades better by harder and more concentrated training during your everyday class. If you are having trouble making out the image I am e mailing a pdf of the document to our mailing list and I am posting the results on the door of the dojo as usual for Sunday.

Don’t get a big head if you did very well and don’t get too upset if you didn’t do as well as you would have liked, moderation and the ability to endeavor is the key to success in Karate. Thanks for all the hard work and the efforts you put into the class and lets all work even harder for the improvement of our dojo and ourselves.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

ALL SOUTH 2008. Special congratulations to all the participants of the 2008 Tournament from NIKI. We had 11 competitors and 3 ring officials and judges. Participants were Aaron Jeffreys, Jake Hebert, Kyle Jeffreys (3rd Kumite), Nicholas Bellingham (3rd Kumite), Reed Bellingham (3rd Kata), Candis Durand (3rd Kumite), Brandon Kongphongmany (2nd Kumite), David Jeffreys (2nd Kumite), Thomas Dean (2nd Kata, 2nd Kumite), Chase Norris (1st Kumite) and Cody Sedlitsky (2nd Kata, 1st Kumite). Officiating were Steve Bellingham, Candis Durand, Chad Norris and Sensei Scott Decuir. Here is a photograph of the team just before the tournament began.
I was very proud of all the participants because, whether they won or not, they competed with great dignity, character and poise. They all exhibited a strict adherence to the proper rules of conduct and they all participated with good sportsmanship. I was always taught that it doesn't matter if you win or lose, only how you play the game. Well, our team played the game with great class which reflected well upon their Sensei. Thanks to all. Osu, Sensei Scott.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008


APRIL STUDENT OF THE MONTH -- Haley Hebert. The April 2008 Student of the month is a black belt at NIKI and was a runner up for student of the year 2007. She is a very hard working student, both at the dojo and in her studies. She is currently working on her college applications and getting ready for her Senior Year in high school. Congratulations to Haley on all your karate and academic success.

KYU TEST -- Our Kyu test will be Saturday, April 19, 2008. There will be more information in the newsletter regarding the dates, the pre tests, the costs and the clinic. If you need any more information, please contact Sensei Scott.

GASSHUKU 2008 -- Was a big success and we had a great time Saturday, but Sunday was rather rainy. Please take a look at the collage at the dojo for more visual images of the event.

Monday, March 3, 2008

NEW SHODANS! Coy Watson, Reed Bellingham and Steve Bellingham all tested for their black belts (Shodan) this weekend in Greenville, Mississippi. All three participated in the weekend training, passed the test and received their Shodan Applications (which are submitted directly to Japan). They all had strong technique and good spirit and were rewarded for their efforts. At the next advanced class, (Tuesday 3/4 @ 7:15 p.m.) we will have the "official" belting ceremony and a couple of other surprises.

The common rate of passage of a Shodan exam is around 50%. To have all three candidates from NIKI pass together was a great accomplishment for the school and I appreciate the efforts of these guys and everyone who trains with us and pushes us on to greater goals. With three new black belts we matures significantly and immediately as a club and we can best use this momentum to build the group and club from within. As new black belts, Steve, Coy and Reed are accepting greater responsibility for the promotion and promulgation of our Karate in our club and in our region. Each now has their role or roles to fill, whether it be by example, as Sempai, as teacher, as judge, as student, as athlete or as artist. CONGRATULATIONS, GREAT JOB and BEST OF LUCK with your journey!

The STUDENT OF THE MONTH for March is Steve Bellingham. Steve is one of our newest black belts (see above). He tested in Greenville, MS this pass weekend and did an outstanding job. Way to go Steve! He and his sons, Reed and Nicholas, participate in many of the karate events thoughout the year. They are very enthusiastic and dedicated karateka. Congratulations, Steve, on your karate accomplishments and good luck on your future karate achievements. As a recipient of the March award, he is now eligible for the Student of the Year Award given every December. Keep up the hard work and keep the school spirit high.

2008 ALL SOUTH Karate TOURNAMENT. The 44th annual All South Karate Tournament will be held in New Orleans at the University of New Orleans Health & Physical Education Center on April 5th. Students should begin training especially hard for competition. Sensei Scott has kata videos for purchase. The videos follow the Best Karate Series. This is just another tool available for you to perfect your strength and technique. Students are encouraged to participate in the tournaments given throughout the year. It’s a fun way to test your skills against other karate clubs. If you’re not comfortable with participating in the tournament, you may attend as a spectator to get an idea of what a tournament is like and support the karate club. Also, if any adults are interested in running a table at the tournament, please see Sensei Scott for more information.

REMINDER. The GASSUKU 2008 is scheduled for MARCH 29th and 30th. Get your gear ready and check with Sensei Scott for registration forms.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

JANUARY STUDENT OF THE MONTH -- CANDIS DURAND.
The student of the month for January was Candis Durand. Candis is one of our most dedicated black belts. She participates in numerous karate events throughout the year including this past National Tournament in Phoenix, AZ. Candis is very enthusiastic about karate. She is training very hard with her focus on testing for Nidan in 2008. She has an outgoing personality which has made her many friends throughout the Southern Region. She is a leader in the dojo and helps to keep the school spirit high.


FEBRUARY STUDENT OF THE MONTH -- CODY SEDLITSKY.
The student of the month for February is Cody Sedlitsky. Cody is our youngest black belts. He participates in many karate events throughout the year. His positive attitude, attention to detail and great focus will take him far in karate. Cody is an excellence role model for other young students. Congratulations, Cody, on your karate accomplishments and good luck on your future karate achievements. As recipients of these awards, both are now eligible for the Student of the Year Award given every December. Keep up the hard work and keep the school spirit high.

2008 Greenville KARATE camp
The annual Greenville Karate Camp is scheduled for February 28th, March 1st and 2nd. Students are encouraged to participate in the camps given throughout the year. It’s a way to get extra karate training. Also, it’s a lot of fun meeting new people and spending time with old friends. Keep an eye out for the brochures near the office. We usually stay at the Best Western Regency Inn (662-334-6900). Make sure you mention the karate camp when reserving for special room rates.