Enso Elite Karate Team makes strong showing at 2017 AAU Karate Nationals

The Enso Elite Karate Team participated in the  2017 AAU Karate National Championships which was held in Raleigh, NC June 29 – July 1, 2017.

Our team took home 47 medals (16 gold, 20 silver, 11 bronze), and many of our athletes landed in 4th or 5th place in huge, tough divisions. We are so proud of how hard our athletes worked all year to prepare themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally for this intense week. Be sure to check out some of the live stream videos we posted on our Enso Karate Facebook page.

 

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:

Sensei Jay (35-44yo) — 1st place senior kata

Sensei Denise (35-44yo) — 3rd place senior kata, 1st place team kata

AJ Cesar (15yo) — 1st place kata, 2nd place kumite

Angel C. (13yo) — 3rd place kata, 3rd place kumite, 1st place team kata, 2nd place team kumite

Brianna S. (9yo) — 2nd place kata, 2nd place kumite

Christine C. (14yo) — 3rd place kata, 1st place kumite, 1st place team kata, 2nd place team kumite

Davian B. (11yo) — 2nd place kumite, 2nd place team kata, 2nd place team kumite

Dominique C. (16yo) — 1st place kata, 1st place kumite

Elaine C. (18-34yo) — 1st place team kata

Gabriel M. (9yo) — 2nd place team kumite

Gabriel T. (12yo) — 1st place kata, 1st place kumite

Katie C. (18-34yo) — 1st place team kata

Kepler B. (15yo) — National team athlete

Maile N. (12yo) — 3rd place kata, 1st place kumite, 1st place team kata, 2nd place team kumite

Mateo N. (10yo) — 3rd place kata, 2nd place kumite, 2nd place team kumite (X2)

Maxine Ivey (13yo) — 2nd place team kumite

Milo P. (10yo) — 3rd place kumite, 2nd place team kumite, 2nd place team kata

Pamela W. (55+ yo) — 2nd place senior kata

Richard S. (11yo) — National team athlete

Ryan D. (12yo) — 3rd place kumite, 2nd place team kata, 2nd place team kumite

Suna H. (8yo) — 3rd place kumite

Toby N. (17yo) — 3rd place kumite

Victoria G. (16yo) — 3rd place team kumite

Zachary G. (13yo) — 1st place kata, 1st place kumite, 2nd place ippon kumite

2017 Chicagoland Karate-do Challenge: Tournament & Seminars Announced

The Chicagoland Karate-Do Challenge is an invitational karate tournament which will take place on Sunday, March 26, 2017.

Athletes can compete in kihon (beginners only), kata, kumite, team kata, family team kata, and team kumite. With your support, we will be able to host a successful event with a high level of competition offering athletes the chance to test their skills, forge new friendships, and make new connections.

Registration information can be found here. We hope to see you in March!

Linda Donner
Jay Nacu
Denise Nacu
Tournament Hosts and Organizers

This tournament is hosted and organized by Nisei Dojo and Enso Karate, and licensed by AAU USA. 

Kaminari Zoku 2016, Enso’s Friendly Flash Mob – Glow Version!

In October 2016, Enso Karate students surprised Chicagoans with a glow version performance of Shotokan kata at one of the city’s most recognized sites. Dozens of adults and kids of all ages joined the group to demonstrate kata in synchrony!

Enso Oak Park recognized by public health award

Enso Karate Summer Camp

Enso Karate Camp 2016!

It’s time to register for Karate Camp at Enso!

Kids ages 5-12 will love our fun-filled camp which will be held this year from August 8-12, 2016.  Open to current karate students as well as kids new to martial arts, this camp involves learning new skills; practicing basics, kata, and kumite; fitness games; and more.

Sensei Jay and his amazing team of instructors will keep all campers moving in a positive, social setting.  The highlight is the “Camp Show” and Pizza Party on Friday to showcase their camp experience!

Camp dates:  August 8-12, 2016

Time:  9:00am-12:30pm

Cost: $275 per week

Register online.

Creating "Enso" Art at Summer Camp

2016 Chicagoland Karate-Do Challenge – Karate & Kobudo Seminars

In conjunction with the 2016 Chicagoland Karate-Do Challenge, we’ll be hosting the following seminars presented by some of the most high-ranking and well-respected sensei in the country. This is a great opportunity to expand your karate knowledge and meet fellow karate-ka from other dojos.

WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2016
WHERE: Enso Dojo, 412 S. Wells Street, Floor 7, Chicago, IL 60607
FEE: $40 per seminar
WHO & WHAT:
  • Karate Seminar with Sensei Jo Mirza: 11am-1pm*
  • Bo Seminar with Sensei Kiyoshi Nishime: 1:15pm-2:45pm
  • Sai Seminar with Sensei Kiyoshi Nishime: 3:00pm-4:30pm

*Enso students may take this class in place of the regularly scheduled 11am class.

REGISTRATION: Please register using our online registration form, or email us to let us know it’s okay to charge your card on file.

2016 Chicagoland Karate-Do Challenge

Chicagoland_KarateDo_Challenge_Logo_Color_Hi-Res

Attention: Enso Karate Students

Enso is excited to announce that we are co-organizing an AAU-licensed invitational tournament with Nisei Dojo, the 2016 Chicagoland Karate-Do Challenge.

All the event details and registration links are below, but we wanted to add a personal note to encourage all of our students — all ages, all ranks, regardless of previous competition experience — to consider attending this special event. By joining us for the seminars and/or tournament, you will be supporting Enso, gaining valuable competition experience, and perhaps trying something new to challenge your growth as a karate-ka.  We hope to see you there!

Registration Forms (due by Friday, February 5, 2016)

Tournament Rules

DATE: Sunday, February 28, 2016
TIME: Competition begins at 9:00am.
Approximate staging times will be announced the week of the event.
PLACE: Mozart Park District Building, 2036 N. Avers Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
ENTRY FEE: $25 for individual events, $60 for team events

EVENTS: Kihon (Beginners only), Kata, Kumite, Team Kata, Team Kumite

AGE: Youth and adults ages 5 and up are welcome to compete!

DIVISIONS: We will be using AAU’s four ranking divisions, which wear only four belt colors (white, green, brown or black).  AAU places athletes into these divisions based on the number of years they have trained, rather than by the rank they have earned.  To make it easier for our students who haven’t competed previously, here is how the divisions break down by both years trained and rank earned:

Beginner (wears White Belt):
Training for less than 1 year
Earned rank of 10th-7th kyu (white, yellow, orange and green belts)

Novice (wears Green Belt):
Training for 1-2 years
Earned rank of 6th-4th kyu (blue and purple belts)

Intermediate (wears Brown Belt):
Training for 2-4 years
Earned rank of 3rd-1st kyu (brown belts)

Advanced (Black Belt):
Training for 4+ years
Earned rank of 1st dan and up (black belts)

If you have any questions about which division you should register for, please ask Sensei Jay.

We will have some belts to borrow at the tournament if you don’t have your white or green belt, or if it doesn’t fit anymore.


AAU MEMBERSHIP FEE: In order to compete at this AAU-sanctioned event, AAU requires all athletes to purchase an annual AAU membership. The cost of the membership is $16 for youth (ages 17 and below), and $29 for adults (18 and above); the annual membership would expire on August 31, 2016.  To help out our students at Enso, we will waive the AAU membership fee if the athlete registers for at least two individual events.  If not, then the athlete will be responsible for the AAU membership fee.

Enso Elite Karate Team Wraps Up Its 2014-15 Season

For any sport, a national championship is the time and place to test one’s abilities and aim for success among top athletes from across the country. Our karate team has attended tournaments throughout the season, both local and regional, and have trained multiple hours to prepare mentally and physically for the high level of competition at Nationals.
This year, we sent a total of 33 athletes to Raleigh, North Carolina for the 2015 AAU Karate National Championship. As expected, our athletes faced large divisions with other athletes who share the same drive and passion for the art. From June 30th to July 4th, our team of athletes, coaches, and officials worked hard and represented the dojo well. All in all, we took home 39 medals (10 gold, 14 silver, and 15 bronze)! Congratulations to all participants of the AAU Karate National Championships!

But our season didn’t end there! The 2015 AAU Karate Junior Olympics was held in Chesapeake, Virginia. We sent a smaller team of 9 athletes to participate in this event and took home 16 medals (5 gold, 3 silver, and 8 bronze). The Junior Olympics has been a great place for our students to face tough competition at a smaller scale than Nationals.

Our weekend concluded with our students who took part in the team trials for the AAU Karate Junior and Senior Team. A great showing from all! Letters with results will be sent out in the next few weeks.

As the season comes to a close, we often like to reflect not on how many medals we’ve earned throughout the year, but other awards and lessons that have a more lasting effect: discipline, hard work, resilience, appreciation, confidence, friendship, and respect. The greatest outcome to see from our team is the continuous passion for karate and the improvement of character in and outside of the dojo.

We’d like to thank our sensei who have been encouraging and motivating role models and coaches throughout the year. And of course, a big, big thank you to the parents of our athletes who have always looked out for all of us! None of this would be possible without all of you!

Congratulations on a successful season for our 2014-2015 Enso Elite Karate Team! For more information about our tournament team, see here. Some pictures and videos can also be seen on Instagram and Facebook. An informational meeting for parents interested in the 2015-2016 team will be scheduled in early fall.
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