Tom Mah School of Karate
1894 Ambrosi Rd V1Y 4R9 Kelowna, BC, Canada

Add the ground game and you will be an awesome martial artist.

Full contact karate - female division.

Full contact karate.

Working on some grappling movement drills.

Getting ready for the weapons class this morning at 9:30. Mark Duller is planning for his brown level testing so most likely do some review of the yellow/green/brown level requirements. Here's Mark (green) practicing a bo vs bo sparring drill with Andy Stringer.

Mark and Ron drilling on the jab and roundhouse punch.

Drilling on the hook punch and upper cut with Eric and Bevin.

Saturday morning kata training focused on Heian Godan and Jion. Very proud of those who came out for the extra practice. Saturday kata sessions will continue on Saturdays as time permits. Adult members watch your e-mail for the next kata session. Thanks to King Singh Digital Marketing for putting together the video.

Ladder drills to warm up and also to assist in developing good footwork for sparring.

Helping Liam Moeskop and Jessica Hardy with their katas this morning.

Congratulations to the following members on their recent green belt promotion: Bevin Buehler Todd Miller... Way to go guys!

This is TMSK's very own ball game we use every Thursday for warm ups. It has become so popular and fun that we hold 2-3 tournaments a year. Family and friends are usually invited to play. But due to the virus only members this time around. Best play goes to Noriko Stringer for tapping in the pass from Andy Stringer. A special thanks to Gurpreet Singh from King Singh Digital Marketing for putting this video together. Great job Gurpreet!

Rhonda Roussey at a recent no-gi grappling tournament. Very impressive! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0PvGWnrcHE

Rolled for an hour with Ken Sturgeon Friday morning.....great fun! Nice arm bar Ken.

Alex Hardy & Mark Hetherington working on a pre-arranged sparring developmental drill.

Drills to improve timing and build body memory.

Buillding strong legs for effective footwork and distance management

Footwork plus the use of such footwork.

Drilling on some footwork and the application of those footwork.

Mark Duller making use of a private lesson to improve his Bo skills. Drilling the opening sequence of Choun No Kun. A very good improvement

Some action shots of yesterday's training.

Here is a couple that trains together and really excited about becoming well-rounded martial artists. Meet Rosy Saran and Gurpreet Singh. Gurpreet has been training for over 2 months and Rosy climbed on board last week after she was introduced to some weapons training and got really excited.

Grappling is back on Mondays / Thursdays / Fridays. New members to this group: Rosy Saran, Gurpreet Singh, and Todd Miller. A big welcome to all of you.

Ross & Noriko - defending the punches

Gary & Sally - drilling on the blocking defense

Andy and Kyle working the blocking drill.

Matthew Jacobsen - Bassai Dai Very proud of you Matthew. It is a very long kata to remember. Well done!

Bowing is an expression of gratitude and respect!

Just had to share a couple of beautiful poems by Sensei Norm. I WAS BORN TO I was born to play, To be free,... To be loved. I was born of love, And free of fear, To be expressive. I was born to build, to hold guiding hands, To seek God. I was born to feel, Not to be afraid of life, To be myself. I was born in God's image, Not to be alone, To live in community. I was born free of pain, As an expression of life. To be okay to be. HOPE Hope sheds darkness, The flight of the dove. Hope finds freedom, Hope builds love, The hope of beginning, The light from above.

From Sensei Norm Millross's memorial service this afternoon. Stories shared tells of his kindness, humility, gentleness, his love for God, for people, for Brazilian jujitsu. He was a great athlete, a poet, a musician, a wonderful friend. His was a life gone too soon that will be missed by many.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com//k/norman-millross-9325059

August 23 was a very sad day - TMSK and the BJJ world lost one of their great BJJ athlete/instructors. Sensei (Professor) Norm Millross passed away on that early morning, finally succumbing to the health issues plaguing him for many years. Through his expertise Sensei Norm opened many eyes in our school to a whole new world in one-to-one combat where striking and kicking is of limited value. The opportunity to learn a whole new set of skills where you can tie someone up and... submitting that person without causing much physical injury was exciting and thrilling. Sensei Norm, thank you so much for your generosity in sharing your knowledge and skills. You will be missed tremendously in the days to come. You have left a big hole in the many lives you've touched. Not only in the martial arts world but also in your church group and music group. The consolation for me is knowing you loved Jesus and believed in Him. And now you are feeling the love of God up close. RIP my friend. We will meet up again one day in the house of the Lord.

In todays "karate" world, it seems that so many people are just training for the "rank". Rank is only a measure of what a student has learned, or at least that... is what it was meant to be in the past. Nowadays, it is very obvious, rank is used to influence people to join or remain in an organization, or fulfill the needs of some instructor's egos. Rank does not necessarily encompass the TAMASHI of that person. I have found the only true way to judge the quality of rank, is when you watch a person train on the karate deck, where you can observe their physical abilities. But that isn't all you measure, as you get older, those physical capabilities diminish somewhat. What is then important, is the persons motivations and purpose for training. Is it for self development, to help others learn correctly and carry on the styles legacy, or is it for selfish motives, Ego, self promotion or Financial gain? Then there are those of higher rank that shouldn't be teaching and promulgating incorrect teachings and techniques. Today, there are many of the later and few of the first. Bill George - always a student #matsubayashiryu, #shorinryu, #nagaminelegacy, #Tamashi See more

After 30 minutes of Sensei Ball members were treated to an in-depth study of the first 3 movements in Heian Shodan. From combination blocks with counter to various grip escape applications.

A great session focused on some karate hand/leg combinations and boxing punching drills and head evasive movements. Our school is located in Kelowna, BC at 1894 Ambrosi Rd. Come and give it a try. We have a $99 4-week trial offer, uniform included.

Some Sensei Ball pics from this morning.....what a fun cardio exercise!

Awesome timing and finish.

Another fine morning for the weapons class at Belgo Park. It's been great training outside in such a beautiful setting. Presenting the Sai Squadron: L to R - R. Majewski, M. Duller, T. Mah, C. McGrath. Kata practice: ShihoHai Sho & Dai; Towada no Sai Sho; Chikin Shitohaku no Sai... New to the group (not in photo) - G. Singh Congratulations on your decision to add the weapons program to your martial arts development. Like to join our weapons program? If you already have some basic martial arts background you can sign up for the beginners program starting August 1st. Day & times are Saturdays from 10 - 11 am. Sign up at: https://tommahkarate.com/ We are located at 1894 Ambrosi Rd, Kelowna, BC

A lot of smiles this morning....our first Sensei Ball game after 4 months.

Another gorgeous morning for weapons training. Notice the new sandal style footwear sported by Chris McGrath and the brilliant red runners donned by Mark Duller! Definitely ninja ready. Thankfully no sais were dropped on Chris's feet. Focus of the morning were on Sais and short sticks.... Beginning August 1st TMSK is accepting new members for the beginners group. If you have a minimum of 6 months basic martial arts training you can register for this class. It is on Saturday mornings from 10 - 11 am, right after the advance group. Sign up at tommahkarate.com

Lucille Murray-Dixon's story "ENOUGH!", everyone has a limit. This phrase was from a film that inspired me to start martial arts training. After an African Mau Mau gang assault in 1998 in South Africa, and a follow up retaliation, I decided it was absolutely necessary that I learn some self defense skills in order to protect my children and myself. But circumstances and struggles made proper and consistent training difficult. But in time God's grace gave me the courage to ...overcome the limits that were imposed on me, and I returned to martial arts, to honor my commitment to myself and my peers, and looking to achieve the desired results with mental sharpness. Deep gratitude to Sensei Tom Mah and the school's instructors and peers that assisted me since 2002. It has been a very long journey recovering from injuries and overcoming obstacles to now moving forward to be strong and healthy. I am more focused then ever in achieving my martial arts goals. Martial arts truly teaches courage, gratitude, humility, and perseverance. "NEVER QUIT - WINNER TAKES ALL!!" - Lucille Thanks for sharing your story Lucille. You are a very courageous woman. You have TMSK's full support in becoming the martial artist you want to be. Best wishes on this journey.

Thanks for an awesome stomach workout Sempai Sally. A big welcome to our newest member Mark Hetherington. Glad you finally made the decision to take up martial arts training. And a welcome back to Lucille Murray-Dixon after taking some time off to complete her studies. Next on the list - orange belt. We will make sure you get there Lucille.

Throwbacks - 1990s

Noah Marini demonstrating his roundhouse kicking skills. Interested in joining our adult classes over the summer? Check out our $99 4-week intro offer, uniform included. Sign up at tommahkarate.com

A well deserved coffee/social time after a hard session this morning. Will be some very sore bodies later today and tomorrow. A huge welcome to our newest member: Noah McIntosh. Wish you enjoyment and success in your journey Noah. We are here to help you reach your martial arts goals. Welcome to your karate family.

So good to be partnering again for some good hard target practice and contact striking. Here are some shots of several members this morning. TMSK also offer traditional weapons training and Brazilian Jujitsu (in appropriate time of course).... Interested? Come try out our $99 4-week introductory karate course, uniform included. Accepting new members now. Sign up @ tommahkarate.com

The next phase of relaxing COVID-19 restrictions rolls in this week. We can now partake in partner drills with pads and shields. The focus this week will be the return of contact striking. Contact striking is an important aspect of training. Learning to impact on an object will strengthen muscles, develop balance, speed and power. If you are interested in learning martial arts skills we have a $99 - 4 week introductory program to help you discover if karate is for you. Sign up @ tommahkarate.com New members are accepted the first week of each month.

Saturday morning Kobudo training @ Belgo Park with Mark Duller and Ron Majewski. Beautiful morning, beautiful park. Reviewed Basics 1-10 and Sparring Drill 1-12

We are very excited to be opened again for martial arts training. Nothing like a good sweat with friends and learning/maintaining practical life skills at the same time. If you like to join us over the Summer and give karate a try TMSK has a $99 introductory offer. This includes 4 weeks of training and a uniform. We accept new members the beginning of each month. Get registered today for the next 4 week session. Class starts Tuesday, June 30th.... You can also pre-register for August. Go on-line @ tommahkarate.com to register and we will get back to you right away with more info.

Welcome to our newest member: Gurpreet Singh Here's Gurpreet working with Sempai Jeff this morning. Gurpreet is very excited to be training karate as it has been a life long dream of his. Enjoy the journey Gurpreet. Welcome to your karate family.

Pretty good turn out for first day back Welcome to our newest member - Todd Miller Thank you Sempai Sally for working the class this morning - basics, combinations, kata movements.... Coffee time is to resume starting Thursday morning. Welcome back everyone!

And here's David Thomas (blue) and Darcy Holloway (black). Also in the back ground: Ken Corcoran; Jayne Luoma, and Lara Denis.

Anyone recognized this lady black belt (she's really a black belt)?? Year 2003.

Throwback 1990s Sutherland - John McLaughlin & James Lesosky Miss you guys!

Throwbacks: Women of the Sutherland dojo - 1990s Jacqui Michon & Kristy Strocher Tina Schade-Findlay, Andrea Watkins, Laurraine Yuyama

It is always interesting to hear and see how my previous students have grown up and the kind of careers they have chosen. Engineers, pilots, Technicians, nurses, to name a few. This is Rikus Smit. Rikus was with TMSK (when he was just a very young boy) in the early 2000s prior to moving back to South Africa with his family. Rikus is currently employed as a Armed Tactical Response Officer with TSU Protection Services in Cape Town engaging in high profile protection for priva...te business clients. Primary duties include protecting clients and their property against crime, responding to emergencies, and providing anti-crime services. What an admirable profession you have chosen Rikus. We wish you safety and wisdom as you put yourself out there looking after the safety of others. Keep safe!

The early days in the Sutherland dojo. An awesome group of people. We were one of the dominant schools in the competition scene in those early years. Too many people here to name. Please share with those on your contact list if you have friends in this photo.

Blast from the Past....with Dylan Thomas, Philip Thomas, Ross Freake (yes he had some hair), Blaine Sakamoto

Throwbacks with: Wayne Carey; T. Mah; Gary Crawford (2000) Herb Sommerfeld (1992)

COVID-19 ready for opening June 16th. Proper distancing markers No entry reminder to the sick... Sanitizer station Proper distancing reminders

Anyone recognize these individuals ? Back in around 1998?

Sempai Gary Sherwin receiving his next promotion back in the early 90s. Gary is a black belt today and is 80 years old still training prior to the shut down in March. Hope to see him back in mid-June when we can open again. Congratulating Gary is Sempai Jackson Dancey, who was the first black belt coming out of TMSK. Sure do miss him. Also in the photo is Vytas Sinkevicius (white belt) whose 2 grandsons now also train at TMSK.... The dojo was TMSK's first full-time studio on Sutherland behind the Capri Mall.

Hey everyone, TMSK will be open the week of June 15th for Karate training. Get your gi(s) cleaned and pressed and lets get back into shape. Look forward to seeing you all.

When training in martial arts it is important to constantly put yourself in bad situations.

Matthew going over the first half of Bassai Dai. He is currently taking private lessons twice/week. We are keeping the safe distance working on basics and kata. Very proud of you Matthew for "staying in the game". Keep up the effort. TMSK is doing our part in keeping everyone safe. All equipment used are disinfected after each workout.

Paris 2020 Team Kata Championship Finals - Turkey Perfectly synchronized, technical, powerful, precise, controlled, and beautiful applications. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wewuA35aJQ

Rafeal Aghayev - WKF champion multi-times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHbCCbwE7s4

Tylan and Theron having a go at the bags - multi-directional attacks. Great job boys!

If you have superior timing and distance management that can render useless any threat or attack and put you within your opponent's danger zone and combine that with good speed and power, accuracy and the correct technique(s) you will be successful in terminating further threats. https://www.youtube.com/watch

Feeling lazy? Need some motivation to get excited again? Here's a good watch and get you moving again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6XpNLoUBr8