Press Exclusive: Watch Karate Masters Train for World Tournament on July 9 in Atlantic City

Atlantic City, NJ (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Over 500 black belts representing 20 nations will gather at the Mark Etess Arena at Trump’s Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino (http://www.trumptaj.com) in Atlantic City on July 9th – 12th to train and compete in the Kimura Shukokai International (KSI) Karate World Tournament. At the tournament, spectators will be treated to two types of competition: an exciting display of fast-paced jiyu kumite (or "free sparring") where points are awarded based on the speed, accuracy and power of punches and kicks in a controlled fight situation, as well as a graceful demonstration of form known as kata that highlights the speed and accuracy of the Kimura Shukokai technique. This is a civilized way to compete where the competitor’s proficiency is judged based on a choreographed set of moves.

“We are honored to host this prestigious event here again in the United States,” says Shihan Bill Bressaw, chief instructor and 8th Dan of the American Shukokai Karate Union, headquartered in Fords, New Jersey, and one of four technical advisors for KSI. “The very first KSI World Tournament was held here in the USA in 1981, and has been hosted by a member country every two years since. It’s a bit of a homecoming to host the event and we look forward to competing in Atlantic City. Team USA has been training 15-20 hours per week since January.”

Kimura Shukokai karate is derived from one of the original styles of karate, Shito Ryu, with roots that date back over 300 years to Okinawa. While it shares many of the same punches, blocks, and kicks found in other styles of karate, its unique execution, which maximizes speed and power, sets this style apart. Soke Shigeru Kimura (1942 – 1995), the founder of the style, felt the outcome of a confrontation should be decided in a single technique, “one hit - one kill,” which was the traditional way of the Samurai. He spent the last forty years of his life developing this technique, which was second to none, and had devotees all over the world who traveled from as far away as Africa and Australia for the opportunity to study with him.

Today, Kimura Shukokai International (http://www.kimura-shukokai.com) is headed by the late Master Kimura's four most senior instructors: Shihan Bill Bressaw (8th Dan) from the USA, Shihan Eddie Daniels (8th Dan) from Great Britain, Shihan Chris Thompson (8th Dan) from Cape Town, South Africa and Shihan Lionel Marinus (8th Dan) from Johannesburg, South Africa. It has practitioners on four continents, and numbers over 20,000 students worldwide.

Tickets for the tournament are available at the door for July 10, 11, and 12 and are $15 per day for adults, $8 per day for children under 14. Family passes of up to four people are available for $25 per day. Multi-day discounts are also available.

The training session on July 9 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm is open only to competitors and members of the press. The general public is not allowed to observe the training.

For more information on the World Tournament and Kimura Shukokai, please visit http://shukokaikarate.com/nrfive/textpagenp.aspx?tpage=media.

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