The Funshop is a fun and educational experience.  Students learn about a variety of topics that are not covered in regular classes such as anatomy, martial arts etiquette, extension tools, music, chess, and much more.  Attending the Funshop gives the student one-month credit toward their minimum time to test for their next rank.

General Schedule

Each morning started with a warm-up and stretching class. Lunch was from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Students are welcomed to bring their own lunches.  Students were also allowed to bring money to purchase a lunch (McDonalds or Pizza).  The instructors picked up the food and brought it back to the training hall where all students ate together. There was a second warm-up of 15-minutes from 1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. to prepare for the afternoon program.  Throughout this years funshop different instructors, adult black belts, and junior rank black belt assistants helped including Granmaster Crandall, Mrs. Freleigh, Mr. E. Stalloch, Mr. Fiore, Mrs. G. Stalloch, and Sabrina Kowalski. The primary topics for each day were as follows:

MONDAY

Class on Hand-Techniques
Mr. Fiore led the students through a variety of techniques from a horse stance including high and low punches, side punch, down/center/high blocks, and moving in a horse stance. The students who didn't know how to play chess sat down with Mr. E. Stalloch and learned the fundamentals of chess, including a discussion on how chess is like life.

Class on Basic Forms
Students who didn't know all of the basic forms were taught more of these techniques.  The students broke into groups by rank for explanations of basic forms applications and further practice.  Grandmaster Crandall taught the brown belts more advanced techniques done by black belts such as tiger mouth, bolder block, arc hand, etc

Chess Competition
Names were drawn at random, and the first round of the chess competition began. Students who finished their matches early played additional games for practice and fun.
 
|Lunch
When students finished eating, they practiced chess matches, practiced katas, or read the textbook.

"Karate-Man-Says"
Students were led through stretching before playing games of "Karate-man-says" competition. For those who are not familiar, "Karate-Man-Says" is much like "Simon Says" and students must do kicks, punches, basic forms, kata moves, and more in a demonstration of listening and physical skills.

Sparring Class
Mr. E. Stalloch reviewed the rules of sparring, sparring etiquette, the purpose of wearing footgear, and more. Then Grandmaster Crandall and the instructors called points for practice matches. Those colored belts who had never sparred before learned how to spar from Grandmaster Crandall by sparring the higher ranking students.

Ippon Kumites
Students divided into groups according to rank, and those who didn't know all of the Ippon Kumites learned more of them.

Extension Tool Class
Mrs. Freleigh taught a class that included a discussion of American Eagle Style as an open hand/empty hand style, Iaido (Takenouchi-Hangan-Ryu-Matsuno-Crandall), Batto-do, Kendo (and its equipment), and a general overview of all the extension tools used in our school. Mr. E. Stalloch demonstrated how to put on the Kendo gear and discussed some of its etiquette. Grandmaster Crandall demonstrated four cuts on bamboo reeds, wearing his Iaido uniform.

Kata Class
Students divided into groups according to rank to practice their highest form. Students who did not have all of their highest form were given permission to learn the rest of the kata over the next two days of the Funshop.

First Written Exam
The students took the first written examination. The total score for all three exams is totalled on Wednesday to determine the winner fo the academic competition. Questions include information from the textbook, the classes taught during the Funshop, and from brown belt exams. Students who finished early will were able to practice katas or chess.

TUESDAY

Tumbling Class
Students learned and practiced the five floor exercises required during testings in our school.  Practice included both the left and right side of the body.  Students then played a game where had to demonstrated the floor skills while avoiding obstacles.

Music Class
Mr. John Freleigh, a certified New York State music teacher and adult black belt in the American Martial Arts Institute, taught a class on the family of Brass Instruments. This included a demonstration with each of these instruments and samples of classical music pieces featuring these. The class concluded with a lesson on marching in formation to band music.

Sparring Competition
Names were drawn at random and the first round of the sparring competition began. Points were called, and the winners advanced to the final rounds on Wednesday.

Lunch
When students finished eating, they practiced chess matches, practiced katas, or read the textbook.

Brief Stretching
   
Takedowns Class
Students broke into three groups according to rank. White through yellow belts learned the three grab takedowns. Green belts learned some of the punch takedowns. Blue, purple and brown belts learned some of the kick takedowns.  These are the nine standardized takedowns that are documented in “Learn Takedowns plus Counters Against a Knife and Gun” DVD and the second edition of the school’s textbook.

Chess Competition
The names of the winners of Monday's round of chess competition went into a jar and names were pulled out at random. The second and third rounds of the chess competition were played. Students no longer in the competition watched these games or practiced their own games for fun. Some students chose to practice katas.

Whack-a-doo Karate
During the summer months students sometimes get to play a game referred to as "Whack-a-doo Karate." The only other time this game is played is during the Funshop, and the students were excited. This game is a great workout for the cardiovascular system, muscular coordination, and teamwork. It involves two teams trying to move a balloon from one goal to the other using martial arts double-sided blockers.

American Martial Arts Institute School Uniforms
A lot of information for a martial arts school is learned through observation of higher ranks and speaking directly with your instuctor. One of these areas is school ranks and uniforms. This unique class covered information about the differences among: white tops, black tops, red tops, red tips, black tips, white tips, no tips, white striped black belt, black pants, writing on the belt, half-kata knot, full-kata knot, instructors, staff, titled instructors, and more. If you have questions about any of these areas, you should talk to your instructor.

Second Written Examination
The students took the SECOND written examination. The total score for all three exams is totalled on Wednesday to determine the winner fo the academic competition. Questions include information from the textbook, the classes taught during the Funshop, and from brown belt exams. Students who finished early will were able to practice katas or chess.

WEDNESDAY

Obstacle Course Competition
After stretching, the day began with the obstacle course competition. The students had to demonstrate the five floor exercises, use an "Ab Roller", kick a shield, block against a padded "whacker", use a trampoline, punch a sheild, jump over a foam-padded "treasure chest" several times to complete a task, and do pushups. This course was timed, with the fastest receiving prizes.

Anatomy Class
Mr. Eric Stalloch is a certified science teacher in New York State and a Chief Instructor in the American Martial Arts Institute. He taught a class on the Circulatory System, heart, and martial arts training. Students also learned what causes a bruise, what a bruise is, and how to treat them if they occur.

Uniform Folding and Origami Class
Mrs. G. Stalloch taught a class on how to tie your belt, how to fold and tie a uniform in the traditional manner (a skill that is now rarely seen due to the requirment of sparring gear and gear bas), and on basic origami. Students broke into groups for individualized help, and some students also recieved a class on the school's rules and regulations from Mrs. Freleigh.

Brown Belt Written Exams
Grandmaster Crandall went over some questions for the brown belt written exams that are required to test for 2nd and 1st rank brown belts with the blue, purple, and brown belts. The other students practiced tying their belts, origami, katas, and chess.

Lunch
When students finished eating, they practiced chess matches, practiced katas, or read the textbook.

Chess Competition
The names for the FINAL ROUND of the chess competition were drawn, and the final four competitors played their matches to determine who would be the champion. The other students watched, played practice games, or studied for the final written exam.

Cumulative Written Examination
The final written examination covered all topics from all areas including questions from the textbook and the three days of classes. The final scores were added together to determine the winner.

Karate-Man-Says
After a brief stretching sesion, Grandmaster Crandall ran a final game of karate man says.

Sparring Competition
The final rounds of the sparring competition were held. This year, in the end, only one person would come away with a trophy. After the sparring competion students were all allowed to spar for practice and fun. This was followed by a round of "Blocker Sparring" using the double-ended blockers.

Whack-a-doo Karate
A final game of whack-a-doo Karate was played, and the students were full of excitement.

Trophy Presentations
The day ended with a group picture and presentations. Trophies were given for the obstacle course, sparring, chess, and academics, but many other prizes were awarded, too. These included puzzles, books, frisbees, yo-yos, games, kites, chalk, origami kits, new uniforms, a belt rack, certificate frames, hats, video tapes, and much more. These prizes were awarded for a variety of reasons including the person who practiced their kata the most, the most helpful person throughout the three days, and more.

Each day of the Funshop was filled with planned activities, but each day was also an opportunity for each student to grow and develop at their rank. For example, the students were expected to fall into formation in belt rank order without the instructors telling them where to go; the brown belts were expected to be leaders and help the lower ranking students put out the mats and put them away without the instructors help; the students were expected to learn how to tie their own belt and fix it themselves by the end of the Funshop with no more help from an instructor. These skills and this growth has made them better, stronger students.

This year's participants included:

Tyler Astour, Leah Boykin, Victoria Cuthbert, Mark Devoldre, Timothy Ha, Douglas Hotvedt, Nick Kodsy, Olivia Kodsy, Ryan Kulawy, Thomas Labayewski, Matthew Larkin, Gia Mason, Kyle Mizgala, Cailyn Onate, Ryan Payne, Arthur Ross, Ethan Ross, Zachery Shaler, Catherine Soults, Madline Soults, Carson Spina, Justys Williams, Peter Winfrey, Joshua Ward, Brady Morris

COMPETITION RESULTS:

Every student who participated received a certificate that gave them one-month's worth of training off their minimum time requirement for their next rank. Several students were recommended for testing by Grandmaster Crandall. The growth and development of all of the students was exciting to see. Eveyone had a lot of fun and are already sharing their experiences with friends, family, and other students.

Next year's Funshop will be held in February 2010
during the week most students have off from school.
Speak to your instructor for more information.

Teenagers attend the teenage semianr day, and adults attend the adult semianr day.