Beginning on Saturday, May 2, we will offer a weekly Matayoshi-style kobudo class led by David Troup sensei, through the Okinawa Kobudo Doushi Rensei-kai (OKDR), under the direction of President Neil Stolsmark, Hanshi, 9th dan. Troup sensei is a Shodan in the OKDR, and is currently studying with Michael Norvell sensei, Rokudan in the OKDR.
The class will take place at the Penobscot Bay YMCA’s Lily Pond facility, which is the white building to your right as you come down the driveway to the YMCA. Registration is required through the YMCA’s website or by visiting the YMCA’s front desk.
Students will explore classical Okinawan martial arts weapons training, including bo, sai, tonfa, and nunchaku, with an emphasis on basics, kata, and practical application. Suitable for beginners and experienced martial artists alike, the class offers a disciplined, respectful environment to deepen both skill and understanding of this traditional art.
From left to right: Mary Ann Heinzen-Hackett, Shodan; David Troup, Godan; Corey Fougner, Ikkyu; John Thibodeau, Sandan; Haydee Temple, Shodan.
Congratulations to Corey Fougner on her hard work leading to her successful promotion to 一級 (ikkyu or black tips). She has put in the time and the training, and it shows! Keep coming through that dojo door!
Chris Felicetti (left) and Chris Mariner receive their brown belts and certificates
Congratulations to Chris Mariner, Chris Felicetti, and Pearson Snyder on their hard work leading to their successful testing for 二級 (nikyu or Brown Belt). They have all three put in the time and the training, and it shows! Keep coming through that dojo door!
Congratulations to Patrick Dole and Haydee Temple, who received their Shodan certificates from Okinawa after successfully testing in December at the Penobscot Bay YMCA. They are both proving that hard work is acknowledged!
Congratulations to Jen Christie on her hard work leading to her successful testing for ろっきゅう (rokkyuu or 6th kyu), Green belt. And congrats to Seven Soucy on his hard work leading to his successful testing for よんきゅう (yonkyu or 4th kyu), Brown Tips. They have both put in the time and the training, and it shows! Keep coming through that dojo door!
The Rockland Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate Dojo, a traditional karate dojo based at the Penobscot Bay YMCA, completed its very first International Karate Seminar this past Saturday and Sunday, December 6 & 7. Martin O’Malley Sensei, a fifth-degree black belt from Finland, led the seminar. The dojo, led by David Troup, also a fifth-degree black belt, has been offering the Okinawan karate style in midcoast Maine since 2006. Thirty participants, including many Pen Bay YMCA members, attended. Practitioners travelled in from Finland, Germany, Ireland, Canada, and Okinawa, as well as from many parts of the US, including Ohio, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.
“This was a dream of mine come true,” commented Troup. “When I moved to Rockland from New York City in 2005, I never imagined we could build such a vibrant Karate community here in the midcoast. Having this wealth of experience and knowledge, willing to travel from all parts of the world to the Pen Bay YMCA for this seminar is something I will never forget!”
Matsubayashi-ryu karate is a traditional Okinawan karate style that emphasizes natural body movements, stances, and proper body mechanics. Founded by Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine in 1947, it has extended to all parts of the world. Though many organizations practice the style, the World Matsubayashi-ryu Karatedo Association, founded by Nagamine sensei, is the largest, and the Rockland dojo has been a member since 2005.
O’Malley sensei, who has trained with many of the style’s most prominent masters, has travelled to Okinawa to train close to 40 times. His seminar focused on the basic techniques of Matsubayashi-ryu, as well as fighting applications and traditional weapons.
Front row (left to right): David Troup, Tony Roberts, Scott Schnell, Don Seiler, Heinz Tessner, Martin O’Malley. Back row (left to right): Patrick Dole, Lyn Cathryn Donnelly, Paula Sisson
During the seminar, three students were successfully promoted to higher ranks, in front of a testing board that included six high-ranking Matsubayashi-ryu black belts — O’Malley sensei of Finland, Tessner sensei of Germany, Seiler sensei of Minnesota, Schnell sensei of Ohio, Roberts sensei from Okinawa, and David Troup from Rockland, Maine. Local student Patrick Dole received his first-degree black belt. Lyn Cathryn Donnelly, originally from Camden, Maine, and now living in Ireland, was promoted to third-degree black belt, as was Paula Sisson of Toronto, Canada.
Congratulations to Haydee Temple on her successful testing for Shodan (Black belt). She has put in the work and shown tremendous courage and commitment, having come to class as a 16-year-old into what was then an entirely adult class.
Her work ethic and talent suggest this is only the very first step for Haydee. We can’t wait to see how far her training will take her!
Congratulations to Justin Keller on his hard work leading to his successful testing for ろっきゅう (rokkyuu or 6th kyu), Green belt. He is inspiring us all by coming to class three times per week and working hard in between. Well done Justin! Keep working hard
On Tuesday and Thursday, October 21 and 23, the Rockland Matsubayashi-ryu Dojo celebrated the 100 Kata for Karate Day by completing 50 Fukyukata ichi and 50 Fukyukata Ni on each day. Congratulations to all of our students who participated!
