Dear IMA Family,
As we mentioned in last week’s announcements, keeping our members and community safe is our top priority, so we wanted to share some new opportunities for you to stay connected and training in the time of social distancing. We have a big announcement for you!
Social distancing, is proven to be the most effective way to stop this epidemic and it’s the only healthy option at this time. This is a time for IMA to show leadership and act decisively to prevent the virus from spreading.
Starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020, the IMA Honbu Dojo is going virtual! Face-to-face classes are suspended for the time being, but training continues for our members and their families online. We are excited to offer our regular classes via Zoom, a videoconferencing service.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
If you don’t have it already, download Zoom and sign up for an account using whatever email address you’d like!
Go to zoom.us and click the “SIGN UP, IT’S FREE!” button OR
Download the Zoom app on your smartphone (iPhone/iPad and Android apps available) and sign up in the app
Five minutes before your regular class time, either click on this link to enter the Zoom IMA Virtual Dojo https://zoom.us/j/8044321773 (you’ll be prompted to open the Zoom app on your device) or open your Zoom app and enter this number: 804 432 1773 to access the Zoom IMA Virtual Dojo. Yes, you can bow on your way in! Make sure the student’s name is showing on the video.
For the love of Funakoshi and all that is good, MUTE YOUR LINE during regular class times. Instructors will be watching to see if you raise your hand with a question and will ask you to unmute then to ask your question. You may unmute for games!
An 8 ft by 8 ft (larger is better) open space would be optimal for training.
Even if you’re remote from home, come dressed for class.
Use this checklist to earn blue stripes when we’re back for face-to-face training.
Our Zoom IMA Virtual Dojo will be open from about 4:30-8:30 Tuesdays through Fridays and 8:30-12:30 Saturdays. We will be testing the technology tomorrow with the competition team, regular Zoom IMA Virtual Dojo https://zoom.us/j/8044321773 classes will begin Tuesday.
A reminder of our regular class schedule:
Little Dragons 5:00-6:00 Tuesday through Friday
Youth Class 6:00-7:00 Tuesday through Friday
Adult Class 7:00-8:30 Wednesday, Friday; 12:00-1:00 Tuesday, Thursday
Black Belt Class 7:00-8:30 Tuesday, Thursday
Saturday Classes
All-Age Kids Class 10:00-11:00
Adult Class 11:00-12:15
Instructors: You must participate in the Zoom IMA Virtual Dojo during all of your regular classes!
More time on your hands? Review Taikyuku and Heian Shodan on our IMA YouTube site. We will add more kata this week. (https://www.youtube.com/user/imakarate)!
If the situation improves and there are no other restrictions, we will host the kyu testing on April 4th and will make some changes to the schedule, in part by providing a specific timeline for each group so we can maintain only a small number of people at a time in the dojo. If the situation doesn’t improve or if there are further restrictions, we will postpone the test. We will make a final decision closer to the testing date and will update everyone when we have more information.
As always, please feel free to talk to us about any concerns or questions that you might have. We will be asking you how we can serve you during this time. We love your feedback!
You are the lifeblood of our dojo and we strongly encourage you to join us face-to-face or virtually so we can keep our IMA karate family strong.
Wash hands, be kind, see you online!