News & Events

Kyu Belt Testing on Saturday, August 25, 2012

Posted on by IMA Karate Website Admin

belt progression for IMA Karate in Louisville, ColoradoThe Dojo will be closed for regular classes on Saturday, August 25th for Kyu Belt Testing.

  • If your current belt level is white through green/white stripe, your testing time is 9:30am.
  • If your current belt level is full green belt (and up), your testing time is 11:30am.

All students who are testing must be at the Dojo at least 15 minutes prior to your testing time.

If you or your child are testing, please pick up an application at the Dojo and return it no later than Thursday, August 23rd. Applications will not be accepted on testing day.

Please check your Student Handbook and visit our Belt Testing Guidelines for additional information about how to prepare for your test.

Support the Bid for Karate in the 2020 Olympics

Posted on by IMA Karate Website Admin

As you celebrate and cheer for the athletes competing in the 2012 Olympics, take some time to help IMA support the World Karate Federation in making the 2020 Olympics the best olympics there has ever been … by including the international sport of Karate!

The 125th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September 2013. The IOC will meet on September 7th to elect the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics (either Tokyo, Istanbul or Madrid) and will also be considering the addition of a new sport for the 2020 Olympics.

The sports being considered for addition to the 2020 Olympics (a maximum of 28 sports will be represented) are baseball, roller sports, softball, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding, wushu, surfing, beach soccer and, most importantly, karate!

The WKF has set up an official website to help in spreading the word about bringing karate to the 2020 Olympics. Please visit http://thekisontheway.com/supports to find out more about how to register as a supporter and help “Bring the K!”

2012 Rocky Mountain State Games – Detailed Information

Posted on by Sensei Madani

The 2012 Rocky Mountain State Games, recognized by the National Congress of State Games, a member of the United States Olympic Committee, are being hosted by I.M.A. and sanctioned by USA Karate. The karate tournament is being held in Colorado Springs on Saturday, July 28th. Detailed information is posted below:

Competition Site
Big House, 2660 Vickers, Colorado Springs

Competition Date
Friday, July 27; USA Karate Referee Course & Certification: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Saturday, July 28; Competition Starts: 9:00 a.m.

Participant Entry Fees and Deadlines
Registration Deadline (July 14 – July 25 by 5:00 pm MDT); $60 for the first event, $10 for each additional event. Day of Registration (July 28); $70 for the first event, $10 for each additional event. Register Online For the Karate Rocky Mountain State Games at www.tournamentinabox.com by July 25, 2012 to avoid the $10.00 late fee.

Competition Rules
USA Karate ruleshttp://www.usankf.org will govern this competition. If you are looking for the proper equipment for competition, please visit www.budomartamerica.com or contact christian@budomartamerica.com.

USA Karate Referee Certification and Audit Courses
Held July 25 at 6:00 pm MDT at the Big House Sports Complex, the audit course is highly recommended to all karate-ka, regardless of their karate rank, as well as parents of competitors, coaches and sensei, in order to learn more about the rules of traditional karate (USA Karate). This course will review the WKF/USA-NKF Rules of Competition with an emphasis of new changes to the rules. The cost for the audit course is $20. For those who chose to take the course to become a certified official and be licensed by the USA Karate Federation, the fee is $80.

Competition Schedule (Tentative)
Friday, July 27 – Opening Celebration
4:30 p.m. – Pre-Celebration staging begins at America The Beautiful Park
4:45 p.m. – Athletes gather for the Parade of Athletes (will parade into downtown Colorado Springs, with CSPD Escorts)
5:00 p.m. – Parade of Athletes from America The Beautiful Park to the corner of Colorado Ave. & Tejon St.
5:30 p.m. – The State Games athletes will parade downtown to join the Olympic Downtown Celebration

Friday, July 27
6:00 – 9:00 p.m. – USA Karate Referee Audit Course & Certification

Saturday, July 28
8:00 a.m. – Doors open & late registration begins (Registration will take place up until 1 hour prior to division start time)
9:00 a.m. – Competition begins

General Information
The Commissioner reserves the right to cancel, combine or split divisions based on the number of entrants and to ensure a safe and challenging competition with total fairness for any and all ages. Staging will be run similarly to the National Championships.

Commissioners
Cyrus & Faye Madani, fmadani@imakarate.com , (303) 665-0339

I.M.A. at 2012 USA Karate National Championship and Team Trial Results

Posted on by Sensei Madani


I.M.A. Honbu dojo was represented by 7 athletes at the 2012 USA Karate National Championship and Team Trial. Since the end of the school year, Ken Umezono, Kamran & Kelara Madani, Kate Nakasato, Jax & Lily Martinelli and Alex Matsumoto spent many extra days at the dojo and trained to prepare themselves for this intense competition.

Each member of the team had an outstanding performance but due to the intensity of some of the divisions and large number of competitors in each division, some of the I.M.A. competitors were not as successful as others. However, half of the I.M.A. competition team placed on the USA Team and will represent United States Karate in the upcoming Junior Pan American Championship in Cancun, Mexico.

The results of the four days of competition are as follows:

  • Kamran Madani: Gold medal in Kumite, Silver Medal in Kata (representing USA in Kumite & Kata)
  • Kelara Madani: Gold medal in Kumite, Silver Medal in Kata (representing USA in Kumite & Kata)
  • Lily Martinelli: Silver medal in Kumite, Bronze medal in Kata (representing USA in Kumite)
  • Jax Martinelli: Bronze medal in Kumite (reserved member for USA in kumite)
  • Kate Nakasato: Bronze medal in Team Kumite

Our congratulations go to all members of our national team who did a fantastic job!

I.M.A. Competition Team is heading to National Championship and Team Trials

Posted on by Sensei Madani

The I.M.A. Competition Team is ready to represent I.M.A. in Fort Lauderdale after several months of extra training. Thousands of karate competitors from all over the United States will gather July 12-15 in Florida to compete in one of the most prestigious karate competitions in America. The USA Karate National Championship and Team Trials promise to bring lots of good competition in this coming weekend.

The I.M.A. Honbu Dojo will be represented by: Kamran & Kelara Madani, Alex Matusmoto, Jax & Lily Martinelli, Kate Nakasato, and Ken Umezono. Each one will compete in the elite division to claim a spot in the USA Karate Jr. Team.

We wish all I.M.A. competitors good luck and look forward to hearing about their success upon their return.