Dear Focus Parents and Athletes:

The time has come for Team Focus to begin its 2011-2012 competition season. This program will be for all qualified Focus students who have a desire to compete and take their competition training to a higher level.

There are some basic qualifications all athletes will have to meet, and they are listed under the Team Focus Requirements & Class Schedule page. Each athlete will sign up for the entire 2011-2012 season. Your commitment to continue on with team or start out for the first time for the 2011-2012 season is needed by September 15th, 2011.

Some flexibility has been built into the training for conflicts in scheduling, but these situations will be exceptions and not the rule. It is important for the parents to be involved by supporting the child's training and making sure they are consistent and prompt in getting the athlete to training. We will be happy to discuss with you specific issues you have regarding your athletes training schedule or any conflicts you may have during the season.

The training will be broken into three different seasons. The goals for fitness and competition will be different in each phase so activities will be adjusted during the set training times. We will monitor each student for burnout. We may also include team-building activities to locations outside the Dojo.

Choices: This year athletes will still be able to choose the amount of time they would like to commit to their training. Monthly training seminars will be scheduled for everyone interested at extra charge. Check the Team Focus Requirements & Class Schedule page for more information on this.

Competition: This is a competition team and all athletes are required to participate in the competitions noted as mandatory on the Tournament Schedule. There will be some travel out of state for some of these competitions and they may require an overnight stay. Changes may also happen to the schedule due to unforeseen circumstances. We will communicate any such changes as soon as possible. Dates and exact location of each tournament will be announced as soon as they become available.

Communication: A pre-season question and answer meeting will be held on Saturday September 10th from 12:30 - 2:00 PM for all interested athletes and their parent(s). At this time we will go into greater detail on what you can expect from Focus in this program and what is expected of each athlete.

As in any program of this nature there will always be changes that are unforeseen. We will do our best to communicate them. If you have questions or concerns about anything we are doing, please let us know. We ask for a parent's e-mail address and those of the athletes who have one so we can increase our communication abilities. Any changes to your e-mail or phone numbers should be provided a.s.a.p and it is your responsibility to inform us if any changes are made to this information.

On behalf of all of the Team Focus Coaches, We look forward to working more in-depth with your child as we help take him/her to levels of training that may one day create our next World Champion. And even if they never get a Championship Cup, the experiences they will receive in their training and travel along with the friendships they build along the way will be world caliber and last a lifetime. Thank you for being part of Team Focus!

Stay Focused!

Sensei Jim O'Hara
Head Coach Team Focus
Head Coach AAU/USA Karate Team

Karate training... Ur doin it wrong

Team Focus at 2008 WKC Junior World Championships

Video of 2007-2008 Team Focus

2008 Las Vegas Highlights