After a six-year hiatus, Summit Academy will resume its tradition of presenting therapeutic martial arts tournaments. On Saturday, May 10, beginning at 9 a.m., an expected 50-some students will compete at Summit Academy’s 2025 Therapeutic Martial Arts Tournament at the Navarre Towpath YMCA, 1226 Market Street NE in Navarre.
The students will showcase their kata skills (choreographed patterns of movement) in categories including empty hand, weapons, team empty hand and team weapons. They will be grouped in divisions based on age and belt color or ability level. Each division will comprise four students who will perform katas in pairs. The winners of each pair will then advance and compete against each other. The competition will conclude with a first- and second-place winner for each division and two third-place division finishers. Officials from the Referee Council of the USA Karate Federation will serve as judges.
Shihan Chuck Rickard, who heads Summit Academy’s Therapeutic Martial Arts program, says the competition offers students a score of benefits including self-control, self-discipline and perseverance.
“It boosts self-esteem and self-confidence,” Shihan Rickard adds. “In preparation for the competition, students learn courtesy, humility, cooperation, patience and the spirit of fair play. It can also foster an awareness that they are part of a larger, likeminded martial arts community.”
Summit Academy Management hosted therapeutic martial arts tournaments for about 15 years, until the pandemic hit. Since then, both senseis and their students have been working diligently to make up for lost time, according to Rickard. The May 10 tournament will host students from Summit Academy’s northern schools including those in Lorain, Parma, Akron, Canton, Warren and Youngstown. A subsequent tournament will follow for students attending Summit Academy’s southern schools in Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Middletown and Xenia.
Summit Academy Schools, which specialize in serving students with special needs such as autism and ADHD, offer therapeutic martial arts as part of their curriculum. The program has been a pillar for Summit Academy since its start over a quarter-century ago.