Blackbird Training Group

Hey Folks!

A quick update about the Skirmish. I just noticed that the event description was missing info about the youth single stick tournament. Here's what I added to the Event Page:

NOTICE: We will also be hosting a Youth Single stick Tournament during this event. Schedule is a bit up in the air, but we will supply the single sticks. Protective gear for this tournament is a fencing mask, groin protection if appropriate, and Hockey gloves at minimum. You are permitted to wear whatever protective gear you wish, as deemed appropriate by the officials.

It turns out the likelihood of getting attacked with a sword in the Tri-Cities is low, but not zero...

Come train.

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/crime/article315712811.html?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6a0227791f2f3300018df349&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawRwLc5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR5GLDr1Dmdv_UGpF7UNWnJ0XpA5e6teyzVqW3N4nx42bvhLlgrHeVqb5DQjZg_aem_-safQqtyubn4uTavSbFtOQ

You did it folks! Your nominations got us on the board.

Apparently, how it works is a number of people have to nominate a business, and then that business gets put on the nomination ballot that was the link that I had originally sent, and by you guys navigating to the area where you can nominate someone not on the list and putting us there, we are now on the list (Sorry for any confusion).
https://kennewick.communityvotes.com/2026/04/sports-recreation-and-fitness/martial-arts

We look forward to every opportunity to serve our community, share the love of our martial art, and train with you whenever we can.

Speaking of community, we have a number of upcoming events that we would like to share with you.

June 20th at the Prosser Highland Games we will be having our annual Sagebrush Skirmish tournament, July 16th we are collaborating with the Richland Public Library to teach an introduction to broadsword fencing class, and our next women's self-defense series level 1 and level 2 will be July 26th and August 1 st.

We are also working on other community events. The mid Columbia Pirate festival has expressed some interest in hosting a class that we would teach on Cutlass fighting, as well as a collaboration with a local store to offer some knife skills education to the public. We love each and every opportunity to teach and share what we do with the public, and will let you know more as these events get closer.

We can never thank you enough for your love and support, but we'll try...

I look forward to training with you!

-Jim

For our adult guy students: if you're able to help out with the women's self defense seminar tomorrow, please let me know.

If you'd like to talk about specifics, we can chat about it at class tonight, or just message me.

We'll be meeting before the seminar at 0900 to set up. Also, we'll be using the south room for the first part of the class, then moving to our normal room once the other class clears out.

We have between 6 and 8 pre-registered, I think.

Thanks folks!

Hey folks! I'll have a couple of posts today, but I wanted to get this one out ASAP. There's an opportunity to vote us as the Tri-Cities best martial arts school!

I love our little slice of heaven, and if you do too, give us a nomination! Here's the link to do that!

https://kennewick.communityvotes.com/2026/04/sports-recreation-and-fitness/martial-arts

If you can think of a Martial Arts Studio you might want to Nominate for Best in the Tri-Cities, here's a place where you can Vote:

https://www.tri-citiesbest.com/

If it's us, we'd appreciate the nomination. If it's someone else... What can we do to earn your vote?

Tri-Cities Best | Tri-Cities Best The Tri-City area is a unique place. We live, shop, eat, and play in the beautiful Columbia Basin and wouldn’t have it any other way. In celebration of our great communities, Tri-City Herald is revamping the People’s Choice and presenting Tri-Cities Best.

It's a little self-serving, but... I will be one of the chaperones for my Daughter's Youth Group mission trip from the Living Room Church to Rwanda later this year and I am doing some fundraising.

The Group has organized an online auction with over 150 items that closes March 15th.

I have personally included several items from Blackbird:
2 Two hour private lessons with me ($60 value each), Private Women’s Self-Defense Seminar for up to 10 people ($200 Value), and a Private Swordsmanship Clinic for up to 10 people ($200 value).

Here's a cool chance to get some good training and donate to a good cause.

Here's the link to that Auction.

https://www.estatedetails.com/auctions/25156?pageSize=96

Check out the items! There are some great ones. If you can’t quite find that exact thing you’re looking for, there is an option to ‘bid’ that will be a direct donation.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

I can't wait to train with you.

jim

Estate Details

Holy Smokes! Technology is great until it isn't.

I have been struggling with getting good communications between folks reaching out and myself. Well, I have figured out at least one problem. The "Free Week" form on our website hasn't been forwarding the messages from people consistently.

Just so you see how bad it is:
of just under 100 submissions in the last Year, 6 have been forwarded on. Two of those became students. So frustrating.

So, I have been working on getting emails out to people who have reached out. I have crafted a bulk email body that I have been customizing for each individual. This will take a while, but I can't imagine doing it any other way.

Please understand that I am doing my best to reply to everyone.

If you want to train with us, please reach out to [email protected] or message us here.

Thanks, and I look forward to training with you.

-jim

Here's so you can find us!

As a reminder:
Saturday the 14th at 10am we will be doing a Demo for our school where we talk to the public about our club and our varied approach to blade based martial arts. I would love for as many of our students as I can to attend this.

Later that day at 2pm I am hosting a panel with a couple other guys where we will talk about the differences between "real" and fictional sword fighting.

Sunday the 15th, we will be teaching a class called "Fight like a Fremen" at 10am. If you can help, I'd love it!

So you are prepared and armed with your towel, here is the Convention layout for RadCon 9B: ALIENS! And if you ever lose your way, feel free to find a Convention Staff Member & they can point you in the right direction (or whatever direction you see fit, just not towards the Krikkit robots or the Toxic Waste Mimic, that would be terribly unfortunate).

2026 is the 75th anniversary of the Richland Public Library.

The library is planning on recreating some of the events that happened in the first year the library was opened.

This picture is from 1951ish, back when the Richland Public Library first opened and these two gentlemen put on a fencing demo and class at the Library.

I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but keep your eyes out for a possible collaboration between our humble little school and the Wonderful people at the Library this summer...