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Okinawan Martial Arts
Okinawan Karate is not about sport, feeling good, or "self esteem". It is about effective, combat proven technique designed to allow you to protect yourself in real life situations.
The Okinawan martial arts of which karate is the most commonly known today were developed over many centuries. While heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese martial arts, these Okinawan arts developed along their own path, incorporating the commonly thought of defensive, striking and kicking techniques but also encompassing grappling, throws and the use of weapons to create a very well rounded defensive tradition.
In the 1920s these Okinawan martial arts were first exported from Okinawa to the rest of the world. Today you see karate in every country around the globe. However, with such popularity, many today practice and teach a very remote and limited copy of the original Okinawan arts.
At our dojo, we teach a curriculum known as Isshinryu (the One or Whole Hearted Way) Karate. Isshinryu was systematized on Okinawa in the late 1950s. Intended for training the US Marines who were stationed on the Island, it preserves the original empty hand combative intent of Okinawan Karate and also includes training in Okinawan Kobudo (weapons training). It is a no-nonsense form of Karate formulated to be compatible with the American psyche. We also include extensive training in Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo Jutsu (literally Old-Style Okinawan Martial Arts), as researched and re-formulated by Patrick McCarthy, a world renowned martial arts researcher and historian. This unique combination of the old and new gives our students a thorough understanding of the lessons this ancient art was intended to convey and provides them with the skills to protect themselves.
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All classes at our dojo are based upon classical old-style training, the way things have been done for centuries, with an injection of modern safe training practices.
It is important to note, with proper training most students can develop an effective level of skill in a relatively short period of time. Most people beginning martial arts training are not looking for a life long vocation. However, for those who choose to pursue an advanced understanding of these arts it can literally take a lifetime.