Self-Defense
Karate for Children: 10 Reasons to Invest
Kids’ karate classes provide a lot of awesome benefits. One is confidence in navigating the world. this alone is a great reason for all girls and women to train in martial arts. But male students also benefit from this type of training.
Read MoreKarate Classes for Adults
Finding a regular physical activity that you enjoy is essential for adult fitness and health. Not only do karate classes for adults get us moving, they help in many specialized physical areas. Strength training exercises in karate include push-ups, jumping jacks, rolls, stances (both static and moving), and striking heavy bags.
Read MoreWhat are Ryukyu Kempo’s Core Principles?
Our dojo, East Valley Martial Arts, is a member of the international United Ryukyu Kempo Alliance (URKA). The URKA is a unique martial arts organization for many reasons. One of the things that makes us unique are the Core Principles taught by our instructor Amor Kaicho. He learned them from his teacher Oyata Taika who…
Read MoreCobra Kai needs the Dojo Kun
The “Cobra Kai” web TV series came out in Spring of 2018. It’s a more mature, modern continuation of the “Karate Kid” movies. The second season came out early this month. After watching it, I’m more convinced than ever that Cobra Kai needs the Dojo Kun. Cobra Kai Appropriate? While the “Karate Kid” movies may…
Read MoreParents Want Karate to Teach Valuable Lessons
I have learned what parents want karate to teach their kids. Several things come up repeatedly. The good news is that their expectations are very realistic if their child trains in traditional Okinawan karate regularly and consistently.
Read MoreKarate For Girls and its Benefits
The benefits and offerings of traditional Okinawan karate apply to all genders and ages. However, I can speak from the female point of view when I say that karate for girls is exceptionally powerful. My first exposure to martial arts was a recreation center’s aikido class. Then I started ongoing training as a young woman…
Read MoreGround Fighting at Our Dojo
Our dojo offers ground fighting classes as enrichment to training. Not all traditional karate schools do. However, rolls, falls and take downs were part of many ancient Okinawan styles. We continue to preserve some of these basics in our curriculum of karate classes. Plus, many of our students appreciate rounding out their training with the…
Read MoreBogu Kumite Sparring for Self Defense
Bogu kumite are Japanese words describing the type of full contact sparring studied by the United Ryukyu Kempo Alliance. Bogu is talking about armor, it’s made up of the words bo: protect, and gu: equipment. If you are going to participate in full contact sparring, it is vital to wear the right protective gear. Kumite…
Read MoreSparring Light Contact: Why do We do it?
Our dojo inherited our light contact sparring from our Kobayashi Shorin Ryu roots. The main targets are the side of the head, chest, abdomen and sides of the body above the belt. In this activity, we just touch with our strikes – both punches and kicks. Therefore, chest guards are not needed. Both partners wear helmets,…
Read MorePartner Drills for Self Defense
At East Valley Martial Arts, we practice many different partner drills to build self defense skills. I would like to share many of them here and how they improve defense abilities. A big safety layer at our school is competent supervision. In other words, do not try this on your own. You are liable for…
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