Students
Living as a martial artist takes practice.
And what better way to do it than with a group who watches your back so you don't have to?
People who understand you because they once faced your challenges, and continue facing their own. People who support, instead of competing or judging, one another.
Our dojo experience, in many ways, is like entering another time and place. One where your dojo crew is friendly, accepting, respectful, polite.
Joining in is easy. Just show up.
People who understand you because they once faced your challenges, and continue facing their own. People who support, instead of competing or judging, one another.
Our dojo experience, in many ways, is like entering another time and place. One where your dojo crew is friendly, accepting, respectful, polite.
Joining in is easy. Just show up.
Sensei A.J. Advincula, Isshin-ryu Karate (second left)
Class - Part 2.
In a traditional dojo, we don't talk much on the floor.
Mr. Musco tells people he learned half the karate he knows while sitting on a bar stool.
What he means are the stories and lessons his teacher, the late D.A. Jenkins, once told over lunch, in a parking lot or on the road to a tournament. Sometimes it was just lunch and a few laughs. At other times, it was a lesson that Mr. Musco still teaches to others today.
You can never tell when that lightning will strike. Today, we continue the tradition, as does Mr. Musco with his current teacher, A.J. Advincula.
Someone can bow on and off the floor for 10 years, but you'd be hard pressed to find a real martial artist who never attended "the second half of class."
Mr. Musco tells people he learned half the karate he knows while sitting on a bar stool.
What he means are the stories and lessons his teacher, the late D.A. Jenkins, once told over lunch, in a parking lot or on the road to a tournament. Sometimes it was just lunch and a few laughs. At other times, it was a lesson that Mr. Musco still teaches to others today.
You can never tell when that lightning will strike. Today, we continue the tradition, as does Mr. Musco with his current teacher, A.J. Advincula.
Someone can bow on and off the floor for 10 years, but you'd be hard pressed to find a real martial artist who never attended "the second half of class."
Rite of Passage
The human need to belong to a tribe extends in adolescence to a growing drive to live as an adult. It is an uncomfortable time for children - and parents as well.
We say that we teach karate to kids, not 'Kiddie Karate'. While that's true, teenagers now must learn to study with the same intensity as the adults.
We promote to black belt beginning at age 13 using a half-grade rank found in judo. The test is age appropriate. But it's only at age 16 that the student becomes eligible for the full black belt rank of Shodan. The examination is the same given to adults - the martial arts equivalent to coming of age.
In a traditional dojo, testing for Shodan, in many respects, truly is a right of passage.
We say that we teach karate to kids, not 'Kiddie Karate'. While that's true, teenagers now must learn to study with the same intensity as the adults.
We promote to black belt beginning at age 13 using a half-grade rank found in judo. The test is age appropriate. But it's only at age 16 that the student becomes eligible for the full black belt rank of Shodan. The examination is the same given to adults - the martial arts equivalent to coming of age.
In a traditional dojo, testing for Shodan, in many respects, truly is a right of passage.
Journey
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
- African Proverb
Caught between childhood security left behind, the uncertain future ahead and jackals on the road, teenagers can easily feel vulnerable.
But they can find an ally whose very job it is to guide students toward strength and wisdom. The dojo.
And the dojo accepts everyone equally.
What gets you in the door is sincere interest. You don't have to be anything in particular. Athletic, aggressive, poised, etc. Normal will do just fine.
Normal people are out-going, shy, agile, clumsy, tall, short, overweight, underweight, middleweight. Furthermore, karate is as much a cerebral study as it is physical. And finally, even some very normal people have 'challenges'.
The dojo defines people only by how good a student they are. And that depends more on character than physical performance.
We don't compete against one another here. There are no champions, no losers. Neither does anyone ever 'warm the bench'.
Do your work, exemplify good martial attitude, enjoy being a part of the crew. That's what we ask of others and ourselves.
And, as always - we do not leave our people behind. No one gets cut from our team.
- African Proverb
Caught between childhood security left behind, the uncertain future ahead and jackals on the road, teenagers can easily feel vulnerable.
But they can find an ally whose very job it is to guide students toward strength and wisdom. The dojo.
And the dojo accepts everyone equally.
What gets you in the door is sincere interest. You don't have to be anything in particular. Athletic, aggressive, poised, etc. Normal will do just fine.
Normal people are out-going, shy, agile, clumsy, tall, short, overweight, underweight, middleweight. Furthermore, karate is as much a cerebral study as it is physical. And finally, even some very normal people have 'challenges'.
The dojo defines people only by how good a student they are. And that depends more on character than physical performance.
We don't compete against one another here. There are no champions, no losers. Neither does anyone ever 'warm the bench'.
Do your work, exemplify good martial attitude, enjoy being a part of the crew. That's what we ask of others and ourselves.
And, as always - we do not leave our people behind. No one gets cut from our team.
'Pure People'
That's what Mr. Musco's teacher, Sensei Jenkins, called them. Children can be amazing and surprising - if given the chance.
So, the question is, can you teach actual karate to a 5 year old? Let's just say not many actually try it.
We do. And, in truth, it isn't easy. But, it turns out that Sensei Jenkins was right about them more often than not.
It also turns out that kids have to be resilient to be amazing, and our instructors are accomplished at being insistent. After a while, our kids expect and look forward to it.
Do they get distracted? All the time! But when they wake up, they're - amazing.
True story:
Woman: And what do you do for a living?
Mr. Musco: I teach karate.
Woman: Aren't the kids so CUTE!
Mr. Musco: Not that kind of karate.
So, the question is, can you teach actual karate to a 5 year old? Let's just say not many actually try it.
We do. And, in truth, it isn't easy. But, it turns out that Sensei Jenkins was right about them more often than not.
It also turns out that kids have to be resilient to be amazing, and our instructors are accomplished at being insistent. After a while, our kids expect and look forward to it.
Do they get distracted? All the time! But when they wake up, they're - amazing.
True story:
Woman: And what do you do for a living?
Mr. Musco: I teach karate.
Woman: Aren't the kids so CUTE!
Mr. Musco: Not that kind of karate.
Planting Seeds
Mothers used to say, "You can't put an old head on young shoulders." But when we didn't always listen to her, she'd write it off as "planting seeds."
Everyone wants to talk to your kid, just like 'they' once talked to us. Here's two examples of what we learned from them:
Remember the Law of the Jungle? Darwin was misquoted. His theory was based on "survival of the adaptable", not the fittest. A small, but popular, misdirection that makes a big difference in how many people approach life.
How about Kill or be Killed? Seemingly, only historians and sociologists are aware that human civilization is build upon cooperation, not competition. Many people, we all deal with every day, are surprised to hear that.
Here are a few principles that our students learn in our classes and events:
Attention to detail, perserverance, delayed satisfaction, self-control, courage, loyalty, respect, accountability, empathy, compassion, acceptance of others, generosity, imagination...
In today's world, some might call even attending such a class an act of rebellion. We call it self-defense.
Everyone wants to talk to your kid, just like 'they' once talked to us. Here's two examples of what we learned from them:
Remember the Law of the Jungle? Darwin was misquoted. His theory was based on "survival of the adaptable", not the fittest. A small, but popular, misdirection that makes a big difference in how many people approach life.
How about Kill or be Killed? Seemingly, only historians and sociologists are aware that human civilization is build upon cooperation, not competition. Many people, we all deal with every day, are surprised to hear that.
Here are a few principles that our students learn in our classes and events:
Attention to detail, perserverance, delayed satisfaction, self-control, courage, loyalty, respect, accountability, empathy, compassion, acceptance of others, generosity, imagination...
In today's world, some might call even attending such a class an act of rebellion. We call it self-defense.
Yin Yang
The universal symbol of martial arts.
Yin, the mystic Feminine. Dark, soft, the Tiger stalking the Earth. Yang, the mystic Masculine. Light, hard, the Dragon rising to Heaven.
Two different sides to the same coin, within each lies the spark of the other.
We only attempt here to address a few concerns specific to men and women. But all these ideas apply equally to both. In a proper dojo, the only distinction made is between students and teachers.
Yin, the mystic Feminine. Dark, soft, the Tiger stalking the Earth. Yang, the mystic Masculine. Light, hard, the Dragon rising to Heaven.
Two different sides to the same coin, within each lies the spark of the other.
We only attempt here to address a few concerns specific to men and women. But all these ideas apply equally to both. In a proper dojo, the only distinction made is between students and teachers.
Men
Sometimes a few thoughts can teach more than a chapter.
- We want to improve who we are, not prove it to others.
- "Gentleness can only be expected from the strong."
- "We ain't playing checkers here."
- "There are no better styles, only better men."
- "Old tigers don't get stronger; they get smarter."
- Karateka (students) are sometimes known as toxically aggressive 'fighters' or ineffective 'dancers'. Not ours.
Women
Sometimes a few thoughts can teach more than a chapter.
- Karate is transformative. Training changes how you see the world and empowers the way you react to it.
- Karate training is not inherently brutal.
- Karate is designed to level the advantage of large people over small people. Gender isn't an issue. There is a difference between strength and power. Karate is based on power. And power comes from good technique, not size.
- In the dojo, we measure everyone against a single standard: Good Student. After that, men and women are free to be themselves.
Why People Choose Us
Don't entirely trust website testimonials? Neither do we.
Instead, we encourage people to talk with our members - students and parents.
(Of course they'll like us - they're still here! The more important question is what do they like about us.)