Available Karate Classes
Karate is the best thing you can do for your child.
- Chuck Norris
At San Antonio Shitokai, we believe martial arts training in the study of karate can benefit learners of all ages. Karate helps develop the physical, emotional, social, and mental skills we need to thrive and succeed in school, at work, or in our personal lives. Our karate classes primarily teach self-defense, but the martial arts aren't about self-defense alone. Our karate classes help develop self-confidence, discipline, focus, physical strength, and positive social interaction. Our students set goals, work hard, and follow through while developing skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. They also have fun and make friends!
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San Antonio Shitokai is a traditional karate school. We do not include judo, jujitsu, taekwondo, boxing, or any other style of MMA in our training. We only teach karate, the bunkai from karate, and the defenses from karate. Our instructors train on a monthly basis with other Shito-ryu instructors and at least once a year with the head instructor of Shito-ryu of the United States and South America.
Kids Karate
To a child, the world is an ever-changing place with new challenges around every corner. There is so much for them to understand and navigate. It's intimidating at times and can make growing up difficult. Kids’ karate classes can be immensely beneficial in this respect. Karate is so much more than an extracurricular activity. It has a great deal of physical, mental, and social benefits as well. Here are just a few:
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Improves focus
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Develops self-discipline and responsibility
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Teaches courtesy and respect
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Instills self-confidence
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Helps build character
Additionally, karate classes prepare our youngest learners to be school-ready students, and it helps children of all ages become more "bully-proof" by teaching them self-defense.
Teen Karate
As children move from their younger years into their teens, they have more on their minds than ever before. They face new challenges and struggles on a daily basis: everything from hormonal changes to peer pressure to greater responsibility at school and work. Again, karate for teenagers is more than an extracurricular activity. For teens, karate classes can be a form of exercise, a chance to learn self-defense, or a way to learn about goal-setting as they work toward a black belt. The benefits will likely stay with them for the rest of their lives. Here are some ways karate can benefit teens:
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Improves physical fitness
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Improves self-control
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Boots self-esteem
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Helps teens develop an attitude of mindfulness and gratitude
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Helps teens become more resilient
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Improves discipline and focus
Adult Karate
Just like our younger karate students, adults who take karate classes find them physically and mentally challenging. Adults who explore martial arts experience all of the benefits that we've listed above, karate has additional benefits for adults:
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Relieves stress
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Boosts self-confidence
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Facilitates weight loss
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Improves heart health
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Builds strength and improves reflexes
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Improves mental health
Family Karate
There's on old saying about how "the family that plays together stays together." We believe this to be true, and karate provides a number of additional benefits for families and individual family members who take classes together:
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Creates a bonding experience through a common interest
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Helps the family work toward common goals inside and outside of the dojo
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Provides a quality family experience outside the home
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Develops a shared interest in fitness and healthy habits
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Helps family members learn to support each other in overcoming challenges
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Allows families to celebrate individual successes together
Competitive Karate
At San Antonio Shitokai, we help those who are interested in competition karate to achieve their goals, and we support them as they participate in tournaments. Most of our state competitions are outside of San Antonio in Houston, Dallas, and Austin, but we expect to see competitions here in San Antonio in the near future. We've also sent student-competitors to national and international competitions in Japan, Mexico, Canada, and South America. We adhere to the USANKF competition rules and guidelines, and our instructors are always learning and refining what they know.
SELF DEFENSE
At our Shitokai karate dojo, we like to say our San Antonio karate classes are all about fitness, fun, and self-defense. Studying karate delivers on all those promises, but the ability to defend yourself from those who would do you harm is a primary benefit. Karate is a solid foundation for self-defense. At San Antonio Shitokai, we derive most of our self-defense training from the Bunkai and our katas. An attacker might grab you in one of eight ways or might strike at you in one of eight ways. We teach the basic breaks and the defenses to combat these types of attacks so that each dedicated student will gradually learn to defend themselves.
