FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why would I choose Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan over another form of martial arts?

        -    That is a good question.  We feel that all martial arts styles have something to offer, however our dojo (school) is what is known as a "Shibo Dojo" which means it is directly associated with the internationally recognized Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan Association under the direction of Grand Master Hanshi JuDan Shugoro Nakazato.

Why is that important?

        -    Because your belt ranking would be recognized at any Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan Dojo in the world.  You would be able to visit any of these dojos and immediately be welcomed and your belt level would be acknowledged accordingly.  Click on the link below to see a world map of Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan dojos.

Shorinkan dojos worldwide

Tell me more about your style.

        -    Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan, also known as Kobayashi-Ryu, is a traditional form of Okinawan Karate.  It's movements are very fluid and focused on keeping your body weight centered.  This helps you to maintain control so as not to be pulled off balance in the event of an attack.  It uses both hands and feet evenly to provide a well rounded means of self-defence.  Please view other pages on this site for more information.

It seems that most karate schools have separate classes for adults and children.  Why do you put them together?

       -   We are following the example of my immediate instructor Sensei David Rogers.  At his dojo in California, parents and kids learned together.  That is how I (Sensei Paul) got started in martial arts by wanting to spend more time with my kids.  At our dojo here in Canon City, we are not just family friendly, we are family based.  We have classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced.  All ages participate together.  It creates a great environment for families.

With all this emphasis on families, would an individual feel left out?

        -    Certainly not.  We have individuals in our classes now.  My wife and I have four kids and we know how much the busyness of life tries to keep families apart so we are simply giving families an avenue for spending time together.  Individuals who come to our dojo will in no way feel out of place.  Everyone is welcome and receives personal attention from me, Sensei Paul.

How long does it take to earn a Black Belt in this style?

       -   The general rule is about 4 years.  However I must emphasize at this point that our goal is not to produce black belts.  We are not a belt factory.  We would love for all our students to continue in karate and earn their black belts, but that is not our main objective.  Studying karate is much more than earning belts.  You may have goals along the way, such as different belt colors, but karate is a life long experience.  There is a lot of character building that comes with  the package.  We encourage our students to be the best that they can be each step of the way.  If we just simply kept promoting students to new belt levels just for the sake of promotion, we would be doing them an injustice.  In our style you definitely have to earn your belt.