Our Academy teaches and practices Shotokan Karate Style. (松濤館) Shotokan is a traditional form of Japanese Karate-do widely practiced in the United Sates. The name itself means "the sound that pine trees make when the wind blows through their needles.

Shotokan is a style of Japanese Karate where the motions tend to be linear and fast. The repertoire of techniques includes various punches, blocks, and kicks, most of which are technically simple but very powerful if performed correctly. In general, Shotokan practice has three main components:



1. Kihon: Kihon or basic techniques, is the practice  of doing numerous repetitions of punches, blocks, and kicks (and combinations thereof) while moving or in place. This is typically how students learn and refine techniques, improve balance, stamina, and strength.



2. Kata: These are pre-arranged sets of basic techniques performed with a particular footwork pattern and timing. In addition to filling the function served by basic techniques alone, katas are integral for learning new basic techniques, developing combinations, and improving mental focus. Katas are considered by most instructors to be the heart of Karate, and we devote a lot of class time to them.



3. Kumite: Kumite or Sparring, is simply fighting with a partner. It may be practiced in short, simple, choreographed sequences or in freestyle manner. Beginners are encouraged to stick to pre-arranged sequences until they develop a sense of their distance and timing, and introduction to freestyle fighting is gradual. Hard contact is forbidden; participants' safety is always a prime concern. Students learn to control techniques, stopping them a very short distance from their target. Light padding may be utilized as a precautionary measure.



In addition to the above, we are the only martial arts academy south of Chicago that belongs to Shotokan Karate USA and the USA National Karate Federation which is governed by the Olympic Committee.