Burien, WA (Seattle-area) martial arts question

July 28, 2006 9:21 AM

I have practiced Shito-Ryu karate for about 3 years but my dojo has closed. I'm looking for recommendations for a new karate dojo. I know I won't find another Shito-Ryu dojo in my home town, so I'd consider switching to Shotokan or even perhaps to something else (kung fu or TKD?), but it needs to be close to my home in Burien. Anybody have a recommendation?
posted by jhendow to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 comments total)

Sorry, I wasn't very specific about my location. I'm in Burien, Washington. Thanks for any suggestions.
posted by jhendow at 9:28 AM on July 28, 2006

I would suggest asking your sensei for a reccomendation, it is possible that he/she is going to be seeking work as an instructor at another place nearby.
posted by BobbyDigital at 11:19 AM on July 28, 2006

Thanks. My sensei appears to be retiring along with the dojo, so I'm sort of out of luck in that regard. Since I'm considering switching to a different style, I doubt she'd be have local recommendations of where to go. But, a very good suggestion, and I'll go ahead and ask.
posted by jhendow at 1:48 PM on July 28, 2006

Is Kent too far away? I've been happy with United Studios, a Shaolin Kempo chain with lineage directly to the Temple. If you were in Snohomish County I could point you to some more things, but that's a bit of a drive.

It sounds like you are looking for a Japanese discipline (as opposed to Chinese or Korean/Tae Kwon Do), so you might see if somebody knows a karate sensei over at the Seattle Japanese School or look at the classifieds in one of the newspapers serving the Japanese-American community.

Gambatte Kudasai.
posted by ilsa at 9:23 PM on July 28, 2006

The first style of karate I studied in Japan was Itosu-Ryu so I see that we have something in common.

As you probably know, the founder of Shito-Ryu (Kenwa Mabuni) based his style on two grandmasters, one of which was Ankoh Itosu (the character for 'shi' in Shito-Ryu is the character 'ito' in Itosu-Ryu).

If Shito-Ryu is anything like Itosu-Ryu, you will probably have put more time/effort into Kihon (Basics) and Kata rather than Kumite (Sparring).

You should try a Karate dojo that is full-contact that focuses on sparring like Kyokushin, Zen Okinawa Kempo Karate-Do ('Zen-Ken') or similar style.

I find the full-contact styles a lot more fulfilling on both physical and spiritual levels than semi-contact or no contact. With a strong Kihon, you will also go a lot further in the long run than someone who has put a lot of time into sparring at the expense of Kihon.

Most importantly, try to find a dojo near your house (or workplace if there is nothing close to home). Don't travel too far.

Living within walking (jogging) distance of your dojo will make it easier to train every day.

Good luck!
posted by cup at 10:13 PM on July 28, 2006