NORTHAMPTON KARATE'S ADULT MARTIAL ARTS AND SELF DEFENSE PROGRAM
Northampton Karate has been offering martial arts classes for over 20 years and has developed the most comprehensive adult's karate program in the Pioneer Valley. Our classes stress the traditions and respectful courtesies of China and Okinawa, undivided focus, discipline, perfection of technique, endurance training, and earned rank promotions. Each individual is capable of learning karate. Our curriculum encourages patience and progress. There are men and women in all adult classes as well as senior ranking male and female instructors teaching by example while providing a unique balance and approach. There will be other beginners in each of the adult classes. You will be made to feel welcome from the very first class. We understand that all practitioners start off as beginners, and we encourage respect and patience with students of all skill levels and abilities. We look forward to training with you in the Dojo.
If you're thinking about joining, you are welcome to observe all or part of a martial arts class. Please email in advance if interested in visiting and observing. We ask that you show up 15 minutes prior to attending your first class to complete the 1 page registration form, sign the waiver, be fitted for a Gi (uniform), make first month's payment, and for a quick orientation. The Dojo is equipped with male and female changing rooms and bathrooms.
Northampton Karate does not have an "initiation fee" and membership is paid on a month by month basis. A discount applies if membership is paid quarterly or annually and we accept cash or checks. The fee for adult classes is $70 per month, which allows you to particpate in as many adult classes as are offered. Please email or call the Dojo 413-584-6139 if you have any questions or would like more information.
Northampton Karate emphasizes the authenticity and traditions of Okinawan Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu style karate. As the premier Dojo in the Pioneer Valley with over 20 years of experience, our self defense training focuses on precise technique through basics, katas (series of moves), and kumite (fighting). The classes are structured to encourage intention and discipline in your training in a respectful and courteous atmosphere. The instructors are experienced in working with all skill levels, ages, and athletic abilities. Our adult and our children's martial arts curriculums are designed to be enjoyable and challenging. They are designed to provide members with the opportunity to continue to learn and improve their skills for a lifetime. There is a spare simplicity to our practice that makes it different from a lot of what we normally encounter in our busy, modern schedules. If you're looking to learn a new skill, get into shape, or enrich your life through self defense training, Northampton Karate is the right place to start. Observe a class, ask questions, take the next step.
Just as it was practiced in the gardens and on the beaches of Okinawa over the centuries, we achieve profound results without relying on machines, special equipment, or encumberances. While we do have a beautiful traditional space where we meet and train, once you get started you don’t need any special time or place to train: just your body and mind and the desire to create the life and practice that you want. Our style “Shorin Ryu” is the Okinawan variant of Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu, as practiced in FuJian, China. Bringing together insights from authentic Asian martial arts, from practical professional experience, and from contemporary athletics and science, our practice is characterized by its simplicity and profundity. Anyone who wants to learn this genuine martial art can learn it. You are invited.
As a new member of Northampton Karate you will see that your karate training
will help you do better in everything you do. With sincere and consistent practice you can literally get stronger, more flexible
and more skillful every day of your life. There is no need to wait a long time
before you start to see results. You will feel healthier, more focused and more
balanced within a few weeks of getting started. At first it is important to take things step by step and not feel that you
have to do everything at once. Nothing that you are doing in class should hurt.
If you do get sore muscles after your first class, let your instructor know,
so that he or she can help you continue to train -- while letting those muscles
rest and recover. You will see that there are lots of high points in your karate training. You
will be able to do things that you never thought you could. But there will also
be some challenges, both physical and mental. By sticking with it and seeing
your way through these challenges you inevitably become stronger.
Everything we do in the Dojo has a purpose. Nothing is arbitrary. Everything is designed to help you make the most efficient use of your time to become as strong, flexible, balanced and focused as possible. The Dojo is set up so that you can enjoy your training and do well. To get the most out of life -- at work, at home, at school, in personal life, in athletics -- It is best to be healthy, confident, good-hearted and strong. As the old saying from Lao Tzu goes: ‘a journey of ten thousand miles begins with a single step.’
