Shotokan
Karate
Club

The Summer Session starts June 2nd!

Beginners are always welcome!

News

Congratulations to Piotr Fidkowski for promotion to purple belt with brown stripe, Kristina Brown for promoting to blue belt with green stripe, Mike Snella for promoting to orange belt with blue stripe, Libby Boroson for promoting to yellow belt with two orange stripes, and Michael Aponte for promoting to white belt with yellow stripe!

Congratulations to Mike Snella, Kristina Brown, and Piotr Fidkowski for competing in the Spring Tournament. Mike won 3rd in beginner sparring, Kristina won 1st in intermediate sparring, and Piotr won 2nd in intermediate kata.

Congratulations to Brian Neltner and Eli Marschner for testing and receiving their "C-Rank" Instructor Licenses.

Club Information

During the Summer Session, practices are held MWF from 5-7pm in the DuPont Multipurpose Room (W31-225). People typically begin arriving at 5pm, and we begin class at 5:15pm. Note that practices are only open to MIT Students, Alumni, Faculty, and Staff with valid Athletics Cards.

Upcoming Events:

Spring Promotion
Planned for May 12, 5-7pm
DuPont Multipurpose Room

Sundays at Tufts Jackson Gym
5pm - 7pm.
Advanced Class open to Purple Belt and above by invitation.

The Tufts Jackson Gym is at:
50 Talbot Avenue
Medford, MA

Club Dues are $30/(term or summer). This will include your uniform and basic sparring gear. The promotion test is $20, and tests are held once per semester.

Shotokan Karate is a Japanese style of martial art. It is a "hard" martial art, meaning that force is typically met with force, and there is a particular emphasis on coordination, speed, and strength. Shotokan Karate is also considerably simpler than similar martial arts in that it has a very limited number of basic blocks, attacks, and kicks which are used.

As students progress, they are gradually exposed to more advanced moves, including throws, pressure points, deflection, deception, weapons, and neat-looking kicks. However, these advanced moves are meant to be just that -- advanced moves. The majority of Shotokan Karate is based solidly in the upper body, and training the reflexes to deflect without thought and strike without pause.

Shotokan Karate is a very kata-heavy martial art compared to most. Kata are sequences of movements developed over centuries to distill the essence of karate practice into a sequence of moves that can be practiced alone. They form a cornerstone of Shotokan practice, and are practiced for meditation, conditioning, and body awareness.

Example Curriculum

Mondays: Basics, Speed, Stances, Katas

Wednesdays: Basics, Strength, Conditioning, and Throws

Fridays: Katas, Special Techniques, Meditation, and Sparring

The Shotokan Karate Club is a part of the North American Karate Do Federation (NAKF) and the New England Collegiate Karate Conference (NECKC). You can find out more information about Shotokan Karate in the area at www.nakf.org

For more information, please email:
shotokan-karate-officers@mit.edu
to be added to the new email list!