Chapel Hill North Carolina NC Triangle Self Defense Sports Fitness Recreation

Carolina Pines Women’s Dojo

Traditional Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Do

Durham, North Carolina

Since 1987

These are questions I am often asked when people contact me about practicing karate.  If your question is not answered here, please feel free to email or call.

 

With so many different athletic activities to choose from, why choose this ancient martial arts form?

Twenty years ago, I came to karate class looking for a good workout—a way to replace the team sports I had played in high school and college.  As I gained strength, confidence, and focus, I realized that this practice trains not just the body, but the mind and spirit as well.  And I have come to love the tradition it represents. I am fortunate to train directly with the Okinawan Grandmaster of our style, and honored to try to pass along the traditions he has taught me.

 

Why an all women’s school?

My first teacher, Sensei Carol Ryner, started this school for women. At the time, there were not many women in other martial arts schools, and many women had difficult paths in their dojos.  While it’s very easy now for women to train in almost any dojo, there still seem to be women who are reluctant to start except in this environment.  With our sister school here—Durham Rendokan Shibu—my women students now have the opportunity to also train with men after they have gained some experience.

 

Do I have to be in good shape to start?

Everyone starts in a different place. Some people have had diverse athletic backgrounds, others none.  If you are out of shape, you just do as much as you can. Gradually you’ll build up strength, endurance and flexibility—and you’ll be amazed at what you can do.  In karatedo it is said that “the practice of karate is like a cow’s walking, it is a thousand miles way”.  It doesn’t matter where you start, with continuous practice and effort, little by little great improvements are made.

 

How often should I come to class?

As often as you can! To begin with, you should definitely come twice a week. It is hard to build up any continuity with just one class per week. 

 

Am I too old to start?

Karate was born on the island of Okinawa—home to the longest living people on earth.  When I have been in Okinawa with my Sensei, he has had beginners come who were in their 50’s and 60’s.  My teacher is 83.  In the US, martial arts has come to be seen as a children’s activity, but that has not traditionally been the case.  You can start whenever you have the desire to learn.

 

How long does it take to get a black belt?

While there are many modern schools which offer a  program guaranteeing a black belt within a certain timeframe, and for a certain price, traditional karate do focuses on the path of your training.  While achieving the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt) is certainly one milestone, it’s just one transition point of many during one’s martial arts career.  The minimum amount of time in our school to achieve the rank of Shodan would be about 6 years, with kyu level tests every 6—9 months.

 

I understand how karate trains the body, but what do you mean by training mind and spirit?

Karate practice is steeped in the etiquette and traditions of the ancient fighting arts of Okinawa and Japan.  Humility, discipline, and  respect are not automatic to western educational settings, but were crucial to learning the deadly fighting arts in order to maintain order.  Learning to develop  the proper attitude  - humility, an open mind and heart, respect for those with more experience than you—requires us to learn a different way of thinking and being. 

Karate practice is also very challenging, like many athletic endeavors are—you don’t think you can pick your leg up one more time to kick because you are so tired. But you do it one more time, and then one more time after that, and then one more time after that…. And you then realize you can do anything you set your mind to.  Many activities in karate practice can also be frightening—we are, after all, learning potentially dangerous skills.  Students are challenged by different things—learning to fall, learning to hit another person, learning to be hit, learning to put your fist through a board. All of these challenges build a strong spirit.

 

Why do you want to practice a violent sport?

Karate is first and foremost for self-defense.  All of our kata (forms) begin with a block—a practice that constantly reinforces the idea that karate is only ever to be used for self-defense.  The principles of karatedo emphasize the importance of only ever using your fighting skills as a last resort.  Every effort should be made to use all other skills—like humility and courtesy—to de-escalate any potential conflicts so that physical force is never necessary.

 

While I obviously take the practice of karate seriously, I want to make sure you also know that it’s FUN!  A good sweaty workout, lots of hard kicks, punches and blocks, getting thrown around an the mats, a spirited session of kata bunkai—followed by food and cold beverages with your training partners—life just doesn’t get much better than that.

Why Practice Karate?