Shotokan karate for children and adults
Begin with respect.
A traditional dojo where children learn to stand still before they learn to kick, and adults find a practice that lasts a lifetime. Your first class is free.
The way
Three things we teach before any kick.
Rei — courtesy
Every class begins and ends with a bow. Children learn to greet, to listen and to wait their turn; it turns out to be the hardest technique, and the most useful.
Kihon — the basics
Stances, blocks and strikes practised until they belong to the body. We repeat the fundamentals for decades, because they are what everything else stands on.
Zanshin — awareness
The calm, alert mind that remains after the technique. It is what makes karate a way of carrying yourself, in the dojo and far from it.
Programs
A class for every age, and a standard for all of them.
01Little LionsBalance, listening and the first bow. Classes are short, playful and full of movement; parents watch from the bench, and every child leaves standing a little taller.Ages 4–6 · 30 minutes · twice a week
02JuniorsThe foundations of Shotokan — stances, blocks, strikes and the first kata — taught with patience and tested with care. Belts are earned on the mat, never bought.Ages 7–12 · 45 minutes · Mon · Wed · Sat
03Teens & AdultsSerious, traditional karate for beginners and returning students alike: kihon, kata and controlled kumite, with the breath and the mind trained alongside the body.Ages 13+ · 60 minutes · six classes a week
04Competition teamFor students who want to test themselves against the region. Kata and kumite coaching, tournament travel, and a standard of conduct that comes home with the medals.By invitation · Tue · Thu · Sun
Timetable
The week, on the board.
Little LionsMon · Wed 16:30
Ages 4–6 · Sensei Aiko
Juniors — beginnersMon · Wed 17:15
White to orange belt
Juniors — advancedMon · Wed 18:15
Green belt and above
Adults — all levelsMon · Wed 19:30
Kihon and kata
Competition teamTue · Thu 18:00
By invitation
Adults — kumiteTue · Thu 19:30
Brown belt and above
Family classSat 09:00
Train with your child
Juniors — all levelsSat 10:00
Open mat and grading prep
Adults — kata labSat 11:15
One kata, in depth
Black belt classSun 09:00
Dan grades only
Arrive ten minutes early for your first class. Wear comfortable clothes; a gi is provided for your trial, and yours to keep when you join.
Sensei
Taught by people who have given their lives to it.
Kenji Mori
Chief instructor · 7th dan
Began karate in Osaka at six and has taught in this room since 1987. Believes a child learns courtesy before a kick, and that the kick is better for it.
Aiko Mori
Head of children’s programs · 4th dan
Ran the Little Lions program from its first class. A former national kata champion who would rather talk about a four-year-old’s first bow.
Daniel Reyes
Competition coach · 3rd dan
Grew up in this dojo, fought for the national team, and now coaches the next line of competitors with the same patience he was shown.
The belt path
Six colours. Each one is earned.
White
The beginning. Learning to stand, to bow, to listen.
Yellow
First kata, first blocks. About four months.
Orange
Stances hold under pressure. Combinations begin.
Green
Kumite with control. Students start to help beginners.
Brown
Three grades of refinement. Teaching the class, sometimes.
Black
Shodan — the first step. Most students take five to seven years.
My son walked in shy and walked out bowing to the room. Two years later he is a green belt and the most patient kid I know.
I started at forty-one, terrified. Sensei Mori treated me exactly like the twelve-year-olds — which is to say, with complete seriousness.
The only activity our daughter has never asked to quit. The Little Lions class is thirty minutes of pure joy.
Tuition
Simple monthly tuition. No contracts, no hidden fees.
Little Lions
$109per month
- Two 30-minute classes a week
- Gi included
- Belt gradings included
- Pause any month
Ages 4–6.
Family
$249per month
- Two or three students, any program
- Unlimited classes
- Saturday family class
- Gradings and gi included
Additional family members $40.
Unlimited
$149per month
- Every class on the timetable
- Kata lab and open mat
- Gradings included
- Competition team eligible
Juniors, teens and adults.
Tuition is billed monthly and can be paused or cancelled at any time with two weeks’ notice. We never charge a joining fee, and your first class is always free.
Questions parents ask
How young can my child start?
Little Lions welcomes children from four. Before that, the most useful thing is simply to visit, watch a class together and let them see what it looks like.
Is karate safe for children?
Children practise without contact until they are ready, and sparring is always controlled, padded and supervised. In thirty-eight years our most common injury has been a bruised ego.
What should we bring to the free class?
Comfortable clothes and a bottle of water. We lend a gi for the trial, and the first class is simply a class — no test, no sales talk.
How long until a black belt?
Most students who train twice a week reach shodan in five to seven years. We would rather it took a year longer than a year less.
Can adults start with no experience?
Most of our adult students did. Beginners train alongside everyone else, at their own pace, and nobody is asked to do anything they are not ready for.
Do you offer private lessons?
Yes — for grading preparation, competition work or simply a quieter way to begin. Ask at the desk or mention it on the form below.
Your first class is free
Come and bow in.
Tell us who is coming and which program interests you. We will reply within a day with a class to try, and you will be met at the door.