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Kata

STUDY ANCIENT AND MODERN KATA
Take Downs

LEARN BASIC SELF-DEFENSE KARATE THROWS, LOCKS, AND CHOKES
Practical Bunkai

APPLY KATA MOVEMENTS IN SELF-DEFENSE CIVILIAN COMBAT
Matsubayashi Ryu

LEARN MATSUBAYASHI SHORIN RYU FOUNDED BY MASTER SHOSHIN NAGAMINE
Rich History

TRAIN IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GREAT OKINAWAN MASTERS

Welcome to the Shorin Ryu Karate Academy

The Shorin Ryu Karate Academy currently meets on the campus of Grove City College, offering training opportunities for students and staff through the course PHYE 290: Studies in Karate as well as through the Grove City College Martial Arts Club. We train specifically in Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, a traditional Okinawan karate system created by Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine.

Our Classes

We emphasize practical applications of kihon (basic techniques) and kata (pre-set arrangement of self-defense moves intended for solo training). Classes typically include:

Warming up with combative partner drills
Solo kihon practice
Partner drills applying the kihon techniques
Pad drills to develop power and focus
Solo kata practice
Partner drills applying the kata movements (bunkai training)
Kata-based sparring (free-form sparring using movements from the kata in live sparring)
Discussions of self-protection principles (legal and moral issues of violence, awareness, avoidance, escape, de-escalation, and fighting to escape a situation when all else has failed)

Training Philosophy

We intentionally include variety in our training: solo practice, partner drills, pad drills, basic break falls and rolls, basic takedowns and throws (where they appear in the kata). Our training philosophy is to build as comprehensive a training matrix as possible. We acknowledge that every drill or activity has a basic flaw, but by engaging a variety of drills in a training matrix, we can compensate for those various flaws and train effectively without injuring ourselves or our training partners.

All Skill Levels Welcome

We welcome people from a wide range of karate and martial arts training backgrounds, from beginners with no martial arts training to experienced martial artists. Our core curriculum is Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu karate, and we enthusiastically share the heritage of Okinawan karate with all who are interested in seriously studying this dynamic and historic martial art.