Shotokan karate in Calgary

What makes it Shotokan

Shotokan is known for its long, low stances and for techniques that travel in straight lines, and a great deal of training goes into making each movement strong and correct before making it fast. It also places a lot of weight on kata, the set sequences of movement practised against imaginary opponents, and there are 26 of them in the system.

If you'd like to see how Shotokan compares with the other styles you'll find in Calgary, we've written about that in our article on Shotokan and the other styles.

Where our karate comes from

Master Gichin Funakoshi brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan in 1922, and Shotokan grew from his teaching. One of his students, Master T. Okazaki, went on to lead the International Shotokan Karate Federation as its Chairman and Chief Instructor.

Sensei Jones began training in England in the early 1970s under masters such as Enoeda and Kanazawa, and he came to Calgary in 1981. He holds the rank of 8th dan, is an A class instructor and international referee, and is a member of the ISKF Technical Committee.

Traditional, in the way we train

Every class opens and closes with a short formal sequence led by the senior student, with a moment of quiet meditation called mokuso and the recital of the Dojo Kun. Training moves from the basics to kata to partner work, and only then to free sparring, and each of those steps matters.

Over the years the dojo has produced several hundred black belts, and many of them have gone on to become provincial, national and international champions.

Belts and grading

Students move up through the coloured belts by grading, and each grade has its own kata and a minimum training time. You can see the full belt order and the syllabus for every grade on our ranking system page.

Come and try a class

New members are always welcome. Register for the $199 new student offer and we’ll see you on the mat.