Current/Upcoming Events/Announcements: We will have in-person classes at the dojo on the following upcoming Fridays: Jan 20, Jan 27 & Feb 3. In our kata-of-the-month cycles, we are currently doing advanced kata Meikyo (8:30-9:15am) and beginner kata Heian Nidan (9:30-10:15am) on Saturdays. We held our annual charity kick-a-thon event in mid-December. For details, see here. […]
We are now studying the kata Meikyo (明鏡) for four weeks. The name of the kata literally means “Polished Mirror” or “Bright Mirror,” which may prompt us to think about how our training is like the work of polishing something that ultimately reflects who we are and what we are capable of. Some research points to the idea […]
We are having our traditional “Kangeiko” (literally “cold training”) January 29 (Sunday), starting at 9:00am. The traditional Kangeiko normally involves a short jog (if raining, calisthenics in the dojo) followed by training at the dojo. Each day’s training is typically led by a different instructor, working up in seniority. That said, this year we will […]
Scott Langley Sensei will be visiting our dojo to teach seminars on January 14 & 15th (Saturday & Sunday). This will be his third visit here, and we are very much looking forward to it. Those of you who experienced Langley Sensei’s instruction at our dojo in 2015 and/or the WTKO summer camp in Cupertino […]
Silicon Valley Karate black belts Sonali & Keira get recognized as a “Star Student Athletes”: https://patch.com/california/paloalto/palo-alto-star-student-athlete-excels-karate https://patch.com/california/redwoodcity-woodside/redwood-city-star-student-athlete-keira-excels-karate
Our annual “Shotokan Kata Review” is coming up on January 7th (Saturday), 8-10am. We will go through 27 traditional Shotokan kata, twice each. And if time permits we will review additional kata. This is a great opportunity to discover (or re-discover) the breadth of the traditional Shotokan kata syllabus. Sensei Jon Keeling has been running […]
Join us for our 18th annual charity kick-a-thon! We are raising money for charity – this year for Community Services Agency (see below). During the week of December 16-22, we did kicks – LOTS of them… For the entire week, we held kick-a-thon events in all youth classes, building up to the finale on Thursday […]
Our current kata-of-the-month is Hangetsu (半月). The kata name means “Half Moon,” which refers to the way we step in the kata’s signature stance, hangetsu-dachi. In contrast to fudo-dachi we used in Sochin, with Hangetsu we practice gripping the floor and connecting with an inward squeeze in hangetsu-dachi and neko-ashi-dachi. You can see good examples of Hangetsu performed by Osaka Sensei here and by Kanazawa Sensei here. And […]
In our advanced kata sessions on Saturdays, we are currently studying Sochin (壮鎮). The kata name translates as something like “Magnificent Calm.” It features low, solid stance, mostly fudo-dachi, and slow, powerful moves alternating with explosive speed. It’s excellent practice for developing strong, solid technique and connection to the ground. You can see excellent examples of […]
Sonali passed her shodan (first degree black belt) as a result of her re-exam this Thursday evening. She is still a teenager but has already been teaching kids’ classes for a while. Her 9+ years of dedicated training have, and continue to pay off. Silicon Valley Karate is proud of Sonali’s accomplishments and her promotion […]
