Each person has their definition of “best.” Here at CNY Okinawan Karate, we’re humbled to say that many of our past and present students consider us the best Syracuse karate school. There are several reasons to consider training with us, like our highly qualified instructors. Okinawa is the true birthplace of karate, or empty hand self defense. Our honbu (head) dojo is based in Okinawa City, Okinawa, and we teach authentic goju ryu (hard/soft style) karate. The personalized attention we give our adult students, our large training floor, and the fact that CNY Okinawan Karate has been teaching students in Syracuse for sixty years are other factors.
Each class begins with a gentle warm-up, often followed by lessons and practice. The repetitive practice of blocks, punches and kicks strengthen your muscles, and also increase your heart rate. Increasing muscle mass and improving overall tone can contribute to weight loss, especially when you attend class two to three times each week.
Being able to reach out with both your arms and legs is important in karate. Because of that, we spend some of our class time gently moving, stretching tendons and rotating joints. As flexibility increases, we also work on peripheral vision and being able to react quicker, sending out blocks and kicks with increasing speed and accuracy.
Training starts with simple exercises and techniques. As you progress, you’re introduced to kata, or patterns of movement and techniques. As you advance, these can become complex. Practicing and memorizing these movements helps increase mental sharpness. Ultimately, our aim is to help you develop body reactions to mental cues, strengthening the connection between mind and body.
You may have trained as a child, either here or at another school, in Syracuse or someplace else. We’re not here to “throw you in the deep end of the pool.” Our instructors will work with you, help you regain muscle memory and techniques time may have buried. Or you may have always had learning karate as a goal because of a movie or TV show you saw, or perhaps because of knowing someone else who trained. We’re happy to guide you along the path.
While karate is an individual accomplishment, it is practiced in a community of other students. Sweat and laughter, hard work and shared experiences build strong bonds, and many karate-ka (students) become friends with others in their class, and in the dojo (school). During training, these friends can become more like family. At our blackbelt ceremony, you will hear established students welcome their new “cousins'' into the karate family! Of course, traditional Okinawan karate would not have been taught for centuries if it wasn’t effective. You will learn effective techniques to avoid trouble when you can, and to defend yourself when you cannot.
We invite you to call and schedule a private introduction to the CNY Okinawan Karate dojo. We’re happy to discuss your desires and goals with you!