OUR APPROACH
TO TEACHING
KARATE-DO
At Bucks County Shotokan, everyone from our youngest students to our oldest are taught with the same level of accuracy, attention, detail, explanation, seriousness, and discipline. And we achieve this without being harsh, intimidating, or scary.
We’re very serious about the quality of instruction we provide, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. This is, after all, supposed to be something we all enjoy. Our instructors and senior members are all friendly, approachable, and enjoy meeting new students. We maintain discipline in class to create a safe learning environment but before, after, and outside of class we prefer to leave any strict formalities aside.
We believe that karate is a method of mastering control of our bodies, our emotions, and our willpower. As a result, we gain more control of our environment no matter where we find ourselves - at home, at school, at work, or on the street.
We want you to get good at karate - real karate - and we want you to enjoy the process of learning and training. Even when it's challenging.
Especially when it's challenging...
Our classes focus on gaining precise control of placement and posture (kihon), gaining precise control of movement and balance (kata), and gaining precise control of distance and timing (kumite), all of which are then used to improve our everyday control over our mindset.
But this self-control, confidence, and practical mastery doesn't just "magically" come from learning how to punch and kick...
Our teaching methods are rooted in the traditions of authentic Japanese budō (武道), following a well-defined process to train both the body and the mind by connecting each point of physical practice to a set of corresponding principles, insights, and options.
It's this process that ultimately makes us stronger and more capable of handling the things in life that we fear, the things that catch us by surprise, the things that confuse us, and the things that make us doubt ourselves.
We train with the same serious intent and urgent mindset of those who, in the past, relied on karate as their only available means of self-defense. But now, it's a path to a much broader set of achievements than just surviving on the battlefields of Japan.
By preserving the spirit and practice of budō in our karate training, we strive to gain the same level of self-awareness, self-control, self-discipline, physical fitness, and quiet confidence that the old masters of Okinawa are still remembered for.
Although it's certain that you will become more capable of defending yourself against a physical attack, there's no need to be preoccupied with how good of a fighter you might become - that's not the ultimate objective of our training. It's not about becoming a tournament champion, it's not about belt ranks, it's not about anything external. It's about what changes inside you and how you make your way through the world.
Karate-do offers a path that's open to everyone - the young, the old, the physically fit or the physically limited. At Bucks County Shotokan, it's a path to less anxiety, reduced stress, better health, and more friends. No matter where you are when you start, you'll find yourself in a better place once you begin.
This is what we focus on in our club - this is our approach to teaching karate.