About Us

ABOUT US

Group photo of students ranging in age from 6 to 76.

KATSU DOJO

Katsu Dojo is a traditional martial arts school for students of all ages and ability levels. We have programs for recreational students all the way to International athletic competitors. Our athletes have won over 100 National Championship gold medals since 1999. Our school is a member of USA Karate under the US Olympic Committee. Katsu Dojo instructors teach a traditional style of karate called Shito-Ryu. In addition to our regular karate classes, Katsu Dojo also offers Okinawan Kobudo (weapons), Tournament Classes, and Pre-Karate for our four and five year olds. We have four locations in North Florida including three in Gainesville and one in Jacksonville.

Shito-ryu

Shito-ryu was founded by Kenwa Mabuni in 1928. It was directly influenced by both Naha-Te and Shuri-Te. Shito-ryu is fast, powerful and artistic. It incorporates the powerful Shuri-Te katas like Naifanchin and Bassai, the hard and soft Naha-Te katas like Sanchin and Kururunfa, and the artistic Chinese white crane katas like Niipaipo and Paipuren. In all, Shito Ryu includes over 50 katas.

Tournament Training

Katsu Dojo competes on the USA Karate tournament circuit. The US Olympic Committee recognizes USA Karate as the governing body for sport karate in the United States. Team Katsu members have over 100 National Chamionship gold medals since 1999. Please visit our Team katsu section to view tournament photos, videos, and our previous tournament results.

Kobudo

Okinawan Kobudo is a Japanese term that is translated as "old martial way of Okinawa." Students learn the basic principles of the Okinawan weapons that include the bo staff, sai, kama, and tonfa. Kobudo is a great way for students to improve their grip strength, better their hand-eye coordination, and gain a deeper knowledge of the Martial Arts.

Ground Defense

Katsu Dojo incorporates the basic skills of self defense on the ground. Students learn the principles of clinching, throwing and take downs, take down defense, positioning, pinning, controlling and subduing, submissions, escapes, counters and reversals. We teach a cohesive system designed to focus on the techniques required in a reality based confrontation.

Pre-Karate

Pre-Karate is designed for children aged 4 and 5 years old. Children learn focus, self-control, and gain self-esteem while learning the basic principles of karate. In addition to learning skills like punching and kicking, children are also introduced to the Japanese language through counting, colors, and body parts. Pre-Karate has its own belt testing system and is available at all O2b Kids facilities.

MD Tactics

MD Tactics was created by Katsu Dojo to teach basic self-defense principles to psychiatric residents at the University of Florida. Health care workers suffer the highest rate of injury in the US workforce due to violence. MD Tactics is uniquely designed to teach healthcare professionals self-defense without harming a violent patient. Learn more about MD Tactics by clicking here.

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