Wilfredo Roldan, Sensei

Wilfredo Roldan, Sensei

Real friendship looks at the heart, not just the "packaging." Genuine friendship loves for love's sake, not just for what it can get in return. True friendship is both challenging and exciting. It risks, it overlooks faults, and it loves unconditionally, but it also involves being truthful, even though it may hurt, this is Genuine friendship

Wilfredo Roldan, Sensei is such a friend.

Roldan started his journey into the world of martial arts. Born on November 2nd, 1951, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Roldan grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The neighborhood is also known as ALPHABET CITY, what used to be one of New York's most dangerous communities.
In his martial arts life, Roldan first studied GOJU-RYU under Master Owen Watson. After realizing Roldan had potential , Watson introduced him to Grand Master Frank Ruiz (founder of NISEI GOJU) for advance training and further development. The time spent with Grand Master Ruiz, proved to be a turning point for Roldan's martial arts education as he was elevated to Chief Instructor of NISEI GOJU After mastering NISEI GOJU, Roldan was sent by Ruiz to learn more about practical application of the GOJU KATAS and advance teaching skills from Supreme Grand Master Peter Urban (founder: USA/URBAN GOJU). During this time, Roldan was sent to study SAMURAI JU JIT-SU under its founder Grand Master Peter Siringano Sr. Grand Masters Ruiz and Siringano were known as the Damon and Pythias of the martial world. In the mid seventies, Roldan was fortunate to be granted permission to study VEE-ARNIS-JITSU under its founder , Prof. Florendo MaCalruz Visitacion. In 1979, Grand Master Ruiz retired to Florida and appointed Roldan to be the Head Master of the Nisei Goju-Ruy World Headquarters in New York City.
Continuing the evolution of Nisei Goju, Roldan added the elements of ju jitsu and stick fighting, broadening the art created by the Great Grand Master Frank Ruiz. Roldan credits the martial arts for giving him the discipline to struggle for a better life.
Roldan became a man in the martial arts. A Physical Educator for the Board of Education of the City of New York, Roldan received his bachelors and masters work in New York's Hunter College. His research and study have brought him to the Philippines, Israel, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world. A founding member of the World Eskrima Arnis Federation, Roldan was also a member of the 1989 U.S.A. Eskrima Team at the World Champions in Cebu City and Manila in the Philippines. A student of some of the pioneers of the American Martial Arts Movement, Grand Master Roldan travels around the United States and the world hosting seminars in Nisei Goju-Ryu karate, ju jit-su , Nisei Arnis Jitsu, kata application, and Kobudo.

Mike Gallego, Sensei

Mike Gallego, Sensei and his Black Belts

Mike gallego, Sensei Alex Saavedra, Sensei Manny Saavedra, Sensei

Mike Gallego, Sensei

Mike Gallego Sensei: True Friendship - How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world? Friendship involves recognition or familiarity with another's personality. Friends often share likes and dislikes, interests, pursuits, and passion. How can we recognize potential friendship? Signs include a mutual desire for companionship and perhaps a common bond of some kind. Beyond that, genuine friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life. True friendship involves action: doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return; sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism.
True friendship involves relationship. Those mutual attributes we mentioned above become the foundation in which recognition transpires into relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend." Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth. Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet the next day! Failing to be trustworthy with those intimate secrets can destroy a friendship in a hurry. Faithfulness and loyalty are key to true friendship. Without them, we often feel betrayed, left out, and lonely. In true friendship, there is no backbiting, no negative thoughts, no turning away. True friendship requires certain accountability factors. Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable. In true friendship, unconditional love develops. We love our friends no matter what and we always want the best for our friends. Mike Gallego is a true tested friend for many years.

Mike Gallego, Sensei is the Head of Sekai Seito Goju Ryu Karatedo Kyokai and a highly educated gentleman of quality, educator and writer.

The characteristics of a great teacher are easily recognizable and it is imperative that this nation does all that it can to ensure that every child is taught by a great teacher. Mike Gallego, Sensei is not just great teachers, he is an exceptionally great teachers.
An exceptionally great teacher knows and loves his subject matter. He is not only able to teach it well, he is able to excite students about what they are learning. He demonstrates to them how the subject he teaches is relevant to their lives and to the communities in which they live. Despite his love of his subject, he recognizes that a comprehensive education means helping students master the subject mater. He respects those other disciplines and encourages his students to immerse themselves in the subjects they love. The exceptionally great teacher is not threatened by the notion that a student may be taking his class only because it is required, he is confident enough to know that he can engage that student for the time he or she is in class and bring to life the lessons he teaches. Although this exceptionally great teacher may be a Karate Sensei, he knows the importance of the arts, civic learning, world languages and all of the subjects that make up a good education.

Teachers Corner

Is any martial art Ryuha superior to another?
By J.M.Gallego PhD/Kaicho
Sekai Seito Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Kyokai


In all the years of training and teaching Karate-Do, Judo, and Ju-Jitsu, I have been asked many times if there is one style superior to another. My many teachers would always be biased toward the art they practiced. Nevertheless, after countless years of research, I have developed an educated opinion on the matter.

Although in many respects, proficiency in any art is contingent on the individual, I do believe that certain Ryuhas are better adapted to individual strengths and weaknesses. Even though injuries and bad training habits certainly contribute to an individual’s longevity in any art, I believe that some arts adapt better to the changing needs of the practitioner. For example, the most common injuries experienced in Judo are knee and back problems and these injuries tend to exacerbate over time. These types of injuries are often irreversible unless surgically corrected and, even if surgically corrected, the rehabilitation time is agonizingly lengthy and painful. Ju-Jitsu or Judo ne-waza presents a host of other health issues to tendons and joints.

This in no way a condescension toward any Ryuha, individual, or Kancho/Kaicho, but rather a detailed, experiential analysis of why I believe Goju-Ryu Karate-Do is singularly the greatest system ever devised. First, Goju-Ryu adapts to every practitioner and every age group. Kihons and conditioning training are phased in over time, rather than abruptly. The core of the system lies within kata and bunkai, not kumite. Kumite is merely an extension of kata and bunkai; this is why kumite in not emphasized in great detail in Okinawa. The one strike, one kill philosophy of Okinawan Karate-Do de-emphasizes sport kumite. Japanese Karate-Do emphasizes jiyu-kumite to a much larger degree. The point is not an analysis of contrasting Okinawan and Japanese Karate-Do, but rather on the core philosophical dichotomies between the former and the latter.

Second, as individuals age their skill and ability level also changes; therefore, Goju-Ryu conditioning is then modified to meet the needs of the practitioner. Kumite to a 55-year old business man is a moot point, but kata/bunkai and exercise is surely relevant. The elderly do not often participate in dojo training because they inherently feel that the window of desire and opportunity has passed them by. Why would a businessman or an elderly practitioner subject themselves to physical punishment, when all they want is to learn basic self defense. I often see the evolution of students toward this end in the dojo. At first, they tend to approach Karate-Do in an impassioned and aggressive manner. As they mature, their confidence grows and they tend to become more relaxed and focused and exhibit a heightened sense of technical control. When they approach middle-age, they know how to fight, perform kata and its applications, and they tend to want to share this information with younger practitioners. This is the natural evolution of a well structured dojo—the experienced senseis helping the younger members, often sacrificing their own training to help others.

This continual support system, structure, and adaptability are what separate Goju-Ryu from other Ryuhas. The emphasis of Goju-Ryu is the perfection of self and the development of character. How is this achieved? It is achieved through research, practice, kata and bunkai. Perfection of self has no age limit, nor physical constraints. The philosophical tenets of Goju-Ryu, in addition to the adaptability of conditioning methodologies and kata/bunkai practice make this system a work of collective and divine genius. As Miyagi Chojun sensei’s health needs changed, he foresaw the destiny of his art—adaptability. Continual adaptability is the nature of this Ryuha. Goju-Ryu will always adapt to what you are able to physically do regardless of age. This is why this system is inherently superior to other systems in my humble opinion.

John Giordano, Sensei

John Giordano, Sensei

"If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind." Kahlil Gibran

Who and what exactly does it mean to be a role model? For me, a role model is an individual who acts as a guide; a person who uses their personal experience to inform and help direct the life of others in a positive light. This positive attitude is extremely important for young people and others who may feel that nothing positive happens or will happen in their life and need to hear and see how to achieve and succeed in spite of all that seems at odds in their lives. Role models possess qualities that we would like to have and emulate. John Giordano, Sensei is that role model. He has had a great effect on many lives. Sensei Giordano is a pioneer in the State of Florida. He is an Icon in the Karate landscape in The State. There are to many people that lives have been enriched by him to mention.

There is no dearth of friends in this world but finding a true or real friend is really difficult. Lots of people will boast that they have hundreds of friends but when he is in trouble how many of the hundreds will extend a helpful hand. Friends always keep changing. How many friends stay in touch with changes of place? Only few friends stay in touch with changing place and time. True friendship needs compromises, sacrifices and helping attitude towards each other. Sometimes we become more demanding and always expect that a friend will always agree to your viewpoint but this is wrong attitude and should never expect too much. When you become dependent on someone whether he is your friend actually you are demanding more than needed. However, friendship is other form of love. It is in no terms less than love. If you have true friendship you will love your friend more than any other thing in this world but this world is materialistic so first test and evaluate than go ahead with friendship. People are really lucky who find good friends. John Giordano, Sensei is that kind of friend.
History is important, our Karate history in important. In centuries past this statement would have seemed self-evident. Ancient cultures devoted much time and effort to teaching their children family history. It was thought that the past helps a child understand who he is. Modern society, however, has turned its back on the past. We live in a time of rapid change, a time of progress. We prefer to define ourselves in terms of where we are going, not where we come from. Our past hold no importance for us. They lived in times so different from our own that they are incapable of shedding light on our experience. Man is so much smarter now than he was even ten years ago that anything from the past is outdated and irrelevant to us. Therefore the past, even the relatively recent past, is, in the minds of most of us, enshrouded by mists and only very vaguely perceived. Our ignorance of the past is not the result of a lack of information, but of indifference. We do not believe that history matters. But history does matter. It has been said that he who controls the past controls the future. Our view of history shapes the way we view the present, and therefore it dictates what answers we offer for existing. This World Sansei Koryu Gokujai Karatedo wants to serve as a vehicle in recognizing Historical figures in our karate Community.

Senseiville

Senseiville

Are you living in Senseiville, It’s a failing or type of bad behavior that has become so ingrained and typical that it has gained control of so called Sensei’s life and actions. He or she is becoming — or maybe has already become —the kind of person defined by the word “Senseiville”. If your sin is pride, you are on the road to becoming an arrogant person. If it is anger, you are way down the track to becoming the kind of irritable, red-faced bully who always seems to be in a fury about something. Then your living in “Senseiville”
I’m not talking about ’sin’ in any religious sense. ‘sins’ is, for me, simply a short, convenient phrase to use to describe habitual — and typically unconscious — behavior that offends against the fundamentals of relating to others in a civilized society. When we act in this habitually dysfunctional way, we limit our chances of achieving what we want. When we inflict our sins on others, we diminish their enjoyment of life as well as our own.
The Ancient Greek word translated in modern-day bibles as “sin” meant to miss what you aimed at, like an archer missing the target. It’s a mistake, not something inherent in being human. Like all mistakes, therefore, it can be corrected with a little effort and clear-headedness.
How does something that maybe begins as little more than an occasional mishap turn into a fully-fledged and ingrained character flaw? What makes it so common in behavior that people use it to describe you (”She’s such a self-righteous bigot” or “He’s such an arrogant bully”) is that, in some twisted way, it works for you. Then you’re living in “Senseiville”
No one ever made a habit out of behavior that didn’t produce something they wanted. If you tried yelling at people to get them to work harder and they all fell about laughing, you wouldn’t repeat the attempt often enough for it to become a habit. Only if they all scurry about, looking busier than before, might you to start to feel, deep inside, that throwing a tantrum was rather an easy way of producing a quick spurt of effort. Then your living in “Senseiville”
People commit behavioral sins, especially habitual ones, because they appear to work or work better than whatever other options they can think of that they would be willing to try.
Bullies stay with their crass behavior because it works better for them than making the effort to excel. Bullying tactics make them feel important. Of course, it’s a fake — no one becomes genuinely important by belittling and bullying others — but we’ll come to that in a moment.
By dismissing most other people as beneath their notice, arrogant bosses get to feel superior without the effort of actually being so; and, if they can get others to accept their pose as real, also enjoy the status and financial benefits of a superiority they haven’t earned.
We all have sins that appear to work well enough for us to hold onto them. Maybe not as dramatic as the ones I have been using as examples, but useful to our egos nonetheless. Minor cruelty, big-headedness, petty theft, bigotry, harassment and vengefulness are common besetting sins at all levels of society. If any of these describe you, your living in “Senseiville”
The sins of many Sensei 's are pomposity, overrating their own talent and importance, taking themselves way too seriously, oversimplifying complex problems, patronizing students and peers, and being slippery with the truth. Those of people lower down the “Senseiville” food chain include gossiping, back-biting, bitchiness, laziness, jealousy, whining, and blaming others for their own mistakes and misfortunes.
All of them work in some twisted way. All are preferred to being open, honest, and straightforward, largely because that takes effort and courage and most of them are lazy and fearful. The cumulative result of all these millions of petty, miserable little sins is the mess the world of Karatedo is in.
Most Sensei’s in “Senseiville” live a false sense of reality, imagining that they have hundreds of students and acting the part of great leadership roles, however the reality is they have no students and no following of any kind. They live in “Senseiville”
These Sensei’s in “Senseiville” have large organizations all in their head. Their living in “Senseiville”
These Sensei’s imagine that rank makes the person, that rank will earn you respect, they really live in “Senseiville”
That’s why this shouldn't go on. It’s messing up our world and our lives and making existence nearly unbearable for our true leaders.
The problem with these sins is that they make you miss what you are aiming at. You want to be happy, successful, well-regarded, and loved. But, because you don’t get your aim straight — because you choose means that appeal to laziness, cowardice, and pettiness — you don’t get what you want. You can force people to say they like and respect you; you can’t force it to be the truth. You’ve missed what you were aiming at.
Then, because we keep missing, we decide to settle for just the outward appearance of what we desire: for putting on airs and graces, rather than being truly revered; for pushing other people about, in place of seeking their willing co-operation; for demanding instant obedience, instead of winning trust.
If you’re unhappy with some aspect of your life — if it’s not delivering what you want — it’s worth slowing down and facing a few difficult questions:
Do I want to live in “Senseiville”
Are you settling for the appearance of success, rather than doing the hard work needed to make that success real? Are your trophies all fakes? Then your living in “Senseiville”
Do you recognize your own sins: the habitual wrong choices that come from being too lazy or afraid to do things the right way, when the wrong way seems so much easier? Then your living in “Senseiville”

Do certain bad behaviors in others make you especially angry? Might it be because they reflect your own negative habits back to you, and you don’t like to be reminded of them? Then your living in “Senseiville”

When you look at your life in total, are you leaving the world a better place for your presence and the people around you happier for having known you? If you aren’t, what on earth is the purpose of your life? Why should the rest of us put up with you at all?

Karate Training (Self Esteem)

Karate Training (Self Esteem)

Self Confidence

Self-Esteem comes from the Latin word which means to Estimate; so Self-Esteem is how you would Estimate yourself. Karate training shows us that we are better than we think we are, that we can stand on our own two feet and defend the grown we stand on. It teaches us to be ourselves and express ourselves.
Self-Esteem effects how you look at yourself in the mirror; feel and talk about yourself, it’s important to know who you are and to value yourself.
Self-Esteem is knowing that you are worth a lot but not bragging about how good you are, its how much you value yourself and how important you feel about your achievements, nobody is perfect but knowing that you worthy of being loved and accepted is important.
There are a number of people who are confident, when they fall into the public eye, such as politicians, actors, comedians, artists and the like, they seem to glow with assertiveness, some of these individuals, although they are attractive and world famous, they find it hard to value themselves, they feel insecure and they lack in self-esteem.
So what is self-esteem? It is not the same as confidence, that’s for sure!

Negative feelings about oneself paint a black picture that is highly exaggerated. We must reject such harsh attacks on our self-esteem.
Success in anything comes from self esteem. The Oxford University Press Dictionary defines self-esteem as confidence in one’s own worth or abilities. You gain confidence in your abilities by doing. The problem is that we usually never attempt something believed impossible. In other words, you have to believe you can do it, before you have the courage to try.
Most of us have an inferiority complex. We don’t believe in our heart we can achieve major success. We may set out to set the world on fire, but after a few of our blazes fizzle out, we come to the conclusion that we were not meant to be successful.
The feelings inside us keep saying that we are not good enough. They say we can’t be any more than mediocre, and it’s a struggle to go that far. Some of these feelings may result from past failures and some from the negative things we were told when growing up. When children attempt things and fail, they often receive negative comments from adults. It may even be insinuated that we will never amount to anything. We remember the negative things much longer then the positive ones, in fact, they haunt us the rest of our life.The situation is nowhere near as bad as our negative feelings would lead us to believe. We must reject such harsh attacks on our self esteem. Everyone has a right to feel positive about themselves. The reason is as old as the world. We were created in the image of God! That does not mean that we look like him, but that we have the stamp of approval of the Creator of the universe. We have every reason to hold our head high and expect to be a success, because that is what we were created for

So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.
Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you. So which dart pins should you avoid?

Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned. Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is.

Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behavior Bulldozers, brown nose rs, gossip mongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronizers, Klingon's… all these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self esteem, as well as to your self improvement scheme.

If you suffer from low self-esteem you will struggle to associate the above with yourself, and you will lack self assurance and self respect.
Self-Esteem is important in knowing what you can do, be proud of yourself and hold your head up high, it gives you courage to try new things and to believe and respect yourself.
To be low on self-esteem means to not think highly of yourself and to criticize yourself too much, if you have low self-esteem you may not always think good of yourself and you think that you are not important.

Gratitude

Gratitude

My continued journey (finding myself)

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” ~ Brian Tracey.

We all have certain people in our lives that we can go to for some truth, some understanding, some order. Tonight over Tea one of my close Friends mentioned how grateful he was about the good things in his life.

It often takes tragedy to wake us up, to make us reevaluate our lives and appreciate what we have. The reason for this is that when tragedy strikes, everything becomes instantaneously prioritized. You realized what matters most and what you care about and anything that is not essential is ignored. Yet when things are going well it can be easy to overlook the blessings in our lives. We can take for granted our health or the relationships we are fortunate enough to have and rather get caught up worrying about our mounting bills or dripping faucet or being stuck in traffic. I was like that when I fell and injured my back, tragedy struck, and I reevaluated my life, but then became complacent.

tonight that friend taught me a lesson;

That each and every day we are blessed with so many things, starting with the fact that we wake up in the morning to another day ahead. And each day, every single one of us has something to be grateful for. Sometimes these things are big, such as getting a wonderful job offer, sometimes they are small, such as a peaceful night sleep through the night. But the more we focus on what we have to be grateful for in our lives, the easier it will be to deal with the challenges and tests that we may face as well.

Who are you?

Who are you?

This question was put to me by one of my best friends.
What popped into your mind?
Did you immediately think of your job title? (I did)Did you identify yourself with a relationship term, like wife, daughter? Maybe you described your body, your personality, or your favorite hobby. I realized after talking with my friend identity labels like these are useful, even necessary. They shape the way we act and feel (and the way people act and feel toward us) in every situation, from taking the bus to taking a lover. But many labels are misleading, and none can fully describe the multifaceted reality that is a human being. Moreover, any external criteria we use to label ourselves -- looks, power, health, relationships, anything -- can disappear in a heartbeat. So really, the only way to avoid a lot of insecurity, fear, and suffering is to learn how to wear our identities lightly and let go of them easily. All great wisdom traditions point to the knowledge that the essence of our true selves is not any fixed label but the capacity to experience. Our belief in labels, not the labels themselves, is what gives them the power to influence our behavior. Knowing how to let go of any given identity without losing our essential selves yields a security we'll never get from fame, power, money, beauty, or any other personality prop.

The Zen Dojo (Miami)

The Zen Dojo (Miami)

Orlando "Rocky" Catala, Sensei

Carlos Suarez, Sensei

Carlos Suarez, Sensei

Sensei Suarez has a wonderful sense of humor. Is very down to earth, and knows how to conduct a great class. He's not one of those teachers who just sits in front of the class and rattles off the commands. He has good intuition on helping students at different levels to adjust based upon their individual expertise and level. Always walking around the Dojo checking out each students posture and technique.
This Sensei, with a happy heart and loving spirit, is a great asset to The World Sansei Koryu Gojukai Karatedo. He allows his student to guide as he turns the right corners to help them engage in the process of making them good karatekas and arrive at their own truth.

Friendship is powerful

Friendship is powerful

A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself.


Throughout the many unique and individual experiences I have gone through, the friendships that I made were one in a million. These friends shaped me and formed me in so many ways. I have learned an unfathomable amount through friendships as well as accumulating a lot of personal growth. The significance of friendships in my own Karate experience has taught me unique lessons, an open mind, respect, growth, and has given me a strong feeling for who I am. During my life as a Full Time Karate Sensei I have been exposed to many kinds of people of all ages and ethnicities which have taught me things that I may have never learned. Thinking back, through all the memories and times, I got a taste of each person’s personality in my personal experiences with them. I found many of those people who I enjoy to be with because we share that common ground that lets you be yourself and feel comfortable. It really feels good to have friends on the same level as you. Friendship is a very personal and unique thing. No two relations between any two people will ever be the same because only those people know what they have been through or shared together. This is what makes friendship such an exceptional thing. A large part of friendship is learning lessons together, and for almost everything in the world there is a lesson that must be learned. Learning these lessons through friendships is a very powerful and exceptional thing. These lessons have varied from one extreme to the other in my life and have changed and shaped a large majority of my views and perceptions. Learning any lesson with a friend, be it significant or not, will bring you closer together; and furthermore that lesson that you learned was done in your own way which only you will have felt and experienced. Some important lessons that had precedence in my life were about life in general, love, happiness, fear and a handful of other feelings. From the time of my first friend I have begun learning about life, basically what I like to do and what I am all about. Only when you can truly be yourself around a person or people is when you start to learn about yourself. And the thing is that what you did or what you or someone else did, when it comes down to it, you did it and no one else. No one else could feel the way you did or acted or reacted the way you personally did. That aspect makes it more unique than anything else.

World Sansei Koryu Gojukai Karatedo Dojo Kun

World Sansei Koryu Gojukai Karatedo Dojo Kun

modern Sansei Dojos around the world promote a philosophy of self-improvement as well as an expected standard of technical skill. When you think about it, it is the philosophy rather than the technical skill that should influence every practitioner's daily life. Karate philosophy, or at least the traditional karate philosophy, is called the Dojo-Kun. The Dojo-Kun is simply an ethical guide for training in the martial arts and for behavior in your everyday life.

The traditional Sansei Karate ethics are:

We shall always practice and study.
We shall always be humble and kind.
We shall always be courteous.
We shall be quick to seize opportunity.
We shall always practice patience.
We shall always believe that nothing is impossible.
We shall discard the bad.
We shall keep the good.
We shall always be loyal to: Ourselves, Karate, Family,
Community, and Country.
Love is our law.
Truth is our worship.
Form is our manifestation.
Peace is our shelter.
Nature is our companion.
Order is our attitude.
Beauty and perfection is our life

In all our Dojos these precepts are chanted at the end of each class. The core values of our Dojos resonate with your view of life and your moral ethics. After all you are exposing yourself and your family to a very emotive venture in your karate journey.
The Dojo-Kun's precepts can offer a very simple template for following a virtuous path and for reaching your potential in everything you do and for being a good citizen. It's up to you to decide how this philosophy fits in with your own ideals and ethics.Most people find the core ethics to be something that they can relate to on an intimate basis; some people don't place much value on the philosophy of the martial arts and are in your karate class alongside you for very different reasons such as self-defense or basic health and fitness.The phrase "each unto his own" is definitely applicable here. As with so many things in life, we have to find our own way given our own set of criteria and backgrounds.Essentially there are many other paths to self-realization and understanding of the greater world around you. Karatedo simply offers a valuable template for beginning to understand yourself and others through understanding movement, power, speed, timing, energy, tension, relaxation and harmony. It is a beginning in what can be a long and extremely rewarding journey.