Gerry Blanck's Martial Arts Center

🎉 One celebration clearly wasn’t enough.

A special night out for Sensei Gerry’s birthday and friendship celebration 🥂🎶 - where else - at Friendship Bar in our hood! Great company, good music, and a fun way to keep the celebrating going beyond the dojo.

Big thank you to Friendship Bar Santa Monica Friendship Bar Santa Monica, one of our valued community partners, for hosting the evening and helping make it such a memorable one.

And the celebration continues at Friendship Bar’s Grand Opening Weekend 🎉

Tonight: SuperSoul Friday with live music
Tomorrow: 80’s Night with DJ Antiq
Check the flyer for details and go show them some love.

📍 112 W Channel Rd, Santa Monica
Maybe we’ll see you there tonight!

You’ve reached the good part. 🥋

Teaching the little ones never gets old. Lots of energy, lots of laughs, and somewhere in there, they’re learning focus too.

From jumping and kicking to belt tests, board breaks, and proud moments with their parents, these classes are always a good time.

Sensei Billy and I always enjoy this part.

Got a little martial artist at home? Come try a class with us.

🐉 Little Dragon. Big heart. Forever part of our dojo family. ❤️

When Alex first came to train with Sensei Gerry, he was just shy of 4 years old.
It was right after the Palisades fires, when Sensei Gerry had temporarily moved classes to Santa Monica. Alex became his very first student there, and over the next year and a half, we got to watch this vibrant little guy grow by leaps and bounds.

Now 5, Alex has become such a dedicated Little Dragon. His focus, confidence and technique have come so far, and even at his young age, he already carries the heart of Yoshukai: perseverance, respect and giving your best every time you step on the mat.

Sadly, Alex and his family are moving farther away, and we are really going to miss that energy in class. But this is definitely not goodbye. Alex, you will always have a home at Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center. Keep training, keep growing and keep that warrior spirit with you wherever you go. Your martial arts journey is only beginning. 🥋❤️

Oh Alex saved one more message for the end of the reel… 🎂! Happy early birthday to Sensei Gerry tomorrow! 🎉🥋

Show our Little Dragon Alex some love below, and help him wish Sensei Gerry a very Happy Birthday! ❤️

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Family time, friendship and a whole lot of progress.

Meet the Samuel Family: mom + two daughters, pictured here as yellow belts and now newly promoted to blue! 💙

They were invited by the Tyer family, longtime friends since the moms’ college days. Now both families get to reconnect while their kids train and grow together. Pretty cool full-circle moment.

The Samuels travel in from another city to train, and that commitment shows. “Samuel family, happy to be here!” 🎉

Martial arts gives families a break from the screens to get fit, learn self-defense and connect.

Back in the Palisades and accepting back-to-school registrations!

Less scrolling. More kicking. Better family time. ♥️🥋♥️🥋♥️

🥋Big kicks. Strong punches. Future black belts in the making.

🐉 Our Little Dragons and Karate Kids brought the energy while Sensei Gerry worked hands-on with them, demonstrating kicks, fixing technique and helping them get stronger.

A few throwbacks at the end too: community demos, proud trophy moments, and our Palisades 4th of July tradition. After missing it last year because of the fir, we were especially happy to be back this year. ❤️🇺🇸

And now, we’re back home in our new Palisades dojo, building the next generation one class at a time.

Come train with us and be part of what’s next. 🏅🥊

Our favorite four-legged dojo mascot, Otis, stopped by yesterday and immediately stole the show. 😂💛

The kids absolutely love him, and James got some adorable new photos with him. Then we had to throw in a few favorites from Otis’ previous moment in the spotlight, posing with Sensei Gerry and the crew during last year’s photoshoot for Sensei Gerry’s cover feature and our dojo story in International Martial Arts Magazine. 📸🐶

There’s something special about having animals around. They help people relax, bring out smiles, and somehow make everyone feel a little more at home.

And that fits right in with what a dojo should be: a place to train hard, build confidence, make connections and actually enjoy being there.

Otis may not know his katas yet... but his dojo spirit is already black belt level. 🥋🐾 Come for the karate. Stay for the dojo family... and the occasional Otis sighting. 💛

🐉🥋From Little Dragon to Sensei.

Sensei Aiden started training with Sensei Gerry at just 4 years old. Fifteen years later, he’s helping teach the next generation and keep the dojo legacy going.

Now he’s off to the University of Michigan this fall, but not before one more special moment with Sensei Gerry: a bo & sai demo in this reel.

Weapons training is a big part of what makes our dojo special, with students learning bo staff, sai, nunchucks, k**a and more, whether for traditional training, personal growth, or competition at the highest levels.

Come train, spar, and wish Sensei Aiden well before he heads to Michigan.

Here’s some good news that’s makes me want to SCREAM! Thank you David Arquette for the awesome signed poster!