Kentucky Goju Shorei Karate

We hope all our students and families had a great Christmas- and we wish you all the best in 2026!
It’s been a pleasure to have served you all for all these years.
Best of luck in all your endeavors!

What does karate look like?

Is it only punches and kicks?
How about uniforms and belts- is it just climbing a ladder for rank?
Or just is it just fighting?

It’s more than that.

What is it then?

It’s friendship.

It’s family.

It’s people training… together.
It’s sharing encouragement and sharing smiles when that technique they’ve worked on lands. It’s telling someone how they’ve gotten better. It’s about being comfortable with being uncomfortable- and being very comfortable with friends who help you along that journey.

It’s friendship.

It’s a dojo family.

That’s karate.

———-
Picture from Thursday Teen & Adult Sparring Class

Words to live by!
We don’t train and stop the first time we do it right and call it a day.
We keep training until we can’t make mistakes.

Why are your uniforms all black?

To answer that question, we must go back more than 50 years to the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Goju Shorei hailed from Chicago during the rapid expansion of martial arts in the US and in particular, full contact fighting.

We were the black sheep in a world of sameness.

Our story was as unconventional as our fighters were.

A lot has changed in the last 50 years.
What hasn’ti s our commitment to bringing out the best in ourselves and others.
It’s a warrior ethos.

And, like Chuck Norris said “good guys always wear black”.

We don’t do branded gear.
We don’t have a “pro shop”.
We don’t do neon uniforms, glow in the dark weapons, or break boards cooked in an oven to make them brittle.

Instead, we cultivate knowledge and develop capabilities - from situational awareness to an understanding of interpersonal violence - and from the science of anatomy & physiology of the human body to developing strength and stamina.

Not all martial arts schools are equal- not even close! Come see the difference at Kentucky Goju Shorei Karate!

The earthly world lost a really good man yesterday.
Sensei Melvin Lewis was an all around really great guy and heaven has gained him.
We are truly saddened to learn of his passing- but we know that his legacy lives on through those that he inspired with his spirit.
Until we meet again, Sensei.

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!!
Sharing a few pictures of the first student in our Eagles program!

Rock your socks everyone!!!

Karate is more than just punching and kicking.

It’s also:
- knowing when to punch and kck as well as when not to punch and kick.
- understanding the nature of interpersonal violence, threats, and how to react to them.
- fighting science and understanding anatomy, physiology, and the dynamics of the human body.

The word “Sensei” doesn’t mean master, exalted one, or even teacher.
It means “the one who comes before”.
It defines behavior in which a person helps those who are down the line from the “been there - done that” perspective.

Our teen black and brown belts got to step into that role tonight as they worked with younger students.

Lead from the front!
👊

A phrase that has stuck with me for most of my life is that every day is training.

Every day we are presented with an opportunity to learn something.

Last night, I shared an experience that I had when I was in high school with our teen and adult class.
My dad was the CEO of a textile company. When I was in high school, he asked me to put something together to share with him that covered where I was going to go to college, what my major would be, where I would live, how much it was going to cost, and how that set me up for success after high school.
He told me how many pages he wanted it to be and what was supposed to be on each individual page.
He gave me a deadline on when this had to be done and when I had to share it with him.
Well, the date came, and I sat down in front of my dad with about eight sheets of paper in the format and outline that he specified. We got through some of it, and he threw it back at me. He said it wasn’t specific enough with the numbers and that I didn’t have enough detail in certain areas. He said he wouldn’t pay for any of it until I came back with everything fixed.
I will admit – I was disheartened. I felt like I had put a lot of time into this. While I was not sure what the purpose was or what the goal was, I took it seriously because he was going to pay for college for me and I wanted to get this right.
Well, after a couple more back-and-forths, he looked at me from across the table and said congratulations on your proposal.
He had just taught me how to plan, organize, and deliver a business proposal and I wasn’t even at a high school yet.
Later in my adult years, I went to work in a company that had a very hard nosed CFO. He asked me and a coworker one year to put a proposal together. After we left the CFO‘s office, one of the other leaders asked me how I felt After delivering a proposal that was shredded. The first time we gave it. I chuckled a little and remembered having to put a proposal together for my father when I was still in high school and said “ That wasn’t too bad. Let me tell you about a time my dad made me put a proposal together.”

Every day has lessons for us that we may not catch immediately, but will have value later when the time is right. And that was the story I shared with our teens and adults.

This is why we call it “karate do”.
“Do “means “the way”.

We teach more than just punching and kicking. We talk about situational awareness, self-awareness, understanding the nature of violence, and other principles that are used on and off the mats - within the dojo and throughout our lives.

Everyday is training…

The Dojo is CLOSED tonight, 6 January 2025,
due to the snowmaggedon that moved through. Local authorities have suggested that no one venture out on the roads unnecessarily.
Stay safe and warm!
⛄️

We’ve tied over 500 belts on people since we opened in 2018!
Last year, we promoted FOUR people to black belt - and promoted two more to higher black belt grades!

Something to consider… what are your goals for 2025?

What goals do you have as a parent of a teen - or as a mom, dad, or even a couple? Karate is a great activity that you can do together!

Reach out for details and make your 2025 amazing!