Nashville Dojo Isshinryu Karate

Bryan Open Tournament - February 7th, 2026

Tyler placed 1st in weapons and 2nd in empty hand kata

Jackson placed 2nd in weapons and 2nd in empty hand kata

Dylan placed 2nd in empty hand kata

Team Kata (Tyler, Jackson and Dylan) took 1st place

Thank you, Ryan, for these fantastic photos! Great job guys!

We are honored to be nominated for Best Martial Arts in Mt. Juliet for the 2026 Main Street Awards! Voting ends March 22nd. You can vote daily. Feel free to share with family and friends. We’d love your support.

Check out 2026 Mt Juliet Main Street Awards Check it out now!

Today was the final day of the tournament for our boys. Final tally.
Dylan
Silver - Empty Hand Kata - Kusanku Kata
Silver - Wooden Weapon Kata - Urashi no kun
Gold - Bladed Weapon Kata - Jion no Kusarigama

Jackson
Silver - Empty Hand Kata - Kusanku Kata
Silver - Wooden Weapon Kata - Shi Shi no kun
Gold - Bladed Weapon Kata - Jion no Kusarigama

Team Kata, they took 4th where they say competition was fierce!

Justin
Bronze - Wooden Weapon Kata - Tokemine no kun
He didn't place with his empty hand Kata.

All said and done, these three, never having competed at a tournament this far from home and lots of unknowns, have brought the best of the US and Nashville Dojo to Oslo, Norway.

We are very proud that they were able to go outside their comfort zone and compete and show the world what we already knew.

Pictures and videos will be added to the shared drive later today.

Today, we have two tournaments going on. One is in Oslo, Norway where Dylan, Jackson, and Justin are representing not only Nashville Dojo, not just Tennessee, not just South Georgia-Tennesse region, but also The United States. Tomorrow, when we get the full results, I will post final count. Needless to say, they are representing very well so far.

The other tournament was the Tennessee Youth Karate Games.

We have eight students competing, three for the first time.

First Timers
First up, Norah, our resident 4 year old boss. She did an excellent Kihon Kata Shodan and called out the moves like a champ and tied for 5th place.

Second up was Sam (5 yo), who performed the first half of Seisan Kata. It was a very good Kata and tied for 5th place too!

Last of the first timers was Aurorah (15 yo). She took 2nd with a great Seisan and 2nd with Kumite.

Now our old pros.
Luke (7 yo), he did a Seisan Kata and got a little turned around. But still had a strong Kata. Unfortunately, he had tough competition and didn't place. But he learned something about himself.

Iris (7 yo) was an animal today and took 2nd in Kata with her Seiuchin, and 3rd with a weapon Kata of Tokemine no kun. Her mean face was on point.

Anayah (10 yo) who needs to find her mean face. She didn't place with her Naihanchi. But she took it out in kumite and took 2nd place.

Oliver (11 yo) was in beast mode. He took 2nd in Kata with Seiuchin, and 1st with Jion no Kusarigama. He scored high enough to take second place in Grand Champion.

Four (13 yo) didn't place with weapon with his Hama Higa no Tuifa, as it got stuck in his sleeves. But he did take 4th in Kata with his Seiuchin and 4th in kumite.

Overall, I'm really proud of these kids and their hard work they put in to get ready for this tournament.

Today, as a dojo we completed the 100 Kata Challenge.
Ryan
Dylan
Oliver
Four
Iris
Aurorah
Taylor
Lucas
Sam

And my only Little Dragon of the day came in and rocked 50 Kata.
Go Norah!

Future Little Dragon, Thatcher, made a surprise visit to cheer Dad on.

Yesterday, we had the honor of performing at the 2025 Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival — a tradition we've proudly been part of since 2014!

While a few familiar faces couldn’t make it this year, Maria and I are deeply grateful to everyone who helped bring the Nashville Dojo - Isshinryu Karate demonstration to life.

🙏 To the parents – thank you for trusting us with your children. Watching them grow, mature, and begin to “get it” is one of the greatest joys we have as instructors.

💪 To the students – thank you for putting in the hard work, the focus, and yes, the blood, sweat, and tears. I finally got to watch the videos (since I’m always backstage directing traffic), and wow… you nailed it!

🌸 To our dojo family –
• Diane Kuipers – you may not be a part of our dojo, but you are a part of our family. You never fail to show up when we ask and are ready to do whatever we need to fill gaps.
• Ray Clubb – even though you couldn't attend this year, your guidance behind the scenes keeps this machine running smoothly.
• Ryan Prost – you have put just as much time and effort into the kids to help get them ready for tournaments, demonstrations, or just life in general. Looking forward to all the pictures you took this year.
• Jeremy Shoh Boone Smith – thank you for once again being our MC. You saved me from the mic, and brought energy and clarity to the crowd.

👊 And to our awesome demo team –
Anaya, Claire, Dylan, Four, Iris, Jackson, Justin, Liam, Luke, Mason, Oliver, Omar, Sam, Tyler, and Wes — you made us proud.

We are so honored to share this art with the community year after year. Thank you all! ❤️

Videos and Pictures are being uploaded to our shared drive. If you can please add yours, it would be appreciated.

Dojo family, with the storms, call Maria or I if there is anything we can do to help.

Yesterday we had two competitors attend the Bryan's College Tournament.
Dylan placed 3rd in weapon and 2nd in Kata
Jackson placed 1st in weapon and took Grand Champion
Then they competed in Team Kata, and took 1st.

Both boys weren't going to do team Kata, because they hadn't really been practicing it.

These two boys are also on the US Team and will be competing in Oslo, Norway in November.

I'm super proud of both of them.

Yesterday, we had three students tryout for the US Team, to compete in Oslo, Norway and represent the United States. I'm really proud of these three: Dylan, Jackson, and Justin.

They are going to be responsible for airfare, hotels, and tournament fees. Stay tuned as we figure out some fundraising efforts to help cover the costs.

Now the real work begins! You got this guys!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Halloween Party
Friday 6pm - 8pm

Location: Dojo