We offer karate lessons to members of the GW community and welcome new GW students, faculty, and staff, both those with no prior karate experience and those with prior martial arts experience.
Our club offers in-person training this semester as well as an online option for those who cannot join us on campus.
Training Schedule
Our Spring 2023 schedule will begin on Wednesday, January 18th.
• MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, and FRIDAYS: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm (please see calendar link below).
LOCATIONS: Various locations on the main campus, including District House B132 (now called District House Dance Studio) and the Grand and Continental Ballrooms at the University Student Center 3rd floor. Please be sure to check the club's website, which has a link to the club's calendar (please right click and open the link in a new tab to view the calendar https://calendar.google.com/calendar/b/2?cid=Z3d1LmprYUBnbWFpbC5jb20) that you can download to your Google calendar, right before practice for our specific practice dates and locations as locations may change at the last minute. Be sure to also check your emails before you come to practice as we will email members if class is cancelled at the last minute.
Waivers
Everyone, including returning members, must sign our waiver forms each semester before they can practice. If you would like to complete these waivers in advance and bring them with you to your first practice, please email the club's email at gwu.jka@gmail.com and someone will send you our waiver forms.
Semester Dues and Other Fees
Semester dues for GW students are $60 per semester and $100 per semester for non-GW students, payable on your first day of practice. GW students who are complete beginners are given a two week free trial period the first two weeks of the semester, and need to pay their semester dues at the end of the second week of classes (the second Friday of the semester). We are accepting new non-GW affiliated individuals to our club at this time.
Additionally, all green and white belt members must pay an annual JKA Headquarters membership fee of $15, which is for membership in JKA HQ, our parent organization. Black and brown belts must pay for a JKA Headquarters passport and renew their passports annually. The fee for a passport is $50 and the annual fee to renew one's passport is $15. If you lose your passport, JKA HQ requires that you purchase a new passport. It is highly recommended that green belts 5th kyu or higher get a JKA HQ passport rather than just a membership card if they plan to continue training the following year.
We collect JKA HQ member dues and passport fees at the beginning of the fall semester for the subsequent year along with semester dues. If you join the club mid-semester, please pay your JKA/WF dues when you join along with your semester dues. If you join in the spring or summer, you will need to pay the current year's JKA HQ member dues along with your semester dues when you join the club.
-->Miscellaneous
GW students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join us at any time through the fifth week of the semester, but we encourage you to start at the beginning of the semester when we usually have a beginners class for students with no martial arts experience and students who are new to JKA shotokan karate. No previous karate experience is necessary. A senior student will teach the beginners and those with other martial arts experience the basics of JKA karate so you will know how we punch, block and kick before you join the regular class. We recommend that you come to every practice the first few weeks of the semester if you are a total beginner or a newcomer to JKA (the Japan Karate Association), so you can learn the basics before you join the regular class. You do not need a gi (white karate uniform) to join the club, but if you intend to test at the end of the semester, you need to have a gi to take the test and our Chief Instructor prefers that students train in a white karate gi with no patches from other styles or clubs. A JKA patch is recommended for those who intend to continue training.
We welcome all interested GW students, faculty and staff. It is not necessary to have previous martial arts experience. Total beginners are welcome.
If you are not a GW student and wish to join, we are accepting non-GW students at this time.
Enrollment
All beginners (including those with previous martial arts experience in another organization) should try to come to every class during the first several weeks of classes when a senior student will teach the basics of JKA in a separate class just for beginners and newcomers to JKA. Please dress in comfortable workout clothes or wear a white dogi (uniform) and a white belt if you have one. Everyone should remove all jewelry (rings, necklaces, earrings, etc.) during class for safety reasons.
For those with prior JKA experience, please bring a copy of your last kyu or dan certificate to your first practice and give it to Faculty Advisor Cynthia Haramoto or Senior Adviser Konstantin Koytchev. If you have trained with another non-JKA dojo, please bring a copy of your last kyu or dan certificate. Please note that if you do not have an official JKA dan or kyu certificate, you must start by tying a white belt. Your rank will be adjusted after your first kyu examination with Sensei Haramoto.
If you have any questions, you may also send an e-mail message to gwu.jka@gmail.com . Please note that this is the club's email account and is not checked every day.