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What Is Karate? | What Is SKA? | Who is Tsutomu Ohshima? | Caltech Karate Club| Caltech Karate Club Practice Schedule | Contact Us | Official SKA Homepage | |
California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and is well known for its academic achievements. However, getting a highly respected diploma and interacting with Nobel laureates are not the only rewards offered by Caltech. The Caltech Karate Club was established in 1957 and is the oldest university Karate club in America. The Caltech Karate Club is also part of the Shotokan Karate of America. The club provides a unique opportunity to study Shotokan Karate at very high level that is undoubtedly attractive for beginners as well as for more experienced karateka. Caltech's PE44 classes (i.e., Shotokan Karate) are closely affiliated with the Caltech Karate Club. Formerly the class and the club were held at the same time, in the same room, with the same instructor, however, as of 2012 the PE class and club are conducted separately.
Sensei duties for the club are currently shared between two SKA godans (fifth degree black belts) who have been training in Shotokan karate for many years. Their names are Kei Teramoto and Frank Lee. For a number of years they have trained directly under Mr. Ohshima, the shihan (chief instructor) of SKA. We are very lucky to have Kei and Frank here to continue the tradition of great instructors at Caltech. Kei also serves as instructor for the PE44 introductory Shotokan Karate PE class.
Through the study of Karate, you can learn to develop physical and mental strength, confidence and discipline. You will find that Karate is much more than just the ability to take care of bad guys. Karate-Do can become a way of life (in fact, that is the meaning of "karate-do").
In addition to serving the needs of Caltech students, the Caltech Karate Club offers introductory and intermediate classes to members of the local community (note: 16 years of age or older).
It is important to realize that membership in the Caltech Karate Club and membership in the SKA are two distinct memberships (for a chart, click here).
PE44 is part of the Caltech physical education curriculum. If you enroll in PE44, you are automatically a member of the club for the given quarter. Students enrolled in PE44 do not need to pay club dues. If you don't take shotokan karate as a class (i.e., PE44), you must join the club once you have decided karate is something you'd like to continue to learn and practice.
Club Membership: The club membership fee is as follows:
Our practices are held in the Caltech Brown Gym or the Braun Gym (depending on the day). People not affiliated with Caltech are required by the gym to pay a $5 facilities charge for every practice they attend.
SKA Membership: You don't have to join the SKA to learn karate from us, however, it is strongly encouraged. SKA members enjoy many privileges. For example, as a member, you can practice in other SKA dojos, join special trainings, take the Kyu tests or Shodan tests and hold rank in the SKA, participate in tournaments and many other exciting SKA events. For beginners, the membership fee is $75 per year, renewals are $100 per year. You can find a membership application here. Contact the club captain for more information.
There are three colors of belts in SKA: black belt, brown belt, and white belt. The black belts (called "dan") are further classified into 5 ranks: Godan (5th degree black belt, the highest in SKA, also the highest rank awarded by Master Funakoshi), Yodan (4th degree), Sandan (3rd degree), Nidan (2nd degree), and Shodan (1st degree). Below black belt level, there are 8 ranks called "kyu": brown belt is from 1st Kyu (the highest) to 3rd Kyu, white belt is from 4th Kyu to 8th Kyu. White belt and brown belt ranks are awarded on the basis of kyu tests. Prior to the first kyu test, ungraded members are also white belts.
Kyu tests are conducted twice a year at Caltech; once in April and once in November. The tests are scheduled as close as possible to the following dates: November 10th, to commemorate the anniversary of Master Funakoshi's birth; and April 26th, to commemorate the anniversary of Master Funakoshi's death. To take a Kyu test, one must become both a member of the club and a member of SKA. However, everyone is welcome to watch the Kyu test and join the party afterwards.
To take a Shodan (first degree black belt) exam, one must first be a 1st Kyu brown belt, attend at least one SKA special training, and finish 5000 Bassai (a kata of intermediate complexity).
For questions contact:
Follow this link for a directory of past and current members.
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What Is Karate? | What Is SKA? | Who is Tsutomu Ohshima? | Caltech Karate Club| Caltech Karate Club Practice Schedule | Contact Us | Official SKA Homepage | |