Okinawan karate has a family atmosphere with an emphasis on life-long training. It’s meant to fit naturally into daily life. Because of the focus on long-term wholistic health and wellness it’s common for Okinawan karate practitioners to train regularly into their 80’s and 90’s.

Karate training gives you the opportunity to work on mental and physical strength, flexibility, breathing, concentration, awareness, self-reliance, and technical skill building. It’s open to everyone regardless of age, gender, physical ability. 

The curriculum at The 47 Crown Heights program comes from the Ueshiro branch of Shorin Ryu out of the Matsubayashi lineage founded by Shoshin Nagamine in Okinawa in 1947, and brought to the United States by Master Ansei Ueshiro in 1962. The curriculum includes:

1. Kihon (basic offensive and defensive techniques)

2. Tanren (arm and leg toughening exercises)

3. Hojo Undo (supplementary strength, body conditioning, and joint stabilizing exercises including the makiwara)

4. Kata (solo forms)

5. Bunkai (examination and practice of individual parts of kata with training partners)

6. Yaku Soku Kumite (choreographed 3 step partner drills as an introduction to sparring)

7. Kumite (karate sparring introduced on a continuum from unchoreographed 1 step sparring to free-style sparring; no head contact, light body contact once acclimated)

8. There is a traditional belt ranking system: white, green, brown, black

9. Required attire: White karate gi and appropriate ranked belt

Master Ansei Ueshiro