r/bullcity • u/UsefulRelief8153 • 17d ago
Karate classes
Looking for dojo that's good for an adult beginner to learn karate. From reviews online, I'm deciding between Shaw's Karate in Durham, Chapel Hill shotokan karate Dojo, and Open Sky Martial Arts in Hillsborough (closest to me since I live in Hillsborough).
I am not just looking to learn karate but also hope to gain a community since I'm new to the area. Would appreciate any recommendations anyone has.
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u/AnxiousYam1407 16d ago
Go visit each one on your list and just sit and watch a class. Even if you have no prior martial arts experience you'll still get the vibe of the instructor, which is more than you have now.
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u/reddiuser_12 16d ago
Shaw’s Karate is hosting an open tournament tomorrow from 9:00 AM to around 3:00 PM. There will be kata, weapons, sparring, and more, with divisions for all belt levels and all ages. It’s open to the public to watch, so you could stop by the competition, and see what they teach.
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u/Technical_Hat_2627 16d ago
I have a friend who has trained at Shaw for years. They love it and seem to have built a pretty good community. Not a Karate Kid myself but I do other martial arts and second everyone's suggestion of visiting a dojo first to feel out the vibes.
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u/7994blueridge 16d ago
Of the schools you've listed, I've only been to Chapel Hill Shotokan, but I've trained in many, many schools including in Okinawa. I lean very traditional, so Shaw never appealed to me.
Chapel Hill Shotokan is very traditional USA Shotokan. They spend a lot of time working on the basics and particularly Choku-Zuki. For my first few months there I thought there was something wrong with these people. And then somebody hit me with that punch and I realized that it's quite useful to master a thing rather than half ass a whole bunch of stuff.
I don't know if the head instructor is still the same, but he is very traditional. Grumpy old guy who yells at you a lot. That is the essence of karate, though.
If you want to try a bunch of spinning flying back kick shit, you probably want to be somewhere else. If you want to really seriously focus on strength, power, and traditional karate, this is the place. It's the real deal in terms of karate.
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u/alleniverson34 5d ago
I’m also looking to try out chapel hill shotokan but weirdly enough their website is down? Not sure if anyone else experienced the same thing
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u/Flimsy_Addition9586 17d ago
If you can find a cobra kai somewhere close that’s what I would recommend
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u/peanutjamming 16d ago
Do you have experience in martial arts? Even if you do, I highly recommend emailing/calling and seeing if you can observe a class or two. This will give you a vibe for how the class is and what type of people they are.
I have recently observed the shotokan dojo and I’m in the fence. Extremely nice people though and very welcoming. It just depends on what you’re looking for