Mensore!
Welcome to the Washington D.C.-area (and Northern Virginia) Beikoku Shidokan homepage.
Discover training in Okinawan Karate in the Washington, D.C. area!
This is Beikoku Shidokan, Shorin Ryu, (Kobayashi) Karate. Classes taught by a 7th Dan (Degree) instructor with over 40 years of martial arts experience and a student of Seikichi Iha since 1979.
Training classes on Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. at 5411 Franconia Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22310. The building is at the back of the parking lot. Please e-mail ahead of time to confirm we haven't moved the day's time or venue as we often travel. robertoshidokan@gmail.com
Go to the next page, KARATE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, for more class information in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Sensei Seikichi Iha, 10th Degree, Grand Master:
Beikoku (American) Shidokan is led by Seikichi Iha, Hanshi, 10th Dan.
Sensei Iha was a student of Shinpan Gusukuma (aka Shinpan Shiroma) until his death and then his friend Shoei Miyazato, now a 10th Dan in Argentina who recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of his karate school, introduced him to Sensei Katsuya Miyahira, 10th Dan, Grand Master of Okinawan Shidokan Karate. Sensei Miyahira was the senior student of Grand Master Chosin Chibana. For more on the Shidokan lineage please visit the Beikoku Shidokan Homepage by clicking here.
The best information on Sensei Iha, the Beikoku Shidokan style of Shorin-ryu Karate, and other Beikoku Shidokan dojos can be found at the Hombu Dojo webpage at: www.ihadojo.com. Or you can visit the Hombu Dojo in Lansing, Michigan and experience for yourself.
Sensei Iha states that at the heart of traditional Okinawan karate-do are the principles of peace, harmony, and respect for others. Sensei Iha actively promotes the concepts of friendship, cooperation and learning among his students worldwide. One of the primary goals of training is perfection of character. Self-control is of the utmost importance in learning self-defense. Sensei Iha stresses that students must learn to work effectively with a variety of partners to advance in their studies. This requires a mutual attitude of cooperation and partnership.
Sensei Iha often recommends:
"Make friends through karate!"
Sensei Miyahira teaches:
Gouri: REASON
Gouho: True Form (Truth)
Kiyoson: Cooperation
Kiyoyei: Friendship
Black and Brown Belt Rank Recognition
by the Beikoku Shidokan style of Shorin-ryu Karate.
You
worked hard to get your black belt, or brown belt in your karate
style. Yet work, family, changes in home life or karate schools all
provide us training challenges and many of us stop practicing karate.
Time runs so fast that often when you think about starting training
again you discover you are sadly out of shape or have forgotten kata or
are just too embarrassed to walk into a dojo and start anew. Let me
show you how to get back into shape while adjusting to Okinawan Beikoku
Shidokan Karate.
When you have time we will work together to learn
the Beikoku Shidokan Karate katas, kumites and bunkai. You may know or remember many of the Chibana-Ha kata. That is great! Yet no hassle or worries if you learned other katas from other styles. I will work with you personally, and if you
have them, your senior students, to prepare you for the day you stand
in front of Sensei Iha and the examining committee to grant you your
Black Belt status and recognize your school as a Beikoku Shidokan
member. Depending upon what you know, or remember, and the amount of
time you dedicate to this task will determine how long it will take
before you are ready for the Beikoku Shidokan Black Belt recognition exam.
I
know the challenges of finding a dojo or students very well as with
each of my five overseas tours in my 40 years of martial arts training,
over 30 years with Sensei Iha, I had to start anew searching for
students and a dojo. Ready students for most overseas tours came from
the U.S. Marine Security Guard at the Embassy and police-type deployed
personnel. Many of my students had trained some, or a lot, in other
styles of karate. I helped them solidify their training so they could
actually use what they know, if they needed. Me, I'm the first to
run! Yet, now I run with confidence!
Let me teach you to run from trouble with confidence!
For further information contact me at: robertoshidokan@gmail.com.
Hablamos espanol. Parliamo italiano.
Seikichi Iha and Katsuya Miyahira
Alwin Henderson, 7th Dan, Roberto, 7th Dan, John Dailey, 4th Dan
National Training Seminar 2008, Lansing, Michigan
Chosin Chibana
Katsuya Miyahira's instructor and fellow student of Shinpan (Shiroma) Gusukuma
Sensei Iha and Roberto cerca 1986 or 1989
Seikichi Iha, Hanshi, 10th Dan and Roberto Curtis, Kyoshi, 7th Dan
Gambrill, Maryland December 2009
Sensei Iha, 10th Dan and Roberto Curtis, 7th Dan
National Training Seminar, Lansing, MI 2007
Okinawan Karate Training.
