This page contains resources for my “Serpents and Doves” karate class, which is Christian in nature. To understand the name, see Matthew 10:16. We currently hold class from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the gym at Holston View Methodist Church, 174 Church Street, Weber City, Va. Students need to be age 9 or older, and we love it when parents take the class with their kids.
The gym serves as a well-equipped dojo, with punching bags and mats.
Class Information:
Links to Helpful Videos:
For empty-hand kata, I strongly recommend Diane Kuiper’s videos. The multiple angles really help.
Also, Tatsuo Shimabuku’s 1966 videos, while a little harder to study, set the standard for how the techniques should be done. He is, after all, the founder of Isshinryu. If there’s a dispute about how to do something in a kata, I go here. Master Shimabuku looks oddly hyper-relaxed. Commentators familiar with Okinawan karate masters have said this was very common for them—there’s probably a lesson there for us!
For a history of Isshinryu and a good overview of Charts 1 and 2, I encourage students to watch this video: Isshinryu Karate, The Ultimate Self-Defense, Vol. 1. It also has Seisan and Seiuchin kata on it. Note: several of the chart techniques are demonstrated stepping back, but we also practice stepping forward. You will see some variations from how we learn them in our class, but nothing major is different. Although this is really important: Do not bounce the way they do in the video when performing toe touches on Chart 2! We did a lot of bounce stretching 30 and 40 years ago, and some of us are paying for it now.
Charles W. Griffin III 