What is Karate?

Karate is a traditional martial art from Japan with roots going back to ancient southeast asian fighting styles.

What is Kyokushin?

Kyokushin is a style of karate developed in the 20th century by Masutatsu Oyama. Oyama’s karate was designed to be build maximum strength and resilience in the individual, and his vision was to build international harmony through karate training.

The techniques are sourced from Oyama’s training with several older karate masters, and influenced by his experiences with other martial arts. You can find out more about Oyama (who we call ‘Sosai’, meaning head of the organisation) on Wikipedia.

One of the groups that formed after Oyama’s death to continue his legacy is the Mastushima group, which has dojos in Tasmania.

What happens in a class?

• Classes are led by senior students or black belts.
• Most of the instructions are in Japanese. English instructions are all given, especially if there are beginners present.
• Classes consist of learning and practicing basic techniques, learning patterns of movement, fight drills and sparring, with some fitness and mobility work.

Is it good for kids?

Kids classes are much less formal, and we break up the hard parts with lots of fun and games.