Interested in trying an authentic martial art with deep cultural roots? Searching for a new challenge and a healthy activity for your mind and body? Or are you an experienced karate practitioner looking for a new dojo?
Welcome to San Francisco Shotokan! At our dojo, beginners and anyone honestly interested in karate are welcome to join our practice!
San Francisco Shotokan is a dojo of Shotokan Karate of America (SKA), the oldest karate organization in the United States. We practice traditional Shotokan Karate at our dojo, as taught by Tsutomu Ohshima, founder of SKA.
The best way to learn about what we do is to come to our dojo and check out one of our practices. You can observe, or even better, participate, and see if karate is for you.
Practice Times and Locations
Come try a class! Our main dojo is located in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. We practice in the community room of All Saints’ Episcopal Church on Waller Street between Ashbury and Masonic. In addition, we also have practice at our “satellite dojo” at the Presidio Community YMCA.
Haight-Ashbury
All Saints’ Church
1350 Waller Street (map)
Tuesday and Thursday
7:00-8:30pm
Presidio
Presidio Community YMCA
63 Funston Avenue (map)
Monday and Wednesday
7:15-8:30pm
Shotokan Karate and Its Benefits
Karate is a martial art that came from Okinawa to mainland Japan in 1916, where it was taught and popularized by Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of modern karate. The practice focuses on effective and realistic techniques, including blocking, kicking and striking. Practicing karate has many benefits, as it also promotes mental and physical health, improves self-confidence, balance, focus, and strength. Our purpose is to improve ourselves through our practice, to perpetuate our martial art, and to train both our body and mind to be ready for anything that life throws at us.
In Shotokan Karate, we practice kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). Our practice is suitable for a wide range of abilities and skill levels. Our dojo members are karate practitioners at all levels of experience, from beginners to black belts. We welcome all ages from older children (12+) to college students to professionals to seniors.
Our dojo is a supportive, encouraging group of people from all walks of life. We strive to provide an environment in which each member can attain their personal best.
Affordable High-Quality Martial Arts Instruction
We are a nonprofit karate school that has been teaching karate in San Francisco for over 30 years. Being nonprofit allows us to keep our monthly fees low so that everyone can afford to train and grow in an authentic traditional Japanese martial art.
Our instructors are SKA black belts with many years of experience. You can find more information on our instructors here. They are dedicated to passing on The Way of Karate and volunteer their time leading classes at our dojos.
Because we are nonprofit, our fees are very affordable: Membership in Shotokan Karate of America costs $125 per year for white belts and brown belts ($250 for black belts). In addition, San Francisco dojo members either pay $40 monthly dojo dues or have a YMCA membership. There are many benefits of SKA membership, including the opportunity to practice at other SKA dojos, participate at SKA special events, and grade in our bi-annual kyu tests without any additional fees.
Inquire about Karate at San Francisco Shotokan
Do you have any questions? Feel free to reach out to us with this contact form:
