Huron Karate Club, Port Huron MI

**emiliozapata** · Posted On: 5/31/2011 11:34am

I train at the Huron Karate Club in Port Huron MI. We are a small club with an average of 5-6 students on any given training night plus the instructor, with an occassional time of about 8 max.
STYLE= ISSHINRYU

We are located within the Birchwood Athletic club and use their aerobics room. Fully mirrored walls and carpeted, also having plenty of water bottomed heavy bags which we utilize for striking sometimes, we have also utilized a kicking shield.

Ranks= ALIVENESS= About every third or fourth class we spar with small cotton covered fist pads, contact is from point style touching and goes up to just under full contact(about 3/4) based upon the individuals involved.

Basically this is a community Karate club for a smaller city , it fulfills the desire to train in a MA and gives a pretty decent workout at some classes. The instructor does favor Katas but also has an emphasis on self defense, Grappling is not present in any meaningful way except for a few takedowns taught during self defense portions of the class.

Weapons work is traditional Kobudo with no alive sparring, just kata and prearranged "kumite" kata.

Overall I am very satisfied with my training here, as it gives me a foundational art to work with, and I am able to emphasize in my personal workouts the aspects I feel are most useful for real world self defense.

**Smoke** · Posted On: 6/01/2011 6:52pm

Do you have any videos of your sparring?

I'm interested to see if there are in fact some good Isshinryu places out there.

They're out there, it's just a very rare occurrence.

**emiliozapata** · Posted On: 6/01/2011 7:44pm

Nope, never have videoed ny of the sparring and probably never will, as I have no need. I am sure as a Kyo guy you would have negative reactions to it anyways. I feel my school is good for what it is, certainly it's not churning out fighters , it is mostly an exercise and family type club and if a few folks pick up some useful tools so be it. Actually those that are there that aren't exactly learning what is needed for legitimate self defense, I don't believe them to be deluding themselves to think they are.

**Smoke** · Posted On: 6/01/2011 11:56pm

I don't have negative feelings.

I actually credit Isshinryu for getting me started in martial arts. I'm actually a brown belt in Isshinryu before going to Kyokushin getting my black belt.

I fortunately had a good teacher, we sparred often and the small class, I received individual attention to correct my techniques, and I practiced a lot on my spare time that let me excel faster than the people in Kyokushin.

Unfortunately, there have been more crappy schools established, than good ones. I'm not judging your school individually, I'm going by the reputation established.
Here at Bullshido, we generalize the arts that haven't lived a good reputation (ie TKD and WIng Chun), but it's not a bad thing. If your school spars good, post it up and we can start to think otherwise. Besides, most of the Isshinryu people that come on here either realize it's crap or they still have their head stuck in their ass.

I thank Steve Armstrong for coming to the states only knowing a few months of the system before promoting himself to 10th degree black belt and starting hundreds of schools.