Member Information

Okinawa Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu 沖繩小林流斌館空手道場

Balance between warrior ways  and values of education

Membership Requirements

 

Attend classes, put forth sincere effort, respect the dojo and other participants, pay your membership fees, don’t get into trouble, learn and follow the dojo rules. The dojo rules exist for your benefit.

 

Fee Structure and Payment

 

Fees are set by the South Bend Parks Department. Information on class fees is available by contacting The South Bend Parks Department @ (574) 299-4765. Payments for sessions are to be made at the South Bend Parks Department’s O’Brien Center.  Information is also listed in the publications provided by the South Bend Parks and Recreation distributed with current programs and events.

 

Class Schedules

 

Class schedules for South Bend Parks Department Sessions are provided in the South Bend Parks Department Publications or may be obtained by calling the South Bend Parks Department at (574) 299-4765. Students can attend one or more classes per week. Students wishing to attend more than one class per week must register for each session at the O’Brien Center. Be sure to state that you wish to register for more than one session.

 

Missed Lessons

 

Students participating one time per week who miss a class may make up that class on another night when the same instructor is holding a similar class. 

What to Expect

 

The way to become truly proficient is through consistent, realistic, quality participation. Train properly and intelligently. This will provide you with a true level of proficiency and provide you a long, pleasant, successful experience in karate. Remember, this is a contact activity. You are going to get some lumps, bumps, and bruises. There will be accidents. Sometimes it’s your fault and sometimes someone else’s. Injuries are not acceptable. Accidents and injuries are different. Accidents will happen but injuries should not. As you progress you will realize and appreciate that you are getting “tougher”. You can take and give greater amounts of impact. This is a natural part of development. But it takes time. Expect to make mistakes. Expect to have bad days. They are part of life both inside and outside of the dojo. As long as you keep trying, you will keep progressing, even if you’ve had more than a couple of bad days.

 

There is a tremendous amount you will get to learn. This should be viewed as an opportunity, not a burden. Hang in there, move at your own pace and don’t get discouraged! It only gets better as time passes.  Rank in karate is accomplished through hard work, dedication and one other very important fact. Don’t quit. Success is accomplished by continuing to try. No one has ever accomplished anything of value without experiencing some difficulties along the way.

Parental Involvement

 

Parental involvement is always good. It is recommended that parents encourage their children to practice at home but not insist. It is also recommended that parents not try to make corrections as to how their children perform when they practice at home. While the intent may be well meaning, the input provided by the parents at home may not be correct. This puts the children in the middle between doing what they understand the Instructor taught them and something else the parents are telling them. This often leads to conflict for the children and then karate becomes discouraging and this can lead to their desire not to continue. Also, when class is in session, there can only be one instructor. We must always remember that children are children. They are going to lose concentration periodically and do things children normally do. The Instructor is well aware of this. It is not considered correct for parents to provide input during class and is often a distraction for others. Another important factor is remembering why we are here. The children are learning, among other things, how to behave. Parents, friends and family members are always welcome to watch. However, rude, loud or improper behavior is not acceptable from the students participating nor is it acceptable from those watching. Those not respecting this will be asked to leave. 

 

Questions and Requests for Information

 

All questions about dojo procedures, program content, or anything concerning the dojo should be referred to the chief instructor. You should not rely on hearsay or other people’s explanations without verification from the instructor. In fact, it is better to ask ALL questions to the instructor first.