FAQs

1. Why is the school called the White Tiger Dojo, and what is the significance of the logo?

Sensei Darren was given the moniker “White Tiger” by his mentor Shifu Chris Goedecke in 2000. In the martial arts, we refer to the color ‘white’ when speaking of someone’s mentality and we refer to the color ‘red’ when speaking of someone’s physicality. Shifu Chris described Sensei Darren as a tiger with a human brain; he had the ‘red’ physical prowess of the tiger’s body coupled with the ‘white’ intelligence of a man. He is a White Tiger.

When looking at the logo, one will notice that there are 3 stripes on the tiger’s back. These stripes represent the 3 pillars of Sensei Darren’s core teaching philosophy of discipline, awareness and organization. Consistently, it is the disciplined, aware and organized mind and body that meet opportunities with preparedness.

2. What can I expect of my first class?

Kids: Young children or shy children are encouraged to attend an orientation/try-out class in order to understand the rules of conduct and for the Sensei to familiarize them with the format of the classes. Please wear loose fitting clothing and expect to pick up a few basic techniques in order for them to enter an ongoing class seamlessly. No shoes.

Adults: Optional orientation/try out class is available by appointment during non-class hours. Please wear loose fitting clothing for the first time. No shoes.

3. Where can I purchase a uniform?

Kids/Adults: A uniform will be provided for you and if we do not have your size, we will typically be able to secure one within the week.

4. What’s a basic/beginner class consist of?

Kids/Adults: A basic or beginner class consists of learning escapes to common conflicts such as pushing, pulling, grabbing, choking in addition to learning blocks, kicks, punches, stance work, flexibility, conditioning, and stand up grappling.

5. What terminology should I be aware of?

Kids/Adults: Ninety-nine percent of the class is done in English with the exception of counting in Japanese as well as the opening and the closing ceremonies of the class.

Japanese numbers 1-10:

1. Ichi (each)
2. Ni (knee)
3. San (sahn)
4. Shi (she)
5. Go (go)
6. Roku (row-koo)
7. Shichi (she-chee)
8. Hachi (hah-chee)
9. Ku (koo)
10. Ju (joo)
    
    

Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Class:

1. Students have their heels touching in a ‘V’ and their hands at their sides (covering where their pockets would be).
2. The senior student will yell, “Keisho!” (pronounced ‘key-show’ and it means awaken) as they cross their arms in front of their body and then step to the right slightly and swing their fists downward as if they were dropping bags on either side of their legs.
3. The class members and lead Sensei (teacher) will respond by yelling, “Hai!” (pronounced ‘hi’ and it means yes) and move their arms exactly as the senior student.
4. The lead Sensei commands the class to “Rei” (pronounced ‘ray’ and it means bow) and everyone, including the Sensei, lowers their head from the waist in silence.
5. At the close of class, the senior student will yell, “Kyoutsuke” (pronounced ‘key-yoats-kay’ and it means let’s join spirits) as everyone performs the exact same motions as they performed at the start of class.

6. What if I’ve never taken a martial art before?

Kids/Adults: No worries! We are a handcrafted family and welcome newcomers. Without you, how would we grow? How would we learn? How would we see how far we’ve come and how would you see where this new journey can take you? Relax and enjoy the experience.

7. What if I’ve taken martial arts before or what if I’m already a black belt?

Kids/Adults: Whether you’ve done a little or a lot of training, there is always something new to learn. Once you’ve mastered a language, there is always another one. It doesn’t mean you’ve lost the other language, rather it means that you’ve gained a new way of communicating. Often times this can be hard, especially among children, but the camaraderie and new experiences will eventually wash the anxiety away.

8. What if I or my child has a disability or chronic injury?

Kids/Adults: Consult your physician first and if they give you their blessing, then we’ll do our best to accommodate your needs. Conflict does not discriminate, so it’s best for us to teach around a students difficulties, reinforce their strengths as well as discover new strengths.

9. What can martial arts do for someone with ADD/ADHD?

Kids/Adults: No matter one’s advantages or disadvantages, the martial arts is a powerful method that can create discipline, awareness and organization in one’s mind and body. Sensei Darren has extensive experience working with a wide variety of students over his two decades of teaching and we’re confident we can help your child discover the art of self control.

10. When is a good age to sign up for martial arts?

Kids: Sensei Darren begins teaching children at age 4. Typically, at that age, children begin to cooperate with others socially, walk a straight line, hop on one foot, run, start, stop and navigate obstacles. A perfect time to learn the art of self protection.

Adults: Any adult age is a great time to engage the mind and body connection. The more we learn about our body, the more we develop the mind and vice versa.

11. How often should I or my child attend class?

Kids/Adults: We understand that people are busy and scheduling conflicts are more often the norm, which is why we try to offer a number of appropriate class opportunities for you or your child to attend each week. Like any relationship, we understand that the first steps are the most tenuous, but once a student has made a commitment out of enjoyment, they’ll want to come at least twice a week. As a student gains knowledge, makes friends and finds a training buddy, a student will find that they a) want to train more and b) need to train more, because the skills learned need to be kept sharp.

12. Do you offer private lessons?

Kids/Adults: Yes, please ask the front desk about our rates, times and availability.

13. Do you offer birthday parties?

Kids: Yes, please ask the front desk about our rates, times and availability.

14. When can I spar or when will I need sparring equipment?

Sparring equipment will be necessary when a student achieves the rank of blue belt or gokyu (5th rank). We do not allow beginners to spar for the following reasons:

1. Learning to study conflict should not start with throwing you into a conflict without skills.
2. A student must show proper self-control in mind, body and emotion before we begin sparring.

15. What is sparring (jiu kumite)?

Kids/Adults: Sparring is when two willing combatants test their skills in a setting where they are allowed to use any combination of techniques they have learned to score a point against their opponent. A point consists of a clearly executed technique that would have ‘hit’ their opponent if they had followed through on the technique in question. There is no full contact during point sparring. Contact is typically made upon blocking an attack.

We do not allow beginners to spar. The reasoning can be summed up in one word, safety. Below are the two most important reasons:

1. Putting a student directly into a dynamic, uncontrolled environment is not the way we teach successful conflict resolution. If we do, then we are likely to cause bad habits and/or a bad experience that may turn a student off from ever enjoying any martial art.
2. A student must show proper self-control in mind, body and emotion before we begin sparring.

16. What do the different colored stripes mean?

Kids: Each colored stripe represents a step toward a student’s next colored belt. For example, if a child has one yellow stripe on each belt tab, that represents that they have taken at least 12 weeks of class and passed a test on the information learned. In the beginning it takes approximately 36 hours of class time to move from white belt to yellow belt with ‘stripe’ tests at 12 and 24 weeks. The higher the rank, the longer the time between testing.

Adults: There are no stripes on any adult ranks below third degree brown (Sankyu). After third degree brown, adults will see a black stripe on a brown belt signifying second degree brown (Nikkyu) and a second black stripe on a brown belt signifying first degree brown (Ikkyu), which is the last rank before Shodan or the coveted black belt. Each red stripe on a black belt signifies the next dan ranking such as 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree black belt or Nidan, Sandan, Yondan etc.

17. How do I know when my child is ready to move from the KinderKubs curriculum and into the Beginner Karate curriculum?

Kids: Sensei Darren acknowledges that teaching is a subjective mix of art and science. It is impossible to look at a student (adult or child) and know how long it will take them to move from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’. However, as a guideline, it typically takes a 4 year old until they are 6 before they move from the 30 minute to the 50 minute class. During that time, they will learn approximately 80-90% of what they need to achieve their yellow belt. Because the student is moving into a class that is nearly twice as long with a larger number of older children, we like to make sure a student makes this move with confidence. Although the class time, size and age of the children may take some getting used to, they can be confident in knowing that they have been exposed to the same skill set. We like to engineer small successes in order to create long lasting confidence.

18. What if a student wants to quit?

Kids/Adults: Like any relationship, sometimes it’s just not a fit and that’s okay. However, since frustration is often the main reason why people quit any endeavor, we’d love to have a chance to discuss your or your child’s potential exit. Through dialog, we often find a solution to a student’s concern. At the very least, we highly encourage all students to at least pass their next test. As Sensei Darren learned in his high school pre-calculus class, it was a great character builder and positive experience walking away with a passing grade knowing he’d never be a mathematician, rather than quitting and never knowing his strengths and weaknesses.

19. What is Kata or Forms?

Kata, or the Japanese term for ‘form’, is a prearranged movement set used to teach the principles of proprioception to a student. Proprioception is the sensation experienced when one knows the location of a body part in relation to another body part as well as knowing the body’s position relative to one’s surroundings. This is the first pillar used to test a student’s mental and physical discipline, awareness and organization of their body.

20. What is Bunkai or Applications?

Bunkai, the Japanese term for ‘applications’, is a prearranged exercise that tests an individual’s understanding of kata. One student assumes the role of an attacker and the other the role of a defender. The attacker executes a technique against the defender and the defender uses a kata movement to respond to the attacker. This is the second pillar used to test a student’s mental and physical discipline, awareness and organization of their body in relation to a known attack.

21. What is Jiu Kumite or Sparring?

Jiu Kumite is the Japanese term for ‘sparring’. Jiu meaning ‘free’ and kumite meaning ‘exchange hands’ or ‘grappling’, translates into the free exchange of techniques between consenting students. If done correctly, both students will test their level of proprioception in a dynamic exchange. There are no prearranged attacks or defense techniques. This is the third pillar used to test a student’s mental and physical discipline, awareness and organization of their body in relation to a dynamic and unknown attack.