Eastside Kyokushin Karate & Self-Defense

Awesome! Both my boys been coming for 2 months. And they love it. It makes them keep going and succeeding not only in martial arts but also in school and discipline behavior.

This is a great place to teach Karate for kids. We have tried 3 karate schools before, this is by far the best one. They are very good with kids and prices are very reasonable.
We have felt the improvement in our son very quickly, he loves karate now. Even when he was sick he wanted to go to the karate class (but we didn’t take him).

I have trained at this dojo off and on for the past 3 years. Shihan Campbell, Sensei Hazard, and Senpai Adam all run excellent classes. They all teach with knowledge and compassion. Never will you feel as if they are just there to take your money. What you will get is a great workout, applicable self defense, and a strong sense of community.
There is no experience necessary. Here you will learn all the basics of karate (i.e. punching, kicking, throwing, etc), along with kata and sparring. What was really great to me, was that they will take these basics and show you how to transfer this knowledge into real world situations. You will learn and practice real world self-​defense. Because of this I have gained confidence in my ability to venture off the beaten path.
IMPORTANT*: This IS a full contact class. You will actually hit people, and actually be hit in return. Be prepared. That being said, the instructors will not let you be destroyed. Communication is a key building block of any good relationship, including the one you have with your fellow students, and everyone is taught to watch, listen, and moderate their actions accordingly. You will be pushed, probably farther than you think you can go, but because of your own ability to preserver combined with Shihan Campbell’s and Sensei Hazard’s teachings, you will grow both mentally and physically.
The above being said, I will admit that the whole full-​contact thing did not thrill me at first, but now I recognize that it is an integral part of my ability and preparedness. I feel that training in this style and at this dojo has not only made me a better and more complete martial artist, but also a better person.
I encourage anyone who is even remotely interested to come down and try it out. Whether you are looking for a complete martial art, a great work-​out, some fighting experience, or some self-​defense. You’ll never know if it is for you if you don’t.
*There is also a kid’s class offered separate from the adults class. See website for more details.

My daughter and I started the beginners classes of Tae Kwon Do in a different place 5 years ago. We stayed that place for 4.5 years till my daughter quit practicing martial arts all together. After that I had been thinking about going to a different dojo for variety of reasons :
1– Classes were very short (45 mins effectively)
2– Lack of attention to individual students and rather try to get them pass belt test.
3– Teaching Kata in very fast pace manner. More like one Kata each month without even checking the proper form and balance.
4– Lack of attention to true meaning of martial arts. (being humble but strong, know how to use force without being aggressive and strong will).
5– Most of martial arts dojos are like fitness classes at best.
Kyokushin in essence is a hard style and you need to understand that there is no protective gear in sparring. For lower belt no kick allowed to head and in tournament no punch to head. But we practice conditioning from day one which means striking different parts of body except head. We learn kata in a moderate pace with lots of attention to balance and real application of kata.
Now in Eastside Kyokushin I am really happy with the instruction and facility. The instructors (Shihan Jon and Hazard and Senpai Mike and Adam) are strict and firm but very helpful and they’re great with all the students. The pricing is really reasonable, $ 50 a month which is like one session with a personal trainer and no contract.
About Kyokushin Karate
Kyokushin teaches self-​defense, a very strong emphasis on learning how to fight efficiently and Lots of cardio and body weight training. You just need to realize despite its seemingly-​brutal nature, Kyokushin is firmly rooted in the notion that one should treat others with courtesy and respect, and that real fighting (as opposed to sparring) is something that should be avoided whenever possible.

This is hands down the best place to learn Karate, granted yes Kyokushin is the hardest form of Karate and is full contact meaning you can expect to get hit and kicked, thrown around etc, which may or may not be a deal breaker for some.
As others have mentioned this place is a non-​profit and the monthly dues are $ 50 a month. The uniform is sold separately and is good quality too! There is plenty of gear there for everyone to use there when things like bag work/​weapon katas/​training pads are needed.
This place is not after your money, the owners/​teachers and fellow students/​elder students are there because they truly want to be, and everyone in the class gets plenty of focus/​attention on technique.
The training is also very well rounded meaning that kata, kumite (sparring), self-​defense, and throws are all equally focused on. The instructors are very good at explaining everything, and showing how different techniques such as basics work with more advanced techniques.
This place is good for both kids and adults, the teachers in the class are very good with kids and making sure they are learning and doing things correctly, same goes for adults.
Other places that teach martial arts around the area that I have been too always charge extra for the belt test and generally run about $ 100+ a month. The training isn’t as focused because they have a lot of students, and focus mostly getting you your next belt. A lot of other schools around the area also charge for «private lessons», as well as the amount of classes you can attend. This place doesn’t do any of that.
So to sum this review up, as young male in his mid 20s who loves martial arts, this place is awesome: D I’ve seen all ages welcomed and accepted and treated equally as well as pushed to exceed. This place truly does express the meaning of Kyokushin and that is «the ultimate truth». Osu!

I was hoping to find a nice Kyokushin dojo to visit, and after checking out their website, I got a good feeling and gave Eastside Kyokushin a call.
Senseis Campbell and Hazard were warm, friendly, and they showed exemplary hospitality. They not only helped me figure out what size gi I needed (I am green as grass) but they also invited sensei and I to train with their class.
Sensei (who of course knows a lot more than I do about Kyokushin) and I both very much liked their style. Practical, solid training. They explained everything they taught, they were much more oriented toward actual practical fighting than being flashy. They were more focused on effective combat skills than very traditional karate style training. Stances, for example, were used with an eye for stability and not providing openings while fighting. They gave me a challenging workout too. They were also quite patient with my insecure noobishness, my fumbling and getting lost, my nervousness, and the gallon of sweat I soaked into their mats.
They were encouraging, and not only did I come away with a lot of new thoughts, but my sensei got some great new ideas as well.
Their students were respectful and serious. It was clear that everyone was there because they wanted to be, and that they really liked their instructors.
The dojo itself is located in a business park. The mat room is nice and private. I don’t really care for the big picture windows that you get at mall dojos.
We did a fair amount of drilling (which I am not so great at, but they were patient and they gave me some good tips) and pairing off to practice various strikes and kicks. The one thing that I did not get to see was sparring. I didn’t think to ask about when they do that.
I really liked their attitude. They are NOT in it for the money. They’re in it to teach. They do not care for politics, only practicing and passing on the Kyokushin way. While my sensei once belonged to a different Kyokushin organization (we’re kind of a rogue element at the moment) they welcomed us both with open arms.
I think that it is people like Sensei Hazard and Sensei Campbell are the bright future of Kyokushin. I’ve only met them once, but I would recommend their school to anyone in the area.