UCSD Karate Kobudo

Oh, I miss miss miss going to UCSD karate kobudo! Senseis Gomez and Bergman are simply amazing. There is so much comraderie within the group and everyone is extremely supportive of you– no matter how old you are when you start. If you have interest in competing they will bend over backwards to get you trained. I remember meeting Sensei Gomez in the Rec Gym many mornings at 6:30A to practice for competition– he does it because he truly loves the art in martial arts.
When there are annual clinics given by Shihan or even masters from Okinawa the classes are completely reasonable and extremely well taught. The annual tournament also is run very well thanks to some super organized ladies who assist the Senseis.
If you are a UCSD student the price is dirt cheap, and if you are a member of the public going to class you still cannot get a better value around.
I wish my work schedule allowed me to train again– they really are a wonderful group and it has a family feel to it. The little kids in the Saturday classes always look happy and have fun– it’s a no stress environment and a good way to introduce your little ones to martial arts.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO– miss you all!

this IS my family away from home. i have also been lucky to find this very tightly held together karate team. i’ve been training for a little over a year now, have much improved flexibility (i can do the splits!), much more discipline and respect, and have had an overall positively changed way of life. the kumite is meant for competition but i wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s not useful in a street fight. it’s all about taking what you learn and applying it in a real life situation you may encounter. i came from no karate background and have already competed in multiple tournaments including nationals last year and have 4 major ones lined up for this year. i HIGHLY recommend this dojo. you won’t find any other sensei and assistant instructors anywhere that care more about teaching this rare style. i don’t know what i’ll do when i graduate and don’t end up in san diego…

I trained there for about 6 months. The price is unbeatable.
The teachers there are very friendly and very willing to teach. The classes include kumite, kata, basic trainings, kubodo, weapon classes: sia, pole, etc.
After training there 6 months, my flexibility and basic body movements are much better. The missing part of the training is the cardio training and weight lifting. Currently I stopped the karate because i am now focusing on weight lifting and cardio.
The style and kumite training I would say,. hmm. don’t think you will be good at street fight, rather consider that as a martial arts or a sport. If one wants to learn more practical fighting style but still in karate, maybe try kyokushinkai. (but i didn’t find any in SD areas. :-S)

Training here has spoiled me. As a student, I only pay something like $ 40 a quarter to train. We train in the Main Gym, which is huge compared to other dojos.
The style taught is Okinawan Ryuei Ryu. It’s pretty rare, and we have the best people teaching it. Our Shihon was taught by the founder of the style’s son. He’s also the guy who brought this style to North America. I am savoring every practice since I am graduating soon, and prospects for continuing karate up in the Bay Area are slim.
Monday: 6−8pm Basics and Kumite (sparring)
Wednesday: 6−8pm Kata and Kobudo (weapons)
Saturday: 8:30am-12pm Kid’s and adult kumite, kata, kobudo, and basics.
The program is very close knit. I feel like this is my family away from home. I’m going to miss training here. *sheds tear*