California Shitoryu Karate

Best place to take your kids… hands down. Sensei Jason is a great instructor, and truly understands the discipline of this art. The two years my son has been going there, he has learned so much, self defense, confidence, discipline and has matured a lot. This studio is definitely a great choice for karate and self defense in Lake Elsinore.

Sensei Jason runs a quality dojo, and he’s a good teacher with a nimble sense of humor, plus it’s just outrageously fun to hear his Aussie accent.
His classes for young children (ages 4 – 7) tend to mix in lots of games that lay a good foundation for the skills they will need as they continue in their training.
He takes discipline fairly seriously, so really young kids who are not yet mature enough to listen and pay attention probably need more time to grow up before they start taking classes.
It’s encouraging to see students in the upper elementary and middle school grades develop discipline with mental skills in conjunction with their physical abilities.
There are some flakes, which makes you wonder why do they bother coming here, but there are also some terrific kids who are great to be around, so there definitely are some good role models here — and they do well under Sensei Jason’s adept instruction.
From time to time he hosts «Flying Kick Classes,» which are lots of fun and an excellent way to see and experience a very enjoyable part of training at this dojo.
Testing /​Advancement seems rather programmatic (where almost everybody passes), but it gets tougher at the higher belts and things really slow down once you get to brown belt (you have to earn 3 degrees before you have a chance to test for black belt) — so it’s not a cake walk and getting a black belt actually means something.
Opportunities to compete in tournaments are occasionally made available, but they are not a major focus — overall, that seems like a good thing as kids are not pressured into highly intensive situations that tend to overemphasize aggression.
With so many cookie-​cutter karate places out there, it’s great to see a place that takes the martial arts seriously and honors the traditions that make it a worthy and noble study with real discipline, respect, and self-​defense at the core of what is consistently taught and modeled here.