Your first class. What actually happens.

Finding us

The dojo is at 3140 Ash Street in Central Vancouver, near Fairview. We train at Saint Mary's rec centre, next to the church building. If you have the address in your phone you will find it.

Classes run on Monday and Wednesday evenings. When you book, you pick the day, and we text you to confirm the class. If anything changes on your side, reply to that text.

When you walk in

Lockers are downstairs. Kids change in the change rooms downstairs, and parents wait upstairs. Please leave valuables at home, and lock up what you do bring.

• Head into the training area a few minutes before class starts. Don't wait outside or upstairs.
• Have your child use the washroom before class, not halfway through it.
• The building is shared, so keep it quiet on the stairs. We call it the "No Running and No Yahooing" rule.
• If your child has a medical condition we should know about (asthma, ADHD, hearing problems), tell us before they step on the floor.

If your child is 4 to 7

Our youngest group (we call it L1) trains Monday and Wednesday, 5:00 to 5:45 PM. The first class is mostly games that happen to teach karate: things like the Balloon Game, bear walks, "Ninja attack (guards up!)" and stop-sign self-defence. The focus at this age is general fitness, athleticism and very basic technique.

Parents of L1 students stay in the building during class. You don't have to watch every minute, but you need to be within reach.

If your child is 8 to 12

L2 trains Monday and Wednesday, 5:45 to 6:30 PM. This is real classical karate: stances, punches, blocks and kicks, taught in a positive, structured class. Sparring classes need gloves and foot protectors, so ask us what to get before you buy anything.

One thing to know: we can't supervise kids outside the training area, in the hallways, washrooms or outside. If you are running late to pick up, tell your child to let us know and stay in the training area.

If you are a teen or an adult

You don't start in a room of black belts. New students 13 and up begin in their own 30-minute trial class, Monday or Wednesday at 6:00 PM. The program is built for people with no fighting experience at all, and most people pick up karate to get fit, so you don't need to get in shape first.

Intensity is adjustable. Every class is a workout and a set of skills, and you decide how hard to push on the day. After your trial you move into the regular L3 class at 6:30.

★★★★★

I did a trial and loved it. Great instruction, felt totally welcome, loved the community, and loved having something physical and meditative to focus my mind on after a busy day at work.

What the class itself looks like

We teach Shotokan karate in the JKA style, and every class is built from the same three pieces:

• Kihon, the basics: stances, punches, blocks, kicks and strikes.
• Kata, the forms, starting from Taikyoku Shodan and the Heian kata.
• Kumite, sparring, built up from five-step and one-step drills long before anything freer.

Classes are age-specific: 4 to 7, 8 to 12, and teens and adults. Kids at different ages have different interests and abilities, so we never put all ages together.

After your first class

The first class is free. If it's a fit, the next step is a 2 to 4 week trial program, usually at a discounted rate, so you can find out whether the schedule works for your week before you commit to anything. We go through membership options and costs with you in person at your intro, not on a website.

Most students train 1 to 3 times a week. For newcomers we recommend twice a week, Monday and Wednesday. If that isn't doable, once a week is fine for a while.

From there, students work in 3-month terms, with an informal tip-test around week 5 or 6 and a belt exam at the end of the term. The program guide has the details, and the parents guide covers the rest of how the dojo runs.

Questions before you come?

Email powerhouseoffice@gmail.com or call (604) 812-3656. If you'd rather talk to an instructor, ask for a call back and suggest a time. The FAQ answers the common ones.