Okinawan Karate Dojo

Located in a very nice part of the city near historic Ellicott city, MD. It is an extraordinary dojo with an amazing array of instructors. Sensei Stanley is very patient, precise, and detail-​oriented in explaining all of the techniques. He is big and strong, yet fluid and graceful in all of his movements. His classes pack a plethora of techniques in a short period of time. He incorporates fun exercises in our training to allow us to think outside the box. John Street’ classes, like Sensei’s, are also very structured and blend power and precision in all of the techniques.
The dojo community includes a rich blend of people of all ages and ethnicities. Everyone here is very kind and passionate and the senior students are all very approachable and willing to explain the techniques to the junior students. I think that fosters the best kind of learning environment when both teachers and senior students help the junior students grow.
If you are thinking about studying Uechi-​Ryu Karate, you can sit and watch classes to see if it looks like something that resonates with you. However, once you begin, you must understand that your training will take time and patience on your part. Everyone progresses at different speeds and understand that you are placing your trust in people who’ve experienced what you are about to experience in your training. This is not like many forms of karate where you train to achieve a black belt in a short period of time. Uechi-​Ryu Karate takes a long time to get to an advanced level and even when you get there, you realize there is much more to learn.

Awesome place for the kids to learn karate. The instructors really do care! They will take the time to correct what ever it is needing to be corrected. They won’t just skip it! I will be sad when we have to move away from the dojo! My son stated when he was 3 almost 4 and loves going every week!

I have a lot to say (all positive) but I will keep this concise. I was introduced to the Dojo at a fall festival event. 6 months after that I decided to take them up on the offer for a free two week trial. After that, I enrolled my 5 year old son who has now been going for 3 weeks.
It’s been fantastic. It’s professionally run and all of the Senseis (sp?) are wonderful with the children. They are firm and demanding of the children but it’s all out of respect and desire for them to do well. They also have a good balance of humor and good old fashioned fun for the younger ones. On top of all of that, they are very engaging with the parents. They go out of their way to be respectful to the parents. You will frequently find them shaking hands and talking with them.
If they still offer free two week trials, give it a shot. I bet you would be as impressed as I have been so far.

I haven’t participated in a class, but I had a great experience with them. My husband needed a pair of white pants for an event, and when we couldn’t find any in stores, I thought of a karate uniform. I called at 730pm the night before, but they waited for me to get there. The studio looked clean and orderly and they were very friendly. I really appreciated everything and I’ll definitely be looking here first if one of our kids wants to do karate.