Hand To Hand Kajukenbo Self Defense Center

A great school for anyone interested in learning martial arts from some amazing instructors! Specifically a great school for women insterested in checking out martial arts.

Hand to Hand is an awesome place to study martial arts! The instructors are passionate about their art, and passionate about helping students learn. I’ve been studying here for almost three years now and as a former dancer I came in with a lot of curiosity about making a transition to a martial arts practice. The instructors gave me a lot of room to come to the art in my own time.
I can really say that I love this place and would recommend it highly to anyone who’s curious about a martial arts practice. You will be pushed if you’re up for it, but won’t be pushed if it’s not your thing.

Amazing place. They donated a whole morning to teach at risk youth the art of yoga, meditation and healthy nutrition
It made me realize how important it was to ground oneself and take the time to disconnect and reconnect with your inner self.
I also really like the combination of yoga and martial arts, meditation and dance. Really truly amazing!

When I was ten years old, I left Chicago, IL, where I’d lived with my grandmother all of my life, to live with my mother in the East Bay. Seeing as how I was a small child with big glasses, it was a given that I was often a target for bullies. My mother being my mother decided that I needed to study a martial art, and my mother being my mother decided that a woman-​run school was the place for me.
I trained at Hand to Hand from 1986 until 1988, under Sifu Coleen Gragen, the school’s founder. While there, I not only gained a great amount of confidence in myself but also developed important relationships with both the instructors and the other students in the children’s program. One of my favorite childhood memories is of our camping retreat – and of our rigorous training out in the woods disguised as a «scavenger hunt.»
But alas, after receiving my purple belt, I moved with my mother to Miami Beach, FL, and that was the end of my training – or so I thought.
Twenty-​one years later, I’m back in the Bay Area and again training at Hand to Hand. I miss Sifu Col, but am glad to see the school thriving in the hands of the current instructors such as Sifu Sonya Richardson. I feel like I’m finally home – and home to stay.

After a few scary incidents, I decided it was time to take a self defense class. My colleague recommended Hand-​to-​Hand. From my first step in the door, I knew this was a special place. The space is beautiful and eminates strong female energy. The self defense class was exactly what I had hoped for: a good mix of discussion, an overview of various defense techniques, partner drills, and practice with pads (my fav!) The instructors are amazing. My entire class was sad when the series ended. I hope to make it to the self defense class II in the fall. Hooray for Hand-​to-​Hand!!!

I went to Hand-​to-​Hand to take a self-​defense class after years of wanting to do so and feeling a little intimidated by the prospect.
I grew up with the kind of training that led me to use and see my body in very specific ways — the typical ballet, piano, french combo that breeds out any innate ability to raise your voice, punch, kick, push, or just take a strong, assertive stance in situations where it is called for.
Hand-to-hand’s self-​defense class started at the very beginning, with the kind of awareness that goes into protecting yourself, and moved through steps that included assertive speech, working with subtle elements like tone and language that might help avert a dangerous confrontation, all the way through specific physical techniques to use when faced with physical threats. We practiced those techniques over and over again, often in response to specific role-​playing scenarios, many of which could have been drawn from my own experiences.
It was incredibly helpful to play out — and practice de-​escalating — scenarios that had frustrated me in the past — and many other women, too, I suspect. Self-​defense here wasn’t just learning to knee someone in the groin — it also involved all the steps you can go through beforehand to prevent that moment when you feel cornered.
Long story short — I highly recommend Hand-​to-​Hand to anyone looking for a practical, comprehensive self-​defense class. The course was thorough, the instructors were very accessible and supportive (they helped me make up a class I missed) and the environment was very welcoming and comfortable for a total newcomer to the whole concept of throwing a punch.

ever since i was a little kid, i wanted to study martial arts. i grew up on old school kungfu movies (really thought i could run across water, jump up walls and over buildings…). and in a classic parental move that sums up my childhood – i was put into the *ballet* class (not the karate class, right across the hall – aargh!).
welcome to my adult life. where i get to do what i want. no ballet and a fab school that rocks in so many ways.
the coolest thing about h2h is not (tho it *is* all these things):
— how it brings awareness into all aspects of my life.
— nor is it the hard training that gets the mind-​body-​spirit juices going.
— nor is it the amazing community of strong diverse people (yes, you guys are welcome too!).
really, the coolest thing is this school’s ability to be what you need when you need it.
it’s been two years and a bit since i started, and in that time, i’ve seen this school become so many things for so many different people. somehow it gives students a place to be whatever they need at that moment – fierce, strong, quiet, flexible, centered, focussed.
h2h also automagically expands and contracts to be the community that you need:
— we have students who have found family, support, nurturing within the school.
— we have students who have found balance and time for themselves in the midst of very full and busy lives.
— we have students who aren’t able to train regularly, but are still part of the vibrant community of the school.
— we have students who train for the rigor and the athleticism.
— we have students who train for the internal arts.
so many different paths, and yet, somehow all these paths are able to intersect and combine in a way that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
still not sure how all this is possible. but i suspect that it is because of h2h’s strong roots and strong leadership. there is a real history here, and every student is required to learn that history – all the way back to the founding of the art of Kajukenbo. at the same time, there is real growth, forward momentum and vision in the leadership and teaching provided by our Chief Instructors – Sifu Sonya Richardson and Sifu Jen Resnick.
(and heaaaaaay preZ, nice first! :-))

Hand to Hand has been my rock, my gym, my guru and my family for over 3 years. Every day on the floor is a work out for my body, my mind and my spirit. All of the black belts take turns teaching and our Chief Instructor Sifu Sonya teaches a full hour twice a week and a two hour class on the weekends. I love that I get encouraged by not only all of my instructors but also each of my training partners to become a better martial artist and a thoughtful person.
I have taken and taught Self Defense classes at Hand to Hand and had amazing transformative experiences as a result. I recommend Hand to Hand to anyone looking to coalesce their mind, body and spirit.
Hand to Hand Kajukenbo classes are geared towards adults of all genders. Hand to Hand Women’s Self Defense Center offers classes for pre-​teen and teen girls as well.