2026 Training Events
Nisei Week 2026
In late August our lead instructor, Keith Kirk, and Rachel Kirk headed to LA for Shotokan Karate of America’s 67th annual Nisei Week celebration and tournament.
This coincided with SKA’s 70th anniversary as a karate organization. The weekend was filled with competition, practice and of course some celebrating with longtime friends. Our east coast team had a great showing this year, taking the Silver in the teams competition. Rachel took the Gold in the women’s tournament. Keith Kirk advanced to Yodan after completing a rigorous test in front of a panel of seniors. Congratulations to all the competitors!
Shotokan Oshima Dojo Jiyu Kumite Practice
From June 5th through the 7th, the instructor of the Tampa Shotokan Dojo joined fellow practitioners in Santa Barabara, California. Keith Kirk, Sandan, Trung Pham, Yodan, and Erik Malone, Yodan, helped lead the practice taking place at the Oshima Dojo. Twenty people flew from across the country to participate in the Jiyu Kumite Clinic which consisted of six practices in total. All martial artists were able to sharpen their fighting skills and strengthen their fighting spirit.
Spring in the South 2026
We are pleased to announce that Frank Lee, Godan, led our 44th annual Spring in the South. The Shotokan family celebrated with a weekend of practices, socializing, good food, Carolina spring weather, and an opportunity to train with one of our top seniors.
This year’s event was held Saturday and Sunday 25-26 April in Durham, NC, at the Duke School, not far from the Duke University campus: 3716 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705. As in past years, it included two practices Saturday, plus a box lunch, a dinner, and a third practice Sunday morning, concluding around noon. The Saturday dinner took place at Sitar this year.
SKA’s Chapel Hill Dojo was founded in 1978 by Larry Lazarus, godan. The first Spring in the South was held in 1980 with the idea of bringing together SKA members in the eastern parts of the U.S. and Canada for karate practices with an exceptional senior in a relaxed atmosphere decidedly different from Special Trainings. It has grown to represent a major fundraising event for the maintenance of the Shotokan Ohshima Dojo and helps to build cohesion among the membership, drawing participants from across North America and beyond.
Registration
To register, fill out the registration form and follow payment instructions below. The cost of Spring in the South 2026 is as follows (all amounts in U.S. dollars). Payment can be made by credit or bank card or via Paypal to chshotokan@gmail.com. If paying by check, make out to Shotokan Karate of America and mail to Nora Favorov, 100 Village Lane, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Payment must be made in U.S. dollars.
- $200 per person. Those who register and pay by April 1 receive an early-bird rate of $175.
- $60 for practicing children (12 and under)
- $40 for non-practicing adult Saturday banquet guests
- $25 for non-practicing Saturday banquet guests 12 and under
- $15 for box lunches for non-practicing guests joining us for Saturday lunch
- $100 for Friday night senior dinner with Frank Lee (this event is limited to sandans, yodans and godans and their guests)
Please Note: For the early-bird rate, payment must be made or postmarked by April 1. Registration is not valid until payment is received. Full refunds will be made to those who cancel before April 22 (by contacting the registration desk) or who are prevented from attending by circumstances beyond their control. SKA dues must be current to participate.
East Coast Jiyu Kumite Clinic & Tournament Feb. 20th-22nd
(Chapel Hill Dojo)
On Saturday, February 20th this year, the doors of the Chapel Hill Dojo in North Carolina opened for twenty-one people from the East Coast Region of SKA to gather and work on their fighting skills for the 6th Annual East Coast Jiyu Kumite Clinic & Tournament. Sandan Keith Kirk, from Tampa, Florida, led the Clinic and oversaw the tournament.
Practices focused on the timing of footwork, fundamentals, counters, single attacks, trapping and sweep kicks, range sparring, elbow strikes and hip movement drills, standing grappling, kata, and escapes. Many of these practices dove into details with partnered as well as solo exercises. With the overall weekend being broken up into Kihon, Kata, and Kumite.
Keith Kirk addressed those in the assembly with encouragement to face themselves strictly as they honed their techniques.
“Our practice is three components of one practice. NOT- three separate practices. One component is not more valuable than the other. Don’t diminish or disregard the parts of practice you do not like. Face them head on. As sensei often says face yourself strictly.
~OK time to test Sensei’s principle-
- Who was here last year?
- Who practiced one of the things we did last year?
- Who practiced once a month and who weekly?
Some of the highlights of Keith’s advice on the individual practices are principles, which are not specific to a style of martial arts, but are rather abject facts about Karate-Do.
“Movement is what connects Kihon to Kumite. Which movement you use only depends on your relationship to your opponent. Footwork is what keeps us connected to our opponent. This is the beginning of understanding ma. It’s not a distance or a skill or something you manage. Ma is about connection. A few key points: you cannot start in park or neutral. You must be in gear with pressure on the gas and brake at the same time. You do not step, you drive from the back leg going in and from the front leg going backward. Another key point in foot movement is in, or out, you cannot stay. Expansion has an end and once you are fully expanded there is no more potential energy. The same is true for a weapon – leaving it extended once the energy is transferred is useless and dangerous.” – Keith Kirk
“Filling an opening- Against a single attack. There is no block with this strategy. This is about timing. The key is your mind is already penetrating your opponent and their space. How you exit is as important as how you enter. Get in or get out, you cannot stay.” – Keith Kirk
“Inside touching is often where a fight ends up. This is the range of boxers and stand-up fighters. A couple of points to remember. The closer you get to a person the higher your guard needs to be. Your movements become more elliptical than straight, both on offense and defense. Your range of vision changes. It is harder to see the lower body, feeling the opponent becomes even more important. Advantages and disadvantages change as the space between you and your opponent changes. It is your job to be aware of these changes. In close fighting the advantage goes to the shorter person. The taller fighters lose their reach advantage. Lower hips help. Mass still matters.” – Keith Kirk
The Clinic concluded on Sunday the 22nd with a warm-up and a demonstration before the Tournament began. Center refs and corner judges were assigned certain spaces in the taped off sparring blocks and a senior was put in charge of each ring to run it and make corrections when necessary. Matches were divided by belt level and gender.
The Clinic/Tournament was an absolute success, and many inroads were paved for current black belts and brown belts to proceed to the next level of their Shotokan training. The white belts who were able to attend were also very enriched and informed by the event. For more information on how to join events like these, please contact Keith Kirk directly.
Black Belt Convention Feb. 6th-8th (Santa Barbara Oshima Dojo)
This winter, Tampa Shotokan Dojo was honored with 2025 SKA East Region Dojo of the Year Award. Dojo Leader, Keith Kirk, was awarded the certificate by John Teramoto, the Shihan (Director) of Shotokan Karate of America. This award comes on the heels of our successful and quick growth as a dojo in Central Florida.
This award celebrates our tiny dojo going from just a couple people to twenty-nine members within a few years and over a dozen who are currently active and still in the area. Some of our members have trained before in martial arts and many have never trained at all before joining us. We have a wonderful mix of young people and adults practicing with us, which has allowed us to have a range of practice types. Our dojo is flourishing and really coming into its own as we approach our third year of classes held at The Keystone Recreation Center.
Our teaching staff, which include Keith Kirk, Carla Kirk, Rachel Kirk, and Liz Kirk (upon occasion) are happy to receive this recognition of their hard work and dedication to the dojo’s expansion. We are excited to welcome more people to train with us in the future while we focus on the steady success and continued tutelage of our students.
2024 Training Events
Black Belt Convention Feb. 2nd- 6th (Santa Barbara Oshima Dojo)
Keith Kirk is a Co-Chair for the Marketing Growth Committee. At February’s Black Belt Convention the Chairs presented their projects for the growth of their local dojos. Increasing dojo membership and expanding new dojo branches were discussed and actionable items were agreed upon and assigned. It is important for our leaders in SKA to be hands-on in regard to the growth of our organization. Afterwards, Sunday Black Belt Practice was led by Shihan John Teramoto.
East Coast Qualifying Tournament Feb. 9th- 11th (Chapel Hill Dojo)
Keith led a weekend series of practices focused on timing, combination foot work, and sparring. We had over thirty participants from the Midwest and East Coast Dojos. The Chapel Hill North Carolina Dojo hosted the event which concentrated on management of ma, as well as provided opportunities for completing drills with a partner, practice refereeing, and corner judging. Sunday there was a Shobo Ippon clinic and white belts were welcome to participate with their seniors’ approval. The weekend concluded with the East Coast Qualifying Tournament.
Spring Black Belt Practice March 22nd – 24th (Indianapolis Dojo)
Tampa Shotokan had the good fortune for their dojo leader to travel to Indianapolis and practice with Shihan John Teramoto at his home dojo. It was great weekend of strengthening kata, perfecting throws, as well as long-distance kumite.
Sandan Practice May 3rd – 5th (Santa Barbara Oshima Dojo)
The S.O.D. annual training for your current rank is always a lot of fun, sweat, and comradery. Suwari-Geiko, Nagewaza, and Jiyu Kumite Practice with thirty plus peers makes for a great and invigorating weekend! Oshima Sensei and other leaders provide decades worth of knowledge and help you personally to hone your technique and innovation as a martial artist.
Summer Visiting & Black Belt Practice June 21st – 25th (Tampa Dojo)
We had a great instructor come and lead Monday Practice at our Tampa Dojo. Karen Frost, a Sandan from North Carolina, led a great ground fighting practice for our members. Keith worked with Karen and the Tampa black belts for four private practices in preparation for Frost to represent the USA in France for SKA’s International Tournament.
Senior Black Belt Practice Sept. 20th – 22nd (Indianapolis Dojo)
Our organization held a Senior Black Belt Practice Weekend series which John Teramoto led and his dojo graciously hosted. As a group we focused on kata, Nagewaza, and long-distance kumite. In attendance were black belts from Nebraska, Kansas City, Florida, and North Carolina. Practices such as these are invaluable for the life-long practitioner of Shotokan and all forms of martial arts.
2025 S.O.D. Upcoming Events
Please note that these Events are for SKA members in good standing. If you are a member and would like to attend one of these Events contact Keith Kirk before registering at tampashotokan@gmail.com