Upcoming Events
About Us
Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family. It is in the spirit of ‘ohana that Libby & Tom Hill and their dedicated staff open Family Karate, the ‘Ohana Dojo, and invite all who share in that spirit to join us. Family Karate is a community of martial artists of all skill levels striving to be stronger physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually through training in martial arts. We conduct our training in a supportive family atmosphere. We believe training in such a manner not only creates stronger individuals but stronger families, and ultimately creates a larger family of which we are all a part. If you're interested in learning more about Family Karate, give us a call 440-255-7300 or email us with questions! |
Class Offerings
The Sidekick Foundation
February 10 2011
Family Karate is a member of the Sidekick Foundation that allows us to raise funds for scholarships for students of all needs and abilities. Beginning January 1, 2011 and ending November 26, 2011 Family Karate has a raffle for a vacation in Maui, Hawaii. The vacation package includes 10 days in a 2 bedroom condo and $1500 for airfare. Only 200 tickets will be sold for $100 each! Call 440-255-7300 or email contactus@karate4family.com to purchase your ticket today!
For Children
Our “at risk” children’s program takes kids who are on the brink of getting into trouble and puts them on “the straight and narrow” by providing scholarships for them to take martial arts lessons. Over 50 psychological studies show that quality martial arts training improves the ability to focus, to concentrate, self-discipline, self-confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to manage stress. Martial arts also provides positive peer influence, pro-social activity and positive leadership from the instructors. There have been many psychological studies done on the “normal” population to support these findings, but few studies have been done on the “at risk population. In the absence of these studies, anecdotal evidence by martial arts instructors throughout the U.S. attest to its beneficial effects on the “at risk” population. “Anecdotal” means evidence provided by friends, and family, as opposed to scientific evidence which comes from formal studies.
For Special Needs
While there have been no formal medical or psychological studies done there is much anecdotal evidence that martial arts training has the same psychological benefits for special needs people as for the general population. In addition, there is much anecdotal evidence that martial arts training can tremendously improve the physical capabilities of the disabled.
People with cerebral palsy are a good example of this group.
For the Elderly: Sidekick’s “Balance for Life” Program
Several years ago a ground-breaking study was done at Emory University Medical Center. The study established that a modified Tai Chi Chuan program ( slow, Chinese, martial arts-based exercise) could reduce the risk of a serious fall in the elderly by almost 50%. After studying the program and training with the man who created the exercises, we simplified the program even further so that it can be learned quickly and easily by people with multiple pathologies. This program is available through Sidekick Partner studios who teach it. Other forms of Tai Chi based training for the elderly for balance improvement are also supported by Sidekick.
Medical and Psychological Studies
More work needs to be done to study the at risk and special needs population. We need to put the “science” behind what every martial arts instructor already knows from experience - that these populations lives can be tremendously improved by martial arts training. The Foundation is authorized to fund and help conduct studies to establish the effectiveness of this training.