LEAD BY EXAMPLE - LIVE THE EXAMPLE 

Training at the

Kentucky Budo-kan

If you are looking for something different or a most effective means of self-protection we encourage you to visit us at the location and times listed below. Visitors are always welcome, please call to insure that an instructor will be available to answer all of your questions when you visit us. Sensei Jim Davenport:  Home  502-227-7568  -  Cell  502-320-9694

We offer only Adult classes. We do not teach children therefore, we teach on an adult level allowing us to concentrate on a more serious type of training for our students.

It is not important to be better than someone else,
but to be better than yesterday.-Unknown

    Benefits of Practicing Karate

There are many short term as well as long term benefits to practicing the art of karate. It has been said, "Karate may not add years to your life, but it will certainly add life to your years."           

Below are some of the most obvious benefits gained through continuous karate training.

1.    Increases Self-Discipline.

2.    Provides Aerobic as well as Anaerobic Activity.

3.    Increases Self-Awareness.

4.    Increases Flexibility and Circulation.

5.    Increased Concentration.

6.    Increased Coordination.

7.    Increased Confidence through the learning of Valuable Self-Protection Skills.

  Class Location:

Classes are held at the Kentucky Budo-kan Dojo, located at 20 South Benson Road Frankfort, Kentucky. Classes run continuously and new students may join at any time.  Class times are listed below.

For More Information or to observe a class, please call for an appointment:   

Sensei Jim Davenport: Home 502-227-7568 - Cell 502-320-9694

Training Schedule:

Sensei Davenport teaches most classes himself. He has been training in Chito-ryu karate for over 36 years and his Senior Black Belts  have over 25 years each in karate training.

Adult Beginners and  Advanced Classes:

Tuesday Evenings:   7:00pm - 9:00pm

Thursday Evenings: 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday Mornings: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Adult Black Belt Classes may also be held on Saturdays. These classes are by "invitation only." A large percentage of these classes will concentrate on the principles of advanced control techniques at the black belt level.

Cost:

Monthly dues:  $60.00, due prior to the student's initial training and the first week of each month thereafter.

Organizational Dues: $25.00, due prior to the student's initial training and every January thereafter.

Initial cost (First Month): $85.00                                           Each month thereafter $60.00

We Require No Contracts

Important Information to Consider                    Before Beginning Your Training

Our Goals When Teaching

Our number one goal at the Kentucky Budo-kan is to prepare each and every student for a real life self-defense encounter. Classes at the Kentucky Budo-kan are extremely application based. By this we mean that classes are taught with great emphasis on realistic training as opposed to ritualistic training. My instructors and I teach with the knowledge that our students could in fact be forced to rely on the techniques that they have learned the first time they walk out of our training facility. With this in mind we place a great deal of emphases on effective (application-based) classes. We do not spend time teaching techniques that will not work on the street in a "real" life encounter. Koshin-ha Chito-ryu, the unique system of karate that we teach,  allows us to accomplish all of our goals in a very effective and efficient manner.

Teaching a Unique Style of Karate

Chito-ryu karate is a very unique traditional style of karate that is based on the use and knowledge of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology. The techniques themselves are delivered with explosive, ballistic actions through the use of economy of motion. The system makes use of hip-vibration as it's primary power source as opposed to the less effective and less efficient hip rotation as taught and used in most of today's karate styles. Although the delivery system in Koshin-ha Chito-ryu is in fact taught through the use of the three pillars of karate; Kihon, Kata and Kumite, a large portion of it's training consist of kata training. Kata are the time capsules that have been given to us by the old Karate Sensei and are still being used today to continue the proliferation of the traditional styles of karate. All true traditional styles of karate make use of the kata as the primary means of understanding and applying the application principles encrypted within the system's chosen kata.

Over the years I have had several students join our dojo after training in other styles of karate. Most of these students come to me after only a few lessons very excited and commenting how they had been practicing another style of karate for several years and yet they had never even heard of, much less seen, the many principles, concepts and the effective methods of using the techniques that we teach. The students invariably ask, why is this?  In most cases the styles that these students first trained in were not traditional systems and therefore these so called Modern systems cannot have had the extended rich history that most traditional systems possess. I do not hold back when I quickly tell the questioning student, "The answer is simple, You cannot teach what you do not know!"  This, in my opinion, is one of the major differences between a traditional system as opposed to a system that was developed by someone who may have studied for a 10 or 15 year period and then develops their own style proclaiming that they have taken the best and discarded the rest and now they are a 10th Degree Black Belt Master, RIGHT!

It is interesting to note that 10 or 15 years of training may seem like a great deal of time to us, but in fact to a senior karate teacher who may have 40, 50 or even 60 years of training under their belt, 10 to 15 years is just the beginning. Generally, a senior karate Sensei will not consider a student to be a "life long" student until that student has been training for at least 25 years. I have heard it said many times, that a student cannot truly begin to understand any traditional system of karate until the student has trained at least 25 years. (Read Below for more information on the many self-proclaimed Martial Arts Masters here in the United States.)

A Final Word of Advice for Those Seeking a Good Karate School

My advice to those looking to join a good karate school is to use some common sense and to educate yourself prior to visiting any karate school. Visit several schools prior to joining any one school. Even if you are relatively sure that a particular school is the school for you, visiting other schools will go a long way in educating you and will only serve to reinforce the fact that you are in fact making the right choice.

Below I have listed some of the most important areas that one should be aware of when looking for a good karate school. Do not be fooled by quick talking martial artist who claim to be masters, and will also claim to make you one as well. Nothing is free and if it sounds too good to be true, you can almost be certain that it is!

1.    Decide Why You Want to Study Karate. What are your short term and long term goals? Are you looking to practice karate as a sport, self-defense or simply as a means of keeping/getting in shape?  Do you want to learn legitimate karate or are you only interested in collecting belts or in becoming a trophy collector?   How long are you considering to train? Are you serious about legitimate karate training or are you simply looking to make black belt as quick as possible even if the rank is worthless? These are important questions and questions that you must answer honestly to yourself before you choose a school!         

2.    Our School's Head Teacher is a Real Karate Master, Right!   I could not tell you the times I have heard this one! Some teachers claim to be a Master, 10th Degree Black Belt. It is important to know that in Okinawa where karate developed and in Japan where karate arrived over 80 years ago, standards have been set by all of the leading martial arts teachers on the islands. These standards require that a person must be at least 60 years old in order to even be considered a 10th degree black belt. This person must have also studied the martial arts for at least 50 years minimum. These standards were set many years ago and those who abuse or disregard these adopted standards are totally ignored and are not considered to be legitimately ranked martial artist. It is also interesting, but sad to know that in the Southern United States we have more people claiming to be 10th Degree Black Belts than all of those legitimate 10th Degree Black Belts in Okinawa and  Japan combined. Most people do not know the difference between a legitimate 10th Degree Black Belt and a person simply claiming to be one, but you can be assured of this, if a person is claiming to be a 10th Degree Black Belt at an early age (Below 60 years of age), they have either promoted themselves or they have paid someone else to promote them. In the United States this would be the same as someone studying medicine or law for a short couple of years, claiming to be a Doctor or Lawyer and then having certificates printed up and opening for business. The only difference is that we have laws governing standards for Doctors & Attorney certifications, but a martial artist can claim what ever rank he wants to claim and generally the public will never know the difference.   There is an old saying. "When a martial artist claims to be a Master, this is the 'Ultimate Proof' that he is not!"

3.    We will make you a Black Belt is Only One Year!  (Right!) Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Most traditional karate styles teach a complete syllabus and require a minimum time in grade (rank). Normally, this minimum time in grade is 3 to 4 months for each kyu (Grades or Ranks Below Black Belt) grade with approximately 3 to 5 years required to make 1st Degree Black Belt. Approximately, one to two years is required to advance from 1st Degree Black Belt to 2nd Degree Black Belt with the time span increasing as the student advances through each Black Belt grade or rank. Any shorter time span than the ones listed above will only lessen the depth of knowledge and as well as the skill level of the student and therefore is not considered to be good for the student. There are many factors which determine how long it will take for any student to reach the level of black belt. Some of these factors are; The amount of time a student is able to devote to their training, both in the dojo and individual training outside of the dojo on their own. How well a person is able to learn and retain both the information and skills they are being taught. The number of classes a student is able to attend.  Most people want to progress as fast as possible and this is only natural, but remember this, progression is not the belt that you wear around your waist, it is the knowledge that you possess and the ability you have to apply that learned knowledge. When and if you are ever attacked, the attacker will have little regard for the belt that you have acquired in karate.

I have heard this statement many times by Senior Martial Artist, "It is better to be the best white belt in the world as opposed to the worst black belt." There are basically two reasons for the wearing of the colored and black belts as worn in most martial arts schools. They are used to hold the uniform top together and to insure that the teacher knows the proper level of instruction to impart to each student and basically that is it. Since one of the main goals of Karate is to perfect the character of it's participants and not simply just to teach the physical side of the arts, Rank, Knowledge, Maturity and Skill Level do not always arrive at the same time.