Training Body and Mind while building self-confidence through self-defense training

The time it takes to earn a black belt in our program depends on you, the student. It all comes down to how committed you are to regular training, how much and how long you practice each time, and how motivated you are to go all the way. Regular training reaps rewards!  Some students progress so quickly that they achieve their black belts in about a year, however most students who achieve black belt ranking do it in an average of 3 years.

Yes! Our online course is designed to enable you to train and earn rank mostly on your own.  Even so, when you train in our course you'll benefit from having a training partner to help you practice sparring techniques. So, even though you can train on your own most of the time we recommend that you ask a friend or family member to assist you in some of your training to get more "hands on" practice and to work with you in your test videos.  Ideally, you should have a committed training partner who can meet with you regularly. But we understand that this is not always possible.

Before you can take a test to earn rank in this course, you must train by following along to all of the video lessons and classes in the course-level you're testing for. Once you have completed the lessons and classes for your level along with all of the assignments, you are allowed to submit your test.  (There is a waiting period of 4 weeks between passing a test and being able to submit your next test).

To submit a test:

1. Record your test and upload as an Unlisted video on YouTube.  
2. Once your video has been uploaded, send the link to shotokanuniversityonline@yahoo.com with the subject line, "White Belt Exam - John Doe", replacing your name in the place of "John Doe" and the belt level you're testing for in place of "White Belt".

Within a week of receiving your test, I will send you an email letting your know if either you  passed or if you need some correction.  I will also record a personalized feedback video for you. In this video I will provide suggestions to further improve your technique.

When you pass a test, you'll be sent a personalized certificate of rank for that level.

If you do not pass a test the first time, I will give you corrections and ask you to take the test or parts of it again. You'll be able to resubmit your test, or parts of the test, as many times as needed without paying another fee.

When you pass a course rank test, you will graduate to the next rank level.  When you graduate to a rank, other than black belt, you will receive (via email) a downloadable and printable, official, personalized rank-completion certificate issued by Shotokan University Online and internationally accredited by both the Funokoshi Shotokan Karate Association (FSKA) and Shotokan Karate-Do International Association (SKDIA).

Yes, you can. You're not bound by any contracts or annoying cancellation processes. If you just don’t like the course, you can cancel. Or if you fall on hard times and want to pause your membership for a while we can do that for you, too. 

You do not need a gi to train or submit your exams.  We do prefer that you have the correct belt for your level when submitting an assignment or exam.  Belts must be purchased on your own.  A link is provided below to uniforms and accessories.

Belts - https://amzn.to/33EPyIV

Gi - https://amzn.to/3FyQpYK

Belt Stripes - https://amzn.to/34St8o5

There isn't anything you NEED to begin taking this course.  I will suggest a few optional accessories and equipment to add to your training.

Punching Bag: https://amzn.to/3fDP7RT

Shield Pads: https://amzn.to/3IkxNNY

Focus Mitts: https://amzn.to/3H25TWZ

Training Mask: https://amzn.to/3fJxq36

Hydraulic Power Twister: https://amzn.to/36xCtT7

Shotokan Karate Bible: https://amzn.to/3IuwWKD

Karate: The Complete Kata: https://amzn.to/3FVTSRx