Getting a Kick Out of Summer

If you are thinking about taking a martial arts class--or sending your kids somewhere to learn self-defense over the summer--you have plenty of choices.

Tae kwon do, jeet kune do, shotokan, Kenpo, tang soo do, kung fu, hapkido and tai chi chuan--each describe a particular form of martial art. Some use the hands. Some use the feet. Others focus on the whole body and even the spirit.

To make it more complicated, there are different philosophies within each form of martial art.

Some focus more on the art as a sporting event with competitions and rankings. Others see the practice as a form of recreation or physical fitness. Or a studio owner may be very narrow in interpreting the art, teaching it strictly as self-defense.

To help you anticipate what to expect, we contacted a few places to get an idea of size, location, operating hours, experience of instructors and costs.

First, we found that many of the owners are also instructors with a variety of degrees of black belts--and they are amazingly nice for people who know many ways to injure or kill another person. Of course, they would only do that in self-defense, so maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that they are polite and businesslike.

At the Academy of Koei Kan Karate Do in Ventura, owner Brayton Carpenter teaches 90% of the classes.

“The difference between karate instruction can be like the difference between a Volkswagen and a Rolls-Royce,” Carpenter said.

Koei kan karate uses hands and feet for all aspects of self-defense, he said.

At his studio, students age 4 and up get one-on-one instruction in a gym-like setting, he said.

A $350 registration fee includes unlimited one-on-one instruction and a uniform. A one-year contract is required with a monthly fee of $65 for two days a week, or $85 for unlimited visits. The gym is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Friday.

The academy is running a summer special for $199 for three months, a free uniform, unlimited gym use and no registration fee, he said.

Sasaki’s Kenpo Karate in Oxnard teaches an American-style karate from Hawaii. Its 6,000-square-foot facility offers classes for 3-year-olds and up.

“With Kenpo, everything is in English,” owner Jody Sasaki said.

People come to his studio to learn self-defense, gain flexibility, lose weight, practice a hobby or improve health and fitness, he said.

One of Sasaki’s most popular programs costs $79 a month and includes use of the weight room, martial arts instructions, fitness, strengthening and grappling--also known as ground fighting.

There is a one-time $49 registration fee, he said.

The studio is open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 3 to 9 p.m.

An introductory program is offered for $29 that includes a uniform and three 30-minute private lessons with a black belt. On the third lesson, students earn their white belt and can continue by joining one of the regular classes.

At Martial Arts America in Moorpark, owner Dan Anderson, a fifth-degree black belt, teaches Korean hapkido.

Those who learn the combative art will be able to put attackers in submission holds instead of doing a lot of punching and kicking.

Law enforcement officers and military personnel are especially interested in this form of self-defense, Anderson said.

For $19.95, the studio has an introductory offer that includes a 30-minute private lesson and a class. If the student wants to continue, the $19.95 is waived and, for $99, he or she can receive a uniform and one month’s worth of lessons that last one hour for adults and 45 minutes for children and can be attended up to three days a week.

These classes can be continued for $100 a month, or a more committed student can take unlimited weekly classes for $80 a month with a two-year Black Belt Club contract, he said.

The studio is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 3 to 7 p.m. Friday; and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. There are also classes from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the week.

If you are still confused or just want to try out martial arts before investing a lot of money, you can call your local parks and recreation department and find out what classes they may offer.

The Conejo Recreation and Park District in Thousand Oaks offers a variety of martial arts classes at all its centers. Many cost less than $10 a class.

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Nancy Needham writes a weekly consumer column and can be reached at nancy.needham@reporters.net.