Kokoro Shorin Ryu Karate
Traditional Okinawan Karate School in Bloomington Indiana
Friendly atmosphere, for all ages!
Kokoro Shorin Ryu Karate
Traditional Okinawan Karate School in Bloomington Indiana
Friendly atmosphere, for all ages!
About Kokoro Karate
Our Teacher (Sensei)
Sensei Scott Larson was born and raised in Southern Indiana. He is a well-known certified electrician in our small community and beyond. He has studied Kokoro Shorin Ryu Karate for many years under both Sensei Todd Allen and O'Sensei Kenneth Keegan, and holds the rank of 4th degree black belt. He has taught youth karate at the Boys and Girls Club since 2015. He currently teaches an all ages class at Satori Martial Arts.
He is also a passionate cyclist, and a fervent friend of the cutters, helping in their annual races for the little 500 and also participating in the Hilly 100 every year since the early 90’s. His lifelong partner Jennifer is also a karate black belt and a life coach, who has been teaching Taichi and Qigong for years.
Classes are held at:
Satori Integrated Martial Arts located at 415 W 4th St. Bloomington, In 47404
Wednesdays at 6pm
Saturdays at 10am
$60 a month
Contact:
Sensei Scott Larson
812-322-9929
Our History
Kokoro Shorin Ryu Karate is a traditional family style of self-defense. The system was founded by O’Sensei Kenneth Keegan who studied karate in Okinawa during his service in the Vietnam War. It includes blocking, striking, and grappling techniques that develop personal awareness and self-control. The training starts with single techniques out of set positions and progresses into combinations and movement.
The philosophy of the system is expressed and practiced through kata (a specific sequence of techniques and movements). Traditional karate weapons and weapons katas are also part of the curriculum. With the knowledge of karate and self-defense comes the responsibility of being ethical and kind. Kokoro Shorin Ryu Karate is a wholesome system with a depth that offers a lifetime of study and development.
The concept that there is no first attack in karate is so important that it is one of the guiding principles of the style. The style is non-competitive and stresses that combat is “a defensive art”. The components of this art are not only techniques of self-defense but also means to develop the person mentally and physically as a whole.
Shorin-Ryu Karate was developed on the island of Okinawa, about half way between mainland China and Japan. It combines native martial arts heavily influenced by Chinese Kung-Fu, specifically the White Crane style.
The name Shorin has the same Japanese characters for the Chinese word Shaolin, or pine forest. It refers to the Shaolin Temple which influenced the kung-fu of the Chinese martial artists, who either taught or demonstrated the art to Okinawans in China or traveled to Okinawa themselves. Our linage begins there and goes on to develop the art through the Matsumara family, with Sokon Matsumura, Nobe Matsumara, and Hohan Soken as the early pioneers of our Shorin-Ryu school.
The word Karate originally meant “Chinese hand” (To-de), but was changed to mean “empty hand” because of Japanese influence and to underscore the weaponless, peaceful nature of the Okinawan people. Karate was popularized in Japan and found its way to the rest of the world from there.
Throughout human history, self-defense and safely navigating in and through the world has been a primary concern. In these tumultuous times, it’s perhaps more important than ever for people to know and practice these vital skills.
Kokoro Shorin Ryu is a traditional family style system that combines Okinawan philosophy and techniques with a practical modern approach, thus increasing an individual’s situational awareness and general well-being.
In addition to being extremely practical, training in Kokoro Shorin Ryu offers a wide range of health benefits, such as improving overall fitness, balance, strength, focus, and endurance.
The class is structured so that all ages and abilities can easily start and participate.
In its highest expression, Karate is a path to self-knowledge and personal refinement that can enhance all aspects of an individual’s quality of life. In addition, traditional Kokoro Shorin Ryu Karate is a complex and multifaceted self-defense system that can be practiced and studied throughout a student’s lifetime.
We look forward to seeing you at the dojo!
Welcome to the Dojo
“To all those whose progress remains hampered by ego-related distractions, let humility – the spiritual cornerstone upon which Karate rests – serve to remind one to place virtue before vice, values before vanity and principles before personalities.”
— Sokon ‘Bushi’ Matsumura (legendary Karate grandmaster)
“Nothing is more harmful to the world than a martial art that is not effective in actual self-defense.”
— Choki Motobu (founder of Motobu-ryu Kempo and notorious Okinawan Karate street-fighter)
“My old ways of Karate were not readily accepted by everyone. They thought it was too outdated and too crude – I think it was just too hard or maybe my training methods were too severe. Whatever it was, it was the way I learned and the way I taught. It was only later, when the Americans came to learn, that I changed my ways.”
— Hohan Soken (founder of Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu Karate)
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