About Washington Karate
The Washington Karate Association - Ballard Dojo is the first Washington Karate Association school established in 1966. It has been a familiar Seattle icon for over 50 years, relocating to a larger, more modern facility in 2004. The Washington Karate Ballard Dojo remains the benchmark for excellence in traditional Hayashi-ha Shito Ryu karate in Seattle. It is a supportive and fun community, offering an excellent after-school program. The Sensei creates a safe and comfortable place for people of all ages, providing moral lessons and managing classes effectively. Customers have been training here for years, describing it as a family that has shaped who they are today.
Growing up on Queen Anne Hill, I went for a long time to the Washington Karate Association when they where next to at the time a 7-11 and had a Cabinet shop behind them. Their training had prepared me not only for Self Defense, but for the Discipline, Learning Honor, Courage to overcome my obstacles and confidence that was the building blocks for my 22 years of US Army service. Thank you Hanshi and Sensei Thiry. Love to get caught up on the new things in your years.
Four my children and I have been attending to the Dojo for over 3 years. Karate started as another activity to take the kids to after school; however it has grown to be an important part of our lives. It has helped the boys to build character, respect and self-confidence. For myself, Karate has helped me to recover from a two year-old disc herniation and sciatica. From not being able to reach my toes or to seat down more than 5 minutes I could say I am fully recovered. These are just some benefits that Karate from WKA Ballard Dojo has provided to our family. WKA Ballard Dojo is an exceptional place. Sensei Day, is a fabulous instructor. He teaches Karate not only in the form of kumite or kata but also in live lessons of respect, humility, perseverance, respect, courage and friendship. He is very approachable and teaches the majority of the classes. Other black belts are also incredible and very reachable and help you every time. There is a wonderful Karate community formed around WKA Ballard Dojo, very supportive and friendly. There are people of all ages and races; young children, teens, adults, moms and dads doing Karate with their kids. Everybody is welcomed. My kids and I feel as part of a big family here. There are kids-tailored classes, basic karate, advanced karate, kata-only classes, kumite classes and tournament oriented classes. Finally, there is Kata fund, a nonprofit that born from WKA which helps families, like ours, which need financial aid to fund Karate, lessons and tournaments. Thank you Sensei Day, Sensei Guitierrez and all black belts. Ossu.
High expectations are upheld, in a loving way. Our two daughters have attended the after-school program all school year. We love the structure, self-respect, and rigor this program provides. We also like seeing how much the kids respect Sensei Day, and how he clearly cares about his students.