Thank you for visiting our Dojo Website. We are a traditional karate school offering
training in the Japanese style Shotokan Karate. The quality of instruction that is
provided is excellent. Our school membership is not large, by design. We prefer
students who are serious about learning and studying traditional karate, rather than
students who merely wish to 'do' karate as a sport or as a pastime. Please check the
'Contact' page for training days and times.
Our instructors are friendly, approachable and enjoy training with our existing family of
students as well as prospective and new students.
Discipline and mutual respect is a foundation of Karate-do and is always required and
maintained during class to create and assure a safe training environment. If you live in
Central Florida or are visiting Orlando and are looking for a Dojo to train in while you are
here, you are welcome to train with us. Please bring your karate Gi to class or in the
case of new students, just wear comfortable clothing.
training in the Japanese style Shotokan Karate. The quality of instruction that is
provided is excellent. Our school membership is not large, by design. We prefer
students who are serious about learning and studying traditional karate, rather than
students who merely wish to 'do' karate as a sport or as a pastime. Please check the
'Contact' page for training days and times.
Our instructors are friendly, approachable and enjoy training with our existing family of
students as well as prospective and new students.
Discipline and mutual respect is a foundation of Karate-do and is always required and
maintained during class to create and assure a safe training environment. If you live in
Central Florida or are visiting Orlando and are looking for a Dojo to train in while you are
here, you are welcome to train with us. Please bring your karate Gi to class or in the
case of new students, just wear comfortable clothing.
Welcome to Black Tiger Shotokan Karate
Black Tiger Shotokan
Peter Spence is Head Instructor at Black Tiger Shotokan Karate.
Spence Sensei has over 30 years experience in Shotokan
karate and holds the rank of Godan. Sensei was a student of
Masakazu Takahashi, Takahashi Dojo, Amityville, NY and
Minoru Horie, Horie Karate Dojo, Hartsdale, NY.
Spence Sensei has over 30 years experience in Shotokan
karate and holds the rank of Godan. Sensei was a student of
Masakazu Takahashi, Takahashi Dojo, Amityville, NY and
Minoru Horie, Horie Karate Dojo, Hartsdale, NY.
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Be soft in your practice. Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not a
raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have faith in its course. It will go its own
way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves, the cracks, the
crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight. It will take you. -
Sheng-yen
raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have faith in its course. It will go its own
way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves, the cracks, the
crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight. It will take you. -
Sheng-yen
Shotokan Karate -
The founder of Shotokan Karate was Gichin Funakoshi. Shotokan Karate is
named after Master Funakoshi's Pename, SHOTO which means “PINE WAVES”
or “WIND IN THE PINES” thus Shotokan refers to the ” HOUSE OF SHOTO”.
This name was adopted by Funakoshi's students when they hanged a sign above
the door at the entrance of the house with the name of SHOTOKAN where
Master Funakoshi taught Karate.
Shotokan Karate was influenced by two Okinawan Karate styles: SHOREI-RYU
and SHORIN-RYU, but also KENDO had some influence in distance and timing.
SHOTOKAN is a traditional MARTIAL ART in which improvements in character
and mental discipline are equally important as the physical part. Practitioners of
SHOTOKAN thrive to polish respect, integrity, courage and self-control on a
daily basis to become better persons.
SHOTOKAN has three KANJI characters.
The “SHO” character means pine tree. “TO” character means waves. “KAN”
character stands for school, house or training hall.
In 1963 the first SHOTOKAN DOJO was built in Tokyo, Japan.
Among the many things Master Funakoshi left us are his 20 Guiding Principles of
Karate, outlined below. Many schools use different translations of these
Principles, and I have even known several who have added some of their own to
his 20. The following, however, these are the most widely used to my knowledge:
1. Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari, rei ni owaru koto wo wasuruna.
Karate begins and ends with courtesy.
2. Karate ni sente nashi.
There is no first attack in karate.
3. Karate wa gi no tasuke.
Karate is an assistance to justice.
4. Mazu jiko wo shire, shikoshite tao wo shire.
Know yourself first, before you know others.
5. Gijutsu yori shinjutsu.
Spirit before technique.
6. Kokoro wa hanatan koto wo yosu.
Be ready to free your mind.
7. Wazawai wa getai ni shozu.
Accidents come from laziness.
8. Dojo nomino karate to omou na.
Karate training goes beyond the dojo.
9. Karate no shugyo wa issho de aru.
You will never stop learning in karate.
10. Arai-yuru mono wo karate-ka seyo, soko ni myo-mi ari.
Apply karate to everything. Therein lies it’s beauty.
11. Karate wa yu no goto shi taezu natsudo wo ataezareba moto no
mizu ni kaeru.
Karate is like boiling water. If not given heat, it will go cold.
12. Katsu kangae wa motsu na makenu kangae wa hitsuyo.
Do not think of winning. Instead, think that you must never lose.
13. Tekki ni yotte tenka seyo.
Make adjustments according to your opponent.
14. Tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni ari.
The outcome of a fight depends on how you handle weaknesses
and strengths.
15. Hito no te ashi wo ken to omoe.
Think of hands and feet as swords.
16. Danshi mon wo izureba hyakuman no tekki ari.
When you step outside your own gate, you face a million enemies.
17. Kamae wa shoshinsha ni ato wa shizentai.
Fixes positions are for beginners: later, one moves naturally.
18. Kata wa tadashiku jissen wa betsu mono.
Kata is practised perfectly, real fight is another thing.
19. Chikara no kyojaku, karada no shinshuku, waza no kankyu wo wasaruna.
Hard and soft, tension and relaxation, quick and slow, all connected in
the technique.
20. Tsune ni shinen kufu seyo.
Think of ways to apply these precepts every day.
The founder of Shotokan Karate was Gichin Funakoshi. Shotokan Karate is
named after Master Funakoshi's Pename, SHOTO which means “PINE WAVES”
or “WIND IN THE PINES” thus Shotokan refers to the ” HOUSE OF SHOTO”.
This name was adopted by Funakoshi's students when they hanged a sign above
the door at the entrance of the house with the name of SHOTOKAN where
Master Funakoshi taught Karate.
Shotokan Karate was influenced by two Okinawan Karate styles: SHOREI-RYU
and SHORIN-RYU, but also KENDO had some influence in distance and timing.
SHOTOKAN is a traditional MARTIAL ART in which improvements in character
and mental discipline are equally important as the physical part. Practitioners of
SHOTOKAN thrive to polish respect, integrity, courage and self-control on a
daily basis to become better persons.
SHOTOKAN has three KANJI characters.
The “SHO” character means pine tree. “TO” character means waves. “KAN”
character stands for school, house or training hall.
In 1963 the first SHOTOKAN DOJO was built in Tokyo, Japan.
Among the many things Master Funakoshi left us are his 20 Guiding Principles of
Karate, outlined below. Many schools use different translations of these
Principles, and I have even known several who have added some of their own to
his 20. The following, however, these are the most widely used to my knowledge:
1. Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari, rei ni owaru koto wo wasuruna.
Karate begins and ends with courtesy.
2. Karate ni sente nashi.
There is no first attack in karate.
3. Karate wa gi no tasuke.
Karate is an assistance to justice.
4. Mazu jiko wo shire, shikoshite tao wo shire.
Know yourself first, before you know others.
5. Gijutsu yori shinjutsu.
Spirit before technique.
6. Kokoro wa hanatan koto wo yosu.
Be ready to free your mind.
7. Wazawai wa getai ni shozu.
Accidents come from laziness.
8. Dojo nomino karate to omou na.
Karate training goes beyond the dojo.
9. Karate no shugyo wa issho de aru.
You will never stop learning in karate.
10. Arai-yuru mono wo karate-ka seyo, soko ni myo-mi ari.
Apply karate to everything. Therein lies it’s beauty.
11. Karate wa yu no goto shi taezu natsudo wo ataezareba moto no
mizu ni kaeru.
Karate is like boiling water. If not given heat, it will go cold.
12. Katsu kangae wa motsu na makenu kangae wa hitsuyo.
Do not think of winning. Instead, think that you must never lose.
13. Tekki ni yotte tenka seyo.
Make adjustments according to your opponent.
14. Tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni ari.
The outcome of a fight depends on how you handle weaknesses
and strengths.
15. Hito no te ashi wo ken to omoe.
Think of hands and feet as swords.
16. Danshi mon wo izureba hyakuman no tekki ari.
When you step outside your own gate, you face a million enemies.
17. Kamae wa shoshinsha ni ato wa shizentai.
Fixes positions are for beginners: later, one moves naturally.
18. Kata wa tadashiku jissen wa betsu mono.
Kata is practised perfectly, real fight is another thing.
19. Chikara no kyojaku, karada no shinshuku, waza no kankyu wo wasaruna.
Hard and soft, tension and relaxation, quick and slow, all connected in
the technique.
20. Tsune ni shinen kufu seyo.
Think of ways to apply these precepts every day.