I have trained with members of the San Francisco Shotokan Karate for a decade now, being lucky…read moreenough to have been instructed at various practices and special trainings by former dojo leader, Jane, and being a member of the US team with current dojo leader, Mike. This dojo always shows up, from white belts to black belts, with enthusiasm and a great camaraderie. They truly seem like a family. If you're looking for a welcoming dojo where you can learn authentic Japanese karate from highly qualified instructors, stop by and check out a class here.

Amazing dojo led by inspiring people who have practiced Shotokan karate, some of them, most of…read moretheir lives. Stop by and see for yourself. The community is just as meaningful as the practice itself. It will change your life, it did mine.

I was a student for three years at Zen Budokai until my health and financial situation no longer…read morepermitted me to take classes. During that time I achieved my blue belt. Classes are small, with lots of personalized attention. Both Professor Tim and Sensei Ned run classes well, come up with great drills, and always have insightful feedback about ways to do techniques better. The other regular students were also fantastic. As (usually) the only woman in the class, and a small one to boot, I was initially worried about not being taken seriously. However, the feeling in the class is very fraternal. As soon as students have their first belt, they take turns teaching students at lower levels. In this way, students are familiar with and feel responsible for each other's progress. It also keeps techniques you learned a while back fresh in your mind, and you keep improving them as you teach them. I never felt uncomfortable and made friends with several classmates. No macho BS. This is not Brazilian Gracie jujitsu, and not focused on competition, but a smaller school focused on effective self-defense, perfecting techniques, avoiding injury and mutual respect. If you are not familiar with jujitsu, it's good to note that unlike karate or kung fu, which are striking arts, jujitsu focused on close-in fighting, mat wrestling, throws, holds, escapes and joint locks. I chose it because as a small woman, I'll never have the striking reach of a larger opponent. Any tussle I get into will wind up with someone trying to pin or hold me down. Thanks to my classes at Zen Budokai, I know how to deal with these situations. I hope that if someone attacked me, god forbid, I wouldn't panic and freeze, but would know that I could escape and incapacitate my attacker. Once I got good at some throwing techniques and learned how to use weight and leverage to my advantage, I could throw a 250-lb classmate over my head. I'm 5'2", 120ish lbs. That's just kinda cool. I would recommend classes at Zen Budokai to anyone interested in learning self-defense techniques in a respectful, encouraging and fun environment. I hope I can one day return to the school myself.

I was a direct student of the founder, Raymond "Duke" Moore [RIP], at the original dojo on Market…read moreSt., 1962-1974. I respectfully & wholeheartedly commend Tim Delgman, Irving Lee. Doug Haight, Clint LeMay and Scott Moresi for continuing and promoting the rich philosophy and traditions of the martial arts presented to us by Moore Hanshi. Apply yourself to make the most of this experience, keep an open mind and ask questions. This is where I started. "Minimum effort, maximum efficiency".

I went in for a trial as I want to find a place to train but wasn't sure which dojo to join. The…read moremat fee is $15 for a one off session which is comparable to other locations. I've had practically zero martial arts experience aside from some wushu when I was a kid. Everyone was very nice and patient. The sensei and even other students that I practiced with were great teachers. What I really appreciated was how they would explain why you take a certain action and how that has an impact. It helps me remember better and makes it a more wholistic learning experience.

Prior to joining this dojo, I had never taken any martial arts classes other than self-defense…read moreseminars (2 hr course by campus safety patrolmen and women). I wanted to be active in a sport where I'm engaged physically and mentally, and so I started looking up different dojo in SF. I started classes in February 2009 at Pacific Aikido Center, with a Tue. & Thur. evening commitment. I practice regularly with other novices as well as with higher ranked brown & black belts. The people I train with are great, and so are the instructors. The dojo is run by Shiohira Sensei, who teaches classes on M, W, F. Other black belt sensei-instructors teach on Tu, Th, Sa. During class, we warm up and stretch, then we pair up with various classmates for 45 minutes. Both the sensei and partner-in-training go through techniques with me, with repetition and often with specific guidance on ways to improve. The instructors and classmates are incredibly patient and kind. Everyone is here to improve themselves and help others, and we all improve at our own pace. While it's amazing to see what the higher-level practitioners of Aikido can do, every once in a whie I look back and am amazed at what I've learned in my year at the dojo. If you have always wanted to take martial arts, Aikido is a great art to begin your practice. I recommend this school to any beginner.

I'm surprised to see so many glowing reviews for this place because from when I was a student here…read moreyears ago I was bullied beyond belief along with other students Shihan Saito did not "favorite". He would insult us in front of others and especially liked picking on certain students, including me. It was more than tough love to me, it was just plain mean. I also had several friends quit because of the treatment. I should've spoken up long ago but I was too young. I stuck around till I barely got my black belt and left, at that point Shihan barely bothered to talk to me anymore. The only saving grace was Sensei Jill, I still remember her after all these years. If you're not a paying parent, cute kid, or respected adult, don't bother.

I spent my last semester there before heading back home in 2010. It's a place that made me fall in…read morelove with martial art. Saito sensei is extremely knowledgeable and he trained along with students . No BS. Just sweat a ton !

I strongly recommend this dojo as a great place to learn karate and get in good shape…read more I've been training with Sensei Shockness for more than two years, starting as a complete beginner to karate and progressing to blue belt (intermediate) so far. I really enjoy the practice because it is a challenging workout and I enjoy hanging out with the other people in the dojo. I also really like the sparring that happens by the end of almost every class. This is a small dojo and a community - most people know each other by name. It is Karate-"do" dojo which means that it teaches not only the physical parts of karate but also the ideas of karate. As such, it enforces certain rules of behavior and mutual respect, and certain level of discipline. It is a great workout and it has developed my core and leg strength, and made me quite a bit more flexible. Practice is usually 2 hours long and includes work on stances, blocks and strikes, practice of forms (kata), strenth drills, and free sparring (kumite) with protective gear. As a software engineer I find it really helpful way to unwind from stress of work by focusing on the excerices. It works better for me than lifting weights in the gym. Sensei Shockness is 6th degree black belt and has won numerous tournaments of Karate. He has 40+ years of experience and really knows karate deeply and thoroughly and has won a lot of tournaments. He is really good at teaching sparring and I've enjoyed learning sparring from him. There are other great things anout the dojo - tournaments, special classes, guest instructors, holiday parties.

There was a time when the instructor, Shihan Wayne Shockness, was a generous, understanding, and…read morealso physically skilled martial artist. I quit this April because he became very unprofessional, was fooling around a lot instead of actually teaching, was verbally abusing and cursing at me to give him money for his personal expenses such as food, medical bills, etc. after I already paid the $250 a month dojo fee, was abusing me because I did not meet all his expectations for personal favors such as helping him move and set up furniture at his apartment, and throwing insults me with baseless allegations and projections of what he is doing, because I didn't meet all his selfish requests for money and personal favors that have nothing to do with Karate. He verbally abuses people for selfish gain and returns favors with disrespect, cursing, false accusations, and verbal abuse. When I gave an example of a time when I was always available for him, by buying him medicine and masks when he was sick, he said: "No you did not. I called you to buy me medicine and set up my chair. After you brought me the food and medicine, and did the bedsheets, and I needed you to set up the chair you left and I am standing there. You went and did whatever. It took me three hours to put that chair together." Shihan continued, "I said I will never ask you for help again. That shows your bad attitude." On December 21, 2025, Shockness asked me, "Can I have $20?" I said I could not and needed to take care of myself. He persisted in asking and insulting me. "Can I have $20? You need to stop being cheap." As he persisted, I would just respond to him in the same way and he would disrespect in the same way. After a pause, Shockness continued. "I have big problems. God. You are disgusting. You know that? You bitch about spending $20. I have people who actually care about me. They spend hundreds of dollars on me for a new TV. Unlike you, I actually do have students that care about me." I said his type of humor does not get old on me. "You need to stop being so cheap and selfish. People are going to hate you and resent you. Seriously? You think this is a joke? You just want to take." By saying the following, he is trying to propagate an upside down reality that I am somehow the "selfish" one. He curses and uses insults that are projections of what he is doing onto me, which mental health experts describe as narcissistic, emotional manipulation, and deflecting of the offender's character defects to the victim. "Your heart is void, It is not about the money, you dumb piece of ****. I am showing you how to be a good person. You are rude. You are disrespectful. Change your attitude. You bitched to me once that you spent $30 on food. Neriah and Helen spent hundreds. They never once came up to me with the same disrespect." Shihan Shockness's inappropriate behaviors include abusive speech, cursing, raising voice aggressively, abusing people for for selfish gain (money and personal expenses), repeatedly making unwanted requests for money and personal expenses even after answering some requests, lying, falsely accusing, distorting events to project "selfishness" onto me when he is clearly the one who is self-centered, refusing to make things right with people who were victimized, and stealing (refusing to give back $250 for cancelled classes). Shihan Shockness's inappropriate and blatantly abusive behaviors are completely contradictory to the core values of Shotokan Karate, which include respect, discipline, and integrity. I encourage him to take this opportunity for reflection and growth. Care for Shihan, but do not invest in his self-indulgence. He takes no responsibility for his immoral and abusive actions, and refuses to reconcile despite me reaching out to his friend and him. Instead, he pressures his dojo members to disassociate with me through unfriending me online. I wrote this review as a last resort.

Best Kung fu school around hands down.Ive been a student under Sifu Master Schauer for 9 years. We…read morefocus on all aspects of Kung fu .Great place to build a man or women to the highest degree . Vic Rael

I have been a student of Master Schauer's for nearly a decade now, and have continued to study with…read morehim even after moving to the east bay. Master Schauer's classes are based on traditional kung fu systems but also include grappling and kickboxing. I highly recommend this school for anyone looking to get in shape and enjoy the health benefits of traditional kung fu training as well as practical self defense. I usually take the weekend classes which are held outside in golden gate park and can last for hours! Highly recommended.

I'm so glad to have found Soko Joshi. It is such a joy to be in the class and learn from sensei…read moreWilina.

I have been with this judo club for a year and the sensei / teacher (Wilina) and her students have…read morebeen truly welcoming, kind and knowledgeable. Unlike other judo dojos that are geared primarily around competitions and only teach a few techniques very well, this dojo is focused on giving instructions on all of the techniques so you get to learn a lot more than at any other place. Practice is conducted in a way that is respectful and unlikely to lead to injury. They also allow potential students to sit in on a few classes to learn what judo is all about before enrolling. Wilina and the other black belt students who help out are all volunteers and they're doing this to pass on the judo tradition that was started by Keiko Fukuda (who used to be the highest ranking woman in judo globally). You can tell that they truly care about the practice of judo, each other, as well as all incoming new students. I would highly recommend enrolling if there's interest!

I had heard of Capoeira, always imagined as something I could never do or something I should ve…read morepicked when I was much younger. One day by chance, I saw 2 people doing capoeira at a street event of the Center (an awesome place by the way) , who were students of Bill Stark (Tucano), it looked so fun and beautiful I wanted to try it myself at his school. The philosophy of the school is to make capoeira accessible to everyone, and this really shows when you go to their classes. Everyone I have met in class is very welcoming, friendly, has a really good atitude on their own work as well as helping others. The energy and inspiration you get off them is really high. I d never done Yoga, I had just been trying to keep in shape with gym and tennis sometimes, I have been doing 2 and a half months of Capoeira at CAQ, I can now do stuff I could never imagine myself doing and I feel stronger than ever, and this is only the beginning... Tucano is a very nice, friendly, inspiring guy. His capoeira is awesome and knows how to feed knowledge on his students. Once you got the most basic things right, he works on the details, one by one, making the move/sequence you are working on more challenging at every step. If you are a more advanced student, he still does this, there is always room for improvement in Capoeira!. He also talks about strategy at the games and gives you very constructive feedback when he sees something wrong. The place where we train is really nice and conveniently located at Lower Haight. Lots of classes - Mon-Fri 8-9AM , Mon-Thu 6:30-7:30, and a weekly roda (really a lot of bang for your buck) . First week is 18 bucks for you to try it out, then $135 a month. Join us!

Capoeira with Tucano at The Center is awesome! I've taken several classes there now, and have…read morenothing but great things to say. I'm a black belt in a Japanese martial arts, and a teacher in that practice as well, so I can say with great confidence that Tucano's class is a great blend of workout, theory, and play. As a beginner capoeira student, I really liked his pacing, though I've seen Tucano take on a mixed class of advanced and new students, and the more advanced students had a blast, too. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for mental, physical or spiritual exercise.