Battle cries echo through the halls of the Kinesiology building as the class moves as one. Sporting the gi, the students in KIN 60A are members of Cal State Long Beach’s Shotokan Karate Club, the oldest martial art organization on campus.
Shotokan is a style of karate that was developed in 1936 by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigō Funakoshi. It consists of many martial arts, including kihon, kata and kumite.
The club begins every semester by starting with the basics of Shotokan, which Club President Yessica Gomez believes helps newcomers feel welcome.
Kihon consists of Shotokan’s basic techniques, movements and stances that provide stability and strength. Kata consists of a variety of motions and strikes, and pays closer attention to rhythm. Kumite is the application of techniques learned in kata, also known as sparring. The traditional style of Shotokan is considered very influential, credited for helping popularize karate.
Gichin Funakoshi introduced the martial art to Japan through public demonstrations and university clubs, and he remained in the country to teach it, but Tsutomu Ohshima soon brought karate to the United States.
One of Master Funakoshi’s last pupils, Ohshima, opened the first karate dojo in the U.S. at the Konko Church in Los Angeles. Among his students was Caylor Adkins, one of Mr. Ohshima’s first black belts and a CSULB student. Adkins formed the club in 1967, and it has remained since.
It’s current dojo instructor, Samir Abboud, joined the club in 1969 and continued to train with the club after he graduated. He is currently at the rank of fifth degree black belt.
“Well, I got beat up in a bar,” Abboud said when asked what attracted him to karate. “So I decided I never want to get beat up again.”
Abboud joined the club when he saw a friend doing karate moves, which immediately drew his curiosity. He joined to the club and has not left it since. Abboud was entrusted with leadership in 1992, when his teacher, Don DePree, departed to oversee the Shotokan Ohshima Dojo in Santa Barbara.
The club has changed through the years, but Abboud believes they remain strong.
“The members now are less,” Abboud said. “In 1992, we used to have maybe 50 or 60 people, now we have 35 [or] 40. We practice in the day and night, so sometimes at practice there’s about 10 or 15. So numbers have really dropped down but we’re still going strong, it doesn’t matter to us…
We’re like the Marines, the few and the good,” Abboud joked.
The group is home to three types of practice sessions: karate class, karate club and self-defense class.
The karate class is tailored for beginners to learn Shotokan, while the self-defense class is about teaching students how to be able to defend themselves in real-life situations. The karate club session is where the more experienced students can practice what they have learned.
“Practicing Shotokan gives people confidence. In my experience, as well as others that I’ve spoken to [and] observed, people really appreciate the self-defense aspects. For many, it serves as a way to clear your mind and relieve stress, as our practice typically includes a short meditation, as well as breathing exercises,” Gomez said.
Though the club has participated in tournaments, Abboud said they do not do so regularly because tournaments tend to have a lot of “bad feelings.”
“Bad referees, bad ego, everyone wants to win. It’s not about winning or losing,” Abboud said.
Abboud believes that karate is not about claiming superiority in a fight, but is instead about evolving and improving one’s character.
“The more they practice the more they clean themselves. This is the whole idea of karate, the perfection of the character of the person. Not just punching and kicking,” Abboud said.
Other activities the organization participates in include karate demonstrations, weekend practices at the beach and fundraisers.
“As a general goal, we are always looking to grow more, and connect with more people who are interested in learning martial arts,” Gomez said.
Gomez said that next year will mark the club’s 50th anniversary.