Karate School for Children and Adults

If you want to practice self-defense and traditional karate from Okinawa, you’re welcome to join us!

We offer three groups:

• Children in grades 2-3 (9-10 years), practice sessions on Tue-Thurs at 8:00 PM. We still have a few spots available.
• Beginners aged 15 and up can choose to train on Tue-Thurs at 8:00 PM.
• Advanced belts, training sessions on Tue-Thurs at 9:00 PM.

We also accept older practitioners who want to re-engage or learn kobudo. Come and try it out, trial sessions are free.

Where and when?

Training sessions take place at the old DIF building, Deligradska 27, third floor, room 7. It’s near Slavija Square, check the Google Maps link.

The training times are:

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-9 PM (beginners) and 9-10 PM (advanced).

The monthly membership fee is 3,500 dinars. The training is led by Miloš Stanić (5th dan). Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the training session.

Dojo Concept

Our dojo (school) is non-profit, and the membership fee is just enough to cover the rent for the hall. I am the owner of a very successful IT company, so I am fortunate not to rely on income from running the training sessions but do it out of love for the art.

The main idea is recreational training for myself, older karate practitioners, and beginners. We don’t focus on mass enrollment; instead, our goal is to create a small school where everyone knows each other and practices high-quality traditional karate. Trainings are held only twice a week, and the number of spots is limited.

We focus a lot on self-defense, as well as the development of both the body and spirit of the practitioners. In training, we practice kata, work with focus pads, and an essential part is hojo undo, along with, of course, partner work.

In addition to karate, all practitioners also train kobudo (traditional weapons) – nunchaku, tonfa, sai, timbe/rochin (sword and shield), and kon (staff).

I personally focus on studying the history and promoting old karate in its original form, before it became a sport (karatedo). Our promotion is primarily done through today’s most powerful medium—the internet—by writing articles and promoting on Facebook and YouTube. Our practitioners usually have plenty of photos and videos from their training. In addition to online promotion, we are also no strangers to demonstrating karate in front of an audience whenever a suitable opportunity arises. Future plans include publishing a book on the subject, holding mini-seminars for other clubs…

All in all, it will be an exciting journey… would you like to be part of our story?

Training Atmosphere

Belt Rankings

In our school, there are no belt examinations; instead, belts are awarded. The Sensei assigns ranks based on his subjective judgment because he knows all the students best, understands who attends regularly, and recognizes how much each person has progressed. Since there are no exams before a committee, there are no associated costs, and belt promotions are free. This approach prevents, for example, someone from getting flustered in front of a committee and failing to meet the committee’s criteria due to nervousness. The criteria for awarding belts are higher than in other schools. We believe that this approach is better for the advancement of our practitioners.

White Belt – You can try our training sessions for free to see if they suit you. If we see that you are regular and have purchased a kimono, you will be symbolically admitted to the school by receiving the club emblem. This means we have accepted you into the school, and your karate journey can begin.

Yellow Belt – For this belt, 3-6 months of training are required, during which you need to master the basic exercises (kihon, kote-kitae) and the naihanchi kata. Of course, for all belts, the basic requirement is regular attendance at training sessions.

Next is the red belt, which takes one year of training, followed by the green belt (2 years), blue belt (3 years), brown belt (4 years), and finally the black belt, which  requires 5-7 years of training. During this time, you will master several kata – Chatan Yara Kushanku, Tomari Passai, and Anan, as well as several kobudo weapons (nunchaku, tonfa, sai, kon, and timbei/rochin). Most importantly, you will become a better person, both physically and spiritually.

For Parents

There is parking in front of the old DIF building, or you can go a little further and use the parking at the Clinical Center. On the lower floor, there is a café where you can have a coffee and wait. Nearby, there’s a McDonald’s at Slavija and several other cafés. Right next to the training hall, there is a playroom where you can leave your younger child for supervision while you train (playroom contact number: 061 300 60 90).

Kimono Purchase

For the first 2-3 months, you can train without a kimono, wearing tracksuits. The price of kimonos ranges from 2,500 din to 4,500 din for children. For adults, kimonos range from 5,000 din to 12,000 din depending on the model. If you already have a kimono, there’s no need to buy a new one. If not, we suggest purchasing from:

• PrajdRS – a store near the Stefan Nemanja monument
• BMA Sport – a store in Zemun offering affordable kimonos for beginners.
• IponRS – a company in Inđija, and the sole importer of premium Tokaido kimonos. You can order via courier. If you visit them before noon, they can shorten the sleeves and legs for free and sew the club emblem.

You should get a sturdier kimono of 12 or 14oz (kata kimono) and mention Karate Club Tsunami to potentially receive a discount.

The club has all the necessary equipment for karate training (focus mitts, makiwara, bags), kobudo (sai, nunchaku, tonfa, bo, kama…), and hojo undo (specific weights for karate).

Medical Check-up

By law, every practitioner needs a medical check-up once every 6 months. We have recommendations for two clinics:
https://provita.co.rs/
https://www.malicevic.rs/

The cost of the basic check-up is 900 din, which is sufficient, or around 3,500 din for a detailed check-up with an EKG under stress. Bring the certificate to the club for review.

Discounts

• The first week is free for all practitioners to try out the school and see if it suits them.
• Two children from the same family pay only one membership fee.
• If both a parent and a child train, they pay only one membership fee.

Why is our sports school good for your child?

• Because they won’t be staring at a computer or phone for 2 hours, they’ll be socializing with other children, exercising, and sweating.
• What type of karate will they practice? We practice traditional Okinawan karate (shorin-shotokan style), but for children, this isn’t as important as the program is adapted to their age of 12 and up, without dangerous techniques, so the risk of injury is minimized.
• Training concept – One-third of the training is dedicated to warm-up exercises, stretching, and warming up, one-third to elementary games, and one-third to basic karate.
• Exercises for children are perfect because they will learn basic warm-up and stretching exercises, learn how to fall, do forward and backward rolls, jump over obstacles, crawl, become faster, stronger, and improve their balance. Over time, you’ll notice your child applying these skills in other activities, like physical education at school.
• They will learn basic self-defense for their age, how to escape from a grab, basic wrestling, basic blocks and dodges, and how to strike with hands, feet, knees, and elbows. They will also learn one kata per year.
• Karate builds character. Over time, they will become stronger and more confident, but this won’t lead to increased aggression. On the contrary, karate training always helps children become more composed in their actions.
• Once a year, a belt test is organized, and if the children are regular, they will easily pass the program, receive a belt, and get a club diploma.

Where can I find out more about you?

More information about our work can be found on our YouTube channel.

Let’s stay in touch on Facebook.

We would like to thank the City Center for Physical Culture for their support.