Welcome to Desert Valley Shotokan! We offer Shotokan karate instruction in and around Mesa, Arizona, for students of all ages. Check out our class listing and come join us!

What is Karate?

Karate (空手) is a martial art developed on the island of Okinawa, now a part of Japan. Karate was designed for civilian self-protection and uses punching, kicking, blocking, throwing, locking, and grappling techniques to neutralize and escape from threats. Today, people study karate for a variety of reasons, including self-protection, personal development, and sport. Karate is divided into many “styles.” The style we practice is called “Shotokan.”

What is Shotokan?

Shotokan (松濤館) is a style of karate, founded by Gichin Funakoshi. Shotokan is considered a “hard” style of karate, characterized by deep, powerful stances and long-range attacks. Despite this, Shotokan holds to its founder’s belief that:

The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the perfection of the character of its participants. — Gichin Funakoshi

This site also contains a number of resources to help you along your karate journey. Some are specifically designed to help students in particular classes, but many are of general interest. Please have a look.

This calendar lists all Desert Valley Shotokan events, including classes, testing dates, other events, and days when class is cancelled.

You can also click here for a full-screen version of this calendar