The Little Warriors program at Aka To Kuro was designed by Sensei Bratcher to build confidence, discipline, strength, and coordination in very young students. This is accomplished through a high energy workout combined with constant scaffolding of the knowledge needed to make them successful in more advanced classes.

The Little Warriors program leads students through several skills that help make them not only better down the line as martial artists, but help them physically progress with both gross and fine motor coordination.

Yellow The Student must display focus, know their right from left, and count from 1-10 in Japanese.

Orange The student must display respect, preform one kick, know 3 Japanese words, and count from 1-15 using the Japanese numbering system.

Green Mind over matter, 2 kicks, 4 Japanese words, and numbering system

Blue Agility, 3 kicks, 5 Japanese words, and numbering system Purple Leadership, 4 kicks, 6 Japanese words, and numbering system

Red Strength, 5 kicks, 7 Japanese words, and numbering system

Black Focus, respect, mind over matter, agility, balance, strength, balance 6 kicks, 8 words, and numbering system.

Our Kihon program is set up for those students that move through the Little Warriors program or that come in a bit more physically advanced. These students wear a white belt with a red stripe and their learning is more focused on the skills needed to progress through the belt system of Shodin Ji Do.

The ATK (Aka To Kuro) program is traditional okinawan karate as it has been passed down for generations. Students will learn discipline, focus, balance and self defense skills both empty handed and with traditional and non-traditional martial arts weapons.

This program offers classes for different ages and skill levels.

In Shodin Ji Do Karate, there are as with most martial arts styles, ten steps or ranks called kyus. In Shodin Ji Do, we use four colored belts with different different striped levels.

White belts are beginners. The next rank is green belt.

The green belt has 3 levels or degrees.

Our advanced belt is a brown belt which has 5 levels or degrees, leading up to black belt.

Our last colored belt is a black belt or shodan. This is by no means the end of the martial arts path. Different levels of black belt are called dan and are awarded by higher ranking instructors.