Shotokan Karate for Adults and Kids in San Bruno near San Francisco
Welcome to JKA NorCal Shotokan Karate!
We are a traditional Shotokan Karate club affiliated with the Japan Karate Association American Federation. To find out more about the karate club, go to the about us page. We have kids & adult karate classes five days a week, at our Dojo in San Bruno, about 20 minutes south of San Francisco. If you’d like to train with us, please see our schedule and contact us to find out more.
JKA NorCal is proud to be bringing Sensei Yuko Hirayama, 7th Dan from JKA World Headquarters to California for the first time! We will have a total of 6 training sessions, including one open mat with members of the JKA National Team, spread over the last weekend of October (25th-26th). See you there!
We were honored to have over 43 dojos participate in this year’s JKA American Federation Nationals.
Furthest Traveled
The dojo that traveled the furthest to compete was the JKA Maine dojo.
Judges and Volunteers
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the judges and volunteers for this event. Truly, this event would not have happened without you. This list of dojos is as entered by registered participants, judges and volunteers.
Judges +
Competitors
Volunteers
Dojos
28
1
Tokon Martial Arts
33
9
Miami Shotokan Karate Club
40
27
JKA Nor Cal
19
1
JKA Maine
13
1
New Orleans Shotokan Academy
11
2
JKA Los Angeles / Machida Academy
9
0
JKA Revere
8
0
HP SHOTOKAN
6
1
JKA WF Chicago Karate Institute, Inc.
14
0
Shotokan Karate institute
6
1
Louisiana Karate Association
7
2
University of Louisiana Lafayette Karate Club
6
0
JKA of New Mexico
11
0
JKA Shiroma NY
5
2
JKA East Bay
4
0
Houramon Dojo
3
0
JKA Las Vegas/Los Angeles
5
2
JKA Karate of Arizona
2
3
Arizona JKA
1
0
Castillo’s Shotokan Karate-Do
1
0
Cleveland/Greenville Shotokan Karate Club
1
0
JKA Ashland
0
0
LKA, JKA of Arizona, & USM Karate Club
7
0
MIT Harvard Karate Hub
3
0
JKA Brooklyn
2
1
Silicon Valley Karate
1
0
Kyoshin Ryu Karate
1
0
NP Shotokan
1
0
Pantoja’s Shotokan Karate Do
1
0
Shotokan Karate Center Coral Springs JKA
1
0
Shotokan Karate Leadership School
1
0
Venice Karate Club
0
5
Shreveport Karate Club
0
4
JKA World Federation America
0
3
JKAAF
0
2
SKDI
0
1
Brevard Shotokan Karate
0
1
Dojo San Bruno
0
1
JKA Emory Karate Club
0
1
JKA Montville
0
1
Maumelle Karate Club
0
1
New Iberia Karate Institute
0
1
Orlando Shotokan Karate Club
0
1
UConn JKA
0
1
United Bay Area Karate Club (UBAKC)
Competitors
JKA NorCal had the most competitors, followed very closely by Miami Shotokan Karate Club from all the way in Florida.
Medals
Tokon took the most medals overall, and also the most Gold, Silver and tied with Miami Shotokan Karate Club for the most Bronze medals overall.
All participants should check in on Friday Nov 10, 2023 at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront (1800 Old Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA 94010) between 6:00 pm – 9:00pm. The check in desk is located on the 2nd floor, outside the Grand Ballroom. You will receive your competitor badge at check-in
There will be limited late check-in on Saturday Nov 11, 2023 beginning at 8:00am. To speed up your check-in, use the following link to complete the JotForm waiver Here
Hosted by: JKA Northern California
San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront: Burlingame, CA
November 10-12th, 2023
Men, women, children, all ranks and Shotokan organizations are invited! Spectators are welcome!
Dates & Times:
Nationals Check-in, Clinics and Dan testing
Friday November 10, 2023 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: For all Judges and Officials, Mandatory Judging Seminar and Judges Meeting with Sensei Jose Ferrand, Sensei Jerry Kattawar, Sensei Shu Takahashi, and Sensei Robert Jacobs, led by Sensei Yasuaki Nagatomo. Please register for judging here. (Location: JKA NorCal) 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Special Training Seminar with Sensei Jose Ferrand and Sensei Shu Takahashi (Location: JKA NorCal) 4:00pm – 6:00pm: Dan Testing (up to Sandan, Location: JKA NorCal) 6:00pm – 9:00pm: Check in (Location: Grand Ballroom, Marriot Waterfront)
Tournament
Saturday November 11, 2023 (Grand Ballroom) 8:00am – 9:00am: Late Check In. No registrations accepted on this day. 8:30am: National Anthem, Competitors Oath, and Bow-in 9:00am: Competition beginsin all rings 6:00pm: Day 1’s competition ends
Registration closes November 1st – but register early to get a discount. Early registration discount 10% off price below on all events ends September 10thmidnight!After October 21st, registration increases by 25%
Team Kata: $75; Team Kumite $75 Only One person registers for the whole team.
A competitor may register for as many divisions for which they are are eligible (i.e. an 18 year old college student may register for Youth 16-18, Collegiate, and Adult divisions)
This tournament will be following the JKA tournament rules and regulations. Beginner and Intermediate divisions will follow slightly modified rules for individual Kata and Kumite.
Eligibility All shotokan karate practitioners, regardless of local, national, or international affiliation, may compete at the JKA/AF National Karate Championships.
Kata Beginner: Competitors will perform Two katas selected from Taikyoku Shodan to Heian Godan. Competitors may repeat the same kata from Round 1 in Round 2. Each kata will be scored, and the winner will be selected based upon the combined score. Intermediate: Competitors will perform Twodifferent katas selected from Heian Shodan to Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Empi, and Jion. Competitors must perform a different kata in Round 2 than was performed in Round 1. Each kata will be scored, and the winner will be selected based upon the combined score. Advanced/Black Belt: Competitors will follow standard JKA Rules for kata with Flagged Heian and Sentai elimination rounds until the top 8. The top 8 will perform their tokui (favorite) kata for scores. The top 4 competitors in the Black Belt Men’s and Women’s divisions will compete in Finals on Sunday. The top 2 competitors in the Advanced Youth 12-13, Youth 14-15, Youth 16-18, Collegiate, and Senior divisions will compete in Finals on Sunday.
Note: Where Beginner and Intermediate divisions are combined competitors may repeat the same kata in Round 2 that was performed in Round 1.
Kumite Beginner&Intermediate: All matches are shobu-ippon. Competitors will follow a standard single elimination tournament bracket with a split Third-place. Following the completion of the bracket, competitors eliminated in the first round will be paired for exhibition matches. Advanced/Black Belt: All elimination matches are shobu-ippon. Competitors will follow a standard single elimination tournament bracket with a split Third-place. The top 4 competitors in the Black Belt Men’s and Women’s divisions will compete in Finals on Sunday. The top 2 competitors in the Advanced Youth 12-13, Youth 14-15, Youth 16-18, Collegiate, and Senior divisions will compete in Finals on Sunday. The final match is shobu-nippon.
Accommodations/Hotels/Airfare/Wellness
Hotel: There is a discounted group rate for attendees at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront. The special room rate will be available until October 12thor until the group block is sold-out, whichever comes first.
Travel: There is discounted airfare via United Airlines to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) for 5-10% off. Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) are viable airports to fly into, but this code will only apply to flights into SFO. To access the discount, use the link below and enter both codes like so: ZNRH810402
Event Location: San Francisco (SFO) Z Code: ZNRH Agreement Code 810402 Valid Travel Dates: 02-Nov-2023 to 21-Nov-2023
November 10-12th, we have the privilege to once again host the Japan Karate Association/ American Federation National Karate Championships here in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Join Karate-ka from all over the country to train, compete, and enjoy karate-do together.
Stay tuned for exciting announcements and save the date. We’ll see you soon! Oss!
