LUTZ, Fla. — West Coast Karate Dojo teaches people of all ages and abilities that a self-disciplined body and a strong mind can improve all areas of life.
“It’s going to be everything from physical to emotional. It’s going to be working on their coordination, and they’re going to learn how to defend themselves,” owner Sabrina Stevens said. “In that, they’re going to grow confidence. They’re going to learn about respect, listening to instructions.”
West Coast Karate offers classes for little kickers (as young as 3) through teens and adults.
“When I was five years old, my parents saw this place, and I asked them if they could try out. When I tried it out, I loved it. It was very fun to me,” Lucas Martin, 8, said. “They asked me if I wanted to stay and I said ‘yes.’”
Martin has worked his way to a brown belt in three years. Quinn Finegan, 9, has a green belt but is working towards a brown. She joined the dojo to learn self-defense.
“My mom was like, ‘Quinn, someday you’re going to need to defend yourself.’ She told my other siblings that, too,” Finegan said. “We were looking around and found this dojo. They were like, ‘We want you guys to go out to try.’
“We tried it out, and my sister is like, ‘I love it. I want to stay.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll stay, too.’”
The dojo also added classes and private lessons for those with special needs.
“It just depends on their abilities,” Stevens said. “We have some kids here that are on the spectrum, and they can join a class, follow along with some extra assistance. We’ll have some come in for a class and maybe wear headphones to help cancel out some of the noise.”
These athletes are also learning life lessons.
“We’re learning to have respect for other people, and we’re learning to defend ourselves,” Finegan said.
And sometimes, she has to defend herself against her little brother.
“Michael would hit me or something, and I’d be like, ‘Did you just touch me?’ And he’d be like, ‘No.’ Then we’d smack each other for a little bit."
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