Ashihara Kaikan Singapore (Buona Vista CC Dojo) - 36 Holland Dr

Not all Karate schools are alike. If you are shopping for a modern take on Karate, Ashihara Karate at Buona Vista CC might be the one for you. This school is my introduction to Karate. I took a few terms of lessons here some time ago and this club definitely deserves more recognition. I love the permanent instructors here. Great people, good techniques and solid instructions. You have Sensei Anthony who is incredibly passionate about the art, Sensei/Senpai Cheryl who makes everyone feel welcome and Sensei Rush who is an experienced fighter with movie-perfect moves. In fact, a decorated Kyokushin Sensei I know personally describes Sensei Rush’s techniques as “immaculate’. All I can say is that it is not fun, at all, to be his demonstration uke. Ashihara Karate is a full-contact style of Karate. I was initially worried about injuries but I soon realised there is adequate emphasis on safety. Sparring is done with protective headgear, MMA gloves, and shin-guards. All I got were minor sprains and bruises. All par for the course. I was told back in pre-Covid days lessons were conducted in a studio where there were mats to cushion falls. Throws during my time had to be gentle because Covid-19 measures moved training onto an outdoor basketball court with a concrete floor. Haiz. The Ashihara katas are brilliant. Ashihara katas are literally modern sets of shadowboxing with kicks and throws. They are designed in a way where the self-defence applications are immediately obvious unlike traditional Karate katas found in other schools. No guesswork here! During grading, katas are performed solo, and with a partner, as a bunkai. The students are an amazing bunch of all ages. I found many of them who were either concurrently training or were trained in other martial arts such as Judo, Muay Thai, Boxing, BJJ, Taekwondo, Wushu and Aikido. I suppose if one is into combat sports and martial arts, this diversity meant after-class conversations could be rather interesting if not for the Covid-19 safe distancing measures which put an end to intermingling. Speaking of Covid-19 measures, one thing this club does really well is to provide complimentary online classes during Covid-19 suspensions. This is an amazing effort to keep everyone training! They also have a Youtube channel and an active Facebook page where they post lessons. For content, they do occasionally take photos and videos during lessons. For those of us who are helplessly camera-shy, I am sorry for this not-so-good news. At the Buona Vista CC dojo, children train with the adults. There is no separate children-only classes. Children can learn practical self-defence skills, get fit, and have fun at the same time. This is a big plus if you are a parent and want to train with your children and share a common experience in their formative years. However, this format also means this club is closer to the recreational end of the recreational-serious spectrum of martial arts classes. Nonetheless, in my opinion, this does not in anyway take away any legitimacy of the Ashihara Karate’s Philosophy and Techniques or the quality of the members of this Karate dojo. There is no shortage of hard-hitting students especially among the higher belts. Some of them do go on to take part in full-contact rib-breaking Karate tournaments. This class caters to a broad audience as it should being a class offered in a Community Center. For its price, the value is amazing. For its intended purpose, I highly recommend Ashihara Karate by this team at Buona Vista CC. It’s legit.