Frequently Asked Questions
You will need to have a SLU ID in order to enter the Simon Recreation Center. Our members consist of SLU undergraduates, graduates, and staff/faculty.
Loose-fitting or comfortable workout clothes are recommended. Please remove footwear before entering the training dojang (studio). You must remove all jewelry (wedding bands excepted) for your safety and the safety of others. In the first few weeks, beginners will receive a uniform, belt, and essential sparring gear (mouthpiece, shinguards, gloves) and are expected to bring it to every class. Green belts, red belts, and black belts must wear the respective color on their uniform trim.
Beginners will receive essential sparring gear (mouthpiece, shinguards, gloves) as part of the beginner package. Due to safety guidelines, any student without those pieces of equipment will not be allowed to spar. Blue belts and above will sparring boots and helmets. The club will provide and maintains the kick shields, punching targets, wavemasters, and other assorted equipment used during class. For permission to use equipment outside of class, please contact the instructors. Also, please respect your fellow martial artists by regularly washing your uniform and gear.
Students will learn and engage in various workouts ranging from cardio, forms (hyungs/katas), self-defense skills, sparring, and other workout drills.
The club performs demonstrations for many cultural organizations on campus (Asian American Cultural Showcase, International Banquet, and SLU Relay for Life to name a few!), holds booths at the activity fairs, and teaches basic self-defense seminars. If your organziation would like us to host a self-defense seminar or demonstration for your group or event, please contact the club president (slu.karate.ninja@gmail.com). We also participate in tournaments, fundraising events, and other campus opportunities to promote awareness around self-defense. We always jump at the chance to show off the awesome martial arts skills we've learned and share our love of the sport.
The beginner package ($95 for white belts and blue belts) includes standard dues and basic sparring gear (see above). Standard dues ($50) are used for maintaining and buying new equipment for use in class, buying boards and bricks for breaking during gradings and demonstrations, subsidizing tournament entry fees and costs, and to support the miscellaneous costs that may arise during the semester. Please direct any budget-specific inquiries to the current club president.
The instructors (and assistant instructors) are all SLU alumni, faculty, professors, doctors, etc., and they do not live on campus. Please don't find their houses. To learn more about them, please check out our instructors page.
Yes! Depending on the yearly budget and upcoming events, SLU Karate usually has the opportunity to participate in one or more tournaments per semester. Recently, SLU Karate has participated in Southern Illinois Championships (Dupo, IL), American Karate Classic (Wentzville, MO), and Silver Sun Showdown (St. Louis, MO).
Heck no. We are a student club, not a course offered by the university. However, some students have observed our classes to receive participation credit in some course classes (photography, cultural diversity, and university-101 courses). Please contact the current club president if you wish to observe class.