Oliver Martial Arts Academy

OMA stands for Oliver Martial Arts, where we teach the art of Shotokan, a style of Karate developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi.  Funakoshi trained in popular styles of Okinawan karate, adopted the Kyu/Dan rank system and the uniform (Keikogi) developed by Kano Jigoro, the founder of judo.  This system uses colored belts (obi) to indicate rank.

Funakoshi laid out the Twenty Precepts of Karate (or Niju Kun) which form the foundations of the art, heavily based on bushido and Zen, where it lies the philosophy of Shotokan.  The dojo kun lists five philosophical rules for training in the dojo, which is posted on a wall of the dojo and students are encouraged to memorize as it provides motivation and a context for further training. At OMA, we zealously follow dojo kun.

Funakoshi had many students, internal disagreements led to the creation of different organizations, therefore, today there is no single “Shotokan School”, although they all bear Funakoshi’s influence.  Shotokan is considered a traditional and influential form of karate do and it is a widely practiced style. Its training is divided into three parts: Kihon (basics), Kata ( forms or patterns of moves) and Kumite (sparring). For more information on these, visit our dojo.

In Japanese OMA 黄麻 means jute a strong fiber and in Hebrew the original language, it means cedar tree and leadership. Our purpose is to teach our OMA students, of all ages, to be strong, leaders with integrity.  That their behavior as a Shotokan karate practicing person out in the world leaves an impression like the cedar tree, of fragrant aroma.  And as Funakoshi wrote: "The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of the participant."