On September 1st, Heiwa Kai Dojo opened its doors in Puerto Peñasco, making the traditional martial art of Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karate-Dō accessible to all ages – from six to seventy-six!
For me, opening this dojo is not simply about teaching karate. It is about sharing something that has been part of my life for more than 50 years.
I joined karate on a dare. I didn’t know where that first step into a dojo, the training hall, would take me – or how profoundly it would influence my life.
Karate gave me physical skills, but its most valuable lessons extended beyond the dojo. It gave me confidence, structure, discipline, and purpose. It taught me perseverance, how to face challenges rather than avoid them, and how to go beyond limitations I placed upon myself.
Along the way, karate gave me extraordinary opportunities. I trained with people from around the world, became a coach and international Koshiki referee, participated in events in Canada, the United States, Japan, Holland and Australia, and helped prepare teams from Europe, Canada and India for international tournaments. I also lived in Japan for two years, studying under Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka, son of the founder of Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo and founder of its Koshiki sparring system.
But traditional karate is not about medals, tournaments, punches or kicks.
Training asks something of you.
You have to show up. You practice when things are difficult. You repeat, make mistakes, accept correction and try again. Progress requires time, effort and commitment. There are no shortcuts – and perhaps that is why the rewards are meaningful.
Those rewards are different for everyone. A child may discover concentration and confidence. A teenager may find direction and self-discipline. An adult may rediscover physical ability, determination, or a sense of accomplishment. We each arrive with a different body, personality, history, and reason for being there.
The motto of Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo is “Spiritual Development of Individuality in Mind and Body.” We are not trying to shape students into the same mold. Training provides a framework through which each person can develop their own abilities, character and potential.
After more than five decades, I still train, and I am still learning. One of my greatest rewards is watching students grow – sometimes before they recognize that growth themselves.
A little more confidence. Better balance. Greater concentration. The determination to try once more instead of giving up.
Eventually, something practiced inside the dojo quietly appears outside of it.
That is when karate becomes much more than something you do.
It becomes Karate-Dō.
Dō (道) means “the Way” or “the Path”—the path we choose to walk, and who we gradually become by walking it.
It is a path I am still walking.
And now, I have the privilege of sharing it in Puerto Peñasco.
If you would like to learn more or discover what traditional Karate-Dō is about, contact:
Sensei Robin Campbell — Heiwa Kai Dojo (Facebook page)
+52 638 109-1031 • Heiwakaidojo.karate@gmail.com
