Kodokai Dojo
Fitness & Self-protection

Authentic Martial Arts Straight fom Okinawa, Japan

Our Focus
We strive to empower our members with a fun and meaningful way to stay fit and develop practical skills.
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Safe training methods. We understand that most people don't want to be an MMA fighter and need to be able to go to work!
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Practical skills. Instead of forms, point sparring and tournaments, we focus on self-protection.
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A relaxed, noncompetitive atmosphere. Classes are fun, you'll go at your own pace, and we keep our classes small so that everyone gets personal instruction.

At Kodokai Dojo you will be taught by the only teacher in the state who was trained in Okinawa!
With 45 years of experience we provide patient, safe instruction designed to help you or your family gain confidence and skills for effective self-protection.
Get in shape, unplug, learn new skills and make some new friends!
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Self protection- not tournament martial arts
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An ancient practice for the mind, body & spirit
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Small class size, noncompetitive
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Improve agility, fitness, balance, flexibility
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No contracts, pay month to month

Health and Well-Being
We strive to ease you into improved agility, speed, strength, cardio, flexibility and overall fitness.
Friendships, along with a fun and challenging curriculum, make our training something you can enjoy for years- we have students who have been with us for decades!
Not just a healthy body, but a healthy mind, body & spirit!
Our youth classes are taught with kindness and patience. We strive to build self-confidence in a fun, calm and structured environment. With our classes, your child can learn valuable life skills that will help them stay safe and feel empowered. They will begin to learn self-defense skills on their first day of class and every other day as well!
We offer classes for teens, and classes for ages 8-12.

Nov 26- Betsey and Noah are on Okinawa!
Two of our students are with
Takamiyagi Sensei (my teacher)
in the land of martial arts!
Kodokai Dojo has maintained close relationships with our teachers on Okinawa since 1978.


Welcome to Kodokai Dojo!
Hello!
I'll be your teacher at Kodokai.
Years ago, while serving in the Marines, I began my martial arts training while I was stationed on the island of Okinawa, Japan.
Over the years, I returned to Okinawa several times to further my studies. My teachers also travelled to Rhode Island to help us bring these arts to America.
With world class training on Okinawa, actual self-defense encounters, and diverse security assignments in America, Africa, Europe and Asia, I offer you proven martial arts informed by decades of real-world experience. If you are looking for friendly, practical, straightforward teaching, without the ego and competition of sport martial arts, we may be the place you've been looking for!

Yes, that's me (right) in Okinawa in 1978.
Trusted Training

Choose a school that will be here for you.
With over four decades of teaching in northern Rhode Island we have seen countless schools come and go, only to leave their students starting over again elsewhere.
We offer an alternative to sport-oriented training for those who are not interested in the injuries, egos and crowds of the sport martial arts scene.
We have been in the same location for 23 years- only 15 minutes from Providence and easy to reach just off rt. 146.
History & Experience Matters
Our instruction is informed by over four decades of experience including extensive training under world-class masters, my experiences in the Marine Corps, and actual self-defense situations.
This experience
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provides you with proven techniques
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offers you diverse skills for a wide range of self-defense situations
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keeps the focus on practical training skills
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provides depth of knowledge rather than superficial theory

Straight from Okinawa to you.
We aren't about belts, tournaments or breaking boards. Our 'old-school' martial arts remain true to their original purpose- self protection. They have proven reliable to me and many of my students.






A Workout You Can Enjoy
We all need exercise but the gym can so boring! Rather than uplifting your mind and spirit it can be dull and difficult to sustain.
Our students often comment on how class clears their mind of all the stress and noise of everyday life. This is no small benefit as it allows you to 'reset' and leave the dojo feeling happy, relaxed and and more like the person you want to be.
The process of learning self protection skills presents a challenge to the mind while providing a whole body workout and countless other benefits. The agility, flexibility, strength, and coordination improvements that you can realize through our classes are hard to match in the gym. If you want truly 'functional fitness' we have it here!
Do something you'll love!

If you are searching for a martial arts school one great way to see what you can expect is to take a scroll through their facebook page.
If sporting competitions and belt awards dominate the postings you'll know that these are priorities of the school.
175 Eddie Dowling Hwy.
North Smithfield, RI 02896
This is the best way to contact us!
(401) 678-2148