Genbu-Kai Karate, Wellington

In one, fluid motion, an advanced student of Batto slashes his sword through the air. Gracefully, the live blade slices through a bundle of saturated straw—a dense target meant to simulate the resistance of a body or a stack of unpaid credit card bills. At Genbu-Kai Karate, Batto is one of two specialty programs that utilizes weapons in its training. But the facility doesn't rely solely on weapons to teach martial arts. While seasoned students may eventually choose to pick up a sword, instructors emphasize mental focus and discipline in Japan Karate-Do. In karate, students learn to kicks, punches, chops, and other self-defense moves that incorporate all parts of the body including hands, feet, elbows, and fingers.

Discipline is a theme that carries through all of the facility's programs, starting with the junior karate at age 6. They offer junior karate, adult karate, and Okinawan weapon. As a family owned and operated business, primary instructors Shihan Fumio Demura and Sensei Keith Moore alongside their crew of dedicated teachers, attend weekly sessions to perfect their practice.