Welcome to Saifa.Net, your home for Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate in the New River Valley. My name is Bill Woodward, and I have been studying Goju-Ryu karate since October, 1996 under Shihan Ty Yocham in Austin, Texas. I was awarded my Shodan (1st degree black belt) in 2002, my Nidan (2nd degree black belt) in 2003, and my Sandan (3rd degree black belt) in 2008. I am recognized as a Sensei (instructor) by the Texas Okinawan Goju Karate Federation. I was the senior assistant instructor for Shihan Yocham from 2003 until I left Texas in 2008.
In June, 2008, I relocated back to the city of Blacksburg, Virginia for work. Blacksburg is located in the beautiful New River Valley in Southwestern Virginia, and as far as I can tell, I'm the only Goju-Ryu karate instructor in the New River Valley. I'd love to hear otherwise, so if you're in the area, and you study Goju-Ryu Karate, please e-mail me at wpwood@saifa.net. I I am currently teaching on Tuesday evenings at New Tech Fitness. Class starts at 7:30 p.m. and runs until 9:00.
Goju-Ryu Karate is a martial art that was developed on the island of Okinawa by Chojun Miyagi in the early 20th century. It is characterized by a variety of hand techniques, low kicks, balance, strong stances, and controlled breathing, making it a powerful, close-in self-defense curriculum. It is practical and grounded. Students quickly learn modern day application as well as the historical significance of this curriculum. Personal growth is emphasized as much as fighting technique. Students are taught that we “learn fighting to avoid fighting.”
Training in Goju-Ryu consists of basic exercises (hojo undo), body conditioning (kotikitae), forms (kata), and application of forms (bunkai and kiso kumite). In addition, we incorporate traditional Okinawan weapons training (kobudo).