Isshinryu Karate, practical self-defense, and one-on-one instruction — taught at a real dojo on Main Street, Stanhope.
Classes & Courses
Traditional Isshinryu Karate with modern applications — for every age, gender, and ability. Your first class is on us.
Find the Art in Martial Arts
Karate class is where we learn traditional Isshinryu Karate for self defense and confidence. Karate is for everyone no matter the age, gender or ability. With many events and certified instructors you are sure to learn something that helps you everyday.
Learn MoreThe Path
From your first class to black belt, every rank is a milestone — earned, not given.
Rising Fist Martial Arts News
Indoor and outdoor classes at our state-of-the-art facility on Main Street in Stanhope. Stop in — we’d love to meet you.
Why RFMA
We're not a franchise belt-mill. We're a small school where every student is known by name and every belt is earned.
Traditional Isshinryu Karate, taught the way it was passed to us — generations deep.
Tradition meets the real world: pressure-tested drills and contemporary self-defense.
Low instructor-to-student ratios so technique gets corrected, not just witnessed.
A purpose-built training space on Main Street — train inside or under the sky.
Our Team
A small senior team. Decades of mat time. The same teachers who greet you on day one will be there at your black belt.
Co-founded Rising Fist Martial Arts in 2011 after building a competitive career — especially in weapons divisions — through Jersey Judo Karate Academy. Inducted into the American Okinawan Karate Association Hall of Fame in 2012 for Outstanding Contributions to the Martial Arts. With 30+ years in, he keeps building a welcoming Isshinryu community where every student feels supported.
Trained young across boxing, karate, kickboxing, and jiujitsu — self-driven from his father, books, and tape long before he ever set foot in a formal school. That deep curiosity about the mechanics of every technique now drives how he teaches, with a sharp eye and a genuine investment in every student's growth.
50+ years on the mat — close-combat, boxing, Wing Chun, and Isshinryu Karate. Known for high standards, unwavering positivity, and the command every student learns to expect: "DO IT AGAIN!" — his reminder that excellence is built through repetition, discipline, and heart.
Asked for karate as her 11th-birthday present and never looked back. Started assisting classes as a blue belt, earned her black belt at 18, then carried the same love of teaching into a career in education. Still as much a student as a teacher — and she still calls the dojo her second family.
Calendar
Times below are typical. Holidays and special events may shift the schedule — call ahead if it's your first visit.
Membership
No long-term contracts. Cancel any time. Your starter package covers your first month with gear; monthly tuition continues at $100 (Pee‑Wee, 3–6) or $120 (Junior/Senior, 7+) after that.
Essentials + first month
Then $100/mo
Then $120/mo
Day-one ready
Then $100/mo
Then $120/mo
First class is on us. No card required. No commitment. Just come step on the mat.
Book my free classContact
Tell us a little about who's training and we'll follow up with the next available class times.
Free street parking on Main Street directly outside the dojo, plus public lots a short walk away. Arrive ten minutes early on day one and we'll show you around.
Open in Maps →Sign up for occasional emails about belt tests, tournaments, workshops, and dojo events.
