Who teaches the classes? Sensei Brian Sortor, a black belt in Bushido Kai karate. Sensei Brian teaches every single class, and when necessary has the help of underbelt assistants.  There are no classes taught by children or non-black belts - Sensei Brian teaches every class the dojo has, every day of the week, so you can be sure you're being taught by the best.  Sensei Brian has been training for about 14 years, has been teaching for about 12 years, and has been a black belt for about 7 years. He approaches teaching with a sense of honor for each student, a realization of everyone's unique strengths and weaknesses, and a sincere desire for each student to realize their full potential.  More information about Sensei Brian's training and martial arts background can be found here, and you can also come by the dojo to watch Sensei Brian teaching a class any time.

Do you require students to sign long-term contacts? No. Students can choose to pay per class, month-to-month, or every 2, 3, 4 or 12 months. We offer Discount Payment Plans where students can voluntarily commit to certain periods of time (from 6 to 12 months) and get a discounted rate for doing so.

Are there all ages/all belt levels in your classes? No. Classes are split up by age and belt level to give all our students the most focused atmosphere. For instance, an 8-year-old white belt will be in a class with kids aged 5 ½ – 11, all white belts. A 20-year-old blue belt will be in a class with other intermediate level adults aged 13+. On Fridays, we have “Family Classes” where adult and kid students can take class together, but these classes are still divided by belt level.

Can I “try out” your style to see if I like it? Absolutely. Feel free to stop by to watch a class any time, or give us a call to schedule time to speak with Sensei Brian. If you'd like to give Sortor Karate a try, our Beginner's Package includes everything you need to do so: A 1-hour private lesson with Sensei Brian to determine what level you are at and to teach you the basic moves in Bushido Kai, a full month of unlimited karate classes, a new uniform, a karate belt, school patch, and a Sortor Karate training DVD and book. This package is just $58.

Do you have other transfer students? Yes, we have students who have transferred into our school after having earned everything from yellow belts to black belts at other schools, in styles ranging from ATA Tae Kwon Do to Tekkion to Shotokan to Jiu Jitsu. Currently 26% of the students at Sortor Bushido Kai Karate trained somewhere else before settling at Sortor Karate, and 24% of our transfer students transferred in with red or black belts from another style. We do all we can to make the transition smooth, and are proud to be the karate school of choice for experienced martial artists. These transfer students have all found that Sortor Karate presents them with challenging new curriculum, dynamic training, personal attention from instructors, and the flexibility to train and progress at their own unique pace.

What weapons do you teach? Bo staff, nunchaku, sai, sword, kama and three-sectional staff. Weapons training starts at blue belt.

How many classes per week can I attend? This depends on your belt level, but our Beginner's Packages and most of our payment options include unlimited classes, so you could come every day if you wanted to. Our white belt classes for kids are 4:45pm M/W and 5pm F. Our adult white belt classes are 7:15pm on T and Th, and 5pm on F.

Will my belt color transfer directly to your system? When answering this question it is best to consider what style you trained in before.  This will make a big difference.  At Sortor Karate, we teach Bushido Kai, a Japanese style based on Shotokan. If you trained in Shotokan, Japanese Karate, or an Okinawan style, there is a strong likelihood that your belt will transfer directly to our school. If you trained in ATA, Tae Kwon Do or Tang Soo Do (Korean), Kung Fu (Chinese), Kenpo, Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing, Muay Thai or any non-Japanese style, it is most likely that your belt will not transfer directly to our school. However, you can expect to progress through the belt system at a faster pace than someone who has never trained before.  The best way to figure out where you would start out at our school is by coming in for a private one-on-one with Sensei Brian – he will teach you the basics of Bushido Kai, go over the testing requirements, and test you to see what forms, moves, terms and self defense you know from your previous training. This private lesson is included in the Beginner's Package.