Your first class with us is always free.
Come see if our program is right for you!
Since 1987, we've offered classes for adults and families who want to study an authentic style of Japanese martial arts for self-defense and self-improvement. If you want to learn karate the way it was originally taught and the way it's still taught in traditional dojos throughout the world, we invite you to learn more about our club.
Our training teaches us to observe carefully, to detect attacks at their inception, and to move instantly to protect ourselves.
But our practice is much more than just punching and kicking – it’s about handling the fights we face every day.
We've helped thousands of students develop the confidence and the resilience to face anything that life throws at them.
Shotokan offers a complete framework for personal development that transcends fighting skills.
Parents want the best for their children, and that includes the best outcomes for the time and money spent on martial arts training.
Our approach to teaching has produced exceptional results for over 6,000 students since our club's founding.
For adults, our practice helps you improve your overall fitness, helps you manage your stress better, and helps you feel more in control of yourself and the world around you.
It's not entertainment and "karate calisthenics" - it's a real program in the most widely researched and documented style of karate in the world.
On average, it takes between 4 to 5 years to reach black belt in our club and the minimum age for that rank at Mercer County Shotokan is 16 years old.
Children ages 12 & up are welcome to train with us. Exceptions will be considered for younger children if they have a parent or older sibling in the class.
Your time spent with us will give you the tools, the training, and the confidence to break through obstacles in life, to push beyond your limits, and to find a strength within yourself that you only imagined. But it doesn't happen without real effort, a proven process, and expert guidance.
And it doesn't start without you taking the first step.
Mercer County Shotokan is proud to partner with Inclusion Sports Performance Training in Pennington NJ to offer an adaptive training format for students with neurodivergence, students with physical, cognitive or intellectual disabilities, and students with psychological or social challenges. These classes meet once a week and are open to children, teens, and adults. In this program, all students may have a parent, sibling, friend, caregiver, or personal aide join them as full participants in the class at no additional charge.
This isn't "special needs" karate - it's real karate, taught responsibly and inclusively, allowing for and embracing the wide range of attributes and abilities of our participants. Every student trains with dignity, every students progresses at their own pace, and every student belongs.
Our Organization
Established in Bucks County, PA in 1968, the Shotokan Karate Association (SKA) is one of the oldest independent martial arts organizations in the United States.
Karate isn’t something we do to make a living – our instructors all have (or have retired from) successful careers outside of the dojo, demonstrating how to apply the lessons of karate to have a full, successful life.
SKA members include a broad range of educators, doctors, engineers, lawyers, first responders, artists, writers, business and trade professionals, college students, entrepreneurs – even an astronaut!
All of us share a deep appreciation for the practice of authentic budō (武道) in the form of Shotokan karate-dō (空手道). We teach at YMCA’s and community centers throughout the area, sharing what we’ve learned with others and guiding those who are interested in the serious study of a traditional Japanese martial art.
Over 350,000 people have trained with organization over the past 57 years, and we welcome you to find out more about what we offer. Click here to visit the SKA website for more information...