Schedule, Eligibility, and Attendance
Eligibility
Classes are open to teens and adults, although parents with kids as young as 10 or 11 may inquire. We’ve had great success with this age group in the past, and it’s wonderful to watch them grow in the dojo into young stronger adults. We CAN support children at this age. Please note however that we are NOT a good choice for kids that need to learn motivation, focus, or discipline. Kids that are eligible for this program have a strong desire to learn this activity, and also the personality-type / developmental-level to follow a disciplined adult/teen class without causing disruptions.
In terms of physical ability, anyone who can do basic athletic activities can handle the athletic demands of this one. We would only caution regarding “sitting in seiza.” (Please see the blow photograph.) This kneeling position, called “seiza” in japanese, is simple kneeling, sitting on ones heels with a straight back, and straight ankles. This Martial Art is very GOOD for knee and ankle health, but individuals who can’t sit in this position comfortably due to issues with their knees or ankles should not choose this activity.
The final criteria for participation relate to our class Schedule and Attendance. Please read more below, but basically, we will ask you at registration: CAN you attend our classes as scheduled? CAN you be fairly regular about attendance? And WILL you be in the area long enough to benefit from a practice that takes some time to reveal its benefits?
Class Schedule
The Hoshokai-specific course of study at Ligo Dojo is brand new and may feel like private, or semi-private, training with Sensei Nathan Ligo until it starts to add more Hoshokai-specific members. (Our Hoshokai program at Ligo Dojo has been operating for a decade already as a supplemental class, attended by Ligo Dojo’s advanced karate students.) New Hoshokai-specific students should expect to attend two 75-minute trainings per week with Sensei Ligo, with a 3rd, advanced session added once they attain some familiarity with class routines.
Karate students at Ligo Dojo practice karate Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30pm until 8, and have been participating in a 3rd, weekend-morning Hoshokai class from 8:30 to 10:30 for nearly ten years already, to supplement their karate study. Our pilot Hoshokai-specific program will follow this model, with two Hoshokai-specific classes per week, and Hoshokai program members will join the combined weekend morning class with the karate members who are already advanced in the Hoshokai arts, once they’re familiar enough with class routines.
Interested students should be aware, however, that there may be some flexibility to the class schedule. In the beginning, while we’re still a small group, there may be additional flexibility to make the training match your schedule. Once underway, however, students must settle into a consistent schedule that works for the majority, and 5pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, is the most likely schedule. Because, in karate as well, we teach one dedicated group that attends all classes, the first question we ask perspective members is whether or not their personal schedule allows them to participate in our limited, specific class schedule. Students interested in Hoshokai may have some flexibility to work out a training schedule with Sensei Ligo in the beginning, but should consider the following schedule the one most likely to continue long term.
- Tuesday and Thursday, 5pm until 6:20pm – Hoshokai Class
- Saturday or Sunday 8:30am until 10:30am – Advanced Hoshokai Class
Attendance Mandate
Prospective students should be aware that consistent attendance is necessary to progress in a satisfactory manner at Chapel Hill Hoshokai – Martial Arts. Our program is not one that offers MANY classes for students to choose from, and some interested students MAY NOT BE ABLE to participate if our schedule doesn’t fit theirs. (You’re interested but have worries about schedule conflicts? Be sure to inquire regarding flexibility, before giving up!) Learning at Chapel Hill Hoshokai – Martial Arts might be thought of more like attending a Math class in that new material is offered every day, and students who miss classes will fall behind.
Even though our class schedule only entails 2, or eventually 3, classes per week, Sensei Ligo uses the sacrifice that students must sometimes make to attend nearly all classes as an important learning tool, developing in the student, willpower, and proving dedication. 100% of your dues at Chapel Hill Hoshokai – Martial Arts will go towards expenses such as utilities and rent, but Sensei Ligo does NOT get paid for teaching you. It is a labor of love for him, and Sensei Ligo routinely reminds students that, although they pay dues to walk in the door, they’ll only pay him with their sacrifice, dedication and effort, not with dollars.
Although the number of class sessions/hours you will participate in are few, Sensei Ligo does not teach hobbyists. To participate at Chapel Hill Hoshokai – Martial Arts you will be expected to BE a martial artist, albeit a beginning one, and dedication and sacrifice are important tenants of martial arts. OF COURSE people travel, and have illnesses from time to time! The point is, rather, to do the work of figuring out how never to miss class due to not feeling up to it on a certain day, or due to a failure to reschedule other life responsibilities that may arise, whenever possible. “The dog ate my homework,” is not a concept that exists in the practice of a martial artist. Pushing through and training even when it’s hard to make the decision to do so, on the other hand, definitely IS!
