Tradition of Excellence since 1987

Congratulations, you found one of the best facilities to take part in martial arts, karate, and self-defense classes in RI since 1987. We have been providing RI, Johnston, and other communities with excellent karate lessons for beginners, kid's karate, women's self-defense, adult martial arts, and reality based self defense for the last 30 years!

Besides teaching Kenpo in RI, our Instructors are also certified in Jiu-Jitsu, Street Self-Defense, and licensed Amok! Knife tactics. 

Whether you are looking for a Traditional Martial Arts Program, College Self-Defense, Womens' Self-Defense, Self-Defense for Your Employees, or setting a up a workshop for your organization or town, we at RI Self-Defense Center will meet your needs with a 100% Money Back Guarantee.  Register for a free class today! 

OPENING HOURS

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Monday/Wednesday

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4:20pm (Mon) Kids Beginners

5:15m Kids beginners

6:15 pm Kids Adv

7:15pm Kenpo Adults

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Tuesday

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4:20pm Lil' Kickers (Ages 4-5)

5:000pm Lil' Kickers (Ages 4-5)

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StreetWise Wednesdays

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7:00pm Adults

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Thursday

7:00pm Kenpo Adults

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Saturday

9am-12pm Privates

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ADDRESS
15 Industrial Lane Johnston, RI 02919
 E-mail:  riselfdefense@gmail.comTel: 1-401-949-5600

Johnston Kids Karate Classes

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Want your child to become confident, respectful, and learn a skillset to combat bullies?

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Kids karate in RI looks different in every school.  Our goal is to for every student that joins our family is to help them tap into their potential.  Character, discipline, and skill is emphasized in positive ways to help our kids succeed in all parts of life.  Our kids learn REAL skill that yield's REAL self-confidence that carries make kids better students in school and better behaved at home.

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We may be the only dojo in RI that is owned and operated by a certified, and employed Physical Education Teacher.  Sensei Michael Orsini is a PE teacher in the town of Lincoln and brings his teaching expertise to the mat. Michael teaches all the Johnston Kids Karate classes and makes sure that lessons are developmentally appropriate for all abilities.

Kids join karate schools for various reasons. Some join to learn how to deal with bullies and some join to gain self-confidence. Our Johnston Kids Karate Classes teach Martial Arts values such as focus, discipline, honesty and confidence through fun but meaningful instruction. Students learn real self-defense and conflict resolution that works. We stress that fighting isn't the only and most appropriate way to handle confrontation.

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Martial Arts is way of life and actually reinforces a humble and peaceful character. Come meet our family and see why families like the Kenpo-Kobudo Way...

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Johnston Adult Martial Art Classes

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Our Adult Martial Arts program gives the skills to EFFECTIVELY defend one’s life and family, while working with like-minded people in a fun and energetic environment.

Our main program is Kenpo Kobudo Karate, which is a complete system of efficient techniques that are a combination of Jiu- Jitsu, Judo, Traditional Karate and BJJ.  Kenpo-Kobudo Karate provides the skills to handle various life's challenges as efficiently as possible 

Johnston Self- Defense and Women's Self-Defense  

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Do you work late night? Daughter going to college? Society violence making you second think your safety? Want to organize a great Team Building opportunity for your employees through a Corporate Self-Defense Workshop? The need for men and women to protect themselves is real.  Many people do not have time to commit themselves to training 3 days a week for years, but still want to learn how to defend themselves. 

Come to StreetWise Wednesdays, our comprehensive self-protection program serving the RI area. Classes are every Wednesday at 7:15pm and we break it down to what works in various scenarios. We can even come to you!

We also offer some of the best Self-Defense and Women's Self-Defense workshops in RI.  Customize a 1,2, or 3 class seminar series that best suites your needs.  Private and group sessions are available.  We are happy to help you in a relaxed environment. We can even come to you.  Book your workshop today.  

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Our Martial Arts in RI

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Our Dojo provides some of the most best Self-Defense and Karate in RI.  We do not use contracts because we feel that people at our school train because they want to, not because they are legally bound to.  All of our karate and martial arts classes in Johnston maintain a very small student to Instructor ratio.  Classes usually have no more than 15 students at a time and have at least 2-4 Instructors at all times.    All of our Instructors  are certified and have credible lineage.  Our program speaks for itself and has done so for the past 30 YEARS….. 

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Those who say karate is not practical have not trained at this dojo. Starting with blocks, punches, and kicks, students' progress to locks, breaks, throws, and takedowns. These skills are augmented with escapes, diversions, defense against multiple attacks, and street survival tactics. This is why we are one of the best karate schools in Rhode Island.

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While traditional Kobudo refers generally to weapons like the sword and farming tools like staves, nunchaku, sai, kama, and tonfa. Modern Kobudo also embraces the instruments of protection afforded by our culture and teaches the use and defense of sticks and edged weapons for self-protection.

About Us​

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Our Dojo was founded by Grand Master Soke Eugene Coutu, 10th Degree Black Belt, in 1987 as Kenpo-Kobudo Karate. In 2009, Soke-Dai Michael Orsini, 8th Degree Black Belt, took over the dojo and changed the name of the School to RI Self-Defense Center, though our principal style is still Kenpo-Kobudo Karate we now do other forms of training as well (jiu-jitsu, grappling, weapon defense, women's self-defense, and Street Wise Self-Defense).  Michael Orsin continues Soke Coutu's tradition of instilling real confidence and moral values through practical and realistic self-defense training.

RI Self-Defense Center has small class sizes and teacher to student rations, no yearly contracts and no gimmicks.  We believe every student can succeed with time, practice, hard work and patience.  We take pride in our students and consider them family.  Come see what we are about!