Distance Learning

Free Online Karate Lessons

Four simple and easy steps to learning Kenpo Budokan Karate

Step 1 review the disclaimer at the bottom of every page on the site.

  1. Using the drop down menu above, select Distance Learning -> Lessons -> White Belt (10 Kyuu)
  2. Scroll down to the first lesson (Lesson 1) and click on the link
  3. Follow the easy step by step instructions to complete your first lesson
    • Watch the video
    • Read the accompanying lesson material
    • Watch the video again
    • Practice, practice, practice
  4. When you are ready to move on, follow the same steps as above and select lesson 2 to continue.

Go directly to the First Lesson Now!

If you have any questions, check out the FAQ page above.

In Person Lessons vs Distance Lessons

Studying a martial arts consists of several components – learning the material, practicing the material, and getting corrective feedback from an instructor. When looking to study a marital art, in person lessons are always the best option (we offer in-person lessons as well as our distance cirriculum). However, for many students in-person lessons are not an option (availability of a local instructor, transportation, scheduling conflicts, and lesson costs). This is why we offer both the free online video lessons as well as free coaching and instruction (mentoring and feedback) for the videos you send us. We always recommend studying in person as the best way to learn, but our lessons give you a level of both feedback and training that would not normally be available to you through normal channels. If you are studying with an instructor already, you can use these online lessons as augments for your standard in person lessons.

Why free lessons?

To ensure the widest adoption of our style, we are offering FREE online video and text karate lessons for all of our CMATOS material. Any student can study from the material presented on the site. Schools and other organizations are free to use the material or incorporate it into your own training.

To get started, go to the underbelt page for the rank you are studying for and look for the LESSON link, alternatively you can go to the main belt rank page and click on the belt rank you are studying. This will take you directly to the curriculum page for belt – this will walk you directly through the lessons in the standard order.

If you have any questions about the material or would like us to review your forms or techniques you can send us a message via our contact form. We will respond to requests as our bandwidth becomes available. Because this is a FREE service we offer to all our students, please note that responses may be delayed. If you would like a more timely response or formalized review, please consider purchasing a formal review package.

Distance Learning Options

100% Free Option

All CMATOS material is provided 100% free on the site. We offer our easy to follow lessons to all students interested in studying a martial art. You can learn the complete system of Kenpo Budokan Karate completely free with no cost, no obligation, and absolutely no fees now or ever. We do support our costs via advertisements in the videos and advertisements on the site, but we won’t ever charge for viewing or learning our completely free online lessons. We even provide free coaching and mentoring to all students of CMATOS. There are paid options available for faster response times, but the end result is you can study 100% for free just via our material on the site and free coaching lessons. In addition we have a Cafe Press store you can get CMATOS branded merchandise to help spread the word and support our organization.

Ranking Option

The second option available to students who wish for a more formalized approach to the system – via official ranking and recognition within the CMATOS system. In order to be “ranked” within the system, you will need to submit your material for a formalized review. This ranking fee does cost money, and it is recommended that you take advantage of our other mentoring and coaching services before submitting your ranking video for review. If the ranking test is successful, you will be granted “rank” within CMATOS system, and be afforded all rights therein – with your name, rank, and date of test listed within the CMATOS website. For Black Belts, video testing is available, however in order to be certified, you will need to meet up with a recognized instructor for an in-person testing process. This is to ensure that we maintain the highest standards and aren’t just handing belts out to people with great video editing skills. Please see the black belt testing requirements page for more information.

All fees for this are listed under the membership option page.

Personalized Coaching Option

If you would like a more formalized training curriculum, we offer the personalized coaching option. This includes personalized coaching and mentoring from our CMATOS Instructors, a formalized lesson and training plan, regular reviews and discussions, as well as a progression through the ranks.

Please note, that when signing up for the distance learning option you are committing yourself to completing your training goals. We all want our students to succeed, and this means that you will need to train regularly, as well as participate in regular online meetings. You are also committing to ranking up through the system and achieving your ranking objectives. Please see the membership option page for a listing of current fees. We understand that this financial burden may be too great for some highly dedicated students. Please contact us for more information so we can work with you to achieve your goals.

Personalized Coaching Process

  1. Fill out the distance learning application form and submit your initial interview fee.
    • We will then schedule a time to meet with you via Skype, google hangouts, or telephone (within US) to discuss your training goals and develop a custom training plan.
  2. Once you have discussed your goals and plans with our instructors, we will send you a customized training plan.
    • As part of the CMATOS training process, you will need to work with one or more partners for the technique demonstration segments of the rank requirements.
    • Demonstration partners do not need to be CMATOS students, but we highly recommend joining with a training partner to help improve your techniques exponentially.
  3. You will then need to pay the annual distance learning fee to solidify your commitment to the course of study.
  4. Every month or bi-weekly you will meet with your instructor to discuss your progress and review your techniques and forms.
  5. You will need to submit your forms and techniques regularly for review and feedback.
  6. When you and your instructor feel you are ready to test, you will submit your full testing video along with your testing fee.
    • CMATOS will review your testing video and provide feedback as well as either a pass or fail score.
  7. If promoted, you may then purchase your new rank certificate and custom embroidered belt (if desired) and begin working on the next level.