About Our School

Founded in 1979, the Columbia School of Karatedo is a National Center for the Martial Arts. Classes in karate, jujitsu, and kobudo are taught to men, women, and children of all ages and are designed to provide positive challenges appropriate to the each student’s level of experience.

Instruction is provided by a 10-member staff, under the guidance of Hanshi Ridgely Abele. Each instructor is certified in his or her Martial Art and has attended courses on diet and nutrition, exercise physiology, and martial arts teaching skills.

Our school is dedicated to teaching the Art, Sport, & Science of Karatedo and is a registered club with the USA National Karatedo Federation – the national governing body for Karate in the United States. Students travel from around the country and around the world for the experience, knowledge, and instruction available at our school.

Our focus in training encompasses a total approach: mental discipline, physical conditioning, and responsible actions. Martial arts training is a lifetime fitness activity, and training improves defensive skills, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, and muscular strength. However, the martial arts student benefits far beyond the attainment of a stronger and healthier body. At the Columbia School of Karatedo, we combine the old with the new: Authentic Martial Arts are more than 1600 years old and are the most effective method of self-defense ever devised. These ancient and traditional lessons are combined with modern principles of scientific exercise physiology to help each student develop their Body, Mind, and, Spirit in a personal and meaningful way.