Instructors: Sensei Michelle Gay, Sensei Maria Van Dessel

Our Style: World Kanreikai Karate (WWK)

Currently we offer regular group classes in World Kanreikai Karate (WWK) for adults, teens and children, and private individualized instruction. World Kanreikai Karate (WWK) is traditional Japanese full contact karate taught with an emphasis on good body mechanics and breath control. Each class is a mixture of kicking and punching techniques, stances, kata, sparring drills, body conditioning, dojo etiquette and Japanese vocabulary in which instructors pay particular attention to each individual's potential. World Kanreikai Karate (WWK) has affiliate schools in the United States, Canada, Israel, Russia and Poland.

What exercises can I do to strengthen the joints, particularly the knee joints?

Full range of motion is ideal for keeping the joint healthy. The knee joint is best described as a  hinge joint, not a ball and socket joint. It bends and straightens. -with a slight rotational torque. I see many people warming up by circling the knees, a movement that is  made possible by the ankle/foot complex and does little for the knee joint. It would be better to flex and the knee and extend the knee - being careful not to hyper-extend -  slowly increasing weight and speed commensurate with one's fitness level and the overall requirements of one's practice or sport.