About The Karate Blog

the karate blog

Welcome to The Karate Blog, I hope you have been enjoying your visit! 

My name is Span, or 陈攀 as is more familiar to me, and I am a Chinese karate enthusiast. 

Like most people, I have a day job and I am blessed with only a mildly mundane one working as a product manager for an Internet company.

The Internet is exciting, but my passion, however, is for karate. The spirit of karate speaks to my soul and I can safely say that practicing karate is my most favorite hobby. 

In 2015, my karate journey began. I have dedicated myself to its pursuit in my spare time ever since. I am now at the sixth level (green belt) of the Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karatedo Kugekai. Though I haven’t earned my Black Belt yet, I am deeply passionate about my training. 

karate certification
(My certification, issued on April, 9, 2017)

Sensei

karate sensei - Yunlong Ye

Yunlong Ye

  • Black Belt 7th Dan
  • Certified International Referee of the Asian Karate Federation
  • Member of the Judging Committee of the Hong Kong Karate Federation
  • Chief instructor of Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karatedo Kugekai
karate sensei - Jinghui Luo

Jinghui Luo

  • Black Belt 5th Dan
  • Founder of Shenzhen Kugekai Karate
  • The gold medal instructor of the China karate competition who has trained more than 1,000 karate practitioners
  • China Karate Association certified the national first-level referee

Why Create The Karate Blog?

A friend encouraged me to combine my internet technology experience with my passion for karate to create a blog platform where karate enthusiasts like myself can gather and grow as martial artists. 

My hope is that The Karate Blog, while being a fun and sustainable side project for me, will be a place that draws karate enthusiasts the world over. 

Here we can feed our karate spirits, discuss karate knowledge and skills, and build a thriving and professional karate community. 

I’m building a team of writers, all of whom are martial arts enthusiasts, that write the posts. Of course, The Karate Blog reviews each article to ensure quality. All the articles must meet a high standard of objectivity, fairness, and originality. 

We will only publish high-quality, accurate karate content on my blog. It wouldn’t do any of us any good if I didn’t.

I’m so glad you’re here and hope you have been enjoying your visit. My hope is that as we come together, learn, improve, and spread this amazing sport. 

Span Chen

Founder of The Karate Blog

Gallery

Content Writer Team Members

Kenny Jarvis

Kenny Jarvis

Hi there! I’m Kenny and I come from the boxing heartlands of North West England! 

Throughout my life, I’ve been fascinated with boxing, and while never able to make it as a pro, I’ve enjoyed amateur boxing for as long as I can remember. 

Along with boxing, I’ve gained a love and appreciation for all the martial arts, which led me to the wonderful position of being able to write for The Karate Blog!

I went to university in Liverpool to study Law but soon realized it wasn’t what I loved doing. Over the next few years, I bounced around jobs until I eventually figured out I could turn my love of writing into a career.

And meanwhile, my admiration and appreciation for martial arts grew stronger. Whether it’s seeing the British fighters shine in taekwondo, watching legendary martial arts films, or catching the biggest boxing super fights, I can never get enough!

Getting to do what I love while raising my three little girls is a dream come true. I can only hope that the passion I have comes across in my writing! I hope you like my blogs and enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. 

Cara Koch

TheKarateBlog-Cara

Hello! My name is Cara, and I hail from the great state of Washington up there in the Pacific Northwest.

While there, I trained for and earned my 1st degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do at the Bonney Lake College of Martial Arts.

I was well on my way to 2nd degree, but the time came for me to go to college. My interest in martial arts, however, didn’t wane. 

Later on, I studied a bit of Wing Chun with a kind gentleman and a small handful of others.

In 2014, tired of the rainy drizzle, I packed my bags and moved to sunny Costa Rica where I got in with a group of kickboxers.

I met my husband in that group and now we have two beautiful little girls, whom I get to stay home with while I write blogs. It’s a pretty sweet deal. 

I hope you enjoy the content on The Karate Blog and are impassioned and empowered by what you read here. 

“See” you around!

Benjamin Roussey

TheKarateBlog-Benjamin

Hi! My name is Benjamin and I love martial arts. I am from Sacramento in the ungolden state of California. I have traveled the world and currently live in Arizona.

I went to CSUS to participate in a baseball scholarship as a pitcher. I finished in 1999 and joined the US Navy for a 4-year stint. Then, I enrolled in the MBA in Global Management at the University of Phoenix.

I have seen the world and lived and worked as an ESL instructor in Saudi Arabia and South Korea. I have worked at several companies, ranging from small businesses and startups to large multinational corporations.

When I was growing up, I was always fascinated with martial arts movies. In fact, watching stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris (a real American), and Steven Seagal (a great American) was my favorite way to spend time. I would watch these movies and imagine myself taking down opponents with martial arts.

Then, my brother started learning karate and got really good at it. I would watch him practice all the time and feel my connection with karate getting stronger.

I also started watching a wider variety of martial arts movies, with legitimate stars like Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Iko Uwais. I still remember watching The Raid with my brother and marveling at the martial arts on display.

I am currently learning karate. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my life is researching karate and writing about it. It is my honor to contribute to The Karate Blog. Now, I can finally write about what I love and enjoy the most: karate.

Dojo Kun

Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate Dojo Kun

Dojo Location