The Sand Hills Karate Club (SKC)
SKC is a nonprofit organization. There are no contracts other than the required release.
SKC is dedicated to providing top-tier martial arts training to residents of western Nebraska, including areas such as Ogallala, North Platte, and Keystone.
What we do
The Sandhills Karate Club (SKC) teaches students flexibility, coordination, self-defense, and most importantly, self-awareness. These aspects are synthesized and developed within a system of advancement that open the doorways to increasingly complex materials.
Establishing a strong foundation
Our art is like a great living tree; each leaf gains its nourishment and knowledge from the roots. A strong foundation is essential for you to grow within your art. To study a martial art seriously, you must believe there is nothing more important than understanding yourself. If you do not believe in yourself, you cannot expect others to believe in you.
Philosophy
The Sandhills Karate Club (SKC) teaches students flexibility, coordination, self-defense, and most importantly, self-awareness. These aspects are synthesized and developed within a system of advancement that open the doorways to increasingly complex materials.
Our philosophy is to develop our bodies so that we can develop our minds and our spirit. What good does it do to be able to punch and kick at the age of seventy-two if you have not gained any knowledge of yourself?
Finding the knowledge and confidence we have within ourselves through the development of our bodies, mind, and spirit will help us gain control of our lives.
At SKC, we focus on developing our bodies to enable us to cope quickly with physical situations. As we become more confident physically, we become more confident mentally. It is this mental confidence that leads us through the doorway of self-awareness and self-knowledge.
The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said “to know thyself is to know the ten thousand things.” Ten Thousand things is a lot of stuff. In fact, it is the Chinese expression for 'everything.' True wisdom comes from within and you have just taken a big step in uncovering what already lies inside of you.
Feedback from Sensei Cohen's Students
“Karate has helped me lose weight and gain mobility… Karate has renewed my joy for life.” - T.G.
“Karate has been an awesome experience for me and I have learned more than I imagined. I've been practicing every day and have lost 10 pounds.” - J.C.
Style
SKC teaches Shudokan karate. Shudokan is a “hard” style that emphasizes powerful strikes and blocks, but that also incorporates some of the softer and circular movements found in some Chinese martial arts.
About Tiger Arts
Tiger Arts was founded by Grandmaster, Dr. Paul Dusenbery in 2010. Prior to that, Dr. Dusenbery and all Tiger Arts instructors were part of the C&S Self-Defense Association. Sensei Cohen is supervised by Master Tom Thompson, Senior Master Tim Shafer, and Grandmaster Dusenbery.
You can check out the Tiger Arts YouTube channel here.
Meet Sensei Cohen
Sensei Cohen holds the rank of Shodan in the Tiger Arts organization, with roots that can be traced directly to Kanken Toyama, the founder of the Shudokan style. He has nearly thirty years of experience in the martial arts.
Sensei Cohen also has boxing experience and served on the Colorado Combative Sports Commission. A former Air Force officer and a lawyer with more than forty years of legal experience, he is an expert on the law of self-defense and his written articles on that topic, including one for Inside Kung-Fu magazine.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of DART, Inc., a nonprofit that offers violence prevention training. He is certified as a lead instructor by DART and has taught DART’s Fight Back 101 workshop more than two dozen times.
Contact Info
- Sensei Cohen: (303) 638-3410
- Email: tigerartsorg@gmail.com
Class Times and Location:
- Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m
- Location: Mid Plains Community College in Ogallala
Age Limitation:
Students must be at least fourteen years old, although SKC will consider students as young as twelve after meeting with Sensei Cohen. While martial arts training can benefit younger children, our approach requires students to read certain materials at orange belt and each rank thereafter. We are not equipped to teach younger students.