Skip to content
1410 S Meridian, Puyallup, WAMonday to Thursday: 6 to 10 p.m.(253) 555-0105
Kumite Karate Club
Try a class
Try a class
CallTry a class

Sport karate in Puyallup

Sport karate for teens and adults who spar

Evening classes with a head coach and three instructors. You start with pads and gear, move to light contact, and spar continuously when you and your coach agree you are ready.

Try a classSee the schedule
  • Ages 13 to adult
  • Classes of up to 16
  • Evening classes
Teen students seen from behind drilling a forms sequence in a line in a bright studio

Evening classes

The week, late and on the mat

Classes run in the evening, 60 to 90 minutes each. Pick a step, then narrow by age group.

Fall session

Showing 12 of 12

  • Monday

    • 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm

      Fundamentals

      Karate · Tamiko Endo · Mat room

      Ages 13 and upAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm

      Pads and gear

      Karate · Kellan Draper · Mat room

      Ages 13 and upStep 1OpenTry a class

    • 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

      Light contact

      Karate · Kellan Draper · Mat room

      AdultsStep 2, orange and upWaitlistTry a class

  • Tuesday

    • 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm

      Teen class

      Karate · Tamiko Endo · Mat room

      Teens, 13 to 17Steps 1 and 2OpenTry a class

    • 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

      Continuous sparring

      Karate · Kellan Draper · Mat room

      AdultsStep 3, green and upOpenTry a class

  • Wednesday

    • 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm

      Fundamentals

      Karate · Tamiko Endo · Mat room

      Ages 13 and upAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm

      Pads and gear

      Karate · Tamiko Endo · Mat room

      Ages 13 and upStep 1Full

    • 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

      Light contact

      Karate · Kellan Draper · Mat room

      AdultsStep 2, orange and upOpenTry a class

  • Thursday

    • 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm

      Kata and kihon

      Karate · Tamiko Endo · Mat room

      Ages 13 and upAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 8:00 pm – 9:45 pm

      Continuous sparring

      Karate · Kellan Draper · Mat room

      AdultsStep 3, green and upOpenTry a class

  • Saturday

    • 9:00 am – 10:15 am

      Fundamentals

      Karate · Tamiko Endo · Mat room

      Ages 13 and upAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

      Open sparring

      Karate · Kellan Draper · Mat room

      AdultsSteps 2 and 3OpenTry a class

Sample classes.

Classes of up to 16 students. Teens spar at steps 1 and 2 only, in light contact. Times change by session, and the booking page has this week's.

How sparring works

Pads first, then light contact, then continuous

Each step has its own class. You move on when you and your coach agree you are ready, and you can stay at a step as long as you like.

The full sparring ladder
  1. 01
    Step 1

    Step 1: Pads and gear

    You learn to wear gloves, shin guards and a mouthguard, and to strike pads and shields held by a partner. Nobody strikes you at this step.

    • Gear fitted before your first round

    • Strikes on pads and shields only

    • Footwork and distance drills

    A closed fist hitting a focus mitt, close view of the hand and the mitt
  2. 02
    Step 2

    Step 2: Light contact

    Two partners trade controlled techniques at a slow pace while a coach calls the round. Contact stays light, and teens never take a strike to the head.

    • Slow, timed rounds with one partner

    • A coach calls and stops every round

    • A tap or the word stop ends a round at once

    Gloved hands raised in a guard position, cropped at the shoulder
  3. 03
    Step 3

    Step 3: Continuous sparring

    Rounds run without a pause, with a partner at your level and a coach on the mat. Adults move up to this step when the coaches agree they are ready.

    • Adults at green belt and up

    • Partners matched by level

    • Gear checked before every round

    A bare foot sliding through a sparring stance on a mat

Before your first round

The gear list

Sparring starts with gear that fits. We lend gloves and shin guards for your first classes, and the coaches help you choose your own.

What to bring to sparring

  • Sparring gloves

  • Shin guards

  • A mouthguard

  • Hand wraps

  • Headgear, for continuous rounds

How gear is checked
Shin guards and a pair of plain sparring gloves arranged on a mat

The belt path

Seven belts, white to black

Each color adds a few skills. A student tests when the coaches see them, and every student moves at their own pace.

  1. 01

    White belt

    Ages 13 and up
    Skills

    • Stance and guard

    • Bowing in, bowing out

    • Basic punches on pads

  2. 02

    Yellow belt

    Skills

    • Front and round kicks on shields

    • A short kata

    • Footwork and distance drills

    Moving up

    When the coaches see the skills, at a belt test

  3. 03

    Orange belt

    Skills

    • Punch and kick combinations on pads

    • Light-contact rounds (step 2)

    • A second kata

    Moving up

    When the coaches see the skills, at a belt test

  4. 04

    Green belt

    Skills

    • Continuous rounds (step 3)

    • Counters and timing

    • A longer kata

    Moving up

    When the coaches see the skills, at a belt test

  5. 05

    Blue belt

    Skills

    • Rounds with partners of every level

    • Setting the pace of a round

    • A kata with a partner

    Moving up

    When the coaches see the skills, at a belt test

  6. 06

    Brown belt

    Skills

    • Helping newer partners with gear and pads

    • Calling a round

    • The long kata

    Moving up

    When the coaches see the skills, at a belt test

  7. 07

    Black belt

    Skills

    • Teaching a drill to a group

    • Coaching a round

    • Every kata taught here

    Moving up

    When the coaches see the skills, at a belt test

Where to startTry a class

Sample levels.

Stripes on the belt mark the steps between colors.

Coaches

Who is on the mat

A head coach and three instructors share the week. Kellan and Tamiko are the first two you will meet.

  • Kellan Draper, head coach, a white-haired man in a white uniform and black belt

    Kellan Draper

    Head coach

    Kellan leads the club and coaches every sparring step. He calls the rounds, checks the gear and runs each belt test.

  • Tamiko Endo, instructor, in a white uniform with a black belt, holding a blue kicking pad

    Tamiko Endo

    Instructor, teens and fundamentals

    Tamiko teaches the teen class and the fundamentals classes. She works on stance, guard and kata, and she is the first coach most new students meet.

What students and parents say

4.7

86 reviews

5★
70
4★
11
3★
3
2★
1
1★
1

  • “Pad work first made light contact feel normal. By the time I sparred, I knew how a round runs.”

    Severiano L.

  • “Our son is 15 and trains in the teen class. We watch from the bench, and the coach tells us what he is working on.”

    Garima S., parent of a teen

  • “The late classes fit around my shift, and nobody rushes you into a round.”

    Kiki W.

Sample reviews.

Start here

Try a class

Choose a class on the booking page and come in a plain t-shirt and loose pants. We lend gloves and shin guards for your first classes.

Try a class
Call or text(253) 555-0105
Visit1410 S Meridian, Puyallup, WA