Sloane's Karate USA

08/26/2026

Congratulations to Cyrus on his promotion to Provisional 9th Kyu, White/Orange Belt tonight!

08/25/2026

Congratulations to Reggie on his promotion to 2nd Kyu, Brown Belt tonight! In the 1970s, Reggie was a student of the legendary Isshin-ryu pioneer Steve Armstrong (1931-2006), and it’s been an honor to have him as my student for the past couple of years. Reggie visited me from Washington State this weekend, and over the course of 4 days, trained with me a whopping 15 hours! Additionally, he competed in the Louisiana Governor’s Games Martial Arts Championships in Shreveport this past Saturday and brought home the 3rd place bronze medal in his empty-hand kata division. Well deserved, sir!

08/23/2026

We had a great time at the Louisiana Governor’s Games Martial Arts Championships yesterday! Chief Instructor Andy Sloane faced off against some great competitors. Though initially tied for 2nd place in Black Belt weapons kata, he ultimately brought home the 3rd place bronze medal in the division.

08/22/2026

At the Louisiana Governor’s Games Martial Arts Championships!

08/21/2026

Congratulations to our students on their recent promotions!

Jack was promoted to 9th Kyu (Orange Belt), and Jordyn, Maddox, and Mason were promoted to 10th Kyu (White Belt with Black Stripe). Great job, gentlemen!

Please come see us if you’re in East Texas and are interested in real Okinawan karate!

08/03/2026

After several years of something always popping up and preventing me from attending since 2019, I’m hoping to actually be able to attend next year’s event. 💪

The work toward an even better 2027 Isshinryu Hall of Fame Weekend has officially begun.

This weekend, our Board of Directors held our first post-event debrief and planning meeting. We spent significant time reviewing the feedback that so many of you took the time to provide. Every survey response, email, conversation, and constructive suggestion was heard, discussed, and weighed heavily as we began shaping next year’s event.

While there is still much work ahead, several priorities have already been identified, including:

• A comprehensive review and refinement of the tournament rules.
• Enhanced training and preparation for our officials and judges.
• A complete revamp of Uventex training for board members, coordinators, registration volunteers and scorekeepers.
• Greater clarity in division breakdowns, tournament procedures, and day-of-event communications, including ring assignments and reassignments.
• Continued evaluation of every aspect of the tournament and banquet to improve the experience for competitors, officials, volunteers, and spectators alike.

The 2026 Hall of Fame Weekend was filled with incredible moments, record-setting accomplishments, and memories we’ll never forget. At the same time, we recognize there are areas where we can improve. Our commitment is to celebrate what went well while honestly addressing what can be better. We believe that’s how a great event becomes an even greater tradition.

To everyone who completed our survey, reached out personally, or shared constructive feedback, thank you! Your voice matters, and it is already influencing our plans for 2027.

📅 Mark your calendars!

46th Annual Isshinryu Hall of Fame Weekend
July 16–17, 2027
Gatlinburg, Tennessee

📝 Registration officially opens January 1, 2027.

We can’t wait to welcome our Isshinryu family back to the Smoky Mountains as we continue honoring our traditions while building an even stronger event for generations to come.

Thank you for your continued support, and we’ll see you in Gatlinburg!

06/05/2026

We closed out our first full week of in-person classes here at Karate USA in Longview with 8 new students! Welcome to the dojo, and thank you all so much for giving traditional Okinawan karate a try!

If you or anyone you know would like to try real karate, please contact us at (972) 768-1287, [email protected], or message us here on Facebook. Space is limited, so act now!

05/30/2026

Karate USA is proud to bring authentic traditional Okinawan Isshin-ryu karate and elements of other Japanese and Korean martial arts to East Texas, and specifically to Longview.

Chief Instructor Andy Sloane has studied Asian martial arts for 35 years, and his credentials come directly from renowned masters from the U.S., South Korea, and Okinawa and mainland Japan.

Though originally from Shreveport, LA, Sloane is a 32-year Texas resident and a soon-to-be-retired Navy veteran who was stationed in the Far East for 17 of his 20 years of service.

Classes begin Monday, 1 June for ages 5 and up! Contact us today!

05/09/2026

In my view, all martial arts are good. But there’s just always been something about Okinawan karate that has been special to my heart for over 30 years. Karate originated in Okinawa and is a very important cultural heritage to the Okinawan people to this day.

I was very fortunate to have been stationed in Okinawa for nearly 13 years with the U.S. Navy where, for a decade of that time, in addition to teaching my own classes, I was the primary assistant instructor for Hanshi 9th Dan, Uechi Tsuyoshi. Uechi Sensei is the Okinawa Prefectural government representative for Isshin-ryu karate and, since 2023, he is the sole Okinawan sensei still teaching Isshin-ryu on Okinawa.

My recently deceased teacher of 24 years, Grandmaster Ed Johnson (1941-2025), trained with Isshin-ryu’s founder, Hanshi 10th Dan Shimabuku Tatsuo (1908-1975) while stationed in Okinawa with the U.S. Marine Corps 1959-1961. He was also the pioneer of Isshin-ryu karate in the state of Texas, and he unswervingly believed in preserving his teacher’s teachings. He formed the Old School Isshin-ryu Brotherhood in 2007 as an offshoot of the defunct Isshin-ryu Brotherhood.

My original Isshin-ryu instructor is Master Harvey L. Kennedy of Shreveport, LA, whose own training in the art goes back to 1967. His Shreveport school is called Kennedy’s Karate USA, which is where I began training in November 1993.

We honor our heritage by carrying our teachers’ legacies into the future. There is a saying on Okinawa: ONKO CHISHIN, which means “to understand the new, first study the old.”

To that end, Sloane’s Karate USA also has a Japanese name. We are also the “Okinawa Isshinryu Karatedo Koryukan”, which means the “Okinawa Wholehearted Method Empty-Hand Way Old School Hall”, and we also preserve “old school” karate as taught by the style’s founder.

We retain our direct link to Okinawa today by being an official branch dojo of Uechi Sensei’s Isshin-ryu Okinawa Traditional Karate-do Association. We are also affiliated with the Japan Budo International Federation and the Universal Martial Arts Association.

As my career in the U.S. Navy draws to a close, I am proud to bring traditional Okinawan karate back to East Texas, and to Longview specifically.

Contact me today if you are interested in training in authentic Old School Okinawan karate!

Andy Sloane
Chief Instructor
8th Dan, Isshin-ryu karate & kobudo
3rd Dan, Dragon Kenpo
2nd Dan, Taekwondo
1st Dan, Jujutsu
[email protected]
(972) 768-1287

04/22/2026

Tonight we held our final karate class here at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. Congratulations to AZ3 Joseph Coll, USN and to AZ3 Francisco Gonzalez, USN on their promotion to 9th Kyu, Orange Belt!

Continue to watch this space!