Shoshindo of Alaska

📢 Friendly Reminder!

There will be no martial arts classes tomorrow, Saturday, June 6th, due to a scheduled class cancellation.

While you're enjoying your weekend, try to find 5 minutes to practice—whether it's your kata, basics, kicks, blocks, or stretches. Small, consistent efforts make a big difference over time!

We look forward to seeing everyone back in class next week. 🥋

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

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📢 Class Location Update for This Saturday

The gym is hosting an event this weekend, so for the first hour of class we will be training on the upstairs floor instead of our usual space downstairs.

Please arrive a few minutes early so everyone has time to find the correct area and get settled before class begins.

Thank you for your flexibility, and we’ll see you in class this Saturday! 🥋

☀️ Summer 2026 Martial Arts Semester – Now Enrolling! 🥋

Our Summer Martial Arts Semester is coming up, and we’d love to have you join us!

This is an 8-week training session designed to help students stay active, build confidence, and continue developing practical self-defense skills in a supportive, family-friendly environment.

Whether you're brand new or continuing your training, our classes are structured to help every student grow at their own pace while training alongside others in a positive and encouraging setting.

📅 Summer Semester Dates
Saturdays: July 11th – August 29th, 2026

👊 Class Times:

Beginners (All levels): 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Advanced (Blue belts & up, teens & adults): 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

🚫 No class on July 4th weekend

🔥 Why train this summer?
Summer training helps students:

Maintain momentum and skill development
Stay active and engaged year-round
Build confidence through consistent practice

Spots are limited to keep class sizes small and ensure personalized instruction.

Message us if you’d like to reserve a spot or have any questions—we’d love to see you on the mat this summer! 🥋

Ready to train this spring? 🌱🥋

Our Spring 2026 Martial Arts Semester is now open for enrollment! Whether you're brand new or returning, our classes are designed to help you build confidence, improve coordination, and develop practical self-defense skills in a supportive, family-friendly environment.

📅 April 4th – June 27th, 2026
🗓 Saturdays
👊 Beginners: 5:00–6:00 PM
🥋 Advanced: 6:00–7:00 PM

🚫 No class on June 6th

Families are welcome to train together during the first hour, making this a great opportunity for quality time while learning something new!

Message us to reserve your spot or ask any questions—we’d love to have you join us this semester!

🚗 Reminder: Parking Update for This Saturday

Just a quick reminder that this Saturday (4/25), the gym parking lot will be swept.

Please plan to park in the area immediately to the left near the garage when you arrive.

Thank you for your flexibility—we appreciate it! See you on the mat 🥋

🚗 Parking Update for Upcoming Classes

This Saturday (4/18) and next Saturday (4/25), the gym parking lot will be swept.

When you arrive, please park in the area immediately to the left near the garage after turning into the gym.

Thank you for your flexibility, we appreciate it! See you on the mat 🥋

I’m so grateful to Black Birch Books for co-hosting and sponsoring our Women’s Self-Defense Workshop this weekend. It was wonderful to see a local business actively supporting and uplifting women in our community.

Events like this create space for women to come together, learn practical skills, and build confidence in a supportive environment. I truly appreciate Black Birch Books for helping make that possible.

Thank you to everyone who came out to train with us—it was a fantastic evening!

Reminder: Scheduled Class Cancellation 01/24/2026

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It is with great sorrow that I announce the passing of Timothy Caraway-sensei.

As a practitioner of Kokondo, Shoshin Ryu, Iaido, and eventually Shoshindo, he was a talented and creative martial artist. His martial journey began in 1985 after graduating college. He opened his first school in Shoshin Ryu in 1997, before founding Shoshindo around 2004.

It is no exaggeration to say that Tim lit up any room he was in, and that was certainly true of our dojo. His instruction and feedback were positive, encouraging, and always tailored to the individual. If it was your turn to work with him, he made the experience special — teaching you something new, challenging you no matter your level, and usually making you laugh too.

Tim was a published author, and it showed in the way he spoke. One of the many things that made his classes so special were the real-life stories he shared to support his lessons. He was also a commercial fisherman, which gave him hands and wrists of steel. It took many years to be skilled enough to get a wrist-lock on him — and even then, he may have just been humoring us… we’ll never really know.

Tim was deeply dedicated to our school and entirely without ego. For 17 years after I began training with him at the age of 13, he taught me (and many others) in his dojo, twice a week, before passing the school on to me in 2020. He taught me that students come before the school, and before the system — that there is no school without its students. He taught me to look at techniques critically and to be honest about their effectiveness. He taught me that the goal is not to be a “martial copiest,” a “cookie-cutter copy” of others, but a true martial artist — one who understands the principles deeply enough to begin creating.

We now have students who never had the chance to meet Tim. While that breaks my heart, it also fills me with pride that his legacy lives on. Our students today are influenced by his creativity and kindness through us — his students who became teachers. He is not gone from our dojo; rather, he now sits among those we bow to at the beginning of class, those we honor who have come before.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank him for teaching me Shoshindo, The System Within.

If you have a memory or a photo of Tim that you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment or send it directly to us at Shoshindo of Alaska.

Arigatō gozaimash*ta, Caraway-sensei. You are deeply missed.

Winter Semester kicks off TONIGHT! ❄️🥋
We’re excited to welcome everyone back to the mat, shake off the holiday break, and start the new year strong together.
Whether you’re returning or thinking about joining, this is the perfect time to jump in. See you tonight!

Send a message to learn more