Traditional teaching

Rick and Stephany Montgomery are traditionalists.

The husband and wife team with deep Inland Empire roots have taught Shotokan Karate together for more than 20 years up and down the East Coast. In June, they opened the Academy of Shotokan Martial Arts at 101 N. University Road.

Together they’re bringing a traditional martial arts foundation to an area that has seen most instruction trend toward a hybrid approach.

“My husband, Sensei Rick, is the head instructor and he’s been doing this for 35 years,” Stephany Montgomery said. “A long time ago, he taught in Medical Lake, but we’ve mostly been on the East Coast, most recently in Atlanta. We’ve been in Spokane the past couple years, but he’s focused on doing private instruction and just recently decided to open his own school.

“There aren’t a lot of traditional martial arts up here. He’s trying to bring that into Spokane more.”

The Shotokan form of karate is popular throughout the United States, but has not been taught much in Spokane. In Spokane, the dominant form of karate has been kenpo, the style originated by American Ed Parker.

Lately, martial arts instruction has moved away from specific styles, such as tae kwon do, in favor of a blended form of kickboxing.

“I think when you do that, you get away from the core discipline that you learn when you study a specific martial art,” Stephany Montgomery said. “There are some classes where they have kids starting out learning to fight or break boards right off the bat. You don’t do that here. You don’t spar with anyone until you are quite a way down the road and you have learned enough to be able to handle it.”

The school teaches Shotokan, a blend of the two forms of karate developed in Okinawa – shorei-ryu and shorin-ryu – designed by Master Gichin Funakoshi, who introduced the new form in Japan. The name comes from Funakoshi’s pen name, Shoto, which means “pine waves,” making the literal translation of the sport “House of Pine Waves.”

“This is an academy,” Stephany Montgomery said. “This is a place of learning. There is a strict curriculum. My husband is very much into the strict discipline of the art. You earn a belt here, you don’t buy one.

“He’s also a certified fitness trainer, so you’re going to sweat when you walk through the door.”

Stephany Montgomery also brings specialty training to the school. She works as a cardiac nurse at The Heart Institute of Spokane.

The school doesn’t use student contracts. All students, from 4-year-olds to adults, pay a monthly fee and can stop at any time.

“We’ve already had parents tell us that they’ve seen a difference in their kids just in the few months that they’ve been here,” Stephany Montgomery said.

Movements are explained in both Japanese and English. Tests are given on both languages and students are expected to answer in both.

“My husband’s roots go back to Japan, and there aren’t a lot of martial arts instructors around who can say that,” she said. “His certification comes directly from Japan.

“I think it’s good, especially for the young kids, to get that taste of another language and another culture.”