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Karate franchises & style organizations
Most karate dojos are independent — but karate still has real networks. They come in two kinds. Some are franchises: Tiger Schulmann's, Premier Martial Arts and Villari's run branded schools on a shared curriculum, so a class at one location is built to feel like a class at another. Others are style organizations — traditions like Shotokan (JKA), Kyokushin, Goju-Ryu, Isshinryu and Shorin-Ryu that thousands of dojos teach under a common name, each with its own kata, stances and sparring approach. Both are genuinely useful when you're choosing where to train — the name tells you something about the style and the standards before you walk in. We track 870 dojos across the 12 networks and styles below. Still, the name over the door is a starting point, not a guarantee — every dojo is its own room and its own sensei, so also browse dojos by program, see what other arts they teach, or find a dojo with a free trial to try a class.
Kenpo / Kempo Karate
A fast, hands-focused family of styles with American and Shaolin roots (Ed Parker's American Kenpo, Shaolin Kempo and others).
Shotokan Karate (JKA)
The widely taught Japanese style founded by Gichin Funakoshi and organized through the JKA — long, powerful stances and a deep kata syllabus.
Premier Martial Arts
A national martial-arts franchise teaching a blended karate, kickboxing and self-defense program to families across hundreds of locations.
Kyokushin Karate
The full-contact style founded by Mas Oyama, known for hard sparring, conditioning and knockdown tournaments.
Isshinryu Karate
An Okinawan style founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku, blending Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu, known for its vertical-fist punch and practical self-defense.
Goju-Ryu Karate
An Okinawan style founded by Chojun Miyagi that blends hard linear strikes with soft circular movement and close-range breathing kata.
Shorin-Ryu Karate
One of the oldest Okinawan karate traditions — fast, upright, natural movement and a classical kata lineage.
Uechi-Ryu Karate
An Okinawan style rooted in southern Chinese Pangai-noon — three core kata and hard body conditioning.
Tiger Schulmann's Karate
A large martial-arts franchise founded by Tiger Schulmann in the Northeast — schools built on a karate-and-kickboxing curriculum for kids and adults.
Shito-Ryu Karate
A Japanese style founded by Kenwa Mabuni that preserves one of the largest kata catalogs, bridging the Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te lines.
Wado-Ryu Karate
A Japanese style founded by Hironori Ohtsuka that fuses karate with jujutsu-style body-shifting and evasion (tai sabaki).
Villari's Martial Arts
The family of schools teaching Shaolin Kempo Karate founded by Fredrick Villari — long established across the Northeast and beyond.