Blackbelt Week Events 2026

Mark your calendars! This year, Blackbelt Week returns in full force and will feature classes every day of the week for adults and a host of special events for kids in every division. This is your chance to train with blackbelts (including possibly some new ones!), attend special seminars, and meet new blackbelts.

Blackbelt Week has become a tradition at the dojo, and grown every year: the first year that it was featured, all the events fit on one single-page sign. In the past several years, it took three pages to list all the events. This year, the record-setting schedule spreads out over four full pages!

There are more than a dozen special events featured over the week – a detailed schedule is below, but first a few highlights:

Otsukimi お月見: The Autumn Moon Festival

The Autumn Moon Festival occurs on Friday, September 25th this year, which puts it right in the middle of Blackbelt Week.

The holiday celebrates the importance of family gathering, celebrating the coming Autumn and the bounty and beauty of nature, and generally serves as a social occasion to bring communities together.

In modern times, many dojo celebrate Otsukimi お月見 as a fun way to bring the entire dojo community (kizuna) together.

The dojo will have mooncakes available all day as a special treat!

Teens Division: Special Wednesday Tameshiwari Seminar

The dojo will present a Teen Tameshiwari Seminar on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 5PM. Teens will have the opportunity to learn about Tameshiwari ("breaking") and be able to practice on competition teen boards. (There is no fee to attend the seminar; materials have generously been donated by blackbelts).

This class is open to all Teen kids, and blackbelts are invited to act as assistant instructors.

Mentor Division: Special Wednesday Combined Class

Kids in the Mentor Division will train with their Teen peers as part of the Tameshiwari Seminar on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 5PM.. This class is open to all Mentor Division kids, and blackbelts are invited to act as assistant instructors. Materials have also been generously donated by the dojo blackbelts.

Special Blackbelt Classes

Blackbelts (including brand-new ones!) will have the opportunity to attend blackbelt-only kata and weapons classes twice during Blackbelt Week – once on Thursday evening and once on Saturday morning.

Classes will feature new material for senior blackbelts as well as the first introductions to new blackbelt kata for more junior blackbelts.

Special Karatedō Seminar: All Adults, All Ranks

A special Karatedō: 149 Concepts seminar will be held on Tuesday, September 22nd at 6:30PM. (Note that this pre-empts the 6PM Adults General Class, which returns the following week.) All adult students are invited (and encouraged!) to attend.

This seminar will cover the history, conceptual organization, and detail of the 149 underlying concepts in the philosophy of karatedō.

And stay tuned for a special announcement during the seminar!

Expanded Meditation Class (Livestream'd)

On Wednesday, September 23rd, a special Meditation Class will pre-empt part of the 7PM General Class, and begin at 7:45PM. This class will expand the regular format and include new tools and an expanded shodo lecture.

As a bonus, this expanded Mediation Class will be live-streamed, so if you train regularly via livestream but don't have much opportunity to attend a mediation class, this is your chance!

Seminar for Instructors and Assistant Instructors

Adult blackbelts and adult students 4th Kyu and senior have an opportunity to learn (or polish) skills to be assistant instructors and to learn the path to becoming an instructor at a special Teaching Seminar on Thursday at 6:30PM.

Attendees will role-play class scenarios, learn how to organize classes, and have the opportunity to expand their ability to help juniors in class.

Tournament Competition Classes for Youth and Teens

Throughout the week (Monday and Friday for Youth, Friday for Teens) students in the various Kids Divisions will practice tournament competition kata and kumite with senior blackbelts.

Intradojo Tournament in Kata, Kumite, and Karatedō

On Friday night, starting at 6PM, a friendly tournament (mixed with training and advice) will be held for adults in kata, kumite, and karatedō.

Students will learn details on tournament competition, receive advice from seniors, and prepare for the NYC Karatedō International Championship in October.

Special Bonus for All Kids

On Saturday, September 26th, there will be a special 10:30AM class for all three divisions (Juniors, Youth, and Teens) that will be taught by different blackbelts (including some brand-new shodans!) – so all kids will also be able to participate in the excitement of Blackbelt week as well.

Plan to spend the week training hard!