Business Profile: Kokoro Dojo, Pleasantville
Forget mixed martial arts. Pleasantville native Chuck Nuccio has brought a different kind of karate experience to the area.
His business, located in the heart of Pleasantville, is Kokoro Dojo, which aims to introduce traditional martial arts to adults and children. The school also offers fitness classes to men and women as well as giving advanced martial arts students the chance to refine their skills by exploring different techniques.
Nuccio, who holds a third- and fourth-degree black belt in Okinawan karate, took up the practice 20 years ago as a way to stay fit. He was also attracted to the philosophy behind Okinawan karate, that all human activities affect the outside world through intention, emotion and intellect.
“In many ways, karate takes its essence through form,” said Nuccio, who opened Kokoro Dojo on March 1. “It’s really the beautification of something.”
At Kokoro Dojo, Nuccio, who is also known as a “sensei,” (the Japanese word for master or teacher) teaches what is known as Goju Ryu, or hard-soft style karate, one of four authentic styles of classical karate that originated on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
Classes, offered to children and adults, typically include a warm-up session to stretch and strengthen participants for the karate training. It continues with the basics of Okinawan karate, which include learning how to block, kick, strike and incorporate the various stances.
Children’s classes include the Little Dragons program for ages 3-5; kids classes for ages 6-13; and a program for teens 13 years old and up.
In addition to learning the forms, or “Kata,” of each move, an essential self-defense component of the martial art, students are also prepared to perform exercises that condition and challenge, Nuccio explained.
“In Okinawan karate, everything becomes a weapon,” said Nuccio, although the intention at all times when practicing the art is to avoid confrontation.
Okinawan karate is much more than punching a bag. His studio contains equipment you might see in a regular gym, such as weights, stability balls and resistance bands, but you’ll also find ancient tools that are specific to Okinawan karate. Those include the chishi, a small wooden staff that has a weight on one end and is used to improve muscle tone and strengthen the fingers, hands, arms and chest; dumbbells, known as Sashi weights, which are commonly used during blocking and striking practice and help develop arm and shoulder strength; and “Kami” gripping jars, which are effective in improving the posture of the lower body.
The standing Makiwara striking board, a wooden post that contains a straw wraparound at the top, is another important training tool that students have been using. It not only aids in strengthening the hands and arms, but also helps the stance and coordinates breathing.
Nuccio offers a CrossFit training program for men and women.
“I enjoy having people here, whether they’re involved in karate or they’re getting fit some other way,” he said.
Classes include a cardio and strength conditioning workout, which incorporates many of the karate techniques he’s honed over the years. Rather than kicking a bag in a regular fashion, Nuccio asks his students to hold their legs at the half-point position to work a different set of muscles. Workouts also feature explosive training to strengthen the core and stability muscles throughout the body.
Content to make this his lifelong career, Nuccio said he hopes the community warms up to the idea of a new kind of martial arts instruction, an alternative to the popular mixed martial arts programs that emerged after the creation of the Ultimate Fight Championship tournaments.
“In many ways I wish I had done this a long time ago,” he said.
Kokoro Dojo is located at 72 Memorial Plaza in Pleasantville. To learn more, call 914-497-2903 or visit the school’s website at www.kokorokenkyukai.com.
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