Sierra Dojo began as a class at what is now Pulse Fitness in Minden in 1999. Diane Ortenzio-Cooling had moved to the Carson Valley three years earlier and wanted training partners. Two years later, she found a spot in the Minden Plaza and opened her own training facility.
Through the years we’ve changed locations, but we’ve never changed our goal: To offer a method for people to become confident and stronger through traditional martial art training.
“Traditional” means many things:
- To us the instructors, it means being accountable to our own teachers to pass on what we have learned, and to continue learning and honing our teaching skills.
- To our students, it means being honest about their performance and skill level. We work with every student to be the best they can be, and that takes time and effort.
- To the parents of our students, it means explaining from time to time why their son or daughter wasn’t ready for a promotion. All students have to meet the same standard. Promotions are the reward for diligent practice, not just for perfect attendance.
- It means holding both students and instructors accountable to a high level of integrity and honor.
- It means running classes in a structured way, so every member comes to know how to conduct themselves.
- It means fostering a sense of “family”, as only those who train and sweat together towards a common goal can know.
- Training is not about how many times one shows up to class, but how many times the lessons learned are put into practice.
Come learn the fundamentals of martial arts. Why techniques work and how they work. You will grow in ways that you didn’t think possible…you will discover the traditional martial arts!