Seven Star Women's Kung Fu was founded in 1981 as a non-profit feminist martial arts school.  Our school represents four generations of women teaching in the martial arts.

The school is sensitive to issues of fear, violence and power that women may face when they train in the martial arts. Teachers address these issues as they arise. Additionally, a time for questions and feedback is provided at the end of class when students can share their feelings, ideas and concerns about training. An open atmosphere encourages mutual respect among students and teachers. The art of Kajukenbo is taught with an awareness that self-confidence and self-respect are as important as fighting skills.

We teach beginners both verbal and physical self-defense, focusing on de-escalation, not engaging with a person who is harassing you, projecting self-confidence, attacking vulnerable targets, and escaping from grabs. Though beginners also learn the basics of Kajukenbo, self-defense is a major focus, as we want women to have the basic skills to defend themselves even if they don't continue martial arts training.

After the beginner's cycle, the focus turns more to Kajukenbo, but we continue to practice self defense and teach more advanced strategies, such as how to defend against multiple attackers or attackers with weapons. As students move up through the ranks, they also begin learning aspects of Kajukenbo that are directly applicable to self defense, such as street fighting.

Seven Star is more affordable and less hierarchical than many traditional martial arts schools. We offer free childcare, and partial scholarships are available for those who qualify.  Our teachers and students are available for free public workshops and demonstrations.