Welcome to Illinois Practical Karate; the ONLY practical karate school in Southern Illinois, specializing in self-defense and MMA!

Sensei Noah was an amazing Karate instructor. He is very patience and kind and understanding. He was able to teach our daughter with disabilities. He was part of our amazing journey in Karate. He was our encourager. Anyone who learns from Noah will learn a lot . Thank you Sensei Noah for your amazing teaching.
Krista M.

BBB Accredited

We are proud to be accredited and granted an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau.

LGBTQIA+ Friendly

We believe that karate is for everyone, and our LGBTQIA+ friends are no exception!

Military Discounts

We offer a 10% discount on training for active duty military and veterans.

Sensei Noah is an absolutely incredible martial artist and teacher. Extremely practical, in-depth understanding of both application and history, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better Sensei, period.
Kyle D.

Small Group Classes

Pay as little as $60/month! Our small group classes allow for plenty of personalized attention from the instructor to help you reach your goals.

Private Lessons

Personalized one-on-one training sessions with our chief instructor will speed up your learning process! Lessons cost as little as $27.50 each!

Seminars & Webinars

Set up a custom seminar or webinar with internationally recognized practical karate expert, Noah Legel, for your business or school!

You did such a great job instructing us, the many self defense tactics you taught us. You are providing a service that is very needed in this community. Thank you so much. I am looking forward to my next class, already.
Georgia F.

Recent Articles

Tachimura no Naihanchi Webinar in Review

On Saturday, June 1st, 2024, I taught a webinar for the International Neoclassical Karate Kobudo Society (INKKS) on the first kata of the KishimotoDi system, […]

Kakedameshi Seminar in Review

A review and testimonials of my recent seminar, Kakedameshi: The Original Kumite of Karate, hosted by Shorei Ryu Karate Studios of Bradley, IL.

How to Bunkai

Bunkai (lit. “take apart, analyze”), in the context of karate, is the practice of breaking down kata and working on developing applications for their movements, […]

Competition Kakedameshi Ruleset

For many years, I have been an advocate of the use of kakedameshi (lit. “test of hanging/hooked hands”), or “sticky hands sparring,” for pressure testing […]

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