Satori means “Enlightenment” or “Realization.”  It is what we work towards when we train in the martial arts.

Satori Dojo is a martial arts school unlike any in the area.  First, we are not a business designed and run to make a profit.  Satori Dojo is a non-profit martial arts school that has faithfully served the Phoenixville community since 1994.  While there are many admirable youth and civic organizations in Phoenixville, including sports and fitness activities, service clubs, and educational programs, Satori Dojo is unique among them in that it combines aspects of them all.

Second, Satori Dojo’s founder and driving force, Phoenixville native Joe Varady, is not just any karate instructor. In addition to being a world-class martial artist (check out his extensive bio page here), Grandmaster Joe was a professional teacher with a Masters Degree in Education and over a decade of classroom instruction. He has over 35 years of experience in the martial arts. In 2016 he was promoted to Sixth Degree Black Belt in Cuong Nhu Martial Arts, and in 2021 to Seventh Degree Black Belt in Universal Systems of Martial Arts. During that time, he has stayed very active, winning many local and national competitions, and even a world championship in 2015! He is a member of the Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and the acclaimed author of three books on the martial arts, The Art and Science of Staff Fighting, The Art and Science of Stick Fighting, and The Art and Science of Self Defense.

Staffed by professional educators, Satori Dojo offers an affordable, personalized learning experience in a club-like, family-friendly atmosphere.

Martial arts training has many benefits, perhaps the greatest of which is making excellence a habit. By addressing the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of the individual, a strong foundation is created for exploring one’s fullest potential in life.

Physically, our students set out to master a curriculum of progressively more sophisticated, and therefore more challenging, techniques. With continued practice, students should become more physically fit, coordinated, and dexterous.

Mentally, practicing the martial arts helps develops the mind. This starts with discipline, mental control over the mind and body. Our students are encouraged to keep an open mind, and be open to learning new things. This mental stimulation keeps the mind pliable.

Spiritually, challenging martial arts training helps students develop a non-defeatist attitude. By setting attainable short-term goals, and staying focused and determined, you can make it through or learn to do just about anything.

The Satori curriculum includes techniques from karate, wing chun, boxing, judo, aikido, and vovinam. Each was carefully chosen because it added practicality and functionality to the overall system. The result is a methodologically sound formula for creating a new generation of well-rounded martial artists.

Grandmaster Joe believes that he is not only providing his students at Satori Dojo with an outstanding, well-rounded martial arts education, but that he is also being faithful to the ideals of Cuong Nhu as originally outlined by its Founder, O Sensei Ngo Dong.

“Start the revolution within yourself.”
– O Sensei Ngo Dong