About CoVA Karate

A Serious Martial Arts School for Adults and Serious Teens

CoVA Karate is an independent Virginia Beach martial arts school built upon decades of Okinawan karate training, study, and instruction.

Our central system is Okinawan Shorin-ryu karate. Training includes foundational movement, kata, kobudo, controlled partner work, practical application, and self-defense awareness.

The school is designed primarily for adults and serious teens who want thoughtful instruction, steady development, and a mature place to train.

Students are not rushed through techniques or promotions. They are encouraged to understand how posture, balance, timing, coordination, distance, and body mechanics affect the way karate works.

Where CoVA Karate Came From

CoVA Karate did not begin in isolation.

Before CoVA Karate was established, Sean Schroeder and David Colaizzi spent decades training at Okinawan Budo Institute, commonly known as OBI.

Their years at OBI formed an important part of their foundation in Okinawan Shorin-ryu karate. That training influenced their understanding of kata, fundamentals, movement, practical application, discipline, and martial arts instruction.

When Sean opened CoVA Karate, he built upon that foundation while allowing the new school to develop its own identity, priorities, and approach to teaching adults.

CoVA Karate is an independent school. Okinawan Budo Institute is not a former name for CoVA Karate and is not a branch of the current school. It is an important part of the history and training lineage from which CoVA Karate developed.

Learn more about Okinawan Budo Institute and the roots of CoVA Karate.

Why Some Older Material Uses the Word Kempo

Some older CoVA Karate material used the spelling Kempo or Kenpo. These terms appear throughout the broader history of Okinawan, Chinese, and Japanese martial arts and were sometimes used alongside the word karate.

Kempo can be translated broadly as “fist method” or “fist law.” In older publications, organizations, and school names, it was sometimes used to describe fighting traditions that were related to or incorporated into the development of Okinawan karate.

Today, we use the name CoVA Karate and identify our central system as Okinawan Shorin-ryu karate. This gives prospective students a clearer understanding of what we teach.

The terminology has changed, but the foundation remains rooted in kata, movement, structure, kobudo, practical application, and long-term development.

Our Approach to Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate

We respect the karate that was passed down to us, but we do not treat tradition as the mechanical imitation of outward movements.

Kata provides a framework through which students study posture, balance, alignment, weight transfer, timing, distance, breathing, coordination, and the relationship between one movement and the next.

Students first learn the structure. As their understanding grows, they begin to recognize the principles within that structure and learn how those principles apply to their own movement.

Kata teaches movement.
Movement builds body awareness.
Body awareness builds trust.
Trust reduces hesitation.
Less hesitation allows better response.

This process extends beyond kata. It influences partner training, practical application, kobudo, self-defense awareness, and the student’s ability to move with greater control.

Three Instructors With Different Areas of Experience

CoVA Karate is taught by three instructors whose backgrounds include different ranks, disciplines, organizations, and areas of martial arts study.

Martial arts credentials are not always interchangeable. An instructor may hold one rank in Okinawan Shorin-ryu, another in Karate-do, and additional recognition in kobudo, jujutsu, or another discipline.

For that reason, each credential is identified according to the system or discipline through which it was awarded.

David Colaizzi

Senior Instructor

8th Dan, Karate-do
Hanshi
7th Dan, Okinawan Shorin-ryu

David brings decades of training rooted in Okinawan karate. His shared history with Sean at OBI remains an important part of the knowledge and lineage represented at CoVA Karate.

Sean Schroeder

Owner and Director

7th Dan, Karate-do
6th Dan, Okinawan Shorin-ryu

Sean’s teaching emphasizes Okinawan Shorin-ryu karate, kata, kobudo, body awareness, practical application, and the continued development of movement throughout a lifetime of training.

Vinh Dinh

Instructor

5th Dan, Karate-do
Renshi
3rd Dan, Okinawan Shorin-ryu

Vinh brings experience and recognition across more than one martial arts discipline. His separate ranks reflect study through different systems and organizations.

A Mature Dojo Environment

CoVA Karate is designed for adults and serious teens who want a focused, respectful, and low-ego training environment.

Students include complete beginners, returning martial artists, professionals, veterans, military families, business owners, and adults who want to improve how they move while studying a martial art with depth.

Students are expected to train seriously, but they are not expected to arrive already fit, flexible, coordinated, or experienced. Those qualities are developed through training.

Progress is built through understanding, repetition, correction, and consistent effort rather than fast promotions or unrealistic promises.

National Karate Jujutsu Federation

The CoVA Karate instructors are members of the National Karate Jujutsu Federation.

The organization provides recognition and connection across Karate-do, jujutsu, and related martial arts disciplines. Credentials awarded through the NKJF are identified separately from Okinawan Shorin-ryu ranks.

Learn more about the National Karate Jujutsu Federation.

Visit CoVA Karate in Virginia Beach

CoVA Karate 3157 Shipps Corner Road, Suite 106
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23453

CoVA Karate serves adults and serious teens from Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and surrounding Hampton Roads communities.