JOSEPH — It’s not intended to turn you into Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris, but a former sheriff and a local businesswoman have opened a dojo in Joseph to teach basic karate skills.

A dojo is a hall or place for immersive learning, traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields. In this case, the ‘End of the Road Dojo’ is at The Place, a well-known community building in Joseph.

“At the dojo, we just registered with the Shotokan Karate Association,” said Leah Svendsen, who also owns and operates The Element, a shop, gallery and art studio in Joseph.

Svendsen and Steve Rogers, the other instructor at the dojo, won’t get paid for the work, she said on Wednesday, Sept. 27. “We just ask for a little donation so we can give to The Place. We’re just donating our time.”

The sheriff

In this case, “we” is Svendsen and former Wallowa County Sheriff Rogers, who still lives in Joseph but works for the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy patrolling Oregon Parks and Recreation property along the Deschutes River.

But he’s still heavily involved in Wallowa County, he said Thursday.

“I’ve filed to run for Wallowa County commissioner to fill Todd Nash’s position,” Rogers said.

Nash is stepping down to run for the Oregon State Senate.

Rogers said he’s been studying and practicing karate for 43 years and has had occasion to use it in law enforcement.

“You use it all the time but it’s not based on your physical capability; it’s based on your mentality,” he said.

Svendsen said Rogers may be a bit modest, but she’s aware he frequently uses karate in law enforcement. However, he only uses it in defense.

“That’s the main rule; it’s only in defense,” she said.

Rogers has been working with Svendsen for over three years, having gotten started together because they’re neighbors near the end of Ski Run Road along the west side of Wallowa Lake south of Joseph.

“That’s why we call it ‘End of the Road Dojo’ because that’s where we live, at the end of the road, literally,” she said. “We’d practice outside in the old parking lot area of the ski run.”

The businesswoman

Svendsen said she and Rogers enjoy working out together, but they’re at different belt levels. He’s a Shodan, the first level of black belt. She’s an Ikkyu, the top level of brown belt. Svendsen explained there are three levels of belts in karate: white, brown and black. The darker shade of each color means the wearer is more proficient at that level. There are six levels of white, three levels of brown and five of black, she said.

“They say that you practice so much that your belt starts to get brown, so there’s only white, brown and black — you practice so much that it becomes black.”

Svendsen said an instructor comes twice a year to test to see if a belt-holder is ready to advance.

Karate is a Japanese martial art whose physical aspects seek the development of defensive and counterattacking body movements, according to a Tulane University website. The themes of traditional karate training are fighting and self-defense, though its mental and moral aspects target the overall improvement of the individual.

“We don’t practice with mats — it’’s not really a take-down type of thing,” Svendsen said. “There’s no throwing at this stage. … Basically, you learn how to not be there in an attack. You practice with people that is an honest attack, but you both become fast enough to just not be there. There’s very little contact.”

But that isn’t always the case.

“Now and then there’s a mistake and you get clipped a little,” she said. “I haven’t tried to throw Steve around or anything. … He’s got a much longer reach.”

The classes

The dojo got started Monday with its first classes. Svendsen teaches the class for ages 8-13, while Rogers teaches the adults ages 14 and older.

No registration is needed, Svendsen said, and they just teach whoever shows up.

It’s also quite inexpensive. They don’t even charge a fee; all they ask is for donations.

Rogers agreed, saying what they do take in goes to The Place.

“We donate all our money back to The Place,” he said. “We just give everything back. “

Svendsen said the karate practice is good for the body, as well.

“It’s not a full hour of cardio exercise, but it definitely gets your heart rate up,” she said.

She’s eager for anyone to try it out.

“We’d just like people to come and check it out,” she said, emphasizing that to do so involves no commitment of time or money.

Kids who have other activities also can join.

“They’re welcome to join at any time,” she said. “There’s a lot of repetition at each practice, so they won’t be behind.”

What: End of the Road Shotokan Karate Dojo martial arts

Who: Steve Rogers and Leah Svendsen

Where: 303 S. Lake St., Joseph “The Place”

When: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:15-7:30 p.m.

Phone: 541-398-1842

Email: endoftheroaddojo@gmail.com

Online: https://endoftheroad.ska.org/