1997 Palmer Avenue, Larchmont, New York 10538 (Pop in! Play Space & Cafe)
Tracey and Geoff began training together in 1995 at a dojo called New Rochelle Karate Institute on North Avenue. At that time, Geoff had been training in the martial arts for just two years and Tracey had been training for significantly longer. We both trained directly under Soke Raymond Fitzpatrick, the school's owner and an accomplished martial artist who holds a 10th degree black belt from world renowned Grand Master Peter Urban of Urban Goju Karate. Soke Fitzpatrick is also the founder of the Nisei Goju-Jitsu karate system. We both also trained directly under Professor Albert Dandridge, a ju jitsu expert who held a sixth degree black belt in Nisei Ju Jitsu from Professor Theodore West, the system's founder. Professor Dandridge also held the distinction of having been the third African American ever to command a detective squad in the NYPD. New Rochelle Karate Institute closed in 1999 and Soke Fitzpatrick moved the programs to the wrestling room of New Rochelle High School. This was an excellent experience, as it was a large class and many high-ranking instructors would show up to teach. In 2012, Soke Fitzpatrick opened New Rochelle Institute of Combative Arts (NRICA), coincidentally just a couple doors down from where New Rochelle Karate Institute used to be. NRICA was a great dojo with many students and teachers coming and going until the tragic fire in 2022. Upon the passing of Professor Dandridge in 2018 and the retirement of Soke Fitzpatrick in 2022, Tracey and Geoff inherited both the Nisei Goju-Jitsu and the Nisei Ju Jitsu systems, respectively. We look forward to sharing these systems with many more students going forward.