Family-owned karate studio expands

Three years after the husband and wife team of Tina and Kato John Peragine opened up the Shunato Karate and Fitness Center on Grand Avenue in Baldwin, they did the same again on June 2.

This time, though, it was down the block, just south of Sunrise Highway, to a location much bigger in size to support their growing business.

Shunato offers karate and kickboxing classes, mostly led by Kato, the chief instructor who’s been a martial arts instructor for more than 40 years. Tina serves as the studio’s program director, which offers classes for people ages 3 and up.

Tina and Kato have three children in Baldwin schools — one in high school, one in middle school and one in Plaza Elementary School — after moving to the community 14 years ago. In addition to teaching karate and kickboxing classes, Kato works as an electrician and owns his own business.

In 2014, the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame named Kato its Instructor of the Year and Shunato Karate and Fitness Center its School of the Year. “To get the award(s) in front of my peers was pretty amazing,” John said.

Their business, like many others on the South Shore, suffered a big clientele loss after Supertstorm Sandy in 2012, since many students’ homes were flooded. Tina estimates that 60 percent of their student-base stopped coming in for classes because of Sandy.

But in the last eight months or so, she added, business has been booming with new clients “from housewives to corrections officers.”

Kato and Tina wanted to organize a fun outing for children and adults who attend their school so they took part in the Spartan Race, which features a variety of obstacles, at Citi Field last month.

Seven kids from Shunato Karate, along with Kato, completed a one-mile course with seven obstacles. Nine adults conquered a four-mile course with 21 obstacles. “This was the perfect proving ground for them to ultimately see what it was like to work as a team, set a goal and then go out and accomplish it,” Tina said, adding that once the race participants finished the course they were elated.

Kato said that’s the feeling he looks to provide at his business. To him, karate and kickboxing aren’t about punching and kicking, “It’s about life skills.”