Sensei Sean Roberts has an important lesson in mind for his class of 20 seated karate students.

The students, some as young as 5, silently await it.

The kids were sparring to prepare for an upcoming Minakami Karate Dojo tournament. Now, they are being called up in pairs to mimic the combat in their in-house competition.

Roberts poses a question before the first pair go up.

"What do you do if a referee makes a mistake and awards a point to your opponent, even if they're wrong?" he asks.

"Tell them!" shouts one orange-belted boy.

"Rematch!" yells another child. Students laugh.

Roberts, a fifth-level black belt, shakes his head.

"You must conduct yourself well," the teacher says. "That's more important than winning a match."

The children groan a little, but seem to accept the message. It's lessons like these — respecting others, endeavoring to improve, and refraining from violent behavior — that Roberts tries to impart to his students, young and old.

The dojo has a class for kids and one for adults, although each is flexible; many kids attend and participate during their parents' lessons, and vice-versa.

There are about 50 kids and 20 adults in Roberts' program.

Since Roberts can't give personal instruction to each student in the chapel, other veterans of the dojo, sempai, assist him.

When the kids' class is broken down into smaller groups, a handful of sempai help out by instructing some of the newer youngsters in forms of kata — motion.

Most range from the ninth rank, or kyu — orange belt — to the sixth kyu, purple. In karate, kyu decreases numerically as experience increases.

Much of what beginners must learn to advance in kyu is the terminology of each maneuver, such as "gedan barai" for downward block or "mae geri" for front snapping kick.

That, and some basic counting.

"Ichi! Ni! San!" yell the kids as they count off their moves, a scripted pattern of punches and kicks. They yell to release their ki, or spirit energy, and louder is better.

In this case, the chapel's default volume is set at "deafening."

Aaron Chan, 20, a brown belt from San Francisco, was assisting Roberts by leading a group of five kids through their kata.

Chan, who's trained in karate for more than five years, said he was sold on Minakami Dojo because of its focus on technique. Instead of emphasizing only physical fitness, the dojo was more concerned with technique, he said.

"What really opened me up to this (dojo) is it's style," said Chan, a travel industry management major at the University of Hawai'i. "You don't really think 'strength.' You think 'understanding.' "

He appreciated the opportunity to help instruct others, which he's done at the dojo since last fall.

"You get a bit of insight (into your own technique) as you watch the kids," Chan said.

Minakami Dojo's classes begin at $35 per month, with one class per week at the Kapi'olani Community College chapel on Diamond Head Road, or the Silent Dance Center Yoga Studio at 1127 11th Ave. in Kaimuki on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays.

The rate increases to $45 if students take two classes each week for extra training.

As rank increases, more training is required between ranks before a test can be administered. Beginners must take at least 15 classes to be tested, or a period of about two months.

Roberts, of Great Britain, selected Hawai'i to set up his own dojo three years ago because his mother is from here. He also is a part-time instructor of karate and yoga at UH-Manoa.

To sign up, call 277-7219 or visit www.hawaiikaratedo.com.