Chicago, Illinois
Chicago's karate scene is mid-sized with strong USA Karate and AAU affiliations, plus several Japanese-lineage dojos that have operated in the city for 40+ years. The market spans the city, the western suburbs, and university programs. Winter weather is the operational reality, and many dojos run reduced summer schedules around the school year.
The local picture
Why it works for Chicago
OLM's class templates support summer-reduced schedules — turn off Tuesday and Thursday classes for July-August, leave Saturday open. AI Monitor's seasonal pattern detection treats school-year roster cycles as expected context, not churn signals. Tournament team members sit on add-on subscriptions stacked on base membership with separate Stripe line items for entry fees and travel.
In every Karate gym, anywhere
Kyu/Dan tracking with sensei lineage
Each grading recorded with the issuing sensei, date, and notes. Portable across dojos that also run OLM.
Attendance-based grading readiness
Set minimum class counts per rank. OLM surfaces students who've met the threshold so nothing slips.
Tournament & event billing
One-off Stripe charges with waiver gates. Capped $2 platform fee means no 3% slice off high-ticket seminars.
Chicago Karate academies we've heard of
Japan Karate Association Chicago · Midwest Karate Association · Chicago Goju-Ryu
Listed for context only — no endorsement implied. If you run one of these and want OLM to power it, say hi.