Founded in the Summer of 2007 East Coast School of Combined Martial Arts- Arroyo’s Program began in Sensei Eugenia Arroyo’s living room with just one student. One student grew to two, and then to three and suddenly, it was time to move out of that living room and into a proper dojo. Today the program is ran by Sensei Eugenia Arroyo and Sensei Vicky Arroyo and proudly serves 60-80 active students and their families at any given time (having trained over 200 students throughout the years).

The Arroyo’s Program, a sister program of River Street’s East Coast School of Combined Martial Arts in Mattapan, focuses on personal and community growth through the art of Gotan Ryu. Under the continued guidance of Kyoshi Paterson, we strive to serve our students, families and community in ways that will support them in achieving their personal goals by building their confidence, resilience, sense of self and community responsibility, and access to resources and opportunities.

After years of operating in Jamaica Plain at the English High School, the East Coast School of Combined Martial Arts, ran by Kyoshi Cornell Paterson, relocated to 7 River St. in Mattapan where Gotan Ryu continues to be headquartered. It was at English where Sensei Vicky Arroyo began her Gotan Ryu training at the age of 5 and later earned her first black belt at 9 years old. She’d continue to train at English and after years of enthusiastically living out the role of “karate mom”, Sensei Eugenia began her own training and eventually earn her black belt.

The relocation of East Coast represented big growth and accomplishments for Gotan Ryu, and also presented new challenges for some. Noticing the lack of an accessible and reputable martial arts dojo in the area, Sensei Eugenia decided to take matters into her own hands. After discussing her vision with Kyoshi, Sensei Eugenia decided to bring Gotan Ryu back to the families in JP.

The Arroyo’s program continues to serve students and families just a mile down the road from that original dojo at English High operating out of the Egleston Square neighborhood of Boston. Today the program is led by Sensei Eugenia Arroyo and Sensei Vicky Arroyo, a Latina mother-daughter team, along with the support of Senseis and Shidoins and direction of Kyoshi Paterson.

It was in the summer of 2007 that Sensei Eugenia planted the Arroyo’s Program’s first seed with one student in her living room. With time that student grew to 3 students, which meant they had outgrown her living room. After connecting with local community spaces, Sensei Eugenia was able to secure a small meeting space on Green St. At this point, Sensei Eugenia was determined to continue to grow what she had started and knew she needed support. With Sensei Vicky away at college, she knew exactly who that person would be. Though a brown belt at the time, Shidoin Infante would become instrumental in building what we have today. When asked what her vision was for the program during that time Sensei Eugenia says, “The objective of the program was to keep kids off the street and to be a positive reinforcement to the community- a place where kids could go and fulfill their potential.”

The program continued to grow and bring in students from all over the city and beyond, now also training adults, outgrowing the space within a few years. From there, the program relocated one T stop over to the Boylston Congregational Church. Operating separately from the congregation, here they found a dojo that would allow them to continue to grow without disrupting the families they were already serving. After a few years, and once again facing the many challenges faced by non-profit community organizations, Arroyo’s Program was suddenly facing another move. Without sufficient notice of this, the Senseis found themselves in a situation they always feared. Now with over 50 active students they had nowhere to go. Classes were cancelled for a week while the Senseis developed a plan- they would take classes outside and the park would become their dojo until they found a physical location. After a month of outdoor classes Arroyo’s Program stepped into their newest home at the Greater Egleston High School in the summer of 2014.

Despite the challenges faced throughout the years, the growth was always consistent. East Coast’s Arroyo’s Program went from having a handful of competitors at the first tournament they competed at to consistently sweeping rings across tournaments with at times over 30 competitors. Now, receiving invitations to compete in local and international tournaments, Senseis’ students consistently earn the highest of scores. Students have competed in local tournaments including tournaments in Danvers, MA, Pawtucket, RI, Nashua, NH, Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, as well as traveled to Orlando, Fl, Puerto Rico, Washington DC, and Trinindad and Tobago. Sensei Eugenia and Sensei Vicky made East Coast history in 2015 when they became the Kyoshi’s first students to ever bring students from white belts to black belts. Later repeating that in 2021 with their second set of black belts, and this time including promotions to 1st Dans.

Arroyo’s Program has also been invited to perform in festivals across the city, as well as other city-sponsored events. Students are also given additional support with their academics, and connected with other community services whenever possible. Without fail, and leveraging technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, every year the school also holds a Talent Show for students and their families as well as an End-of-Year celeration and awards ceremony. As an East Coast family, they also hold a number of fundraising events throughout the Spring and Summer to help cover tournament and travel fees.

Though it all started in Sensei Eugenia’s living room in 2007, the program has gotten to where it is thanks to the overwhelming support they have received from their families, small businesses in the neighborhood, individual donations, and the guidance of Kyoshi Paterson. And of course, those black belts who believed and invested in this vision from the beginning even though it may have seemed impossible: Sensei Sonia Arroyo, Shidoin Robert Shavers and Shidoin Christopher Infante.

Starting in March 2020 classes have been primarily held via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges faced this time in our history has made the program stronger and more resilient. And more importantly, truly helped so many families overcome some of the hardest times they have ever faced. Sensei Eugenia and Sensei Vicky made a commitment to themselves and to their students at the start of the pandemic, the would put their health, their students’ health, and their community’s health above all during this time. In the Spring of 2021 they resumed in-person classes outdoors back where it all started, at the English High School. Currently, classes are continuing to be held there and they are proud knowing that there has been no COVID spread or scares within the school. Without the ability to return to their dojo at the Greater Egleston High School due to Boston Public Schools’ COVID restrictions to keep staff, students and families safe, East Coast School of Combined Martial Arts, Arroyo’s Program will continue holding outdoor classes and/or online classes until we are able to safely return to our dojo.