Sempai Eleanor assists with our recent joiners' first grading - a fantastic first step on their journey as martial artists.
Mokusu (eyes closed) - is excellent mindfulness: checking in with our breathing and bodies & clearing the mind at the start & end of training.
Black belt sparring is about quickness, feints and training super-fast reactions.
Sempai Eleanor trains a junior grade in suri ashi - the sliding-in-to-strike footwork.
Gyakuzuki (reverse punch) and bracing training: how to take a punch to the torso using muscle control.
Pairwork training
Collaboration in one of our Saturday classes
We train for different knife attack scenarios.
5 of our club's sempais - senior grade students who help set the standards of tranining and assist with tuition.
Stretching and flexibility are an important part of training. Pushing knees down is as much about controlling your mind, though.
Summer 2024: we were asked by several 'karate mums' to run a 10-week women's self-defence course, teaching tried-and-tested strategies & techniques to help people stay safe.
Gyakuzuki - the reverse punch - is a key striking technique, which takes much practice to deliver with speed, power and surprise.
Charlotte in sagiashidachi - the crane stance - during her tournament kata performance
David's excellent head movement and simultaneous counterstrike using the 'sen no sen' principle of attack.
Maegeri - the front kick. A highly effective weapon, both in sports karate and self-defence.
Success as a club comes from teamwork and the mutually supportive atmosphere that we cultivate.
1st Dan David Lewis won Gold in his senior kumite weight category for the third year in a row at the South Coast Combat Karate Champtionship 2024. (Though he acknowledges that a little luck with a bye helped him this year!)
Green belt Jake is already building his medal collection - in both kumite and kata - with a silver and bronze medal respectively.
Brothers Alec and Andrew both win Gold in their senior kumite weight categories at the 2024 South Coast Combat Karate Champtionship, held at Bournemouth University in May.
Don't be fooled by size - it's all about technique! Eve already produces so much power in her strikes.
Kata practice. Sensei Lynn, front right, showing perfect form for shikodachi - 'horseriding stance' here.
Andrew was literally the poster boy for karate when the organiser's of the 2024 South Coast Combat Karate Champtionship produced their publicity for the event!
Some of the growing number of our Saturday students, who attend one two morning training sessions
Father and son black belts. A lifetime ambition.
December 2023: as the club grows, our new class structure allows for more one-to-one training from our instructors and the growing ranks of our other student black belts.
As the club continues to grow, we can now run 2 classes back-to-back, which allows junior grades to train separately from more senior grade students on a Saturday.
Seoi nage - the shoulder throw
Black belts receive a special grading certificate in Japanese kanjis, to mark this huge achievement.
October 2023: four new blacks, all highly deserving of this massive milestone in their career, after years of training and all of them undeterred by the set-back of the pandemic. Pictured with assistant examiner, David (Shodan), centre.
David's kumite gold - for the second year in a row - in the top weight category at the 2023 South Coast Combat Karate Championships
Jake's kumite silver medal at the 2023 South Coast Combat Karate Championships
Harry's kumite silver at the 2023 South Coast Combat Karate Championships
Sianna medals again at the 2023 South Coast Combat Karate Championships
Ewan's gold medal in his kumite categoory at the 2023 South Coast Combat Karate Championships
Andrew's spinning side kick - yokogeri - lands perfectly in the kumite
Part of the club family at the 2023 South Coast Combat Karate Championships
Focus pad training stations
Family training session
Kihon (fundamental techniques) and strength & conditioning training stations
An unprecedented second grading in the same month for Jake, with another first class pass. All down to his outstanding commitment and work ethic
May 2023: Jake grades to yellow belt in record time....
Well done to Seb for taking his first step up the ladder
Congratulations to father and son Bruce and Loki on their first karate gradings
Congratulations to Archie on grading to yellow belt!
Congratulations to David on becoming a Shodan - a first Dan black belt. He is an outstanding karateka and I am honoured to have been a part of his martial arts journey.
2023 tournament medals for 3 of our brown belts: gold for Ewan in junior intermediate-advanced kumite, silver for Charlotte in kata & silver for Eleanor in the junior intermediate kumite.
Congratulations to William on his first grading success!
Congratulations to Andrew, Ewan, Charlotte & Eleanor on achieving their 3rd brown belts (1st Kyu) = one step away from black belt. They are a formidable group of karatekas, who do our club proud.
Congratulations to Phoebe on her first grading success - the first exciting step on her journey.
Congratulations to Sophie & Alex on achieving their yellow belts. They both have so much ability and further potential.
Congratulations to Jacob, Angkor, Iris and George on grading so well to achieve their red belts.
Congratulations to Roman, Oliver, Mia, Ethan, Milo & Harry on grading so well to red belt.
Congratulations to Zach on achieving his yellow belt. He has shown focus and determination.
Congratulations to Fin on his orange belt grading. Fin has huge potential.
Such a privilege for our club's safeguarding officer, Lynn and me to meet and train with the legendary Rick Hotton Sensei, over from the USA for his only UK visit this year.
Congratulations to Spencer on acheiving his orange belt. He is a seriously good karateka with so much potential.
Adults training their basics alongside the juniors
Keeping it in the family - siblings Sianna, David and Damien show their medal haul from the 2022 South Coast Applied Karate Tournament
Juniors training their basic techniques ('kihon') lead by an experienced senior grade student
Sensei Ben gets a special mention in Damien Lewis's latest bestseller
Sensei Ben with his student & Sunday Times bestselling author Damien Lewis, along with Ex-SAS member Des Powell, at their book launch.
Sensei Ben gets a special mention in Damien Lewis's latest bestseller
We're so proud of Archie, who never stops smiling and training hard. A well-deserved red belt is just your first step on your journey. Well done, young man.
Congratulations to father and son Rich and Toby on their first gradings at the club. They both embody the focus and discipline of true martial artists.
Sharpening up those roundhouse kicks!
Training hard and making friends along the way
Great to see our spacious new Saturday training venue filling up fast with new members!
Sempai (senior grade student) Andrew, teaching beginners their first kata
A good way for beginners to practise kicks is on the floor, taking balance out of the equation to begin with
Dropping his weight and ducking into the classic 'reverse punch' - the 'gyakuzuki'
Kizamizuki - the jab punch
Winding up for a head-height roundhouse kick - jodan mawashi geri
The kosadachi(cross-legged) landing stance is very difficult to execute with balance in this kata
Getting pads on, excited for another 'free sparring' session (Jiyu ippon kumite)
Sempai (senior student) Mason helps to grade 2 students to 6th Kyu - green belt.
Two junior black belts getting to grips with ippon kumite - 'one step' controlled sparring
Two proud 1st brown belt graders
Chudan mawashigeri - mid-height roundhouse kick
Junior black belt certificate
Junior black belt grading
Saturday morning training at our previous venue
Junior black belts sparring
Tobigeri - jumping kick in action
Training chokuzuki - the static straight punch
A senior black belt sets up for an uramawashigeri - reverse roundhouse kick
Uchi uke - inner block
Gedan barrai - lower block
Nage waza - takedown techniques
Club founder Sensei Laziz Rakhmatov with his student and successor Sensei Ben Mills
