Whether you join as a beginner in Karate, as a student from another style, or as an accomplished black belt we hope that you will feel at home here and enjoy training with us.

We have a wide range of grades training together regularly, with an equally wide age spectrum. The youngest students are around six and our oldest member was seventy! This variety enriches the club, as the lower grades are set an example by those above them and, in turn, the younger students set a standard for suppleness that often makes experienced Karateka green with envy!

The club was founded in 1988 by our instructor Sensei Phil Shire. He is a 7th Dan in Shotokan karate. Phil has been involved in various styles of karate for many years and also has a black belt in Kyokushinkai. He has instructed at two other clubs in England, and has also taught all over the United States, Europe, the Eastern Bloc and in Africa. His areas of expertise are applications, body movement and the history of Karate.