Welcome to Avon Shotokan Karate Club! My name is John Shyne, I am the Instructor of the Avon Karate Club. I'm a 2nd Dan and have been practising Shotokan Karate at Avon Karate Club for 10 years. The club has a long heritage of over 30 years, with past instructors including Sensei Mike Tibbit and my Instructor, Sensei John Frape.
Unlike many martial arts clubs, Avon Karate Club is not-for-profit and the instructors of the Club don't receive a wage. We are proud to practice and pass on the traditional art of Shotokan karate. SEKU's Shotokan Karate is a semi-contact. This means occasional touch contact with control. Injuries from training are very rare. We are a traditional style rather than sport / competition style. However there are competitions for those who choose.
Previous martial art experience is welcomed but by no means required. You are more than welcome to train, so come along and give it a go. Its best to wear non-restrictive clothes or a Karate Gi (uniform) if you have one. (No jeans). The club is predominantly adults. Under 12s must have a parent or guardian training too. 8 is the minimum age.
We train:
Wednesdays
• Horfield Sports Centre
• Start 6.45pm and finish at 8.15pm
As mentioned the club is not-for-profit and these are the costs involved:
• The cost per Session: Adults - £2.50 and Juniors - £2 (restrictions apply)
• The annual SEKU membership fee is £18. This can be paid on the third week of attending.
• Basic Gi's (Karate Uniform) start at £15. A Gi is compulsory for the first grading onward and can be bought through the instructor.
• Gradings are every 3 months and are £18:00 for adults, £14:00 for juniors.
Shotokan is a traditional Japanese martial art and is one of the four main styles of Karate. The emphasis is on developing effective, technically correct techniques. A large part of the style is self development and using what you have. Martial arts such as Tai Kwon Do emphasise kicking aspect more than punching, where as Shotokan has a more equal split. Martial arts like Aikido and Tai Chi Chuan would be classed as 'soft' where as most styles of karate would be 'hard'. For more information see the Shotokan Wikipedia page.
SEKU (Shotokan of England Karate Union) is the organisation to which the club belongs. The renowned Sensei Mick Dewey 7th Dan is the chief instructor. See the http://www.seku-karate.co.uk/page2.htm for more info. I also highly recommend reading an interview he did for theshotokanway.com. SEKU Regional gradings take place about every 3 months. The belt order, starting at 10th Kyu is shown here. The SEKU grading syllabus can be accessed from the Downloads page.
Karate will help you develop a positive sense of well being, improve health and fitness, teach you how to protect yourself and improve your self confidence. You will gain skill, coordination and and develop mentally while enjoying practicing this traditional martial art. We do basic / advanced techniques, combinations, kata, self defence techniques, pair work as part of our training. I hope this gives you an insight and wets your appetite. If so then come and train in a friendly club atmosphere of UWE Shotokan Karate Club.
Any questions, suggestions please let me know.
My email address is john.shyne@uwe.ac.uk.
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