KARATE-DO SHOTOKAN
OUR STYLE
We train both traditional and practical karate in our club. Our training is based on orthodox Shotokan with a strong focus on efficiancy and practical use. We're an open minded and friendly karate club and we welcome everyone no matter background, age or experience.
Our training seminars are often open to everyone who practices martial arts, no matter the style. Our activities are aimed at both children and adults. The traditional training is focused on being relaxed, learing the correct form for the techniques, being able to move, finding the right timing and distance, being able to use your entire body and getting good body condition.
We focus heavily on different katas, as kata training is the heart and soul of karate. We train kumite, mostly based on the different katas. Weapon training is also part of the traditional training. The practical training is focused on using the traditional training methods in real situations. Practical training is literally self-defense in real situations. A big part is inte preting the kata techniques, which is bunkai. At higher levels live training becomes a fundamental part of the training, since we are aiming at advancing our knowledge in a practical sense.
Our grading system is fair, equal and encouraging. We motivate our members to advance to the next level in the time allotted. Our grading system is approved by World Combat Association. We reject any political aspects and aim at a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. To us the team spirit is of utmost importance since every link in the chain has value, and therefor we also offer social activities outside of the training classes.
WORLD COMBAT ASSOCIATION
We function under the umbrella organization World Combat Association. Our organization is the first partner of WCA in Finland. The organization brings together martial artists from all over the world who want to focus on practical training. WCA was founded in 2008 after demand for an open minded organization aimed at martial artists interested in practical use of martial arts. Instructors who wanted to look outside the box and train outside their own organization really wanted this.
Its predecessor Brittish Combat Association was founded in 1993 by Peter Consterdine and Geoff Thompson. Peter Consterdine is the chairman and chief instructor of WCA, and Iain Abernethy is the chief instructor for international partner organizations.WCA is a home to martial artists who want to delve deeper into the practical use of martial arts, and how to adapt it to real situations. The most important principle for WCA is that there is no political agenda. The partner organizations can train whatever they want and is not bound to any certain style. On the contrary the instructors are encouraged to look outside their own training and find interesting training methods elsewhere, if there is a need for that.
Peter and Iain don't believe in limiting the freedom of advancement. They say that by building walls around people, they will only try to find ways over the walls.
There is also other WCA club in Finland, Yamamichi Karate Club Turku. They also follow WCA principles and are often involved in seminars both in Finland and Europe.
HISTORY
Our organization was founded in 1982. 1982-2016 we were part of the international organization KDS (Karate-Do Shotokai). Shotokai means Shoto's group, where Shoto is a pseudonym for Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of modern karate. The Shotokai-organization was officiall founded as a part of Gichin Funakoshis funeral arrangements. People worth mentioning in the founding of the organization were Shigeru Egami, chief instructor in Shotokai Dojo, and Genshin Hironishi, chairman within Shotokai.
Sensei Mitsusuke Harada founded the KDS organization in 1965 to teach orthodox Shotokan Karate in the way he was taught it, without technical or political influences from other styles. This is the foundation for our training, and from there we have developed our own path, our own karate-do.
