Keele Koryukan
A martial arts club practicing
Koryu Uchinadi
("Old-school karate" - the art that came before sport karate)
When, where, who and FAQ.
When and where
Training takes place at The Minton Centre, Hartshill,.Minton St, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 7NW (Behind Holy Trinity church)
Thursday 7pm-9pm (the Tuesday session is temporarily cancelled, hopefully it will be reinstated soon). You can simply turn up, but its better to let us know you are coming using the contact form (we occasionally go on holiday!)
Price
Regular price - £5 per session (2 hours)
Incentives - first lesson free, bring a friend and you both get two sessions free. OR £35 per month (1 session free).
You will need to join the British Combat Association if you keep training for insurance purposes (£18 per year).and the IRKRS if you wish to grade (£30 per year).
Click for a map
Who?
If you are a beginner - don't be daunted - we all were once! We are a not-for-profit club and we train simply to improve our skills in Koryu Uchinadi (KU) in a non-competitive, friendly and supportive environment. Your safety is our paramount concern. Much of our training involves two person drills, so if you are particularly apprehensive, bring a friend to train with!
Anyone over the age of 14 is welcome to come and train with us.
You don't have to have any experience to start training. We will start slowly and as we gradually improve your fitness, we will progressively introduce more challenging training.
If you are an experienced martial artist, you are also welcome to train with us and add Koryu Uchinadi to your current existing martial arts repetoire..In KU we incorporate "aggressive resistance" to our drills for advanced practitioners to introduce some realism.
FAQ
What should I wear? We train barefoot, you will need to remove all jewellery and have trimmed nails. For your first classes, loose jogging trousers and a t-shirt will be fine; avoid buckles or zips and any garment that could become dangerously restrictive. If you keep training, you will need to get a traditional white karate style uniform but a robust ju-jitsu uniform is generally more appropriate than a lightweight sports karate one.
Does it hurt? Occasionally it can do, but not that much and our goal is that there is never any long-lasting injury. Training is controlled to minimize the risk of injury and students’ progress gradually. We do not practise uncontrolled, “full-contact” fighting - your safety is our paramount concern. There is, however, some unavoidable risk in practising any sport.
Are there other training possibilities? There are national and international training events with many experienced Instructors. This includes trips to international KU training events. The yearly trip to Holland is an amazing experience.
Will I be able to grade and receive a coloured belt? Yes.
Do you enter competitions? No. The goal of KU is self-defence, not competition. We train to learn new skills, have fun and improve ourselves.
How long will it take to get a black belt? That depends how often you train! And anyway, that is just one step along the journey and really only signifies a certain level of proficiency. There is still a long way to go after that. A black belt is a little like obtaining a driving license - its a recognition of competence and not that you ready for a grand prix race!
I have never tried martial arts before, is it right for me? The only answer to that is to try it. If you like it, fantastic. If not, then that is not a problem. And the first lesson is free!
Do I need to be fit before I start? No, we will improve your fitness gradually. Improving our physical well-being is one of our goals.
I am apprehensive about starting. So were most of us, its OK and its normal. Be assured, we will look after you! And learning to do something that you are initially apprehensive of is a skill that can be applied to other parts of your life. .
Can I practice other martial arts as well as KU? Yes, absolutely. in fact that is a great way to broaden you knowledge.