At Whitchurch JKA Karate Club you will learn one of the oldest and most effective types of self-defence known – Shotokan Karate. The Club meets and trains most weeks in Longparish Village Hall, Whitchurch, Hampshire, UK. We recruit members from the surrounding area of Hurstbourne Priors, Whitchurch, Longparish, Hurstbourne Tarrant, and Andover.
Shotokan Karate is very disciplined, both mentally and physically, and all students must treat the art and fellow students with respect. Karate is for self-defence only and is not something with which to show off or seek confrontation. A training session is usually broken down into four sections:
- A warm-up. This takes place at the start of every class and lasts about 15 minutes. It is very important that the warm-up is thorough, to warm-up, relax and stretch the various muscle groups that will be exercised in the lesson. This reduces the chances of muscle damage when performing karate techniques.
- Basic techniques. The various upper and lower body moves performed individually to the instructor’s count of one to five. The aim is to perfect each part of the technique through practice.
- Sparring. This is when you put into practice the basic techniques with a partner. Sparring is very controlled with little or no contact between the two people. Even at the higher grades there is no full contact striking when training.
- Kata. Kata is a series of techniques, assembled in a set formation and usually includes changes of direction at various points. The Katas are designed to help the student master their techniques without a partner. Katas can be performed anywhere and should be practiced daily to reinforce what was taught in the training session