If you want to try Karate Do Shotokai, your first lesson is completely free. 

If you have any questions, or want to join a practice, please contact our Chief Instructor, Ian Mackenzie: mackenziei65@hotmail.com. Alternatively, you can contact us through our Facebook page, where we frequently post news, photos, videos and special offers. It is helpful to know in advance if you are going to visit us, so we can welcome you on the day.

We work hard, but our practice is friendly and informal. Many of our new members are either new to karate entirely, or have trained in other styles. 

What happens during a practice

Normally, we start the 2 hour session with a 20 minute warm up (a mix of cardio and stretches). Don’t worry if you’re not very flexible or haven’t done exercise for a while,  you can take the session as slowly as you need to. You’ll find it gets easier after each session! 

The remainder of the session varies each week. We learn kata (learn more about kata), kumite (sparring), and practise how to move, defend, and attack through a variety of techniques. We don’t run beginner’s classes, as our sessions can cater for both new people as well as graded members. The club has 7 instructors who will take you through the stages of each training session. 

Do let us know if there is anything that might affect your warm up and practice. 

At the end of the session, we try to spend 5 minutes stretching the muscles we’ve used. 

There are showers at the sports club, with lockers and hairdryers in each set of changing rooms. Parking at the hospital is free