WHY KARATE | bolton-shotokan

Bolton Shotokan Karate Club has been providing training in the traditional style of Shotokan Karate since 1980. We have had hundreds of students over the years, some have gone on to represent the country in tournaments, many have achieved significant ranks and some have remained with the club as instructor. However, most of those who have studied Shotokan have been quite vocal in that it has provided enormous benefit to their lives.

WHY SHOTOKAN KARATE

FITNESS

As time moves on and general everyday tasks become more and more automated and more child pastimes are web or games console based, the rate of child obesity and general lack of exercise is increasing. It is becoming more important to make the extra effort to stay active. Karate is perfect for fitness. If done regularly, your stamina and strength improve enormously without you even noticing and is much cheaper than joining a gym.

SELF DEFENCE

Karate is first and foremost for self defence, it is why it was created hundreds of years ago and that ideology has remained unchanged. In the wrong hands or with poor attitude, Karate can be very dangerous and can also bring the style into disrepute, so if your sole purpose is to come and learn to fight people, then Karate is not for you. However, as with the 'Confidence' section above, Karate can give you that peace of mind that you CAN defend yourself in a situation that requires it.

CORE VALUES

Master Funakoshi

1868 - 1957

Founder of Shotokan Karate

"Karate begins and ends with courtesy"

Self defence and family are our two main drivers. We are not here to teach aggression, we are a family friendly positively driven club.

Our formal values are;

To foster and develop Shotokan as a martial art, by understanding and promoting the concepts of budo (Japanese Martial Arts)

To promote and support the principles, good practice and ideals of Shotokan karate.

To develop, promote and strengthen friendly relations between affiliated groups/individuals in an apolitical atmosphere.

To assist and develop Shotokan karate as a positive aid to every day life.

CONFIDENCE

Learning Karate is an activity that brings you out of your shell. Many very shy and nervous children and adults have trained with us and within a few weeks they no longer recognise the nervous person they were. This is mainly achieved through achievement, the hard work you put in ALWAYS pays off and is rewarded. Learning Karate is also excellent for confidence in dealing with difficult situations or doing activities that you may have previously not considered. Karate certainly doesnt give you super powers, but in almost all cases of underachievement and nervousness, the underlying issue is belief in yourself and your abilities to achieve. We believe we can help you there!

DISCIPLINE

If you are the sort of person who feels disorganised or you may have children who lack focus, then Karate is ideal for restoring that balance. Learning techniques and training for gradings helps you to prioritise and can focus your every day life, not just in the Dojo. Karate is also very useful for children who find controlling their behaviour a challenge by focusing their energy into a constructive and rewarding activity.