This depends upon the school you wish to train in, that is either Anshin Ryu Karate, Kamishin Ryu Karate or Matayoshi Kobudo. Also some members train across the disciplines, for example they may train in Karate and Kobudo, or if they are a family then the parents could train in Kamishin and Kobudo while the children in Anshin; so it depends on the members preference. However, if it is a family then we do have extremely good discounts for training.

Family discounts are available which range from 12 to 52% depending upon the classes that are taken. Please note that these prices may change prior to the up dating of the web site, so please get in contact for the current prices.

Please contact us for the current prices.

We take students from the age of 5 years old, and we have students in their 60′s. Below is a list of the style with the age group alongside:

• Junior Anshin Ryu Karate from 7 years to 16 years old

• Senior Anshin Ryu Karate from 16 years old and up (some of our students are above 60 years)

• Kamishin Ryu Karate from 16 years old (we have no children’s classes in this art due to the nature of the system).

• Matayoshi Kobudo from 14 years old.

• Little Dragons Karate from 5 years to 7 years old.

There are 5 Instructors. There are also some sempai (senior grades) that are Apprentice Instructors. Go to the Instructors and BBC page of the web site to get more information. Our chief Instructor has a wealth of experience in martial arts, has competed at national levels ad also trained and graded in Okinawa, Japan. Furthermore, he is still training and expanding his knowledge!

Grading times are every 3 months for Anshin Ryu until they reach a certain level then it becomes every six months. In Schools it is based upon the number of Lessons that the student has to train – see the page on Belt System under Training. The grading day is held at Darlington 4 times a year. However, the student needs to be of a certain standard before they can grade. With Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan it is based on the times as set down by MKKI Honbu dojo. We believe that standards should always come first before grading, which makes you a good martial artist. It's not about obtaining the next belt! Sensei says that it is always better to have a high standard yellow belt than a poor standard green belt.

1. The Anshin Karate classes are broken down into a lesson curriculum, whereby the class is arranged into warm-ups, followed by syllabus from the student's next belt, then a featured topic, then finally free style fighting. They also learn theory, philosophy and history to the art.
    
2. The Kamishin Karate class is similar in that after warm-ups there is 2 to 3 sections involving syllabus work, drills, partner work, sparring etc.
    
3. The Matayoshi Kobudo is based around syllabus work and featured weapons, such as Bo (staff), Nunchaku (flail), Tonfa (side Handle Baton), Kama (sickle), Sai (trident dagger) and Iekyu (oar). Other weapons may be also looked at, such as surichin (weighted rope), shuchu (small hand held weapon), kuwa (hoe) etc. They also learn theory, philosophy and history to the art.
    
4. Little Dragons Karate is broken down into warm-ups, syllabus work, pad work, sparring with instructors and games. They also learn Japanese relating to their art.

As a new student it is always important to ask this question, because we are teachers and coaches and therefore we should have the respective qualifications. The Chief Instructors and Assistant Instructor have the appropriate recognised certification for the black belt grade they hold. They have also have coaching qualifications and first aid qualifications. In addition they have been Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checked and have the licence and insurances in place to teach their martial arts. More information about the instructors can be found on the Instructors & BBC page. Furthermore, the Chief Instructor is regularly, a minimum of 6 times a year, going for further training with their Sensei. Thus their knowledge is constantly being improved.

We are located around Darlington, depending upon the class. This information can be found under the following headings of the web site:

1. Anshin Ryu Karate – on the Anshin Ryu Page
2. Kamishin Ryu Karate – on the Kamishin Ryu Page
3. Kobudo – on the Matayoshi Kobudo Page
4. Little Dragons – on Little Dragons Page

We believe that a student should have a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes warm-up period; this prevents short and long term injury. The warm-ups are structured into three sections, first joint manipulation from head to toe. This is followed by warming up the large muscles and finally into the stretching sections. This prepares the student for the type of movements that is taught in karate, some ballistic in nature. Then they have at least 1 hour for their karate training which is broken down into the curriculum as explained above.

Yes you can start right away, we don't have start dates for students. Also we give the first 3 lessons Free of charge so that you can try the style before becoming a member. So if you are wanting to do Karate and Kobudo you will get 3 free lessons in both systems.

All martial art equipment can be purchased at discounted prices from us, these are lower than retail prices. But we do not keep stock so they may have to wait for their order to come through. However, they can get them from local retail shops, but they tend to be much more expensive.

Students of Karate wear a white Gi (Karate Suit), those of Kobudo a Black Gi. If they are training in Karate and Kobudo then traditionally the students wear a Black Gi Top with a White Gi trousers.
Beginners can wear anything that is loose and flexible such as T-shirt and track suit or jogging bottoms. They then have up to their first grade to get a suit. This suit can be purchased through Kodokan Martial Arts, or you can get them at local sports shops, but they may be more expensive. We do not wear anything on our feet.

There is a vast difference between the content and application of the karate styles Anshin Ryu and Kamishin Ryu. The best way of finding out is to read the respective pages on the site. However, Anshin is like most of the styles taught in England, geared up to competing, whereas Kamishin is more geared to self-defence and because of this vital point attacking is taught in every lesson. The students do not compete and because of the way they defend themselves. Therefore, a lot of safe drilling is taught in class to enable the practitioner to put these into use if needed.

Please look at the Style Comparison in the Quick Links Box.