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This page is designed to help you understand a little more about what to expect if you were to start training at the clubs and what you may wish to get out of the classes. For information on what you may do in a typical lesson, please click here. You may also find it useful to visit our frequently asked questions page, which may give you further insight about what to expect at the clubs. Feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have, which we have not covered on the website.

It’s fair to say that most people, when starting a martial arts, probably choose a local club and have little idea about the particular style are doing, or the quality of the instructor. Those that do have an idea of the specific art they have started, may well do so because it looks flashy, or perhaps promises a black belt in double quick time, or have seen an advert which says this martial art is better than the others, or because they’ve seen it in a movie etc. This is not necessarily wrong and all martial arts go through different phases and cycles in terms of popularity, especially if a popular celebrity at the time says they are practising something specific. Around 40 years ago, it was pretty much just karate and judo that you could study, but now there are hundreds of martial arts to choose from. Some will be better than others, but how will you know what is good and what is not? Hopefully the following information may help you understand how best to find a decent and reputable martial arts school.

Finding a good instructor

We can only give guidance on what you should be looking for in a well run martial arts club and the main thing is that you ensure you are comfortable with the instructor who is taking the lessons.

You need to be aware of the following requirements that any instructor should be in possession of,  if they are teaching at a club. You could use this guide as a check list to help you find a good club.

• Firstly, anyone teaching any children under 18, should have a relevant CRB (criminal records bureau) certificate. They should have this at hand for you to inspect.

• Any instructor should also have a coaching certificate from their governing body. So in the case of karate, then it would be from either Karate England, or its predecessor, the EKGB. (English Karate Governing Body) All Wado Academy instructors have attended these courses and additionally attend the twice yearly instructor’s courses, which are compulsory for all black belts.

• You should be wary of signing up to any school that wants you to spend lots of money on suits, licenses and joining fees before you’ve even started. If you decide after the first lesson that you don’t like what you’ve seen, then it will be a waste of money, so make sure you are able to just train without pressure for a few lessons, before making a firmer commitment.

• Also be wary of any instructor who claims to have invented a style that is better than anyone else’s, or claims that he or she has studied a few arts and has put the best bits together to make a new, super martial art! Remember, arts such as karate have evolved through hundreds of year’s research and dedication by people who studied the art of Budo. This “way” involved fights to the death (with or without swords) and instructors such as Shiomitsu Sensei 9^th Dan still teach and practise their martial arts with the principle of Budo in mind.

• Any half decent instructor should not be concerned with anyone else’s clubs, or their competition, nor feels the need to run down other styles or schools. A good instructor just worries about his own practise and training harder and is always trying to develop his classes and standards.

• Make sure you also check the pedigree of the instructor and find out who they have been taught by and continue to be taught by on a regular basis. If they have a good instructor, then you should be able to read about them by searching for them on Google. If they are indeed a respected instructor, then you will quickly see that information whilst searching.

• You should be able to see at any given lesson whether the instructor is just going through the motions to take your money, or whether he/she is committed to give an informative and challenging lesson every time. It’s also important that you are able to see your instructor still training and trying to improve their karate, after all, at the end of the day we are all just students. Be wary of any instructor who feels they don’t have to train any more, or tells you how good they think they are. In our experience, any martial artist who is of a good standard, doesn’t have to tell anyone this, people can just see they are. Those that continually try and tell people how good they are, usually probably aren’t!

• You should also be able to check any instructor’s black belt certificates, so ask to see them. Look at who they have been signed by and whether they are authentic. Are the people who signed them of a high standard and again, can you check that they are, by searching on the web? Standards can vary greatly, from school to school and a 7^th Dan in one association might not necessarily be as good as a 1^st Dan in another, so it pays to check out and compare schools, or ask to see proof of a grading record. Students shouldn't really be teaching classes before they get an authentic Dan grade, they should be doing nothing else but concentrating on their training.

• Lastly, none of these can be a fail safe method of ensuring you are joining a good school. Be aware that the martial arts can be unregulated. There is nothing to stop anyone going to their local shop, buying a black belt and starting up a school, whilst claiming to be an expert. By comparing standards and asking to see evidence of their pedigree, then you do at least minimise the risk. If the instructor ticks all of the above checks, then you should find that you have found a decent martial arts teacher.

First lesson

Many people will hesitate to attend Karate classes, usually because they may be concerned about following 2 main issues.

1. their perceived aggressiveness of karate and of everyone that studies it.

2. the embarrassment of being a beginner, getting things wrong and looking silly.

The first lesson is always the hardest part for any person who thinks they want to study a martial art. There are a variety of other fear factors which can prevent someone from going along and having a try, even though they may desperately want to. As an example, people quite often think they may get beaten up at the classes, teenagers may think a particular art is “un-cool”, or women may think that only big, hairy mad men practise karate, whilst walking around in white pyjamas, making loud shouting noises! None of the above is true and everyone is given the same courtesy and chance to develop as anyone else within our classes. Beginners will always be made to feel welcome and whilst it’s nice to turn up with a friend at your first lesson, you should feel equally as comfortable if you come on your own.

It should also be pointed out to those that may worry about fighting, that the sparring is only part of the training and you will get used to it and will be gently introduced at your own pace. 

If you’ve never studied a martial art before, then all you need to wear at your first lesson is a T-shirt and loose jogging bottoms. There is no need to worry about shoes as we go bare foot.

Standards of fitness

Fitness and ability will vary from student to student, so you should not worry about not being fit enough to partake in a physically challenging karate class! Students should inform their instructor if they have any health issues, but apart from that, you will be encouraged to develop at a pace which is suitable for you. Some people will be fitter than others, but this is natural, so we don’t expect one standard from everyone. Finding your own limit and then pushing this a bit further is the key to successful training within your limits. By pushing yourself every lesson, you will progress at a level which is suitable to your requirements, remember we are all different.

Benefits of training

There are many benefits that you will get once you start training at our karate clubs and we have divided them into two main categories, which are “physical” and “mental”.

The physical benefits are numerous and include; flexibility, balance, co-ordination, stamina, strength, keeping fit, aerobic workout, self-defence, toning (the whole body), speed, agility and loads more energy, to name but a few!

The mental benefits of studying karate will help enhance your whole life. These include self confidence, respect, humility, self discipline, courage, integrity, inner peace, assertiveness, self control, motivation and focus. Look at our Dojo rules and you'll see the sorts of behaviour we encourage. Our student of the month award also motivates members and is always put on the website

All of these physical and mental skills will help young and old students alike in not just their personal karate studies, but will help in everything they do in life, such as school, work and on a personal level.

Training

The best advice we can give you through our own experience is to train regularly, follow the instructor’s instructions to the best of your ability and practise as often as you can. The most outstanding, self motivated karate instructors, such as Shiomitsu Sensei 9^th Dan and Wayne Otto OBE, are what they are because they practise harder and far more often than others. It is through sheer hard work, listening and first class instruction that they have got to where they are.

Remember, good basics are the foundation of a good karate student and are practised every lesson. You may get slightly fed up with them at times, but as you move up through your grades and develop mentally, as well as physically, you will see why we practise them so diligently. It is the same as learning your ABC in order to read and write. The more you practise, the better you will be. This is when your mental discipline is very important and your focus on your individual goals essential. 

To really understand any technique and its concepts, you have to do it so often that it becomes part of your subconscious. It can therefore be done any time, anywhere, without even thinking about it. This however takes thousands of repetitions. The more you practise them, the more comfortable you will be when you have to use them in a real situation or whilst sparring. 

Once you have become confident that your technique is reasonable and accurate, then you can work on speed and power. To be able to hit a target with accuracy, speed and with the full power of the body is your ultimate goal and when done correctly are a most effective and valuable weapon to posses. It is important to keep your training efficient and with reality, so from time to time you will use focus pads where you can practise and enhance skills. These should not however be practised on your colleagues in the Dojo in a violent nature, as you are all training as one and are there to help each other. When you fight, if you are far better than your opponent, you can show this by practising your technique and skills with control, without having to beat them to a pulp! Remember, no-one in the Dojo is better than any another. We are all striving to gain skills and achieve our goals, but cannot do it without the help of a partner. There are no winners or losers and should you win a point, you should thank your partner. When you have gained skills in focus, speed, power, accuracy and realism then the techniques will really become good and you will develop your skill to become a first class martial artist. 

It is essential that you set yourself goals to work to; this helps to focus your mind and will keep you moving forward. It can be a short term goal or a long term one, for instance you might want to set your sights on black belt in five years. Your first grading for Red belt should be taken after between 6 and 10 lessons, but your brown belts may take a year at a time. If you are going for black belt, then you need to train like you have never trained before! You should give 100% towards the commitment to the grading, but also appreciate that if you haven’t made the standard, then you will come back and train even harder. Your goal of a black belt should not diminish, even if you have failed it three or four times. It is also fair to say that 100 punches that are accurate are worth more than 200 that are not. Therefore, it is essential you try and emulate your instructor’s technique, and try and copy their movements precisely. The reason they are good is because they have put so many hours into training and fighting. Our Chief Instructor, Sensei Shiomitsu 9^th Dan Hanshi, has been practising since the 1950’s, and is one of the world’s foremost instructors! You will always feel like a beginner again after being taught by him. He makes it look very easy, but of course it is not! That however is the challenge, practising hard regularly makes it easier, but to be as good as our senior instructors takes a lifetime and most of us still won’t even get close!

Remember, we want you to always try to better yourself!

You should always remember, never give up and always challenge yourself. Those who think they can do better, always get better. This is a really good skill to have and if you practise at home for 10 minutes a day, you will progress much quicker than those who only train once a week.

Please enjoy your training with us and we hope that we can help you improve yourselves and reach your maximum potential.

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