About
Our karate school (or 'dojo') was originally opened in 2000 and remains under the tutelage of Steve Woolston (6th Dan), who is assisted in all classes by his wife Sally (5th Dan); both initially started on their karate journey in 1994 and have remained enthusiastically training ever since. Our school is run on a 'not for profit' basis to ensure costs are kept to a minimum and ensures that, once the facilities are covered, any additional funds can be used to finance training trips and host guest instructors where appropriate.
Since 1998 they have diligently practised and studied the little-known Okinawan style of karate known as Matsubayashi-ryu. Okinawa is famous for being not only the 'birthplace of karate' but also home to some of the oldest and healthiest people in the world. It is thought that a healthy diet, along with many of the movements found within traditional karate training (and a relatively stress-free lifestyle!), combine to benefit the individual and help to live life to the full.
The students from the dojo have visited the island of Okinawa on many occasions, taking the opportunity to visit and train under our teacher Arakaki Toshimitsu Sensei (10th Dan) to deepen their understanding of the art. Arakaki Sensei himself is 80 years young!
The dojo are proud to be full members of the World Matsubayashi-ryu Karate-do Association, and have welcomed many visiting members to their dojo from around the world including Australia, Canada, USA, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands and South America. This also means that our students are free to travel for themselves and will always find a home in a WMKA dojo worldwide.
Since 1998 they have diligently practised and studied the little-known Okinawan style of karate known as Matsubayashi-ryu. Okinawa is famous for being not only the 'birthplace of karate' but also home to some of the oldest and healthiest people in the world. It is thought that a healthy diet, along with many of the movements found within traditional karate training (and a relatively stress-free lifestyle!), combine to benefit the individual and help to live life to the full.
The students from the dojo have visited the island of Okinawa on many occasions, taking the opportunity to visit and train under our teacher Arakaki Toshimitsu Sensei (10th Dan) to deepen their understanding of the art. Arakaki Sensei himself is 80 years young!
The dojo are proud to be full members of the World Matsubayashi-ryu Karate-do Association, and have welcomed many visiting members to their dojo from around the world including Australia, Canada, USA, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands and South America. This also means that our students are free to travel for themselves and will always find a home in a WMKA dojo worldwide.
