About us

We are a multi discipline martial arts group in Runcorn, Cheshire. Our main art is Shotokan Karate which runs 5 hours of not-for-profit classes each week. We also teach weapons courses (foam weapons for children for safety and no live blades at all).

How to contact us:

JMA Committees

The Management Committee is

• Andy Wilkinson 4th Dan (Chairperson and Treasurer)
• Sam Wilkinson (Secretary and Administrator)

The Technical Committee is

• The Management Commitee
• Ste Currie 2nd Dan
• John Deane 1st Dan
• Ste Harry 1st Dan
• Mike Wrycraft 1st Dan
• Stewart Gordon 1st Dan

Training Styles

General karate classes (Adults / Children from 6 years and up) will focus on the 3k's approach of JKA karate but with a kata-centric approach. The kihon (basic techniques) and kumite (pairwork) will be designed to reflect the kata being studied to enhance the student's understanding of their kata.

Advanced karate classes (14 years and above / Children by invite only) allow senior students to test their strikes, blocks, kicks, take downs and throws against pads, focus mitts, re-breakable boards and partners. The dojo is open to students to train using the equipment in the way they feel best reinforces their karate training. Dan grades are required to test their chosen advanced kata in the Mark Carroll method of realistic confrontation, street kata and dojo kata. This three tier approach links a real confrontation to kata and ingrains kata techniques into the flinch responses of the students. Training under pressure of a confrontation (shouting, threatening etc) in a controlled environment will help to get students to control the fight or flight response of the adrenaline dump when an attack starts - allowing them to defend themselves using their karate kata rather than freeze up.

More information is available on the training page.

History

Our instructors have over ten years of teaching experience and are qualified instructors / assessors through ESKA (English Sangaku Karate Association). They have all passed enhanced CRB checks and have first aid qualifications. Our senior instructor, Andy, is insured through TL Risk Solutions to teach both Karate and Kobujutsu.

Renketsu Karate Club was founded in July 1997 and Ketsui Ryukyu Kobujutsu Club was founded in November 2007 and put on hiatus in September 2010. Starting off with only 4 training students, including the senior instructor Andy, we have gone from strength to strength, having five hours of training available each week for our students in general Shotokan karate and advanced karate for more experienced students.

Our training has always been family orientated and not-for-profit to give the best possible experience to our students.

We have had nine Karate students gain black belt (including Sensei Pete Browne to 2nd Dan) and have a good range of coloured belts waiting to progress through the ranks in the future. Our adult membership has also increased over the last two years and we now have a strong contingent of over 18s training with us.

We have performed demonstrations and taster sessions for Pewitthall Primary School, Cavendish Farm Primary School, NW Cheshire Cub Scouts, Cheshire Cub Scouts and Preston Brook Village Fayre.

Rebranding

Juurai Martial Arts was introduced in 2008 as a parent organisation for both clubs to provide a unified committee and a framework for building our future. In 2009, the karate training was split to allow two streams of training which are both complimentary and standalone.

On the 31st March 2009, JMA left ESKA to pursue it's own path of Shotokan Karate. We would like to thank ESKA (English Sangaku Karate Association) for their help, guidance and support over the 12 years Renketsu was with them.

The JMA logo is a roundel with the kanji for "Juurai" in the centre of four cyclic arrows, representing Kata, Kihon, Kumite and Bunkai. The roundel will be used in two forms on club gis, training polo shirts, casual wear and all advertising:


Casual wear is available for order once per year in time for Christmas and includes polo shirts, hooded tops and fleece jackets.