Scruton Karate Club

HELLO AND WELCOME TO SCRUTON KARATE CLUB

We're delighted to welcome you to the club. This guide is intended to help answer some of the questions you may have.

Scruton Karate Club was established by Jim Hargan in 2004, when he moved to Scruton with his family. Jim was already a black belt, which means he is able to teach the sport to others.

We have over 40 members and we train in Scruton's Coore Memorial Hall, with beginner lessons on Sundays between 4pm and 5pm.

There are many different styles of Karate. Scruton Karate Club's style is Wado-ryu. We are affiliated to T.A.S.K., which is registered with recognised national karate organisations in the UK.

If you need to contact us, start with our committee:

Instructor and Chairman Jim Hargan
Treasurer Dave Long, treasurer@scrutonkarate.org.uk
Secretary Dave Atherton, secretary@scrutonkarate.org.uk

HOW DO I GO ABOUT JOINING?

If you are interested learning Karate, the best start is to come to training. Our instructors and your fellow students are all keen to share knowledge and to practice.

We are a popular club and operate a waiting list - but don't worry, you won't have to wait very long.

Please don't worry about coming to try out and then leaving, having decided it's not for you. We'd much rather you did that, than decided not to give us a try at all.

We will need you to fill in an information sheet for us. It is online <here> ,or you can get a real one from the Secretary. Once you have completed it, please return it to the Secretary at the email address above or bring it along to a training night.

AND IF I DO TAKE TO KARATE?

First off, you'll purchase a licence and a Gi. This makes you a white belt. As you progress in Karate you can move first to yellow and then orange belt, by which time, the rest will be familiar to you.

In addition to this introduction, we have a more extensive syllabus, which includes information about the requirements for higher grades. We also have a DVD library and there is a book that can be purchased, which shows the grading katas in detail.

We hold frequent gradings for yellow and orange belt at Scruton's village hall. Higher gradings are done at another club, so we can be sure we are maintaining our standards.

Before you go for a yellow belt grading we will teach you the techniques you have to demonstrate at the grading. The date of the grading is advertised well in advance and, one or two weeks before that, we hold an assessment so we can gauge your likelihood of attaining a yellow belt on actual grading day. This ensures that children - and adults too - are less likely to fail and to be saddened by that.

WHAT ARE THE COSTS?

Fees are set by the committee from time to time and at present are:
Junior members: £50 per year or £2 per week
Senior members: £100 per year or £2 per week
You can also pay in half-yearly instalments.

You will also need a karate licence, after about 4-6 weeks of training.
Karate licence: £11 per year

A karate Gi (the uniform you wear to do karate) can also be purchased through the club. Click here for information on orders.
Adult: £15
Child: £12
Club badge (which must be worn on your Gi): £4

If and when you decide to grade, there is a fee for gradings.
Adult: £12
Child: £8

WHAT TO WEAR WHEN YOU FIRST START

When you first start come to the lesson wearing loose, comfortable clothes.

You don't need to invest in a Gi immediately. Get a feel for karate over the first few weeks, then contact the Treasurer, who will order a Gi for you.

Karate is a contact sport so we always train without wearing jewellery or watches, to minimise the risk of injuring another student. We also train without shoes and socks, as this makes it far less likely that a student will slip on the training mats. Karate is practiced in bare feet - this toughens and strengthens the feet and ensures correct foot positioning to limit foot injury

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KARATE

As well as being a fun way of exercising, the main benefits are improved fitness and an increased self-awareness. These two attributes can increase your ability to defend yourself and to lead a healthier lifestyle. Children benefit from the discipline, confidence building, social interaction and their ability to defend themselves.

Anyone can take part in karate - you don't have to be super-fit or flexible - people who kick low are just as effective as people who kick high.

HOW WE TEACH

We operate a rota of student teachers, all of whom are higher grades, with Jim as our instructor, so you will see different teachers on different training days.

We also assign mentors to each junior member. Student teachers mentor the younger members while the adults and more senior members are mentored by Jim.

GRADING AND SYLLABUS

Scruton Karate Club offers an approved curriculum so you can grade for belts with our club. You will need to buy your annual licence after 4 to 6 weeks of training. A licence gives a small amount of insurance and enables you to grade for belts. It is valid for one year. Talk to Dave, our secretary.

To grade, you need to show good competence in your syllabus work throughout the 4 months prior to grading. A good attendance level at the club is also important in allowing a student to take a grade.

Gradings for the initial belts, yellow followed by orange, take place at the training hall in Scruton, though we go to other clubs for later belts, to ensure a high standard is maintained.

When gradings are scheduled, the club lets everyone know and also schedules an assessment, usually one or two weeks before the grading itself. Assessments ensure that everyone who goes forward for grading can have a reasonable expectation of success, if they continue to work well at training sessions between the assessment and the grading.

You cannot grade for yellow belt until you have been with the club for 3 months. When you have achieved your yellow belt, at least 4 more months must pass before you can grade for orange belt.

Ahead of gradings you will learn the techniques that are to be demonstrated for the belt you are trying to achieve. These techniques are set out in the full syllabus.

WHAT ELSE DO WE DO

Scruton Karate Club is very friendly, lively and active. We take part in competitions and we also be have a number of club trips away (usually non-Karate related) - Angela gives details closer to the time.