© Copyright 2000 www.ilkleykarate.co.uk The Ilkley karate club is not part of any networking scheme or marketing/billing company unlike some martial arts clubs in the area.
Ilkley Karate Club My name is Mark Outterside, chief Instructor at Ilkley Karate Club. I am a 5th degree black belt with the Shukokai Karate Union and have been doing karate for the past 26 years. I began the sport when I was 15 years old. I wanted to try something that was different to the sports being offered at school, that would increase my overall fitness, and above all build my confidence. I and several friends joined a karate club in nearby Otley, since there was no equivalent club in Ilkley, and although my friends dropped out quite quickly I instantly had a real enthusiasm for this martial art. From the beginning I trained hard, at least 3 or 4 times a week, and entered every competition and course available, initially without much success; until I passed my 1st degree black belt in 1985. I then commenced training with the SKU England Squad, and started to win a few tournaments. In 1987 my hard work really began to pay off, when I won trophies in both kata (performing a set sequence of moves), and kumite (free fighting). My fighting weight at the time was under 60kg and I took the first EKB (English Karate Board, now the EKGB) super lightweight title in London in September 1987. In 1988 I opened the Ilkley Karate Club, a long held ambition - having lived in Ilkley all my life, I now felt I could give something back to the community. It was slow going at first but picked up when the Telegraph and Argus decided to publish a full-page spread on karate in general, featuring our club. Interest in the sport was relatively high at the time (certain films having recently screened on T.V!), and club membership soon flourished. Over the years we have maintained an average club membership of about sixty students with ages ranging from 5 to 65 years old. The clubs achievements are regularly featured in the local press, and the club and its students have also been featured in the ‘Traditional Karate’ magazine which has worldwide circulation.	The club is the longest running martial arts club in the Ilkley area and attracts students from all over West and North Yorkshire; and from as far afield as Wetherby and Pudsey. We train at the Ben Rhydding Methodist Church four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings). We follow the Shukokai style of karate which in its very most basic translation means: ‘An association where people come together to study the martial arts’. Obviously I am biased, but I would encourage anyone to try karate – it aims to develop: Character, humility, confidence, self esteem, self control, determination, and patience. No other physical discipline offers so much. The art of karate also develops and enhances physical abilities that would take a multitude of sports to develop.  Students improve balance, coordination, muscle tone, cardio-vascular conditioning, timing, rhythm, hand-eye coordination, hand-foot coordination, and flexibility…All that, and self defense as well. You won’t learn most of this lifting weights or running on a treadmill at a gym. For me personally the club represents a large part of my life - a big commitment, but always a welcome one.
In mid flight in the men’s senior kata 1987 and: Punching my way to the men’s senior lightweight finals.
Ilkley club champions We now have three children who are National Kumite champions who took first place honours this year (2006), these include: Calum Kerr (12), William Coates (12) and Tyrone Abraham (13) all won in the SKU National Championships 2006. Calum Kerr (12), Helen Sugden (14) and Andrew Drury also won the National Kata Championships 2006 with near perfect scores. The club has also achieved excellent results in the 2005 World Traditional Karate Championships in Italy. The Ilkley students included; Maria Corless, Ken Corless, Andrew Johnston, Tashina Earle and Sam Stinton who won a gold, a silver and two bronze medals. These results and others are the clubs best to date; this just goes to show how strong the Ilkley club really is and will now put the club well and truly on the map. All competition results over the past six years can be viewed on the home page under competition results. Shukokai Karate Meaning of Shukokai Karate Over the years there have been many different meanings for the name Shukokai. The most common translation you hear is, "Loosely translated it means Way for all". This would have to be a very loose translation. The writing on our badge (the three Kanji symbols under the fist) means Training, Friends, Place. Depending on the context, each symbol had a different meaning. In a martial arts context, it is as follows: SHU - The study of the martial arts. KO - People with a common cause, coming together. KAI - Association. Basically it means: AN ASSOCIATION WHERE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO STUDY THE MARTIAL ARTS The Origins of Shukokai Karate Being a direct descendent of Shito-Ryu, Shukokai inherits the characteristics of both the Naha-te and Shuri-te styles of Okinawan Karate. Kenwa Mabuni merged the techniques and principles of the styles he learned from his teachers Kanryu Higaonna, and Anko Itosu to form his Shito-Ryu style of Karate. As such, Shukokai combines the circular breathing techniques from Naha-te and the quick linear movements of the Shuri-te styles. This is apparent in the katas performed within Shukokai. Katas like Sanchin, Tensho, and Suparunpei are handed down from the Naha-te traditions, while katas like Annanko, Matsukaze, and Bassai-Dai are handed down from the Shuri-te traditions. Upon close examination, one can see the similarities between Tensho, Sanchin, and Suparunpei, and the similarities between Bassai-Dai, Annanko, and Matsukaze, and what makes the Naha-te katas different from the Shuri-te katas. Also notable is the relatively high number of katas within Shukokai. This is a direct result of Master Mabuni's experience with both the Naha-te and Shuri -te styles, and the reason why he was renowned throughout Japan as the foremost expert on kata. Another attribute that distinguishes Shukokai Karate from other styles is the execution of techniques. While Shukokai shares many of the same punches, kicks, and blocks found in other popular styles of Karate, it is in how these are executed that sets Shukokai apart. Sensei Tani made the greatest contributions to the style by continually refining each technique to the highest degree, essentially re-defining the basics that had been practiced for centuries. He made the study of body mechanics his primary focus with the end result being the delivery of the greatest impact with the least amount of effort. Another defining characteristic is that each technique must be combat effective. Sensei Tani believed that a technique, no matter how powerful, was useless if it could not be delivered under combat situations. His philosophy was that the outcome of a confrontation should be decided in a single technique, "one hit one kill", as per the way of the samurais of old. After the death of Tani Sensei, his son Mr. Hiroshi Tani, and many Senseis and instructors from other countries announced themselves as top of their respective Shukokai groups. The biggest group is the Kimura group which is a widely respected and recognised association. The Kimura group is led by Sensai Kimura who formed the Shukokai Karate Union (SKU) in 1969. Sensai Knighton (8th Dan) is the Chief instructor of the SKU.

The Ilkley karate club is not part of any networking scheme or marketing/billing company unlike some martial arts clubs in the area.

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