finding a karate club (and not finding a Kangaroo, sport)

[chopper]

thanks for taking the time to read, reply.

I will look up some other clubs, but really do struggle. the ones at schools and churches can be hard to find - even GKR are vague on where they are until you actually know their name.

still, if I find one, I am still really unsure as to what is to look for. I see people say that low numbers are potentially seasonal, linked to terms, or even a karate school or class just starting out. I apparetnly cannot rely on a coloured belt as they may have earned their black belt too easily or may have a white band through it.

is there a yellow pages of karate schools?

in essence, I am guessing I should stick this out for a while to get a footing into karate and maybe find somewhere new. but then I think, maybe I should get out now but where to.

[chopper]

Hi

Not too sure if you tried this school but did a google search to find this one

http://www.medwaykarate.co.uk/

Its Wado Ryu/kai so should be excellent for self defense

Just spoke to one of their leaders/sensei and had quite a balanced discussion. Seems that there is at least one other club in the area that is even more commercial than GKR, so it is not all lost.

I asked about shifting clubs once/if I achieve a certain grade. Lets just say I achieve Green then wanted to move clubs. Apparetnly the key (you lot will know better than me) is things like the Kata's will be different. Moving from clubs with the style wont be hard, but moving from the mixed of GKR would be.

Whoever thought a decision on which club (and ultimately, style), would be a concern. Here I was a few weeks ago just thinking Karate was Karate...

By the way comments on Karate being a defence and not cowardly are noted.

[bushido_man96]

Some things to look at is seeing how the school's black belts and other high ranks perform. Does their technique look good, crisp, powerful? Also, does the school work actively on self-defense? Is the instructor a stickler for technique? Some things like that might help you along your way.

Welcome to the Forums, as well.

[Catfish]

Hi, I'm a newbie on this forum too. Glad you got through the door of a dojo, I came through the same method. I'm a GKR student and I know it has its critics - many of them - and having seen the club at every level (the business side too, years ago) I know there is good and bad there, but I enjoy the karate and it suits my lifestyle. However it is not true that you 'have' to teach to progress. In the class I currently train in, last night there were 5 black belts in line with me who have never taught (and four others at the front who do, obviously). This was not the 'senior class' but a public class in a region that has been going for just over a decade. I gave up teaching in 2004 due to an unrelated injury and had a long time out, then came back and eventually gained my 1st Dan as a paying student without any pressure to go back to the front, as it were. Hope that helps!