Life Shotokan Karate is a local club with classes in Cheltenham and Gloucester. The teaching style is traditional and disciplined in structure whilst also being fun & energetic.
Having had a large number of people tell me that they are heading off on holidays just as soon as the schools break up I have decided to close the club slightly earlier for the summer break. This means that the remaining junior classes will be wed 21st at Leckhampton, Thursday 22nd at Bishops Cleeve. Family classes will be Friday evening 23rd July at Leckhampton and Saturday morning 24th July at Grange Primary in Tuffley. Therefore final chance for adult students to train before the break will be Monday 26th July at Leckhampton. I have had a couple of Parents get quite upset with me regarding there being no classes in August... however I need a break. I am very tired now teaching 7 days a week plus working 48 hours a week for the Fire Service. I do hope the majority of you all understand that I need some time with my children. If I dont get to see you in the next few classes please have a safe and relaxing summer holiday and I look forward to seeing you all back fighting fit at the beginning of September. Sensei
Posted 20th July 2010
Congratulations to everyone who passed the Grading on Sat 17th July. A big well done to Josh Mayled, Sadie Owen, Jade Touron and Charles Stewart for achieving 3rd kyu brown belt. Well done to Ewan Wright and Rebecca Coburn for passing 2nd Kyu brown and a very well done to Mike Curneen, Tony Wright and Kev Macey for achieving a very well deserved 1st kyu pass to brown. I would also like to thank both junior blackbelts Tamsin Grainger and Louis Wilson for their help and to Graham Watts senior Shodan for his help on the day. keep up the hard training everyone!! Sensei
Posted 19th July 2010
There is a disco at the school on wednesday night so sadly this class has to be cancelled. Apologies, Sensei
Posted 19th July 2010
Congratulations to Josh Mayled for winning the above award for June 2010. a photo of Josh with his trophy and Sensei will be in the gallery very soon.
Posted 6th July 2010
Dont forget about the Sensei Akita Course this coming Sat down in Wincanton. we will all be leaving at 11.30am to travel down together. hope you can make it. Sensei
Posted 29th June 2010
For some reason this class programmed in for this coming Friday was not showing up on the calendar. Hopefully it is there now for all to see. I look forward to seeing you in class. Sensei
Posted 29th June 2010
IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT THERE WAS NO ADULT CLASS ON THE TRAINING CALENDAR FOR WED 16TH JUNE AT BISHOPS CLEEVE. THIS SHOULD BE THERE AND HAS NOW BEEN ADDED. SEE YOU THERE. SENSEI
Posted 15th June 2010
You cannot dream yourself into the characteristics of a good person: you must hammer and forge yourself into one through perserverance, hard work, kindness to others and knowing when to laugh. Sensei
Posted 30th May 2010
Congratulations to Tony Wright for achieving STUDENT OF THE MONTH. It is fair to say that Tony is a very good example of how a Karate-ka should be... great spirit and zanshin, hard working, always smiling and happy to help with lower grade students. A photo of Tony recieving the Trophy from Sensei will be on the website very shortly.
Posted 30th May 2010
I have an opportunity to take my daughters away for a few days at the end of half erm week. as such I am sorry to say I am cancelling all classes from Thursday 3rd June to Sunday 6th June incl. apologies. Sensei
Posted 25th May 2010
All, I have had very little response to the above event. as such I have decided to cancel this specific class for the 12th June. SENSEI
Posted 13th May 2010
I have just emailed out the May Newsletter. If you do not receive this issue then please contact me to ensure I place you on the mailing list. thanks. Sensei
Posted 10th May 2010
Well done to Charlesd Stewart for being awarded student of the month for april. A photo of Charles with the trophy will be in the gallery shortly. Sensei
Posted 4th May 2010
Try to walk on the sunny side of the street. dont let the shadows tangle up your feet. there aint no troubles that you cant rise above...with a handful of faith & heart ful of love. Sensei
Posted 2nd May 2010
Karate is a lifelong pursuit... there is no single point that marks the completion of this journey and as such Karate-ka (students) should continue their practice of this martial art all their lives. in the words of Lord Yagyu " I do not know always the true way to defeat every enemy but I do know the way to win victory over myself... to become better today than I was yesterday and better tomorrow than today" this then is a true path and reflection of Karate-do. Sensei
Posted 21st April 2010
Dear Students, On Saturday 3rd July this year there is a one day course with JKA Senior Instructor Sensei Akita to be held in Wincanton. if you have never trained with a Japanese Sensei before this is a great opportunity to do so. The cost of the course is only £15. I will be going down for this event and hopefully I will take a large section of the club with me :-) Sensei
Posted 21st April 2010
Please note that the adult class on wednesday 21st april is at Bishops Cleeve Primary School. Thanks, Sensei.
Posted 20th April 2010
I just wanted to say Congratulations to the following students for achieving their Shodan 1st Dan Blackbelt yesterday... Kim Smith, James Hamlet, Adam Higgins & Sam Jacobsen...very well done all of you!! I would also like to mention those students who were not succesful on the day but really tried their best... Gary Charlton, Tim Wood, Ryan Oakley, George Jerman and Cameron Touron... you all will get there I am sure of that. Everyone made me very proud on the day. Photos of the presentation of blackbelts will be on the gallery for everyone to see very soon. see you all in class. Sensei
Posted 18th April 2010
Dont forget that week commencing Monday 19th April all new female students train for free for a week. So everyone encourage Mum, Sister, Daughter, Auntie and Grandma to come along to train. who knows they might just like it and keep coming! there is a prize for the student who can bring the most Ladies to class! see you all there Sensei
Posted 11th April 2010
I have just emailed out the April Newsletter to you all. if for some reason you dont receive it please let me know. thanks. Sensei
Posted 11th April 2010
Due to my leave I have been able to add three extra classes to the calendar. Sunday 18th april all grades class. Monday 19th april junior class. Wednesday 21st april adult class. Please check the calendar for details. Thanks. Sensei.
Posted 10th April 2010
Due to illness I will be unable to teach the junior class on monday 12th april at leckhampton school. Apologies, Sensei.
Posted 10th April 2010
Having spoken to a number of students over Easter it appears that not many of you wish to train at the above classes. therefore I have decided to cancel these rather than merely have just a couple of students turn up. I hope you didnt eat too much chocolate! see you soon. Sensei
Posted 6th April 2010
Firstly I would like to say a big thank you to Ellen Bourne, Rudi Van der Hooft, Tim Wood, Louis Wilson and Tamsin Grainger for their help at the grading this morning. A big well done to all of you who passed! especially to the following...Ewan Wright for achieving 3rd kyu brown belt, Tony Wright, Mike Curneen, Ray and Karen Dickerson, Kevin Macey, Thomas Higgins, Alexander Taylor and Joshua Woodcroft for achieving 2nd kyu Brown belt and huge congratulations to John Simpson, Sarah Trotman, Barty McGrath, Caleb Trotman and Nick Shepherd for all making it to the lofty heights of 1st kyu brown belt! if anyone has any photos of the gadings they would like to put on the website please forward to me. thanks. see you all in class. Sensei
Posted 28th March 2010
Dont forget that the clocks are going forward an hour this weekend. Dont be late for the grading on Sunday because you forgot to change your alarm. Registration is at 9am for juniors, 1pm for adults, anyone not registered on time will be excluded. Sensei.
Posted 25th March 2010
Our Spring Grading is taking place on Sunday 28th March. Junior Students need to arrive for registration at 9am with the pre-grading warm-up and lesson starting at 9.45am. Anyone not registered in by this time will be excluded. Seniors to grade in the afternoon with registration at 1pm and lesson starting at 1.45pm. Please ensure your Licence is valid and has not expired. No Licence, No Grading. Any questions dont hesitate to call me or speak to me after class. Sensei
Posted 19th March 2010
In our personal endeavours we know our own strengths and weaknesses. but when fighting, not only must we be well aware of ourselves we must also know the strengths and weaknesses of our adversaries. If we know ourselves but not our enemy then victory or defeat will be left more to chance. Going into battle knowing neither our opponent or our true self is like taking a wild stab at something or fighting blind and puts us in great peril. Never be blinded by over confidence in your own abilities. Remain calm and assess your enemy to create the best strategy. Use your strengths and weaknesses, know yourself then look, listen and test your opponent...know them...understand them...defeat them. Sensei
Posted 19th March 2010
Justice is that which is right. To bring this to fruition requires true strength of character and an ability to believe in what is good. Strength comes from the knowledge and confidence that when youare right you must press on no matter the odds..."whether I am faced with one or ten thousand opponents an injustice must ne challenged and so I will press forward"...Karate is a martial art in which the body trained along with the mind to become deadly weapons. But this must not be used unjustly or improperly. Karate-ka must stand on the right side of justice at all times and only in situations where there is no choice should they use their power and find expression through the use of their bodies and minds as weapons. Sensei
Posted 15th March 2010
Many of you will know Ray and Karen Dickerson who are currently brown belts with the club. They are involved in organising this event to raise money to help children such as their own son Dan. On the day there are a number of events incl. a 25 mile off road bike ride, a 10 mile walk and a 3mile treasure hunt designed for the wheelchairs and kids with special bikes. It would be good to get as many members of the club as possible to take part to support this event and raise money for these very worthwhile charities. If you are interested in either cycling or walking let me know and I will give you more information. We can hopefully get some teams together. Otherwise please support those who are taking part by sponsoring them and come along on the day and have fun with all of us. There will also be a BBQ picnic and kids games at lunchtime. Sensei has posters and sponsorship forms which you can have and we will also be getting lots of support from Firefighters. I look forward to seeing you all there. Sensei
Posted 13th March 2010
Due to a parents evening at the school I have had to cancel this class. Apologies. Sensei
Posted 13th March 2010
To be considered an honourable person you must bear things to the very limit of your ability and tolerance before taking action. You must hold that avoidance of injury to others must be an essential first principle in daily life. On the other hand, when circumstances beyond your control prevail and cause you to act be sure to do so with the utmost conviction. It is therefore only when faced with a situation so unbearable that ones ability to tolerate it (or put an end the the said confrontation) is exhausted that the preverbial sword must be drawn. In such a case always take the initiative and attack time and again until victory is achieved. Sensei
Posted 12th March 2010
Hi everyone... I wish to bring more female students into the club and as such am going to suggest that you all bring along the women in your family... for the week commencing 19th April I am offering to train all new female students for nothing in the hope of attracting more ladies into the club. we have quite a good number of adult lady students but are now lacking junior girlies... so come on! get all your sisters to train... and while you are at it get mum or daughers to come too! and for those of you chaps who are married get the old girl indoors to have a go !! if you dont have a sister then bring your girlfriend :-) there will be a prize for the student who brings the most females with them! good luck! Sensei
Posted 12th March 2010
REI can be defined as RESPECT but it actually means much more. REI encompasses both an attitude of respect for others and a sense of self esteem. When those who honour themselves transfer that feeling of esteem, or RESPECT, to others, their action is nothing less than an expression of REI. Without REI there is disorder. All Martial Arts begin and end with REI and unless they are practiced with reverence and respect they are simply forms of violence. It is also very important that a persons attitude is correct. For without a sincere approach to their Martial Art or for that matter their Life, they do not possess REI. True REI is the outward expression of a respectful and peaceful heart. Sensei
Posted 11th March 2010
I have added all the classes for April, May, June and July into the Training Calendar. see you all in class Sensei
Posted 11th March 2010
I have sent out the March 2010 Newsletter. If you have not recieved your copy then please email me to let me know. Thanks. Sensei
Posted 4th March 2010
The Junior Class at Bishops Cleeve is cancelled on the 11th March as Sensei will be visiting the Winchcombe Junior Class in order to carry out a pregrading assessment. Any juniors from the Cleeve class who still wish to train are more than welcome to come along, dont worry if you are a few minutes late due to travel time. Sensei
Posted 4th March 2010
Well done to everyone who made the effort to attend this course - you did the club proud and I hope you enjoyed the class. We were the largest contingence there. Sensei.
Posted 27th February 2010
As mentioned in the February Newsletter the Spring Grading has moved to the Sunday 28th March due to the school double booking the hall. Same times and procedures as before just a day later! Sorry for any inconvenience caused. Sensei.
Posted 27th February 2010
Thank you to everyone who made the effort to come along today. We had quite a few people turn up although it would have been nice to see more of my blackbelts there! Also a big thank you to Paul and Brenda and Kevin who made the trip from wantage karate club. And finally thanks to Sensei Peter Manning for coming and saying hi. I will let you all know when I can plan another such day. Hope your bruises are not too bad Gary! Thanks Sensei
Posted 20th February 2010
Thank you to everyone who made the effort to come along today. We had quite a few people turn up although it would have been nice to see more of my blackbelts there! Also a big thank you to Paul and Brenda and Kevin who made the trip from wantage karate club. And finally thanks to Sensei Peter Manning for coming and saying hi. I will let you all know when I can plan another such day. Hope your bruises are not too bad Gary! Thanks Sensei
Posted 20th February 2010
Our association the TRADITIONAL SHOTOKAN KARATE ASSOCIATION are putting on a senior grade class and we as a club have been invited. it is to be held in Wincanton on Saturday 27th February at 1pm until 2.30pm. cost of the class is to be £10 per student. we will all meet at Leckhampton Primary school at 11am and travel down together sharing cars to reduce our carbon footprint! please email me with your intention to come along if you havent already and for those of you hoping to attend the Shodan Grading in April this is a must! no exceptions. thanks Sensei
Posted 4th February 2010
the date for this all day class is Saturday February 20th. starting at 10sh and going thru to about 4pm. we will cover two Kata on the day one being an Heian Kata and one being a brown or blackbelt kata. the fee for the day per student is £20. please notify me if you havent already with your intention to come along as I cannot run this day if I dont get sufficient numbers. thanks Sensei
Posted 4th February 2010
the February club newsletter is winging its way to you as we speak! let me know if you dont receive it. thanks Sensei
Posted 4th February 2010
Well done and a big congratulations to Adam Higgins for winning STUDENT of the MONTH for February. I will get the pic of Adam being presented with the trophy uploaded onto the gallery within the next couple of days. Sensei
Posted 1st February 2010
Well done and a big congratulations to Adam Higgins for winning STUDENT of the MONTH for February. I will get the pic of Adam being presented with the trophy uploaded onto the gallery within the next couple of days. Sensei
Posted 1st February 2010
I am afraid that I have to cancel the above clas for Wed 20th Jan as I have to now attend my daughters year 11 Tutors evening. apologies but family must always come first. see you soon in class. Sensei
Posted 19th January 2010
Due to the continued bad weather and the schools being closed I have had to cancel tonights adult class at Bishops Cleeve Primary School. Sensei
Posted 13th January 2010
Congratulations to Ben Stewart on being awarded the STUDENT OF THE MONTH TROPHY for Jan 2010. I will endeavour to upload a photo of Ben receiving the award from Sensei in the next day or so.
Posted 12th January 2010
Good news - there will be an extra Family Class at Leckhampton School on Friday 22nd January. Hope to see you all there!
Posted 11th January 2010
Apologies, Sensei will be on an instructor training course next week so sadly this class has had to be cancelled. Please look at the calender to find alternative classes. Thanks.
Posted 11th January 2010
We have had a good response to the email I sent out about training tomorrow morning. so I will run the class at Leckhampton Primary School. starting at 10am. hope to see you all there! Sensei
Posted 9th January 2010
Due to the schools still being closed and the fact I doubt many people will venture out I have taken the decision to cancel tonights class at Leckhampton and tomorrows class at Grange Primary. I will email everyone to see if there are enough students wanting to train on Sunday morning. if so then we will aim to get together this coming Sunday 10th Jan. keep safe and warm. Sensei
Posted 8th January 2010
although it is all beautiful and white sadly the weather has closed the local schools. I have decided to cancel todays class for juniors at Leckhampton and tomorrows junior class at Bishops Cleeve. hopefully by friday we will be back to normal. now... whos up for a snowball fight? Sensei
Posted 6th January 2010
Hi fellow students. The pictures from the Christmas grading are now in the gallery. Apologies to those that I have missed and to those that feel I have not captured them at their most photogenic. Happy New Year to you all. Graham.
Posted 5th January 2010
I just wanted to say thank you to all those students who gave me christmas cards and bottles of wine and gifts of chocolates for christmas. by January I will be very fat indeed! Have a very peaceful time this Christmas everyone with your families and may I wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year. may 2010 bring all of us plenty of love and laughter. Classes start back on January 4th with an adult class at Leckhampton so hopefully I will see everyone then. and to all you Parents and brothers and sisters not yet training? the new year is a great time to start... so hopefully see all the family together. Best Wishes. Sensei
Posted 19th December 2009
Apologies but Sensei has to cancel tonights class at Bishops Cleeve.
Posted 16th December 2009
Did anyone spot the deliberate mistake? Sensei put the date of the Spring Grading in on the weekend of Easter! Doh! it has now been moved to Saturday 27th March 2010.
Posted 13th December 2009
WELL DONE TO EVERYONE! just wanted to say how great it was to see all the students work so hard this morning at the grading. I would like to say thank you to my Blackbelt students Graham Watts, Saywan Salih, Ellen Bourne, Rudi Van der Hooft, Ashely and Tamsin Grainger for all their help. thank you to Graham for being official photographer! I am sure that once he puts all the pics up on the gallery he will put a little note on the news page to tell everyone to go and have a look. now for the other well dones... to the following students who achieved 3rd kyu brown belt - Rachel Coburn, Mike Curneen, Kevin Macey, Alexander Taylor, Joshua Woodcroft, Ben Wrathall and Tony Wright. and to those students who achieved 2nd kyu brown belt - Anniemae Evans, Innes Gardener, Barty Mcgrath, Caleb Trotman and Sarah Trotman. also well done to those students who achieved the lofty heights of 1st kyu brown belt - Gary Charlton, Bradley Evans and Deniz Gunn. I also want to say a great big WELL DONE to Ellen Bourne for winning senior student of the year! and to Ryan Oakley for winning Junior student of the year! and the Macey family for winning Family of the year! and finally well done to Thomas Pope for winning December student of the month! we have just a few more classes to go next week before the christmas break to give you all a chance to show off your new belts and start to learn those new Kata. see you all in class. Sensei
Posted 12th December 2009
what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us
Posted 9th December 2009
IMPORTANT NOTICE! as a result of a number of requests from students and parents I have decided to make this years xmas grading a joint one. that means that juniors and Seniors will all grade together. Please therefore be at Leckhampton Primary School for 9am registration whether you are a young one or an old wrinkly! :-) Sensei
Posted 2nd December 2009
there once lived a very poor farmer who one day discovered his Goose had laid a golden egg! the farmer could not believe his good fortune and amazingly it happens again the following day! and the day after that. the farmer becomes fabulously wealthy but sadly with his increasing good fortune comes greed and impatience. one day he cannot wait for the goose to lay the egg and so kills her to get all the eggs at once. not only are there no eggs but the farmer has now destroyed the goose who lay them. if we are more concerned with the golden eggs (the benefits) rather than the people in our lives who matter most we will become insensitive and inconsiderate. we will overlook and neglect the little kindnesses which are so important. the love and happiness wil quickly diminish, the goose will get sicker by the day! take some time to NOTICE those around you. LISTEN and make good use of your time. dont just get caught up with what you think is living. Sensei
Posted 30th November 2009
The Grading is on the 12th Dec and I would just like to remind everyone to check their licenses to ake sure they are stil valid. thanks. Sensei
Posted 30th November 2009
life is full of stress. some is easier to handle than others. some stress can be seen as positive whilst many are negative and get in the way. stress can stop us in our tracks. make us ill. prevent us from enjoying life and living at peace with ourselves and those around us. stress sometimes can be many many little things that eventually build up until you feel trapped under something very heavy. so what do we do? well we must not lose sight of what is truly important. that is easier said than done I grant you but we still have to remember that our families and our friends and the love and support they give us will guide us through the stormy times. do not race round trying to fix everything all at once. forget what has happened in the past - no need to worry as it has been and gone and can no longer be changed. worrying about our future is pointless if we cannot influence it. so wait. deal with those stresses that are right under your nose, one at a time then use your energy wisely on the positive aspects of your life. Sensei
Posted 23rd November 2009
I have just uploaded all the classes for the first three months of 2010 into the calendar. Please go and have a look and put them in your diary. 2010 is a big year for us with two Blackbelt Gradings as well as all our other events! so... train had everyone! Sensei
Posted 20th November 2009
Over the past few months I have lent out quite a few of my books and dvds regarding karate. I am happy to do this but am currently having trouble a, remembering who I have loaned things out to and b, it would seem having trouble geting them back :-( if you have borrowed one or more of my own personal books or dvds / videos can you please email me and let me know what you have? and maybe for how much longer you will need it? as I have other students who wish to do the same. thanks. Sensei
Posted 19th November 2009
Can I please ask for some assistance at the Christmas Grading from any Senior and Junior Blackbelts that are available? thank you Sensei
Posted 19th November 2009
I am sending out the December Newsletter a little early as I am becoming increasingly busy over the next couple of weeks with courses to attend and the Christmas Grading to prepare for so please dont moan at me that it is stil November and too early :-) if you are reading this notice and havent received the newsletter by the 20th Nov. please email me here at the club and I will forward it on to you. Sensei
Posted 19th November 2009
I am in a position to put an additional Family class in due to being off duty on the 27th November. This is a Friday and so the class will be at Leckhampton Primary School. 6pm to 7pm. See you there. Sensei
Posted 8th November 2009
Due to Parents evening there is no Adult class at the above venue on Wed 18th Nov. Also there will be no Junior class on Thursday 19th either for same reason. However, Sensei will be taking this opportunity to go and teach at Winchcombe Primary School on Thursday 19th at 3.30pm. all Junior students are welcome to come along.
Posted 6th November 2009
The date for this years christmas grading is Sat 12th December. Junior Registration takes place at 9.15am and Adult registration will take place at 1.30pm. I would like to present the Annual Awards for best adult, best junior and best family at 12.45pm so can everyone taking part in the Adult grading in the afternoon be at the Grading for this time please? thanks Sensei
Posted 2nd November 2009
Master Gichin Funakoshi