Wales KDS extends a warm welcome to All Grades to participate in the exciting forthcoming National Course hosted in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. The theme for the 4 sessions over the 3 day weekend is to apply specific techniques from kata to ju ippon kumite, overseen by Harada Sensei’s Welsh 5th Dan Instructors. We all look forward to training with you once more. Cost Adult Concession All course… Read More »1-3 November, Wales course
We are delighted to invite you to our course with Sensei in Gourdon in October. Dates Friday 18 October 20:00 – 22-00 All grades Saturday 19 October 10:00 – 12:00 Back and brown belts 16:00– 19:00 All grades Sunday 20 October 10:00 – 13:00 All grades As usual, there will be at least an hour per session when we will split into two groups, black belts and kyu grades. There… Read More »18 – 20 October, Gourdon course, France
Essex KDS welcome you to our club course on 11-13 October 2019. Following the success of last year we will again be holding the course in the nearby Hertfordshire town of Ware. The 2nd Dan group will be leading, under the guidance of Ian McKenzie, 5th Dan. Location The Chauncy SchoolPark RdWareSG12 0DP Times Friday 11 October 19.30 – 21:00 Saturday 12 October11:00 – 13:00 Saturday 12 October15:00 – 17:00… Read More »11-13 October, Essex course
We’re excited to launch our new website, where you will find information for beginners, a course calendar, and information on each of our clubs in the UK. What’s changed? The focus of our new website is the recruitment of new members across the KDS clubs in the UK. With this in mind, we’ve tried to source fantastic and up-to-date images of our current instructors and practice. We’ve also made it… Read More »New website
Story by Jonathan de’ Claire BSc (Hons) – with the assistance of Master Harada and the references of Karate Master and Reminiscences by Dr. Clive Layton. A Student at the Shotokan When a young boy aged 15 entered the Shotokan dojo in Zoshigaya, Toshima Ward in 1943, Master Gichin Funakoshi was the undisputed leading light of the Shotokan movement. After his first lesson this teenager was hooked on Karate, his… Read More »Harada Sensei – biography
Master Mitsusuke Harada, Principal Instructor of the KDS and former personal pupil of Gichin Funakoshi and Shigeru Egami. Interview by Jonathan de’ Claire with the valued assistance of Marie Kellet. J.de’C – Sensei, you have trained uninterrupted since you began Karate at the Shotokan in 1943. It must have made quite an impression on you. Can you recollect what those impressions were, all those years ago? M.H. –There were two… Read More »Harada Sensei – interview
Jonathan de’ Claire interviews Master Harada shortly after he received his MBE for services to karate. JDC Harada Sensei, firstly, I wanted to congratulate you on being awarded the Member of the British Empire for Services to Karate. MH Thank you very much. This is a great honour for me, it was also total surprise! My people kept it a secret that this had been applied for and the first I knew… Read More »Harada Sensei – MBE interview
Master Mitsusuke Harada presents his opinion on the concept of kiai and it’s relevance and use within karate. The military origins of ‘kiai’ Europeans tend to be rather keen on what they call rational explanations and complain that some Japanese concepts are obscure and not easy to understand. In that respect, one of the most frequently quoted is that of KIAI, and I am often asked to give my opinion… Read More »The concept of kiai
Article for Shotokan Karate Magazine 2010 by Jonathan de’ Claire – KDS 4th Dan Working as a teacher I changed my career several years back and retrained as a teacher, undertaking a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). On the course, there was a major stress on the need to differentiate in your planning and delivery of lessons. This would enable a teacher, in theory, to deliver the similar subject… Read More »Teach and learn karate
Terms that we use when we practice. Some of the terminology presented here is divided into: Standard forms – terms which are in everyday KDS usage General – terms which are correct and part of KDS practise but are generally not referred to by their Japanese name. Miscellaneous terms – terms which appear in Karate-Do Kyohan or have been used in the past and so are included for completeness and… Read More »Terminology