Find your nearest martial arts club
Sixteen clubs across Wakefield, Leeds, Dewsbury and Barnsley teaching Wado Ryu Karate, Ju Jitsu, Kickboxing and traditional Okinawan weaponry. Ages four to seventy-four. First session free, and there is never a contract.
No contract. No joining fee. No fuss.
Most martial arts schools want twelve months up front. We have never worked that way, and we are not about to start. You pay for the session you turn up to.
No Contract
Students continue because they want to, not because they are locked in. Stop for a term, come back when you are ready — your grade waits for you.
No Joining Fee
No sign-up charge, no compulsory equipment bundle, no hidden extras. A licence and a suit when you are ready, and that is it.
No Fuss
Turn up in a T-shirt and jogging bottoms, pay for the session, train. Your first one is on us so you can see if it is for you.
Sixteen clubs. One association.
Every WYSOK club is run by its own instructor with its own character — but all of them share the same syllabus, the same grading standards and the same association behind them.
Five arts under one roof
Wado Ryu is where most people start. Many go on to add a second art — we believe in cross training so training in more than one style is encouraged.
Wado Ryu Karate
The way of harmony — and the art at the heart of WYSOK
Ju Jitsu
Close-quarters self-defence — throws, locks and control
Traditional Okinawan Weaponry
Bo, jo, sai, tonfa, nunchaku, kama and the sword
Kickboxing
Pads, bags and proper cardio — striking without the kata
Mu Chindo Karate
No mind — acting without stopping to think
Your first lesson, start to finish
Walking into a martial arts hall for the first time is the hardest part. Here is exactly what happens, so it is not.
Book your free taster
Pick your nearest club and send a message straight to that instructor. They will reply with the next session that suits you — usually within a day.
Turn up in what you have got
T-shirt, jogging bottoms, bare feet, a bottle of water. No suit needed, no equipment to buy. Arrive ten minutes early and the instructor will meet you at the door.
Train, then decide
Warm-up, basics, and you will be paired with someone patient. Afterwards you pay for the sessions you attend and nothing more. No sales pitch — we have never needed one.
Who you are handing your child to
Every instructor holds an enhanced DBS certificate, renewed on schedule.
Current first aid qualifications across the whole instructor team.
Association-wide insurance through our NAKMAS membership.
Grades from 2nd to 7th Dan, with instructors who have trained since childhood.
Forty-seven years, one family
WYSOK was founded in 1979 by Shihan Ann Walker, who became the first woman in Europe to be awarded 7th Dan in Wado Ryu Karate. She led the association for over three decades until her death in 2014.
Big enough to support students in learning and instructors in teaching — small enough that everyone is still made to feel part of the family.
Today the association is led by her son, Sensei Shane Walker, who was brought to her classes as a small boy, took his first grade in 1982 and succeeded her as Chief Instructor in 2014. He holds 7th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Ju Jitsu, and 4th Dan in both Kobu Jutsu and Kickboxing.
Alongside him, second in charge, is Sensei Matthew Barlow — who started as a boy in 1989, supported Ann for the whole of her time leading WYSOK, and has been teaching here ever since.
Your first session is free
Find your nearest club, message the instructor directly, and turn up. That is the whole process.