Karate clubs in Leeds

Five WYSOK clubs train across Leeds, between them covering much of the south and west of the city. Whether you are looking for karate in Leeds for a four-year-old, a teenager who wants something of their own, or yourself after a long gap, there is very likely a class within a short drive.

The two Iruka clubs run from The Hub on the White Rose Business Park in Beeston. Iruka Pee Wees takes four to nine year olds on Tuesday and Friday at 5:45pm, and the main club follows at 7:00pm, with a second session for higher grades at 8:15pm on both nights. Sensei Tanya Pollard leads the club alongside her husband, Sensei Calvin Pollard, and their own daughter trains there — it is a family club in the literal sense. Students travel in from Morley, Batley, Tingley, Beeston and Cottingley.

Suzaku Martial Arts and Suzaku Sparks share Beeston Village Community Centre on Beeston Park Place, on Friday evenings. Sparks is the junior class for four to nine year olds, starting at 6:30pm; the main club runs from 6:30pm to 8:00pm, with both groups training alongside one another for the first half before the younger ones finish. Sensei Antony Longmire holds 5th Dan in karate and an unusually deep knowledge of traditional weapons, which finds its way into the senior sessions. Most Suzaku students come from Middleton, Belle Isle, Holbeck and Hunslet.

Gorse Karate trains at The Ruth Gorse Academy on Black Bull Street on Wednesday evenings, 6:00pm to 8:00pm — close enough to the city centre to suit anyone finishing work in town. Sensei Frankie Preston is joined by instructors holding grades across several different styles, and the club consistently puts out a strong team at local tournaments.

All five clubs teach Wado Ryu karate, one of the four major Japanese styles. Wado Ryu puts its emphasis on timing, body movement and getting off the line of an attack rather than meeting force with force, which makes it a practical choice for smaller and lighter students as well as larger ones.

You do not need to be fit to start, and you do not need to have done anything like it before. Most people arrive knowing nobody. Wear something loose you can move in, bring a drink, and come a few minutes early so the instructor can say hello properly before the class starts.

Every WYSOK instructor is DBS checked, first aid trained and fully insured. The association has been teaching in Yorkshire since 1979 and is affiliated to NAKMAS, a national governing body for martial arts schools.

Your first session is free, there is no contract, and nobody will push you to sign up for anything.