Ashington Shotokan Karate Club

The Ashington Shotokan Karate Club venue at the YMCA in Ashington was established in 1988 by Sensei Jill Kelly 6th Dan. The Club Instructors are Sensei Jill F Kelly (6th Dan) and Sensei Trish Bruce (5th Dan). The senior club Instructor is Sensei Ian Willis (6th Dan) who is the full time Professional Instructor at the Ashington Shotokan Karate Club main dojo. The club was established in 1974.

I started teaching at the YMCA in Ashington more than 25 years ago. I hadn't been a black belt for many years, but had experienced good teaching and instruction at the Ashington Shotokan Karate Club main dojo, and we were keen to open another venue in the town centre. The club is affiliated to the Karate Union of Great Britain, the largest Shotokan organisation in the United Kingdom, with over 14,000 members and 380 clubs around the country.

The club has produced many good students including several who train on the KUGB National Squads, National Champions, and International Competitors. It is primarily a club for students under the age of 21 years, but all students from the age of 5 upwards are welcome. There have been several occasions when parents have started training in the class with their children and are still training now! One of these parents is one of our club instructors, Sensei Trish Bruce, who specialises in taking the junior grades.