ABOUT US

Welcome to the Northgate and Associated Karate Clubs web site. We are a Suffolk based club covering; Bury St. Edmunds, Kesgrave, Northgate and Orwell Park.

We are affiliated with the English Karate Federation (EKF) and English Korean Karate Association (EKKA). We are a friendly club headed up by Sensei Bill Williams, 4th Dan. If your goal is achieving black belt or simply to improve your fitness, co-ordination or mental agility then please come along to one of our sessions or contact us for more information. We always welcome new students and club sponsors. All our clubs are run by qualified instructors and we offer a friendly atmosphere for you and/or your children. For more detail also visit or FAQ page

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LEAD INSTRUCTORS

Our friendly and dedicated team of Lead Instructors are here to help you on your journey to a Black Belt

Bill Williams

Club Leader and Head Instructor, 4th Dan

Sensei Bill Williams, 4th Dan heads up the club. Bill has been practising Karate for over 30 years and has dedicated the majority of his time to running the clubs and helping club members to their Black Belts. 

Gerry Turner

Lead instructor, 4th Dan

Gerry is a fantastic asset to the club. He’s super fit and more importantly is technically proficient at all levels of Karate. He gained his 4th Dan in 2013.

Chris Stott

Lead Instructor, 1st Dan

Chris has been with the club for many years. He is a lead instructor and a specialist in Kata and Kumite. He is also the clubs child protection officer.

Steve Holland

Lead Instructor, 1st Kyu

Steve has been a lead instructor for many years and is a real asset to the club. He runs the Kesgrave club and leads classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Steve is also on the club commitee

ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS

All our assistant instructors are qualified Black Belts and some actively competing in local, national and international Karate competitions

Sean Daines

Assistant Instructor, 2nd Dan

Sean is a 2nd Dan Black Belt. He has been a member of the club for over 10 years.

Georgina Lawson

Assistant instructior, 1st Dan

Georgina is a 1st Dan Black Belt and a member of the England Karate Junior Squad. Her speciality is Kumite.

Chris Sapsed

Assistant Instructor, 1st Dan

Chris is a 1st Dan Black Belt and has been with the club for over 8 years. His speciality is Kata.

Adam Wreford

Assistant Instructor, 1st Dan

Adam is a 1st Dan Black Belt. He achieved his 1st Dan in 2012 and helps out whenever he’s back in Ipswich.

Gillian Wreford

Assistant Instructor, 1st Dan

Gillian is a 1st Dan Black Belt. She has been with the club for over 8 years and is a great asset to the club.

Teliah Turner

Assistant Instructor, 1st Dan

Teliah is a 1st Dan Black Belt. She has been with the club for over 8 years and recently started teaching.

Justin Hunt

Assistant Instructor, 1st Dan

Justin is a 1st Dan Black Belt. He and his family are all members of the club.

Oscar Hunt

Assistant Instructor, 1st Dan

Oscar is a 1st Dan Black Belt. He has been with the club for over 7 years. His speciality is Kumite.

CLASSES

We run classes for the following age groups. Classes for Juniors and Adults are normally held together.

Classes run on most days of the week at various locations as shown on the Clubs page. We pride ourselves in supporting club members on their journey to Black belt and beyond and many club members have gone from white belts to black belt (1st Dan) and even further. Red Dragons classes tend to last 30 minutes and are a mixture of fun and learning basic Karate techniques. Juniors and Adults tend to have one hour lessons where the first 15-20 minutes are a warm up followed by varied classes based on Karate techniques including basics, punches, kicks, kata and kumite.

You are more than welcome to come along to any class and see what goes on. Hopefully your visit will tempt you to get involved either as a parent or club member. We have several families where children and parents take part and have a great time getting fit and learning new skills. As members become more confident and advanced they can compete in local or national competitions. We have an active number of members that compete and win at national competitions. We also have a member on the national juniors Karate squad.

As a club member you would be learning techniques on your journey to a Black Belt (1st Dan). We hope you enjoy looking around our website and hope to see you at a local class.

Regards,

Sensei Bill Williams, 4th Dan

HIGHLIGHTS VIDEOS

Watch our recent highlights videos produced by our club photographer Michael Sapsed to see what we get up to

2017 Highlights Video

2016 Highlights Video

2015 Highlights Video

2014 Highlights Video

KARATE INFORMATION

The origins of Karate

The roots of karate stretch back as far as 2000BC. Karate began in the island of Okinawa and was introduced into mainland Japan by an Okinawan School teacher named Gichin Funakoshi. Here, he set up a training centre (“The Shotokan”), and students moved on to develop other styles. From here, the art gradually spread to the rest of the world.

Why practice Karate?

Socially, it’s a great way of making friends and there are always exciting and rewarding opportunities available. Progress is continual and is achieved through effective coaching and guidance of the instructor. Karate also (very much) applies to everyday life through self-defence. Not only will students be more confident in themselves but they will learn how to defend themselves in an unfortunate situation. Regular practise has continual benefits. Physically and mentally it increases: Fitness/stamina; Strength/tone; Flexibility, Balance, Self-confidence; Self-control; Mental awareness and Co-ordination

What is Karate?

Karate is an exciting combat sport and an effective form of self-defence. ‘Karate’ means ‘empty hand’. It is a fighting system (Kumite) which uses the hands and feet to deliver blows, kicks and strikes with great power and control. Training involves warming up, stretching, strength training, basics, techniques, free-sparring and kata (shape, form and type).

Who is it suitable for?

Everyone benefits from martial art. It attracts men, women and children of all ages and caters for all strengths and physiques. It satisfies those who enjoy using logic, strategy and memory. One attraction for women is that it’s high on aerobic fitness to achieve good all-over body tone. For women and children the practical method of self-defence is of great value, and for children, in particular, training helps focus attention, develop alertness, self-esteem and respect for others. Why not come along to a class, have fun, meet new friends and get fit in the process.