英国空手白浪会 Shiranamikai Karate
London was in the midst of a heatwave, with the temperature soaring to 36.4°C, breaking the all-time record high for June (again). There was no air conditioning, just lots of sweat and spirit as we were guided through two hours of challenging kihon, kata and kumite by the head of Japan Karate Association England, Ohta Sensei.
Well done to everyone who trained that day and to those who graded. It was a brilliant session.
Well done to everybody who represented the club at this year’s national karate championship. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the main hall of the K2, with around 450 competitors from across England and 50 officials keeping things on track.
Thanks to all our supporters, parents and those who assisted on the day and helped contribute towards the positive environment and cracking team spirit.
Results as follows…
Junior Team Kata: Gold 🥇🥇🥇🏆
Jessica: Silver in Kata, Gold in Kumite 🥈🥇
Sara: 4th Place in Kata, Silver in Kumite 🥈
Lucas: Bronze in Kumite 🥉
Evelyn: Bronze in Kumite 🥉
Vivienne: Gold in Kata, Gold in Kumite 🥇🥇
Zachary: 4th Place in Kata, Bronze in Kumite 🥉
Rahul: Gold in Kata 🥇
Well Done Team!
Shiranamikai members are fortunate to be able to continue training throughout holiday periods and this festive period was no different. With the exception of a few days off for Christmas and New Year, club members were able to keep up the momentum and avoid discomfort associated with a lack of physical inactivity. Lovely to follow-up the session with a bite to eat together afterwards – everybody earned it.
Classes continue over the festive period with some time and venue changes as noted.
Our karate friends are welcome. During December we will be supporting Caritas Bakhita House.
We revert to our regular timetable from 3rd January 2026 for our first session of the new year and club dinner.
| Saturday 13th December | 10.30am Belsize Library 4pm Swiss Cottage |
| Sunday 14th December | 10am Stanmore |
| Monday 15th December | – |
| Tuesday 16th December | 6.30pm O2 Centre |
| Wednesday 17th December | 7pm Harrow |
| Thursday 18th December | – |
| Friday 19th December | – |
| Saturday 20th December | 4pm Swiss Cottage |
| Sunday 21st December | 10am Stanmore |
| Monday 22nd December | – |
| Tuesday 23rd December | 10.30am Primrose Hill |
| Wednesday 24th December Christmas Eve | – |
| Thursday 25th December Christmas Day | – |
| Friday 26th December Boxing Day | – |
| Saturday 27th December | 11am Stanmore |
| Sunday 28th December | 10am Stanmore |
| Monday 29th December | – |
| Tuesday 30th December | 10am Stanmore |
| Wednesday 31st December New Year’s Eve | – |
| Thursday 1st January New Year’s Day | – |
| Friday 2nd January | – |
| Saturday 3rd January | 4pm Swiss Cottage |
| Sunday 4th January | 10am Stanmore |
Karate students from Shiranamikai were privileged to participate at Japan Matsuri 2025 in London’s Trafalgar Square for the Japan-UK cultural highlight of the year. The crowd was noticeably bigger than in previous years and we really appreciated all the support we received from everybody who was there.
Shiranamikai members enjoyed a sizzling training session with Ohta Sensei on what was the hottest day of the year so far, in the middle of a heatwave. But it couldn’t have been better timed than our half past midday finish.
Basics incorporated each of the Shotokan fundamental stances of front, side and back. Kumite was full-on, engaging, and featured body- and weight-shifting for senior grades.
We finished on katas Nijushiho and Bassai Dai.
Well done to those who graded.
Well done to everyone who entered this year’s national karate championship. There was a fantastic turn out of some 400+ competitors from all over England. The bar was set extremely high by dedicated students, ensuring some exciting matches and superb individual performances.
Shiranamikai results as follows…
Vivienne: Gold in Kata
Evelyn: Gold in kata, Gold in Kumite
Remi: Bronze in Kumite
Iwona: Bronze in Kumite
Rahul: Bronze in Kata
Subhash: 4th Place in Kata
Congratulations!
Classes continue during the festive season. We have a regular schedule up to 22nd December. After this date, time and venue changes are noted.
We revert to our regular timetable from 4th January 2025 for our anniversary session, after which we’ll be going for a club dinner. Children’s term classes resume from 9th January.
During December we will be supporting Caritas Bakhita House.
| Saturday 14th December | 10.30am Belsize Library 4pm Swiss Cottage |
| Sunday 15th December | 10am Stanmore |
| Monday 16th December | – |
| Tuesday 17th December | 6.30pm O2 Centre |
| Wednesday 18th December | 7pm Harrow |
| Thursday 19th December | 9.30am Primrose Hill 5pm Primrose Hill (children) |
| Friday 20th December | – |
| Saturday 21st December | 4pm Swiss Cottage |
| Sunday 22nd December | 10am Stanmore |
| Monday 23rd December | – |
| Tuesday 24th December Christmas Eve | 10.30am Primrose Hill |
| Wednesday 25th December Christmas Day | – |
| Thursday 26th December Boxing Day | – |
| Friday 27th December | – |
| Saturday 28th December | 10.30am Belsize Library |
| Sunday 29th December | 10am Stanmore |
| Monday 30th December | – |
| Tuesday 31st December New Year’s Eve | – |
| Wednesday 1st January New Year’s Day | – |
| Thursday 2nd January | – |
| Friday 3rd January | – |
| Saturday 4th January | 4pm Swiss Cottage |
| Sunday 5th January | 10am Stanmore |
Busy day at the K2 on Saturday, with more than 400 competitors and some strong performances across a multitude of categories, at the JKA England Open Karate Championship.
Well done to Shiranamikai medalists…
Remi: Bronze in Kumite
Nuri: Bronze in Kumite
Evelyn: Gold in Kata, Gold in Kumite
…and all club members for showing their best on the day.
Everybody at Shiranamikai was delighted to have been part of Japan Matsuri 2024; the Japan-UK cultural highlight of the year. The crowd were fantastic – thanks for your support – and thank you to the team from the Embassy of Japan for making us feel welcome. We’re looking forward to the next one!
🇯🇵🥋🇬🇧
