Welcome to the Website for the Applied Shotokan Karate group based in Stoke on Trent.

We are part of the British Combat Karate Association (BCKA) which is affiliated to the English Karate Federation (EKF). All of our members are registered with both the BCKA and the EKF.

Our principle purpose for studing karate is to promote practical methods of self protection. While there are many benefits to participating in the martial arts, such as Fitness, Weight Loss, Flexibilty, Balance, Co-Ordination, Endurance, Discipline, Mental Strength, Friendships and developing a determined attitute, it is always the jutsu (combat) in an environment one might find outside a sporting event that interest us the most. That is not to say that we completely dismiss the sporting element of karate, we've had many successes in kata at a national level. We mainly concentrate on the kata as a training method rather than an atheletic performance.

"We use kata, and the combative information recorded in the kata, to promote methods of training to be used to avoid injury to ourselves during civillian conflict."