Latest news

Sister club announces dates for next special children's course

28 October

Backwell Karate Bushido Warriors Following the continued success of the Bushido warriors programme, Backwell Karate will once again be running a special course for children aged 5-8 years old.

The next Bushido Warriors course starts on Friday 28th February, and as usual bookings are taken in advance in order to secure a space for the eight week programme, which takes place in Backwell Parish Hall.

If you're interested in finding out more, visit Backwell Karate's Bushido Warriors page or email info@backwellkarate.org to request a registration form.

Press release: Three national medals for Nailsea & Backwell

8 December

Nailsea & Backwell Karate team kata medallists, November 2013 Precision kata and gutsy punching saw Nailsea & Backwell Karate clubs take home three medals from the JKS Open National Karate championship on Sunday 24th November.

The competition, held at Nottingham's Wildcat Arena, drew some of the biggest and best clubs from across the UK and Ireland. With over 800 individual entries and 100 team entries, the event ran for 11 hours solid. As a growing club, with a growing reputation, Sunday's championship was a massive test for Nailsea & Backwell Karate clubs.

Nailsea resident, Nicole Tanner took home a brace of medals in the below black belt senior events. With a sharp Tekki Shodan kata earning her the silver behind Joe Bulmer of Leeds, Tanner then went on to take bronze in a final fight that went to overtime, with the win coming from a quick body punch against her Sheffield competitor.

Nailsea & Backwell Karate's elite senior kata team (Devon Troskie, Steven Connell and Tim Griffiths) added another bronze to the medal tally, beating teams with exceptional reputations along the way to qualifying for the final. The Gold went to a team representing the TSKUK association (made up of 26 clubs in the South-East of England) whose final kata was delivered with exceptional precision and impeccable timing. But a solid performance of kata Ji'in gave Backwell the edge and saw the trio take third place.

Nicole, seen here picking up bronze in the brown belt senior female kumite, November 2013 At the end of the day, Tim Griffiths, Chief Instructor of the clubs said: "To take away any medal from a competition of this size is a phenomenal achievement, but to take away three was fantastic! There were so many good performances from the whole team and the team spirit from all those that travelled was fantastic.

"In particular, Nicole Tanner performed really well. Having just moved up to the Seniors this year it's a great achievement. Off the back of today's performance we're now looking forward to seeing her knuckle down and develop her skills so she's taking medals in the black belt categories in the future. She's definitely shown the potential."

PRESS RELEASE: National medal for Nailsea & Backwell

17 September

Shotokan Cup kata medallist, Tim Griffiths Nailsea Karate & Backwell Karate's Tim Griffiths picked up a national medal this weekend in the Karate Union of Great Britain's 38th Shotokan Cup tournament.

Griffiths competed in the Male Senior Kata event, which saw competitors from across the UK and Ireland perform advanced katas, judged by a panel of referees and judges, in the hope of winning the prestigious Shotokan Cup trophy.

After a close elimination round and semi-final, the evening's final was contested by the same four competitors as the 2012 event.

Tim Griffiths, who teaches Karate in Nailsea & Backwell, said, "To get through to the final of a national event two years in a row is something I'm really proud to achieve. But this year's event was so tight that I can't help feeling that with another push over the next few months we can bring back a national medal of another colour to the club over the coming months and years.

"As well as our normal lessons week-in-week out, the plans for the clubs are to continue to bring in some of the best competitors and coaches for special seminars to help everyone improve both their traditional and competitive Karate. Having picked up golds at the Southern regions earlier this year, we’ll be pushing for improvement in all areas over the coming months. And with such great attitudes from everyone at both of the clubs I know we’ll keep moving forward."

Coloured belt grading and Bill Winfield Memorial competition

17 September

The final coloured belt grading of the year is scheduled for Sunday 10th November at Sir Bernard Lovell School, North Street, Oldland Common, Bristol, BS30 8TS. There will be no training in Backwell that morning. Training will take place from 12-1.30pm and will be followed by the grading soon after. After the grading the Annual Bill Winfield Memorial Children's Competition will taking place. We would encourage all under 16s to take part, which gives a great introduction to competing in a friendly, safe environment.

Those training or grading will need an up-to-date KUGB licence which needs to be brought in your red KUGB grading record book on the day. If you're not sure whether you'll be eligible to grade, please speak to one of the club instructors at training.

Nailsea & Backwell take Southern Karate Championship

16 June

Backwell Karate's medallists at the 2013 KUGB SOuthern Region Championships

Nailsea & Backwell Karate clubs hit new heights this weekend at the Karate Union of Great Britain Southern Region Championships, taking three regional titles including the blue riband event, Team Kumite (free sparring).

The gold for the prestigious team event, where clubs from across the south of England put their best fighters into teams of three plus a reserve, was won in a gripping final against the 2011 and 2012 champions, Egham Karate Club. Tim Griffiths, Devon Troskie and Dan Henley lined up for Nailsea & Backwell, but after three tight matches the scores were tied at one fight each and a draw. The fight went to one more deciding match, which was won on judges' decision by Backwell karateka Devon Troskie after dominating throughout an intense final bout.

Steven Connell picks up gold As well as the team event, Backwell competitors Tim Griffiths and Devon Troskie took Gold and Silver, respectively, in an all-Backwell Senior Male Kumite final, which was won by Griffiths in overtime with a spinning back kick to the stomach.

In all, the clubs came away with an impressive 11 medal haul from the championship, which took place in Reading. After moving up into the 16-17 age category Steven Connell picked up his 2nd straight Southern title with a confident performance in the final. There were also impressive performances in Kumite by Nicole Tanner, Ayla Moore and Fergus Puddy and in Kata by Sam Henley, who each picked up medals in their respective events.

We're really delighted at how well each and every one of you performed on the day. All those that represented the club did us proud, with so many great performances! Here is our full list of results: One of our younger fighters keeps an eye on his opponent

Male Team Kumite 1st: Tim Griffiths, Devon Troskie, Dan Henley, Steven Connell
Male Senior Kumite 1st: Tim Griffiths
Male Junior Kumite (16-17) 1st: Steven Connell
Senior Team Kata 2nd: Tim Griffiths, Devon Troskie, Steven Connell
Male Senior Kumite 2nd: Devon Troskie
Male Senior Kata 2nd: Tim Griffiths
Girls' Kumite over 5'3" 2nd: Nicole Tanner
Female Kyu grade Kumite 3rd: Ayla Moore
Boys' 10-11 Kumite 3rd: Fergus Puddy
Children's Kyu grade Kata 3rd: Sam Henley
Male Senior Kata 4th: Steven Connell

Full list of competitors: Tim Griffiths, Devon Troskie, Dan Henley, Steven Connell, Ian Connell, Dan Salter, Fergus Puddy, Jim Mateer, Sam Henley, Nicole Tanner, Kevin Hooper and Ayla Moore.

Backwell Karate: Southern Region Team Kumite Champions 2013

Backwell dojo looks forward to hosting next wave of Warriors!

21 April

Classes for children ages 5 to 8 years old Do you know anyone with children aged 5 to 8 who might be interested in Karate? Our sister club at Backwell will be starting their second Warrior course of the year on Friday 10th May.

The Bushido Warriors beginners' courses are a great way to have fun and learn something new in an environment that's especially for children. Over the 8 week programme, we will teach the basics of Karate-Do, from bowing, to kicking, punching and also basic partner work.

For more information, visit the Backwell Karate Bushido Warriors web page (opens in a separate window).

Club members enjoy free 1st anniversary lesson

11 April

Today is our first birthday! To celebrate, we welcomed over 20 students and two new starters to a funfilled class last night which included taxing punching drills, kicking drills and padwork!

Thank you to all our members for your support over the last year. It was great to see many of those present for our first ever class join us last night, and also to see so many new faces over the last 12 months. We look forward to seeing you all progress throughout our 2nd year!

KUGB Chief Instructor to visit Backwell

24 March

Sensei Sherry, 9th Dan We are delighted to announce that the Chief Instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain, Sensei Andy Sherry, will be paying a special visit to our sister club, Backwell Karate, at the Backwell Parish Hall dojo on Friday 19th July.

Sensei Sherry will be taking a Kyu grade training session, Kyu grading and a special Dan grade class. This is the first grading to be held at the club in its 35 year history.

Sensei Sherry is an inspiration to those who train under him. He has recently been promoted to 9th Dan of the KUGB – 47 years after passing his 1st Dan under the auspices of the late Karate legend, Sensei Enoeda. Sensei visits us just ten days after celebrating his 70th birthday and he certainly shows no signs of slowing down.

The evening will run as follows:

Kyu grade training: 6.00-7.00pm
Grading: 7.00-8.30pm
Dan grade training: 8.30-10.00pm

As usual, the combined training and grading fee will be £20. Training only will be £10. Training is only open to students of Nailsea Karate, Backwell Karate and invited guests of the clubs. Please note that the start time is earlier than our usual Friday night training time.

We hope as many of you as possible will be able to join us for this momentous occasion for our clubs. It is sure to be an evening to remember!

Kyu grading passes in Bath

24 March

Club members at Kyu Grading, Bath Congratulations to all those members that graded today in Bath under Sensei Bob Poynton, 7th Dan.

After a training session for all grades, twelve members from both Nailsea Karate and Backwell Karate took their grading with all achieving full passes. A special congratulations to our five members who graded for the first time: Toby, Josh, Archie, Sandra and Matt. Matt started at our Nailsea dojo just a few months ago and did exceptionally well.

Dan grading

16 March

Dan Henley and Dan Salter pass 2nd and 1st Dan, respectively Congratulations to both Dan Salter and Dan Henley who passed their first and second dan gradings, respectively, today in Egham.

Both Dan and Dan have put in a lot of hard work and dedication to reach an excellent standard and we are all very proud of their achievements.

Dan Salter joined Nailsea Karate as a 1st Kyu a year ago and has quickly become a valued member of both Nailsea and Backwell. Dan Henley is only the fifth person at the club to have been awarded Nidan level, but is the third within a year, showing the strength of the club at the moment.

We will be delighted to see their continued progress over the coming months and years, and hope that their achievements prove an inspiration to those looking to take their black belt gradings in the future.

Christmas training times

8 December

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our members With Christmas around the corner, we wanted to let you know that our last training session of 2012 in Nailsea will take place on Wednesday 19th December, after which we take a one week break. We'll be starting back in Nailsea on the Wednesday 2nd January for those keen to get back to regular training.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and to thank all our members for their support in this first year of being in Nailsea. We look forward to picking up where we left off for a successful 2013.

Press release: Sensei Matt Price coaches in North Somerset

2 November

Sensei Price explaining one of many drills at Scotch Horn Leisure Centre, Nailsea Nailsea & Backwell Karate practitioners were buzzing this weekend after a visit from European Shotokan Karate Champion Sensei Matt Price.

After a surprise appearance at the Backwell Karate dojo on Friday night, Price taught two seminars at Scotch Horn Leisure Centre in Nailsea where he shared both competition and traditional Karate techniques and drills that have not only taken him to a European title but have also seen him coach a new generation of champions to their own Euro titles in Italy earlier this year.

Saturday's lessons saw Nailsea & Backwell Karate members put through their paces with drills to improve punches, kicks, sweeps and submission techniques over the course of three hours.

Chief Instructor at both Nailsea & Backwell Karate, Tim Griffiths, said, "We are delighted to host guest instructors of the calibre of Sensei Price here in Nailsea as part of our strategy and ethos for continuous improvement for the area. The progress we've made as a club this year has been fantastic, having won medals at regional and national competitions and also having seen numerous outstanding performances at belt examinations.

"The instruction at special courses like this – along with the hard work and dedication from club members week in, week out – help us to keep improving. I’m really proud to be part of something that feels so special right now."

Karate is an excellent way to get fit at the same time as learning a skill that improves concentration and discipline. Nailsea & Backwell Karate are currently accepting new members.

Sister club launches new children's section and course!

27 September

Backwell Karate Bushido Warriors Our sister club, Backwell Karate, launches it's new youth section in October.

The new programme, Backwell Karate Bushido Warriors, will run from School Year 1 (age 5) up to School Year 6 (age 11), split into two sections:

  • Junior Warriors – our youngest group – from School Years 1-4 (age 5-9).
  • Warriors – School Years 5 & 6 (age 9-11).
Over the coming months the Warriors programme will be both a way to introduce younger members to Karate and a route to help our aspiring champions of the future to improve their Karate and compete, if they choose. Although our Warriors programme runs up to age 11 (school year 6), our first ever beginners course is for Junior Warriors – our youngest group – school years 1-4 (age 5-9). The Junior Warriors course will start on Friday 19th October at 5.50pm. Classes are 40 minutes each. The Bushido Warriors beginners' course is a great way to have fun and learn something new in an environment that's especially for children. Over the 8 week programme, we will teach the basics of Karate-Do, from bowing, to kicking, punching and also basic partner work.

If you have a child from school years 1-4 who would like to start Karate then email or call now for more details and to enrol them on the Bushido Warriors programme. The number of spaces is strictly limited. Call 07720 285549 or email info@backwellkarate.org

And visit the Backwell Karate Facebook page at facebook.com/backwellkarate for the launch of the new Backwell Karate Bushido Warriors mascot over the next few days!

Special course announcement: Sensei Bruce and Sensei Sterling

17 March

Sensei John Bruce and Sensei Holly Sterling

To celebrate the launch of Nailsea Karate, we're hosting a special 'double header' training course on Saturday 7th April with international medallists Sensei John Bruce and Sensei Holly Sterling in Scotch Horn Leisure Centre (auditorium), Nailsea!

There are two training sessions which everyone can attend. Training times are 10am to 11.30am and 11.45am to 1.15pm. There will be separate classes with each instructor which will be split by grade (beginner to 4th Kyu and brown and black belts) which means that everyone will get a good chance to get the best out of the training.

Space is limited and so places will only be guaranteed by buying a ticket in advance. Tickets for the whole day cost £16. While Senseis Holly and John have a 600 mile round trip to be here, for us it's a great opportunity to train with some of the best competitors in the country right on our doorstep!

Tickets can be bought at training sessions of our sister club, Backwell Karate, or reserved by email. Email info@nailseakarate.com for details.

England Kata Squad selections

4 February

KUGB Kata squad

On Saturday 4th February, the KUGB's England Kata squad selections took place at the famous Liverpool Red Triangle Karate Club, under the watchful eye of Chief Instructor Sensei Andy Sherry.

Sensei Tim Griffiths was once again selected for the England Squad. He was in good company - of the 23 selected there were at least four competitors who have previously won the KUGB National Championships and also placed at European and World Championships.

Tim is not only proud to be representing both Nailsea Karate and Backwell Karate but pleased that he can continue to train at the very highest level so he's able to pass on his knowledge to members of the club.

We look forward to this being the first of many highlights for the club in 2012!