Farnham Karate Club

27/10/2026

Yama Tsuki

23/10/2026

Junior Beginners Classes @ Spire Church Hall, South Street, Farnham GU9 7QU Saturday Mornings 10am - 11am

20/10/2026

A strict Sensei is not being cruel, he is preparing you for reality. In the dojo you get second chances, in the street you don't. Your enemy won't wait for you to be ready, won't follow rules, and won't be polite — he will attack when you are weak, tired, or scared. So Sensei pushes you hard now, corrects you again and again, and makes you train even when you don't want to, so that when that day comes you will be calm, strong and ready. Strictness in training is protection in life.

16/10/2026

Shuto is not only a block or deflective movement (Nagas) it also a strike (Uchi)

14/10/2026

Balance hides in the smallest footprint.
Neko Ashi Dachi is called the cat foot stance because like a cat, you are light, alert, and ready to spring. With most of your weight on the back leg and the front foot barely touching, you can protect yourself and launch a kick or sweep instantly without shifting. It teaches that real stability is not about standing heavy, it is about being so balanced that you can move the moment you need to

14/10/2026

The fight is never won by the leg that kicks, it is won by the mind that chooses when to kick.
What you are seeing here is the heart of old karate, timing over strength. When an attacker charges in, the master does not meet force with force. He uses a low sweeping kick to break the structure, attacking the support leg while the hands control the upper body. It is not about hurting, it is about unbalancing, taking away the base so the opponent cannot continue. This is why Okinawan elders say one kick done with correct distance and spirit is worth a thousand punches thrown in anger.

14/10/2026

A punch is not made by the fist, it is made by the whole body deciding to arrive at the same time.
Tsuki looks simple but it is the soul of karate. Power does not start in the arm, it starts in the floor. You drive from the back leg, twist the hips, tighten the core, and only at the last instant you snap the fist, using the first two knuckles, Seiken, as a chisel. That is why the hikite, the pulling hand, is just as important as the punching hand, one side gives, one side takes, and energy doubles. When done right, Tsuki is not a push, it is a whip, fast, focused, and able to stop an opponent with one clean line

13/10/2026

In old Karate, we don't just use fists. The whole arm and leg is a weapon. Here are your 6 classic striking points:
*Teisho:* This is the palm heel. The thick base of your palm. Old masters used it instead of a punch when distance is close. It is powerful, safe for your own hand, and can break the nose, push the chin, or shatter the solar plexus without breaking your knuckles. Very common in self-defense.
*Kakuto:* Bent wrist strike. You fold the wrist down and strike with the top of the wrist joint. It looks strange, but it is a whip-like strike for the chin, face, or wrist locks. In traditional Okinawan Kata, it is used to block and strike at the same time.
*Empi:* The elbow. The most dangerous close-range weapon in Karate. The elbow is hard bone, short, and needs no conditioning. One empi to the jaw, ribs, or temple can end a fight instantly. That is why every Kata ends with it — it is the final answer when the opponent is too close for a punch.
*Shuto:* Knife hand, the outside edge of the hand. When the hand is open and tight, this edge becomes like a sword. Shuto can strike the neck, collarbone, or temple, but it is also famous for blocking. A true shuto carries the spirit of cutting, not slapping.
*Seiryuto:* Bull-hand or ox-jaw hand. The base of the open hand, the fleshy bottom edge near the little finger. Used in Goju and Sh*to-ryu to strike the jaw, ribs, or grab and tear. More powerful than shuto because it uses the whole lower palm.
*Hizagashira:* The knee cap. Another short-range destroyer. Unlike a high kick, the knee does not need flexibility. Drive the knee into stomach, groin, or face when you have pulled the opponent down. In Bunkai, hiza is what finishes what the hands started.

12/10/2026

A black belt is not what you become, it is what you refuse to stop becoming, and that is why old men are still on the dojo floor.
They are not there to chase medals or to prove they are still young. They are there because karate stopped being a sport for them long ago and became a way to breathe. Every kata they do now is not about power, it is about memory in the muscles, respect for the teacher who taught them, and a quiet promise that discipline does not get old. When a young student sees that, he learns the most important lesson: strength fades, speed fades, but a man who keeps training teaches the world that character never retires.

24/09/2026