SHINBOKU

SHINBOKU More than "just a karate club". Central London. Expert practical self-protection, traditional, sports karate-WKF style & high energy Fitness!

Karate Shinboku Kai has been in existence for over 35 years. It has Dojos in Elephant & Castle and London Bridge, working in partnership with King's College London & the University of London Karate Clubs. Between these clubs there are numerous weekly training sessions that all members are welcome to attend and a few specialist lessons with a more basic or more advanced emphasis. We have regular trips abroad for seminars, cultural exchange and to learn from world-renowned masters.

“Streetsafe” is what we call the self-defence part of our syllabus, because that’s what it’s designed to achieve. We cov...
14/09/2026

“Streetsafe” is what we call the self-defence part of our syllabus, because that’s what it’s designed to achieve. We cover the “highest-probability” scenarios early on, such as hook punches and grabs, and progress to defending yourself in more dangerous situations like against armed or multiple attackers, or grounded attacks.

Significantly, we don’t try to shoehorn complex or static karate blocks into self-defence. Streetsafe applies skills from Karate into simple, no-nonsense and effective techniques against a violent, untrained assailant.

Some of us have—unwillingly—been in a situation in which we have had to use “streetsafe” skills. We periodically host self-defence classes with local groups, to make these skills accessible in our community, and so our members can support and train these skills in day-to-day clothes as well.

𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗸𝘂
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

“Shinboku” means friendship, and that’s what makes our club a community. We train, but we also go for food/drinks after ...
31/08/2026

“Shinboku” means friendship, and that’s what makes our club a community. We train, but we also go for food/drinks after training and arrange socials 🥳

Members sometimes even go to the park for picnics when it’s sunny, and won’t resist training a bit more together. As Freshers’ Week is fast approaching, please accept our (inadvertent) “university brochure” pictures showcasing just that 😉

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗞𝗨
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Meet our Instructors: Philipp, Albert, Roberta, Alex and Gonçalo! They volunteer their time to teach out of a genuine lo...
17/08/2026

Meet our Instructors: Philipp, Albert, Roberta, Alex and Gonçalo! They volunteer their time to teach out of a genuine love for Karate and commitment to every student’s growth 🥋

They each have their teaching interests, bringing variety to classes, but a common theme is their embracing Shinboku’s approach to well-rounded and practical Karate.

They will teach you in classes, assess you at gradings and ensure you can attend seminars, open mats and competitions (and prepare, support and corner for you!). From day one, you’ll also have a group chat with them to discuss progress, ask questions and be given feedback both in and out of the dojo!

…and when they’re not teaching, they’ll be training alongside you, always learning as part of the same club and community 🥋

Any questions? By all means DM us, or visit our website (in our bio)!

𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗸𝘂
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

The grading is over, so the silliness comes out again! 🤪Congratulations to Steff, for grading to purple belt, and Fran a...
04/07/2026

The grading is over, so the silliness comes out again! 🤪

Congratulations to Steff, for grading to purple belt, and Fran and Dom, for grading to green belt, after demonstrating basics, pad-hitting, kata, applications, self-defence, sparring and grappling. It wasn’t easy; they definitely deserve their new belts!

(We managed at least two serious photos 👉)

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗞𝗨
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Gashuku 2026: the group photos and the views 🥋☀️Our annual retreat was an intense week of training, but it had great vie...
02/07/2026

Gashuku 2026: the group photos and the views 🥋☀️

Our annual retreat was an intense week of training, but it had great views and the best of people.

We’re back at LSBU Active now, so why not sign up for a trial session and become part of our community, both inside and outside the dojo.

Gashuku 2027 is only a year away 👀

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗞𝗨
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

You may have seen us posting about “Gashuku” in our stories, with a post soon to come—so what is it? It’s not a holiday,...
23/06/2026

You may have seen us posting about “Gashuku” in our stories, with a post soon to come—so what is it? It’s not a holiday, but it is hard training and a lot of fun, with a great community 🥋

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗞𝗨
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Showcasing the application of karate in a self-defence setting, where one person is pinned with their back to the wall. ...
03/05/2026

Showcasing the application of karate in a self-defence setting, where one person is pinned with their back to the wall. This is an application of one of our Kata, “Heian Sandan”.

We focus on applied Karate, and make sure that what we teach and learn is grounded by its practical use 👊

Join us at LSBU Active, every Thursday and Saturday. Your trial session is free!

𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗸𝘂
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Congratulations to Neuma and Dom (affectionately known as “Nom”) on passing their yellow belt (7th Kyu) gradings last Sa...
24/04/2026

Congratulations to Neuma and Dom (affectionately known as “Nom”) on passing their yellow belt (7th Kyu) gradings last Saturday!

Neuma and Dom have impressed us all. In just over six months as part of our community, they have graded twice, put on strong performances in both sparring and kata at competition and proven that training consistently has tangible results 🥋

Interested in learning and progressing? Try your FREE trial at SHINBOKU today! DM us for more information.

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗞𝗨
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Congratulations to Neuma and Dom (affectionately known as “Nom”) for passing their yellow belt (7th Kyu) grading last Sa...
24/04/2026

Congratulations to Neuma and Dom (affectionately known as “Nom”) for passing their yellow belt (7th Kyu) grading last Saturday!

Neuma and Dom have impressed everyone; in just over six months, they have graded twice, attended a competition for both sparring and kata, and proved how consistent training shows tangible results🥋

Interested in learning and progressing? Try your FREE trial at SHINBOKU today! DM us for more information.

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗞𝗨
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

At SHINBOKU, we training in continuous sparring, which involves “traditional” standing sparring, but also grappling and ...
16/04/2026

At SHINBOKU, we training in continuous sparring, which involves “traditional” standing sparring, but also grappling and groundwork. This allows students to develop personal styles of sparring and applications.

That’s why it was great to learn from Les Bubka at his “what type of fighter are you?” seminar, focusing on all of these things! We have plenty of drills and approaches to bring back and share at training—thank you, Les!🥋

We’ll hopefully see some of the other attendees at an open mat soon..!

Les also does great work at Karate For Mental Health CIC. Check it out at: https://kfmhcic.co.uk

Interested in sparring? Try your FREE trial at SHINBOKU today! DM us for more information.

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗞𝗨
𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 | 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Address

K2, Keyworth Street
London
SE10AA

Opening Hours

Thursday 7pm - 9pm
Sunday 11am - 1pm

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