Important ...INSTRUCTORS COURSE .. This is still on going in 2009. Risk Assessments & Safety Checks need to be handed in.

Est   1968

Welcome to the 'SHOGUN' Karate-Do site!   Our Mission Statement.

To concentrate on Practicing and Teaching Traditional Japanese Martial Arts i.e. Shotokan Karate-Do, following the Samurai code of Honour and Etiquette.
(Not following the current trend of most 'Karate' Clubs i.e. 100% Sport Karate.)

What is  Karate-Do ?
Briefly, 'Karate' is not as some think - Self-Defence, it should be used for Self-Defence, it is a Fighting System of Blocking, Punching, Striking and Kicking, Using the laws of physics to cause maximum damage with each and every blow, breaking bones and striking nerve points, actually  very dangerous. Like I said, this is a very brief summary of Karate, there are other excellent sites with more on this subject which you will find on my 'Web Links' 

It is sad to see so many 'Karate Clubs' today are drifting away from Traditional Karate and starting to teach 'Freestyle' I personally don't understand what 'Freestyle' is today. When Freestyle first appeared it meant a mixing of 'Styles' that is a Club or an association mixing Styles and the Instructor or Instructors had an 'Knowledge' of what he was teaching.

Now, 'Freestyle' seems to have no style, how can you teach 'no Style' where do the fundamentals come from ? is it like Football with no rules ?. O.K. maybe it could be called 'Sport Karate' ? but, why do so many 'Freestyle' advertise that this 'Freestyle' is Self-defence ? and why do so many call themselves 'Styles' as in Shotokan, Wado Ryu etc. when they are in fact 'Freestyle' ? Is it easier to teach ? because 'Free' is anything ? where as Shotokan, Wado Ryu, Shukokai, Gojo Ryu and Kyokoshinkai  have rules and fundamentals to teach and practice  I have practiced Wado Ryu Karate for a short time (Two years) Shukokai / Shuto Ryu for (Fourteen Years) and Shotokan for (Fifteen years up to 1999)  I did a little of Kick Boxing, when it first started. I also have been to a Taekwondo course and a Kung Fu course and a Jujitsu course, but I have never seen anything like I have seen during these  last few year 'freestyle' I have to say this does not look like a Martial Art to me. One 'Karateka' told me he was 5th Dan Black Belt in England in 'Freestyle Karate' he also said he never even seen any Traditional Karate ? This Club, by the way, the Instructors Gi consisted of Jeans and a Sweatshirt (he did have his Trainers off) The other Club I seen, the Instructors Gi consisted of  Tracksuit bottoms a Sweatshirt and a Black Belt, and you wonder why I feel sad ?? this also applies to  Ju-Jitsu and Kung-fu.
Anyway, these are only my personal opinions, so any 'Freestylists' out there, don't take offence, like I said, these are only my views. But for the Traditionalists out there!

Yours in Karate-Do    Sylvester Walsh  5th. Dan

Academy History  

The Academy first opened its doors on the 1st. of January 1968. It was run by two Instructors from the Tunstall Karate Club 'Sei-Do-Kan Dojo' Teaching the Karate style of  Wado-Ryu and was part of the BKA group (British Karate Association) and the BKCC (British Karate Control Commission) The Crewe Instructors were Don Lawton and Roy Eldon. The Sei-Do-Kan Instructor was Robert Aikman.

In the latter end of 1969 part of the group broke away from the BKA and formed the SKU (Shukokai Karate Union)
after a visit by Sensei Kimura  8th.Dan so a change of Styles for the Academy, Shukokai. The Chief Instructors for the new Association were Stan Knighton, Roy Stanhope, Bob Aikman and Peter Consterdine.

Sadly this group broke up "round about" 1974 with Bob Aikman leaving to form the WSKU (World Skukokai Karate Union) I seem to remember some dispute over Bob arranging a Competition with a Japanese university for the SKU team and the University team without the permission of the other committee members ? this was what we were led to believe at the time, I was one of the Students along with Dave Warburton, who was asked to take part by Bob, as the Official SKU team were not allowed to take part ? I remember getting some abuse from a senior SKU Instructor at the time for taking part, but then it became a matter of honour, even so, Dave and I did not leave with Bob, although Bob did drop Dave and I and we got no thanks for helping him in his hour of need. We stayed with the SKU.

Shortly afterwards another high Instructor (Eddy Daniels) left the SKU and formed another association with Sensei Kimura the SKF (Shukokai Karate Federation) Strange thing about all this was, all the Black Belts wee called to a meeting in Sheffield to decide if we should keep Sensei Kimura as Chief Instructor in the SKU, I seem to remember Eddie voting against him, then shortly afterwards leaving with him!    
 

Terry Pottage left to form the Kenyukai Group and  Tommy Kwan left to form the Rising Sun Group.

In 1970 the Academy itself changed Instructors, the Club was handed over by Don Lawton and Roy Eldon to four Instructors, Dave Warburton, (now 8th. Dan assistant Chief Instructor of the SKU) John Simpson, Bill Gorski and me Sylvester Walsh.

In the mid 80s we slowly changed to the Shotokan Style of Karate-Do. This happened with influence from Ron Church, a Black Belt with the KUGB (Karate Union Great Britain) He invited me to an Open Karate Championships (CHP) that featured mostly Shotokan Students and a Shotokan course by Sensei Masao Kawasoe. I was so very impressed by the standard and the etiquette. I also met  and decided then to change styles.          

Another change, the Academy changed styles once again to the Traditional Shotokan style of Karate and changed its name to the 'Shogun' Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do Academy, with Chief Instructor Sylvester Walsh 5th.Dan, assistant Instructors, Kevin (Harry) Roberts 1st. Dan, Joe Doran 2nd. Dan and Adam Walsh 2nd. Dan. Other Academy Black (some have now gone) Andy Barlow 3rd. Dan, Paul Webster 1st. Dan, Chris Skade 1st. Dan, Trevor Jones 1st. Dan, Steve Welsh 1st. Dan, Scott Simpson 1st. Dan, Pashori Lai 1st. Dan, Mark Roberts 1st. Dan, Daniel Thorley Cadet 1st. Dan.  

New 2005

December 2005 new Black Belts to Academy: Steve Matzen, Jim Pugh and David Langford.