We Passed! Kyu & Dan Gradings June 2021

Black belts with their instructors after their grading

It has been an eventful couple of weeks for all the students at BWCSK. As more coronavirus health restrictions were eased since the initial return to dojo training we were able to conduct our first full kyu and dan gradings. The gradings took place on three separate dates in order to try and give everyone who was ready and wished to the chance to take their gradings.  First up were a small group of juniors who took various kyu gradings from beginners to brown belts on the Thursday evening. There was a palpable sense of nervousness as the first group to grade lined up in the main hall of the Weoley Castle dojo waiting for their grading to begin. … Read the rest

Watch our new promotional video!

Young boy smiling and punching

We thought you might enjoy our latest promotional video for the club as we return to dojo training in 2021. This video was shot during the class on Saturday 22nd May 2021 at our relatively new Bournville College Dojo (as unfortunately it was closed by the Coronavirus restrictions soon after initially opening). If you are an existing student and haven’t visited there yet please come and check it out, it’s a great venue to train in.

New members are welcome, please contact Sensei Susan Hession if you are interested in joining as always the first two classes are a free trial before joining.… Read the rest

Welcome Back II – The return of the adults

Adults dressed in karate suits in a guard pose

Welcome back! It’s been a busy week here at Birmingham & Weoley Castle Shotokan Karate since this is the first week this year both adults and children have been able to train in the dojo. We have had new starters and returning students young and old , some who have not been able to train since before the pandemic. It will come as no surprise that we were overjoyed to see everyone face to face again. Whilst we have been able to keep in touch and train online in Zoom together these past months there is always that extra buzz being back in a dojo not to mention the relief that you no longer have to worry about kicking over your TV!… Read the rest

BWCSK Dojo Re-opening for Adults – May 2021

BWCSK Dojo Re-opening for Adults – May 2021

We are pleased to announce that in line with the easing of coronavirus restrictions taking place on the 17th May 2021 we will be re-opening our dojos for adult training. Coronavirus (Covid-19 / SARS-CoV-2) safety restrictions are still in force so training will continue to be socially distanced and non-contact with temperature checks and other safety measures continuing as was the case before Christmas and has been taking place over the last month with children’s classes.

We are still waiting to hear from our Longbridge Methodist Church venue as to when we will be able to resume Wednesday night training there and will provide an update when one becomes available.… Read the rest

Welcome Back I – The kids are back

Junior line up

Well its great to be able to train in the dojo now that the first stage of the coronavirus easing of restrictions is here, so we would like to say Welcome back to all our juniors. We have had a great week with the childrens classes resuming at Weoley Castle and Bournville College. It’s been great to see you all again in person and be able to welcome new starters to the club. In a few weeks time we hope to be able to welcome back our adult students as well.

Here are a few photos from our first return to dojo training in 2021.… Read the rest

BWCSK Dojo Re-opening For Juniors – April 2021

BWCSK Dojo Re-opening For Juniors – April 2021

Hello folks,

We are pleased to announce that in line with the current government roadmap for easing covid-19 restrictions we will re-opening our dojos for junior (under 18) members to train this month.  Coronavirus (Covid-19 / SARS-CoV-2)  safety restrictions are still in force so training will continue to be socially distanced and non-contact with temperature checks and other safety measures continuing as was the case before Christmas.

Classes will resume from Saturday 17th April 2021 at the following times and locations:

  • Saturdays 13:00pm – 14:00pm – All Grades: Bournville College, Longbridge, B31 2AJ.
  • Mondays 17:30pm – 18:30pm – Beginners / Intermediate Grades: Weoley Castle Community Church, Weoley Castle, B29 5LE .
… Read the rest

BWCSK Tier 4 Reopening: January 2021

BWCSK Tier 4 Reopening: January 2021

Hello folks,
Firstly, we hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we would like to wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Unfortunately during our Christmas break with an surge in SARS-CoV-2 (covid-19) infections and hospitalisations Birmingham has been moved into Tier 4 restrictions. What this means in practice is that we currently can not run any sessions within our various dojos which have to remain closed for all students (including under18s) whilst we remain in this tier.

Therefore we plan to reopen with online Zoom sessions as we previously ran during the first national lock down and have been running for adults since Birmingham initially went into Tier 3 last November.… Read the rest

BWCSK Reopening – December 2020

BWCSK Reopening – December 2020

Following on from the government’s announcements on Thursday and guidance issued by NAKMAS, our governing body,  we can now announce are plans to reopen once the second national lock down due to the Covid-19 pandemic finishes on the 2nd December 2020. Unfortunately Birmingham will be moving into Tier 3 which will affect the classes we can run in the dojo.

Changes in the restrictions that apply to each tier mean that classes in our dojos can only take place for juniors, under 18s or single households. Therefore from the 5th December 2020 we will be restarting scheduled junior classes on Mondays at Weoley Castle Community Church and Saturdays at Bournville College.… Read the rest

Gradings – October & November 2020

Gradings – October & November 2020

Shortly before the announcement of the November 2020 national lock down we had started preparing for and taking some grading examinations. Due to the covid-19 health restrictions these couldn’t be conducted in the same manner as our previous gradings. We were also able to present Arran Mehtam’s Shodan certificate from his dan grading before the initial March 2020 lock down which due to circumstances had not been possible until now.

We would like to congratulate all those who passed their gradings. This has been an especially difficult year with training disrupted, moving online for several months and then restrictions upon our return to the dojo however all those who graded overcame these obstacles to reach a level where they were ready to take a grading.… Read the rest

BWCSK Dojo closures due to Lockdown from the 5th November 2020

BWCSK Dojo closures due to Lockdown from the 5th November 2020

Hello folks,
On Saturday the Prime Minister announced a national lockdown starting on Thursday 5th November 2020 and planned to run until the 2nd December 2020. Unfortunately this means we are yet again going to have to close our dojo doors for the duration of the lockdown. The health of our students and instructors is of paramount importance and these circumstances are out of our control.

This now means that the last session in November for Adults will be on Monday 2nd November and for Children on Tuesday 3rd November. All pre-booked classes that were scheduled to run during the lockdown period are regrettably now cancelled.… Read the rest