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Information
for Parents
The
united english karate federation regards the safety
of its students as paramount. We set the highest
standards for our instructors, and lead our
industry in meeting or exceeding all legal
requirements for the teaching of karate to
children.
We
encourage parents to be fully informed about their
childrens' participation in our clubs. Our
insurance details, enhanced criminal record checks,
first aid qualifications are all available for
inspection on request. We have a child protection
officer attending regular courses for updates on
best practice and legislation.
Parents
are welcome to observe classes and formal gradings,
especially in our open clubs where space is not
limited. In schools, there may be space or access
constraints, and parents wishing to observe classes
should make contact with the instructor or school
concerned. These
photographs
were taken from a single lesson.
Karate
is a martial art. We minimise the implicit danger
to the students by strictly limiting contact,
especially to the under
11's.
Our
competitions run according to World Karate
Federation rules. For children, no hand
contact is allowed to the face and only the
'lightest' touch with the feet.
Karate
has a Japanese / Okinawan heritage. We teach with
this cultural background in mind, so there is a
somewhat formal atmosphere in class which contrasts
with ordinary school classes. We do bow at the
beginning and end of classes, and students do
naturally pick up japanese words and phrases.
However, we teach this very much in the context of
21st century Britain. English is our first and main
language. Karate is not a cult or religion, and the
bowing has no religious significance.
As
a martial art, karate has utility as a self-defence
skill; but in an age when weapons are easy to
acquire, an oriental art of unarmed combat taught
within modern health and safety rules cannot be
expected to provide safety in the face of armed,
determined adult attackers or indeed to make any
difference at all. In our experience, children
enjoy karate as a vigorous and interesting
exercise, and over time some have found
improvements in fitness, flexibility, self-esteem,
discipline, and powers of concentration but we make
no such claims, and the experience of each child is
entirely individual and subjective.
Further
information on the typical format of classes and
the skills taught may be found in the section,
'information
for students'.
Many parents have been sufficiently inspired by the
quality of the teaching given to their children to
join our open classes themselves. Karate is one of
the few activities which can be enjoyed by all the
family regardless of skill.
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