History of the Club

Kyokushinkai is a traditional style of Karate which encompasses all aspects of Martial Arts training and features an optional full contact fighting system.

Dunmow Kyokushinkai Karate Club was started in 1985 by Shihan Andrew Turner, then a Shodan (1st Dan). The first session was in the Talberd Room in Dunmow although the club had no permanent Dojo and was attended by over 60 people.

At this time Shihan Andrew was still competing in knockdown tournaments at national and international level but it wasn't too long before he had the opportunity to pass his knowledge and experience on to a new generation in the form of multiple national and international champions. The club has always been successful in all types of competitions: Kata, Nihon Shobu, Clicker and Knock Down and has produced national and international champions in both Junior and Senior categories.

The club was affiliated to the International Kyokushin Organisation (IKO), but when the British Karate Kyokushinkai (BKK) under Hanshi Steve Arneil decided to sever links with Japan in 1991, due to political wranglings within the IKO, Sensei Andrew decided, after much soul searching, to stick with Hanshi and stay within the BKK.

Shihan Andrew is now a 5th Dan and a grading instructor. He is also part of the BKK Executive Committee, he is the England Clicker and Nihon Shobu coach at cadet and junior level and the England knock down coach at cadet level.

Shihan Andrew still teaches and trains with the same infectious drive and passion for Karate he has always had, and the club now has a strong core of black belt instructors each with their own individual knowledge and experience.

Since its inception the club has gone from strength to strength and now boasts ten black belts, numerous champions and a spirit that is second to none. With a permanent Dojo and the training benefits that come from a wealth of experience who knows what is possible. The sky's the limit.