Hey guys, I wanted to know about the KUGB and their quality of training, preferrably from people who are members. I am not trying to insult or degrade in any way, I am just asking because I want to know if they produce quality fighters. Also, is their kumite semi contact? I have heard of their reputation over the years and boy do they seem tough. There's a KUGB affiliated dojo near Kent which is run by a Chris Mulville.
I'm not a member , but have been in Shotokan for 18 years. The KUGB certainly did produce some of the very best British fighters over the years , but , seem to have suffered something of a break up since the death of Enoida sensie. That said , I wouldn't hesitate to recommend training with them , hope that helps a little.
I was once a member and would say that generally the standard is very high, if not at the local club level then certainly at the national level. Kumite is (was?) semi-contact, barefist. They've basically split from the JKA since Enoeda's death though, so seemingly no links to Japan any more if you care about that. Like Bassai, I also wouldn't hesitate to recommend training with them or at least having a look.
A friend of mine invited me to a kugb club 8 years ago. Generally I'd agree with huoxing, the club standard is variable but national level they are fantastic. They have had a few big clubs move to other associations in the last few years though (such as the Leeds Karate Academy). Think it was politics more than anything else though.
Great input! I am fully aware of Enoeda Sensei's passing in 03. While they have no current ties with Japan now, the fact Enoeda was head of the organisation is more than enough. Nothing can take that fact away from them. Anyway good to know they're quality is good, I'm only asking if I need to join one day as a last resort in case of anything.
I would worry less about whether the club is KUGB, JKA JKS etc.... and look more at the individual club. KUGB have some bad clubs, they have some good clubs too I'm sure. Very much a mixed bag. Better to check out the individual club and see if you like it. Don't worry too much about what association it's under and focus on whether the club meets your needs and you enjoy the training.
It's better to check out individual clubs rather than rely solely on the rep of an organisation, but Shukokai Karate has a very good rep (Peter Consterdine had it as his main style and there is a real life example of a guy using it to defend himself): http://www.kentkarate.co.uk/
Personally no but if you are going purely by rep, Shukokai/Kimura had a great rep in Karate circles. Just an alternative if the KUGB club doesn't ring your bell.
I was a shukokai karateka back in the day and am still a fan of it stylistically; exceptionally hard striking and a lot of sparring
I trained in Shotokan with the chief instructor (Sensei Glen Wright) of this associaiton/group of Dojo's when I lived in Medway http://www.kskc-karate.com/club-list.html I believe they have a dojo near to Maidstone. I can highly recommend training with Sensei Wright, his sessions are always hard and very demanding. I no longer live int hat area of Kent having moved many years ago to East Kent area, they used to have a Dojo hear until they had to close down as the location just wasn't right. I now train in this http://www.karatejutsukai.com/thanet Which is a derivative from Kyokushin Kai, having tried their Ashford Dojo when I lived there and not liking the Sensei, I can honestly say it is not the club or the association that matters but the instructor that counts as I am loving training under Shihan Darren Brinkman at the Thanet Dojo. Having looked at the Shiseikan website, I thought I recognised the Sensei. I trained with Chris Mulville a few times at Canterbury Christ Church! He is very good. Sensei Dussart at Christ Church is also very good indeed (I know Maidstone to Canterbury is not very practical BUT a lesson with Sensei Dussart is always a pleasure and something I would recommend to anyone - they used to have regular instruction from Sensei Ohta as well when I trained there!)
Hello, sorry for the late response, but I was a KUGB member for 15 years and only left because I left Great Britain. I'd agree with the general consensus that it's better to look at the dojo than the association. The KUGB has a great pedigree and some amazing instructors with many decades of experience, but at the individual dojo level there are lots of different approaches to teaching karate and you may or may not get on with a given instructor's style or personality. One advantage to the KUGB in general is that they tend to teach in a very no-nonsense, no trimmings style that keeps the clubs enagaging to adults. So you're less likely to come across a kiddie-karate class unless they're specifically advertised as such. There are plenty of instructors who are veteran hard-cases with a real love for karate, rather than your generic sporty guys who just like the flashiness. Regarding the split with Japan, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. With a few exceptions (Mr Kagawa, Mr Yahara etc), the senior KUGB guys like Andy Sherry and Bob Poynton have been training as long as most of senior Japanese guys and were taught Mr Enoeda's style since day 1, so you're pretty much getting what you'd get from a JKA club regardless. The main disadvantage of KUGB classes is also to do with the "old-skool" instruction. There's not usually much personalization in the training. If you're a yellow belt, you'll generally find yourself doing exactly what all the other yellow belts are doing, regardless of your individual strengths or weaknesses. You might see this as an advantage in that it tries to bring everyone to the same level, or you might see it as a weakness in that it means specific issues of yours might only be addressed infrequently. Personally, I'd recommend the association, but with the proviso that it's mostly down to finding an instructor whose style you click with.
