TISKA Bletchley has been running since the mid 1990’s. Its teacher (Sensei) is Mr K Watson 7th Dan.
The Bletchley club is small and friendly and welcomes all ages and abilities, Karate is for everyone. Lessons are on a Thursday evening at the well equipped Bletchley leisure centre.
The picture shows some of the current students collecting their new belts and certificates.
There are many reasons why you might consider karate, the obvious being self defence and fitness. Below are listed some that you may not be aware of:-
Many people struggle with the pressure of competing as a team in sport, but the focus in Karate is on self-improvement. There is not the pressure of letting the team down.
If you struggle with normal learning, i.e. you learn differently (particularly with children), you may feel like you are not winning/achieving anything. The grading structure in Karate is based on individuals reaching goals and being rewarded with a different coloured belt. This helps with motivation and self-esteem
Karate is built up from many different individual movements which can be put together in forms. Each move is practiced time and time again allowing everyone to gradually learn them.
Due to the teaching methods which involve demonstration (visual) and explanation (oral) with video support available, it makes it easier to learn. This helps concentration particularly with children. We often hear of parents mentioning that their children are getting better results at school as well.
For anyone struggling with their motor skills this really helps. A combination of stepping whilst moving both arms in different directions improves overall coordination.
There is a level of discipline that is not the norm particularly for children in schools. Etiquette is expected and shown to each other in lessons. We have often been told of dramatic improvements for children in their school and home behaviour.
Whether you are stressed, have access energy or just had a frustrating day, then this is a great environment to let off the steam and focus on techniques, speed and clearing your head.
Respect and acceptance are the core values in karate. Each lesson begins and ends with a bow.
The Bletchley TISKA Karate club is run by Mr K Watson 7th Dan instructor. Mr Watson started training with Chief Instructor Shihan G Sahota in 1982 at his Dunstable club.
He started with a friend who had been attacked in the street for the self defence aspect. After a few years later his friend dropped out but Mr Watson had caught the bug and the rest is history. Since that time he started a Karate club in Cambridge. Many of his original students are still training having started when they were 5/6 years old. They have since graded for their 4th and 5th Dans’.
Over the years he has successfully competed and refereed in competitions both locally and internationally. He has also attended Masters courses in Italy, Dubai, and Spain held by Shihan Sahota Chief Instructor.
Mr Watson has a keen interest in application of the techniques taught in Karate, having the belief if you only do the moves it is like learning a foreign language without knowing what the words mean.
Gusharan Sahota
Gursharan Sahota was born in Kenya, East Africa but moved to the UK at the age of 12. He took up Karate at the age of 14 in the local Bedford club and was awarded black belt 1st dan (shodan) four years later.
Now an 8th Dan, Gursharan has competed in a multitude of kata and kumite events, many at national and international level. But the most significant event in his career was the visit he made in 1984 to Japan. There, he fulfilled a great ambition by training in a Japanese dojo under the instruction of Sensei Hirokazu Kanazawa.
This experience proved to be a turning point for Gursharan. On his return to England, he realised the trip had been the inspiration he needed to dedicate his future to training and teaching karate as a way of life.
Gursharan’s first club was opened in Luton/Dunstable in 1981 and this is now the association’s hombu (HQ). Having been a teacher of the art for many years, he formed his own association in 1993 – TISKA (The Traditional International Shotokan Karate Association) which is now one of the biggest associations in the UK.
Gursharan’s love of karate has never diminished. He still teaches over 35 classes a week in the UK and regularly takes master classes internationally. All in all, he has brought hundreds of students of all ages up to black belt standard and beyond.
He is also involved in charity work, helping to subsidise trips for surgeons to third world countries to operate on underprivileged children. He has, for many years, funded many projects in India, and is at present helping to fund the building of a new school.
Gursharan lives in Buckinghamshire and is happily married with a son and daughter who already show signs of following in their daddy’s footsteps.
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