Welcome to Tamworth Shukokai Karate club

We are a very friendly and long-established Karate club based in Tamworth, Staffordshire and are proud members of the Shukokai Karate Association under its Chief Instructor Malcolm Hudson (8th Dan).

Malcolm Hudson has been running Karate clubs around the West Midlands and Tamworth areas for over 30 years and is one of the country’s leading Shukokai karate instructors. Malcolm Hudson is also the Chief Instructor of the Shukokai Karate Association, a Karate association that was formed in 1991 and has over 20 clubs with hundreds of members around the West Midlands.

What is Shukokai Karate?

Our style of Karate is known as Shukokai (pronounced Shu-Ko-Kai) and was founded in 1946 by Chojiro Tani who studied Shito-Ryu under Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shito-Ryu Karate in 1931.

Roughly translated Shukokai means “Way For All” and this reflects how the style has developed although it keeps its purity. The style is very fast using a relatively high stance to aid mobility. The Martial Arts Commission of Great Britain has also stated in its Official Handbook that “Shukokai punches are the strongest to be found in Karate”.

The style stresses controlled contact in competition sparring. However, real experience of full-power techniques is enabled by the use of pad work.

Shukokai, as taught by Chojiro Tani, had a distinctive double hip twist creating a motion that ensured that punches were delivered using the big muscles of the upper leg and with body rotation. Shigeru Kimura was not happy that this produced the fastest or strongest technique. In 1966 he left Japan and spent 3 years travelling throughout Africa and Europe studying and refining his techniques. These techniques also stressed rotation, utilising the strongest muscles but was also faster, saving time by having the body already rotated in the ready stance.

Sensei Malcolm Hudson is a direct student of Sensei Shigeru Kimura, Sensei Terry Pottage and Sensei Eddie Daniels.