The Yanagi School, (Yanagi, meaning The Willow Tree) was set up by Sensei John in 2002 to give the people in the border areas the opportunity to train in the style of Kimura Shukokai Karate. It is a style renowned for its excellence and which produces Instructors and Students of outstanding quality.  We have excellent facilities in the new Craven Arms Community Centre and meet on Thursday Evenings. We also run a Saturday Morning Kids Club at Craven Arms which we set up to teach basic karate and self defence disciplines to young people. Unfortunately we live in an age where bullying and anti-social behaviour are not uncommon, and it is helpful for young people to learn how to deal with these situations and develop the confidence to cope with the stresses of daily life.

For those students who are interested in competition, there are plenty of tournaments within the framework of our style and SKF hold two National Tournaments each year and two International Events involving up to twenty different countries. These events give the student the opportunity to travel abroad in support of our National Team. In fact many of Sensei John’s previous students have gone on to represent SKF at National and International level.