With so many martial arts classes and activity clubs out there, it’s hard to know how to choose the right one. They all seem great on paper, right?

Here’s why we’re different; everything we do comes from the heart.

Let us tell you about how Shobu Kai Karate Academy came into existence.

It starts how a lot of recent local businesses started.

The C word; Covid.

When lockdown hit, suddenly everyone faced their own personal challenges, wrapped up in the astronomical one we battled with globally.

We were lost. With no job to go to, all dojos closed, and feeling trapped at home with two kids who couldn’t make sense of life and what we were dealing with.

So, we did the only thing we knew, the only thing that would help us mentally cope with it all; we trained.

We trained through frustrations, through boredom and, most importantly, for determination. Karate was the only thing that got us through.

Then somewhere through the countless hours of training (and even more spent teaching Kathryn!), Adam realised; teaching karate was his true passion and he desperately missed it.

With Adam’s impressive karate experience and Kathryn’s background in business, we knew together we could create something amazing, something that could shape the lives of many in the way karate has helped to shape our lives.

We no longer wanted to carry on in our jobs when we knew we could create such a positive impact on the world.

A number of months and a few life-changing decisions later, Shobu Kai Karate Academy was ready to begin welcoming students through its dojo doors.

We risked it all.

Because we believed so strongly in our vision to help others.

That risk paid off.

The Academy has moved from strength to strength ever since opening in 2021, seeing Senseis Adam and Kathryn teach full-time - something most karate coaches can only dream of!

The passion to help others reach their full potential and improve their lives through Shotokan Karate has driven the success of the school and its students.

We’ve witnessed students overcome huge personal issues through karate, such as low self-esteem, depression and social anxiety.

We’ve seen adults finally discover a passion, and get that spark back in their lives.

We’ve even coached our students to become Scottish and British champions.

There’s no doubt that Shobu Kai is on a continually upwards trajectory, and we can’t wait for you to become a part of that.