Huge congratulations to our members who were presented with one of our 2021 member awards last weekend!

In addition, we also crowned our 2021 Students of the Year - Simon Marley and Shaun Taylor (pictured above) - more information on their achievement HERE >>

Ten of our members also received special recognition certificates for their sterling efforts and showing exceptional qualities throughout the year. These were:

1.  Arlo Sutton
   
2. Campbell Sutton
   
3. Oliver Mair
   
4. Jayden Denwood-Ling
   
5. David Forsythe
   
6. John Hopkins
   
7. Kelly Scott
   
8. Michael Branney
   
9. Nigel Forster
   
10. ​Nisha Merrett
    

Especially given the challenges we've al faced this year wrt coronavirus, I'm sure you will join us in congratulating the above members for what are truly well deserved awards 🙏🙇‍♂️

There's only two more weeks to wait until we are able to resume our face2face karate classes for children and teenagers up to 17 years old 👍
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Unfortunately, adults will have to wait until 17th May before they can return, but please don't worry - we have you covered 👌

For the five weeks between 12th April until 16th May, we will be releasing a hybrid class timetable. Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays will be online, with Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays being face2face at Egremont, Workington and Whitehaven respectfully.

We will have a virtual karate class every week that everyone can join regardless of grade and we will also hold a special weekly class dedicated solely to adults (again, all ranks). In the adult classes we will focus on more 'mature' content, important principles and short lecture segments, with a view to using those five weeks to enhance your understanding of the history, theory and application of Okinawan Karate.  

All our face-to-face classes will initially be based on our social distanced model with curriculum adaptations to suit. Then all being well, we may be able to move towards a controlled contact/partner training environment in time for the summer.

All exciting times and a long time coming, so fingers crossed this will be the start of some form of normality returning for us. 

We'll be in touch with all our members next week to share our new hybrid class schedule and procedures in preparation for Monday 12th April. But if you have any questions in the meantime, then please don't hesitate to drop us a line.  

How do I prepare for face2face classes? Easy - spend the next two weeks participating in as many virtual classes as possible! Get stuck into the fitness class as well as the karate classes and this combination will get your body, mind and spirit ready to go! 🥋💪 

As always, thanks so much for your amazing support - we simply couldn't have survived this long without your continued kindness, enthusiasm and encouragement. We will never forget those members who have stood firm beside us during what has been for us all, an incredibly challenging period...

#eskk-family
#kicking-corona-together 

Best wishes,
​Chris & Jenny x

Following the recent government announcement, it looks like we have a prospective road map out of lockdown and towards meeting again face2face. This is obviously great news, but we want to make certain the details before sharing any plans with you for the coming weeks and months ahead.

Our national governing body (BMABA) along with NEST Management, are working hard to interpret the latest guidance so that we can fully understand what it means for our martial arts and fitness training.

Rest assured, we will continue to keep the safety of our members and their best interests number one priority during this next transitionary period, be sure to follow all recommended guidelines and share with you regular updates as things progress. 
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Once again, our sincere thanks to all our members for their incredible support during this time and we're looking forward to the day (hopefully soon) where we can once again practice what we love together in an unrestricted face2face environment. What a milestone that will be to celebrate!

In the meantime, we encourage our current members and any new beginners looking to take up our martial arts or fitness classes (we've enrolled a number of the past few months) to take advantage of our comprehensive virtual training platform 👍

Lockdown hasn't stopped us from delivering world-class martial arts and fitness training to families here in West Cumbria! 🥋💪

Fancy trying out something new from your own home, then why not join us virtually? This is a great time to start 👌

We have classes almost every day of the week including karate for all ages, bodyweight fitness, Pilates and kettlebells!

We also have literally hundreds of hours of past lesson content to catch up on, learn at your own pace, plus a supportive community of awesome instructors and members to help guide you along the way!

Furthermore...if you join us during this lockdown, then we'll upgrade you to 2-months of UNLIMITED training when we return to face2face classes 👍

Despite the restrictions and challenges that have tested us this year, we were determined to hold a winter karate grading for all of our members who have been working so hard, both virtually and face2face in our COVID controlled classes.

Over 50 members took on the challenge and presented their competence against our specially adapted COVID Curriculum, which as usual for us, is no less demanding than our standard grading requirements...and in certain aspects even more so!

The challenge included fundamental karate techniques, footwork and combinations, kata, solo pad drills and simulated sparring, knowledge, written essays and even technical video submissions. It was a proud moment to see this all coming together in what were some excellent displays of skill, determination and tenacity.  

Members of the grading panel (big thanks for their assistance) were delighted with the standards, which proved that with enough passion and enthusiasm, even a global pandemic cannot stop those who look for ways to embrace the opportunity to learn, develop and grow.

What a fantastic end to the year and a great platform for us to rise even further from into 2021!

Please see grading results below - extra congratulations to Michael Branney, Jessica Wright and Shaun Taylor for attaining fist-class passes for what were exceptional standards.

Jenny I would like to wish all our members, instructors, parents, and supporters a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours and we look forward to seeing everyone again in January! 

So from today, the U.K. is back on national lockdown after coronavirus rates have increased past the point where action is once again necessary.

This is unfortunate for everyone and although not ideal, we at E.S.K.K Martial Arts and Fitness will strive to maintain positivity for all our members.

From Monday, we will transition once again to our virtual training framework, which will offer three karate classes plus three fitness classes per week. All our members and others within their household (parents, brothers, sisters, wives and husbands etc.) are very welcome to join in.

Given that everyone has worked so hard over the past couple of months, our plan is still to hold our grading in December, whether that be face2face (hopefully) or online.

So, although he country may be on lockdown, our training is certainly NOT!

We will continue to offer inspiring classes, support all our members and hope that they will be encouraged to make the best use of this time to get involved, practice and improve to help make sure that we end this very unique year on a high.

Best wishes,
Chris & Jenny x 

We are very pleased to announce that we have now opened up a traditional Okinawan karate club in Cockermouth at The Kirkgate Arts Centre!

Classes run every Wednesday evening from 5:30pm in accordance with our strict COVID-Control procedures to help ensure a safe and productive environment. Every student has their own 2x2 metre training space and does not come into contact with anyone else during the lesson.

As with all our locations, we've adapted our training methods to accommodate this particular way of operating to ensure that essential skills can still be taught within a inspiring and supportive environment.

So if you or your child is interested in starting their karate journey wit us at E.S.K.K Cockermouth, then please feel free to get in touch! 

After 20-weeks of virtual training, we are now pleased to make a return to face-to-face classes under COVID control measures. We held our first sessions over the past week and they all ran very smoothly.

We now make a transition into our Hybrid Training Platform, combining controlled face-to-face sessions at Egremont (Sundays) and Workington (Thursdays) with a number of virtual sessions throughout the week. Our aim, as always, is to provide first-class quality and value for all our members.

If all goes well over the next few weeks then we will look to gradually increase the number of our face-to-face classes at other venues. We will still however operate a virtual class schedule to support our members fully.

So here's to the next phase of our 'return to normality' and rest assured, we will continue to make sure that everyone's safety is paramount. 

Due to the Coronavirus restrictions, we decided to hold a live online grading for a dozen members, who have all been working exceptionally hard over the past three months since lock down began.

In addition to their technical standards being assessed, they were also required to complete a knowledge questionnaire, submit daily records and diary entries of their activities etc at home, plus their regular virtual class attendance and interaction in our member's group challenges were also monitored and taken into consideration. All of this together made this grading challenge one of the most comprehensive we've ever held!

These new rank awards signify a time in history where these individuals stood up to be counted, worked consistently hard, broke through barriers, took on challenges head on and were part of the minority who simply refused to let this virus halt their progress!

So please join us in congratulating the following members, who have demonstrated the true spirit of karate, making us very proud and earning our deepest respect...

If you're new to martial arts and fitness and would like some more information on how to join our dedicated virtual training programme, please hit the button below...