We are very proud to announce that on Tuesday evening, our Chief Instructor Chris Denwood was awarded both Rokudan (6th Degree) and conferred the title of ‘Renshi’ (polished teacher) during a surprise gathering that was organised by his close students.

This special award was presented by Paul and Michelle Enfield, who are two leading exponents of Traditional Okinawan Karate in the World today and head the internationally renowned organisation, GKC Global, of which E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness are associate members. Chris’ achievement was also independently endorsed by the senior committee of the Malta Karate Federation (in view of Chris’s long-term contributions to the development of karate on the island), plus a number of respected karate practitioners from around the world including UK, US, Canada and Okinawa.

As a fantastic end to his 30th year of martial arts training, Chris would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making this promotion so very special and in particular, to all his teachers, students and friends for their amazing support and inspiration along the way. He considers this an achievement for us all, to be used as a platform for future growth, and to help continue our work in preserving, sharing and promoting to all who will listen, the incredibly valuable and diverse benefits of Traditional Okinawan Karate.

I'm sure you will join us in congratulating Chris on this well-deserved recognition!

​Jenny x

​West Cumbria group E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness is leading the charge in safeguarding, having successfully attained the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts “mark”.

The Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts has been created so that parents and carers can make informed decisions about selecting safe and quality tuition for their child. Achieving the Safeguarding Code demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to upholding its duty-of-care to the community and young people and now recognises E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness as a provider that has reached and maintains good safeguarding standards.

A great end to another fantastic year at E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness with some great results at our grade examination today in Whitehaven!

One trait that really stood out was that no matter what rank was being challenged, no matter what age the challenger and no matter the outcome...everyone gave it their absolute all, left everything on the dojo floor and exhibited the spirit we all aspire to in karate. For that, everyone deserves to be congratulated on a job well done and have earned our utmost respect.

We are always very proud of our dojo members because we ask a lot in terms of effort and standard. None of our gradings are easy, but it is through this challenge and discomfort that makes the grading experience so worthwhile. Facing fear, exposing chinks, coping with failure, being humble with success and coming face-to-face with one's true self is all part of the grading process. And the self-confidence one gains from this is immeasurable.

So, our sincere congratulations to all who took on their personal challenge today and thanks to all the panel members and table officials who helped make the day run as smooth as possible. We look forward to seeing you all back in class again soon to start your next part of the journey!