Why The OKA?

Why I do karate is simple - to be a better me.

Why Goju-Ryu? Because it makes sense to me intellectually and physically, when compared to other martial arts I have tried. It has an entry-level functionality which makes it an effective form of self-defence almost immediately. Goju-Ryu is a system that increases in complexity: the more you know, the more it seems there is to know.

So why the Oxford Karate Academy?

You don't have to be good to know when somebody else is good. By the same token, you can know someone is decidedly average, even if you aren't at that average level of competence yourself. Many clubs have average martial artists who are instructors, while other clubs have instructors who are excellent martial artists but don't have the communication skills to be able to impart their expertise. Far better then, to have an instructor who has the uncommon gift of being able to teach by analogy and by physical example. That's what you get at the Oxford Karate Academy. Those who can, do. Those who can't do, teach. And those who can't teach, criticise. A rare thing, therefore, to have someone who can do, and teach, and consequently earn the right to criticise! Three times World Champion and 6th Dan, Shihan (Master) Paul Coleman is such an instructor.

Put simply, the Oxford Karate Academy is an excellent school for the serious karate student.

Tim Friers