Thompson sensei visits UUC Karate club

Thompson sensei began training with Suzuki sensei of Wado Ryu karate in 1969, but became disillusioned with pervasive politics and decided to explore other styles of karate from influential figures in Shotokan, Shito Ryu and Goju Kai, eventually amalgamating some of what he learned to form his own style, which he named Washinkai, which roughly translates as Peaceful Mind and Spirit System.An important figure in Britisn karate, Thompson sensei has taught widely and established clibs in USA and Europe.

Joe McCullagh, 6th Dan Black Belt, who established Shotokan karate in the Triangle area, and more widely in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, and has himself taught in Europe also, said: “I was delighted when Thompson sensei accepted my invitation to visit us at UUC, as we, like him, have an eclectic approach to karate, and don’t believe that any one style has a monopoly of effective karate techniques for both sport and self-defence.

“However, like him, it is predominantly karate for self protection and character development, which most attracts us at the UUC Club; it was, after all, character development and self-defence which were the corner stones in the system which became known as Shotokan and which were uppermost in Funakoshi sensei’s mind when he intriduced teachings from Okinawa to Japan a century ago.”

The UUC Club operates throughout the year.