Heikō Karate Club

As a club, we're pleased to announce our affiliation with our friends at HDKI Northern Ireland, alongside the brilliant Bushido Karate Club Lisburn who have been incredibly supportive since our inception.

Pleased and honoured to join them and become part of the larger HDKI family. With their guidance, we look forward to growing the club and future karate adventures!

Some shots of our lovely dojo space at Vault Artist Studios.

Come and give karate a try with us. First session free!

Pleased to say we're back in operation!

Tuesdays & Thursdays 6.30-8pm

Vault Artist Studios (Shankill Mission Hall) 116 Shankill Rd, Belfast BT13 2BD

Please drop me a line if you're interested in coming along. Beginners welcome.

A great Sunday afternoon spent at another brilliant HDKI Northern Ireland course with the fantastic crew of the Bushido Karate Lisburn dojo for kumite drills & tactics with Sensei Ray Stritch 6th Dan.

Thanks as always to Sensei Stephen & the crew for including us & making us feel welcome.

Short but interesting article on a favoured technique: Shuto/Knife-hand strike

Knifehand Strike Is the Key to Self-Defense The Knifehand Strike Is Part of Almost Every Martial Art Because It Works!

Training has now paused for the festive season, and will recommence on Thursday 6th January.

Heiko Karate Club, based at Vault Artist Studios, Belfast was established in 2021.

The club strives to teach karate - a traditional martial art developed primarily from Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Chinese martial arts, and focusing predominantly - though not exclusively - on the use of punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques. We aim to teach karate to adults in a pragmatic way for self-protection.

We teach karate in the Shotokan style, popularised in Okinawa and later in Japan by Gichin Funakoshi – referred to as the father of modern karate – thanks to his style becoming the most widely practiced style of karate in the world. Shotokan is typified by deep stances and power generated by hip twist, back-leg drive and expansion/contraction of core muscles to produce high-yield, high-impact techniques.

Heiko translates from Japanese as balance or equilibrium – elements which karate, practiced with genuine intent and spirit, can lend to daily life.

The club was established and is taught by Keith Millar (2nd Dan) who has been training in karate for over 25 years, primarily under Sensei Joe McCullagh (7th Dan), chief instructor of the independent North Shotokan Karate Academy (NSKA) based in NI, and member of Michael Randell Sensei's Shoto organisation. Keith has also had the honour to learn from such diverse and respected instructors as Sensei Aidan Trimble, Sensei Iain Abernethy, Sensei Dave Hazard, Sensei Michael Randall, Sensei Chris Thompson and Sensei Scott Langley amongst others.

We endeavour to draw from a diverse range of authentic dependable sources in order to make our karate as pragmatic, effective and applicable as possible.