Stratford karate club

Our summer schedule!

Wednesday 29th closed!

August 2nd-6th closed!

Open the rest of August except Thursdays!

Shodan, Nidan & Sandan Achieved!

Huge congratulations to Renata, Blake, and Claire on passing Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan respectively!

Following a tough training and grading session with Gneo Sensei, Chief Instructor of JKA Belgium, and Ohta Sensei, Chief Instructor of JKA England, we are proud to announce the grading success of our members, and Claire from East London JKA Karate Club.

JKA Dan grades are earned through years of dedicated hard work and a rigorous grading process. These excellent results are a true testament to the commitment and perseverance of our members.

Congratulations, everyone — thoroughly well deserved!

Oss!

Massive congratulations to everyone who graded today at Stratford Karate Club.

Proud of the effort, attitude and progress on display across the club. Days like this are a reminder that consistent training pays off, and it was great to see so many students step up and earn their next grade.

Well done everyone. Enjoy the achievement, then back to work. Oss!

🥋 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS 2026 🥋

First of all, well done to all of the competitors who took part in this year’s JKA National Championships.

The National Championships is one of the toughest competitions on the calendar, and simply stepping onto the tatami is a testament to your preparation, temperament, and ability to perform under pressure.

This year proved even tougher than last year’s championships, with several strong performances falling just short of the podium places. However, karate is a journey where you either win or you learn. If you didn’t achieve the result you were hoping for, now is the time to reflect on your performance, identify areas for improvement, and come back stronger for the next challenge.

Despite the tough competition, Stratford Karate Club produced a number of excellent results:

🥇 GOLD MEDALS

🥇 Blake Valenzuela – Kata

🥇 Aaron Storey – Kata

🥇 Akbarshoh Amonulloev – Kumite

🥇 Akbar, Aaron, Tarryn - Stratford Kumite Team – National Champions

🥈 SILVER MEDALS

🥈 Noah Harper – Kumite

🥈 Arhaan Basu – Kumite

🥈 Maria Iskarova – Kumite

🥉 BRONZE MEDALS

🥉 Maria Iskarova – Kata

🥉 Bianka Iskarova – Kumite

🥉 Zlata Oliinyk – Kumite

🥉 Lukian Lypchuk – Kumite

🥉 Karen Schucan Bird - kumite

🏅 OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS

🏅 Zlata Oliinyk – 4th Place Kata

🏅 Markas Prichodka – 4th Place Kata

🏅 Aubrey Merrifeld, Blake Valenzuela & Jasurbek Khamdamov – Team Kata – 4th Place

Overall, Stratford Karate Club finished the championships with:

🥇 4 Gold Medals

🥈 3 Silver Medals

🥉 5 Bronze Medals

and a 🏆 National Team Kumite Championship.

We are incredibly proud of every competitor who represented the club. Whether you stood on the podium or not, every performance contributes to the continued growth of both the individual and the club as a whole.

The experience gained this year will help us continue to improve, and our aim is clear: to come back even stronger in 2027 and challenge our best-ever National Championships finish.

OSS! 👊🥋

We are very pleased to announce that our chief instructor, Sensei Aaron, has successfully passed his Yondan (4th Dan) grading at the JKA France International Gashuku in Creil this weekend.

The examination was conducted by:
• Sawada Sensei (8th Dan)
• Naka Sensei (7th Dan)
• Hakizume Sensei (4th Dan) – Current JKA Kata World Champion

This represents a significant milestone in Sensei Aaron’s journey - the culmination of many years of dedicated study, rigorous training, and competition. We are proud of his achievement and inspired by his continued commitment to the art.

Congratulations sensei!

History made at the JKA European Championships 🇬🇧🏆

A huge congratulations to Akbar on becoming the very first JKA England men’s European kumite Champion in history — an incredible achievement and a moment that will be remembered for years to come.

This success is a reflection not only of Akbar’s exceptional talent, discipline, and relentless hard work, but also of the character and spirit he brings to the dojo every single day. We could not be prouder of what he has accomplished on the European stage.

As a club, it is an honour to have Akbar representing us. Seeing one of our own reach such a historic milestone fills us with immense pride and inspiration for the future.

Congratulations, Champion — you have made history and made us all proud. 👏🥇

Day one is concluded!

We’re very pleased to announce sensei Aaron achieved bronze in team kata along with team members Harrison and Jean-Laurent!

This is particularly special as they are the first kata team from England to win a medal in this category!

Well done to the boys on making history!

Tomorrow cheer on the team In their individual events!

Oss!

3 days to go!

Join us in wishing the best of luck to our three club members — Aaron, Akbar & Josh — who will soon be heading to Norway for the JKA European Championships!

With over 600 competitors from 23 countries, this event is one of the most prestigious in the world of karate.

Let’s go, Team SKC! 👊
Oss!