Club launches This Girl Can campaign

Sochin Karate Club is now able to offer a limited number of free and discounted places to teenage girls and women thanks to funding provided by Active Kent and Medway.

The club has launched a This Girl Can campaign to shout about the physical and mental health benefits of karate as well as the empowerment and improved confidence it can bring to women. 

The club offers a ‘Zen’ approach based on improved mental resilience, education of bio-mechanics, all alongside self-defence. It boosts confidence and fitness – delivered in a welcoming safe space. Almost 50 per cent of the club’s members are women, including two of the black belt instructors Karen Eastlake, of Wincheap, and Emma Rosen, of Deal.

The club trains on Monday and Thursday evenings from 7pm to 8.30pm at Kendall Hall, next to St Mary Bredin Church, Nunnery Fields, Canterbury. There is no club joining fee and sessions cost an affordable £6 which helps cover the cost of hall hire.

Your first session with the club will involve meeting club members and then join in a warm-up involving a variety of calisthenic exercises and stretches. The evening then moves into  

Kihon – learning or improving karate basics, Kata – a set pattern of moves, and then Kumite – gentle practice sparring with a fellow club member.  The session ends with a short meditation practice called Mokuso to cultivate mental focus and inner calm. 

The Zen element in Karate emphasizes mindfulness, present moment awareness, and a calm, focused mind, crucial for both physical and mental discipline and self-discovery. 

The club’s This Girl Can campaign is backed by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Keji Moses, who has visited the club to meet members.

Keji said: “It was great fun training with Sochin Karate Club, learning more about this sport and seeing first hand how it can improve both physical and mental health. I am delighted to support the club’s This Girl Can campaign to encourage more women to take up the sport as it is a great way to encourage confidence and fitness – and with two women black belt instructors on the teaching team this really feels like a safe, welcoming environment for women to train.” 

The club trains on Monday and Thursday evenings from 7pm. Pop into Kendall Hall before 7pm or visit 79.170.40.38/sochinkarateclub.co.uk/wp/ 

To book your free Discover Karate session click here or scan the QR code: https://rb.gy/ohax8s