The club premises will be required to sanitise their hands upon entry and encouraged to bring their own hand sanitiser for personal use. Additionally, hand sanitising stations will be placed throughout the facility for everyone's convenience.
Ilkley Karate Club understands the importance of maintaining a safe and healthy training environment for all members. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club has implemented a comprehensive risk assessment plan to ensure the safety of everyone attending classes. This includes measures such as restricting the number of attendees to a maximum of 15, conducting health check questionnaires or temperature checks upon arrival, and maintaining a register of all attendees for contact tracing purposes.
The club also emphasises the importance of personal hygiene, requiring all participants to arrive changed and preferably wearing a jacket or similar over their training clothes. Training in clean sports shoes is mandatory until advised otherwise. The karate suit or training clothes must be cleaned between sessions to maintain cleanliness and hygiene standards.
To accommodate social distancing guidelines, the club has marked individual training spaces to ensure appropriate distancing among members. This may be challenging for younger participants, but they have been educated about the importance of social distancing and are expected to adhere to the measures in place.
Ilkley Karate Club is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all individuals, regardless of age, gender, or skill level. The club encourages anyone interested in karate to give it a try, as it aims to develop various qualities such as character, humility, confidence, self-esteem, self-control, determination, and patience. The art of karate also enhances physical abilities such as balance, coordination, muscle tone, cardiovascular conditioning, timing, rhythm, hand-eye coordination, hand-foot coordination, and flexibility, in addition to self-defence skills.
Founded in 1988 by Mark Outterside Sensei, Ilkley Karate Club has established itself as a reputable and successful martial arts institution in the local area. With a strong focus on the Shukokai style of karate, which emphasises the study of martial arts in a collaborative and respectful atmosphere, the club has achieved numerous accolades at international, national, and local competitions.
Training sessions take place four times a week at the Ben Rhydding Methodist Church. The club offers classes on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings, as well as Saturday mornings, providing ample opportunity for individuals to participate at a time that suits their schedule.
For further information and to answer any additional questions, visitors are invited to browse the club's website or get in touch via the provided contact page. Ilkley Karate Club welcomes individuals of all ages and backgrounds to join their community and experience the transformative benefits that karate has to offer.