Karate For Health - the very best Karate training in Harpenden and St Albans

Karate For Health and Jin Sei Kai - About Us

Karate For Health, the club - and Jin Sei Kai, the association

Jin Sei Kai's style of Karate, class format and language

JSK's Founder and Chief Instructor - Sensei Paul Perry, 8th Dan

Karate For Health - fitness and fun

Karate is for all the family - adults, teens and children

Jin Sei Kai's focus on continuous development

Karate For Health, the club - and Jin Sei Kai, the association

Karate for Health is a not for profit club, established by members of Jin Sei Kai Shotokan Karate Association, promoting Karate training in Harpenden, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead.

This website lists all Karate For Health classes and Dojos (training venues), profiles each of our Club Instructors and contains information on a range of Karate-related matters. Use the menu bar on the left to navigate our site. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of our Club Instructors -their phone numbers appear in the 'Club Instructors' section. Alternatively, click on the 'Email questions' tab in the toolbar and send us your enquiry; this will be passed to one of the Club Instructors, who will respond as quickly as possible.

Also, keep abreast of upcoming events by looking at both 'News!' and 'Diary Dates!' or go to 'Gallery + Katas' to get an idea of what it all looks like!

Jin Sei Kai is the UK's leading Karate association. Founded by Sensei Paul Perry, 8th Dan, the association received the name 'Jin Sei Kai' from Perry's teacher - the world renowned Kancho Hirokazu Kanazawa, 10th Dan. Jin Sei Kai is affiliated to Karate England, the Official Governing Body for Karate recognised by Sport England.

Jin Sei Kai, under Sensei Perry's leadership, has achieved an envied reputation and much-respected position in the world of Karate. Acknowledged for its emphasis on good technique and health, Jin Sei Kai today offers students of all ages and abilities an unbeatable Karate formula to get fit and to have fun! Back to top

Jin Sei Kai's style of Karate, class format and language

Style:

Jin Sei Kai has its roots in Shotokan, a traditional style of Japanese Karate, and the forms promulgated by Kananzawa. The association's aim is to identify the individual "self" in each student and to encourage each student to find his/her own self within a set of movements. Jin Sei Kai is a martial art and therefore the movements centre on self-defence. Kicking, punching and blocking movements are at the core. But a considerable emphasis is placed on understanding the body - its strengths and its limitations - so as to avoid injury to the student.

Class format:

If you'd like to get an idea of what a typical Jin Sei Kai class involves, go to 'Dojo Etiquette' in the menu. This will give you a clear explanation of class content and the important rules you will be asked to follow.

Karate words and phrases:

In our classes we use Japanese Karate terms. Don't be anxious - you will pick up the language very quickly. To help beginners, our 'Library' section contains a useful "Karate terminology for beginners" guide. There is also a "Karate comprehensive terminology" guide for more advanced students. Back to top

JSK's Founder and Chief Instructor - Sensei Paul Perry, 8th Dan

A profile of Paul Perry, Jin Sei Kai's founder and Chief instructor, by Janet Sleigh, 1st Dan

"Sensei Perry grew up on a farm in Hertfordshire, England. He was a normal, active, fun loving youngster. He and his brother loved taunting the family bull and they played games daring each other to stand in the path of this charging beast and only leaping out of its way at the final moment! School was not the most interesting place for Sensei Perry, more because at a young age he had a sense of inner freedom and personal growth than a disinterest in learning. But also he was a big kid and an obvious target for teachers looking for a scapegoat!

He started practicing Karate at the age of 17 and loved it. Sensei Perry practised constantly either at classes or with a friend or on his own. He moved quickly through the grades. While in his teens and early twenties he studied yoga with Hildagard Armatage, who was the tutor for the teachers of The British Wheel of Yoga.

Sensei Perry moved to Australia in 1968 at the age of 18 in order to surf. While there he had the opportunity of training with Japanese masters as well as teaching others. He trained with Yamaguchi (The Cat) , the bare-handed tiger killer. He travelled to Japan on many occasions training with Hirokazu Kanazawa, whose style and grace of movement grounded Sensei Perry in his love of the art. Kanazawa was Sensei Perry's main influence and teacher. Sensei Perry therefore is a 3rd generation Karateka with direct lineage from the main introduction into the west via Gichin Funakoshi. Sensei Perry is also a Tai Chi Master having studied with Yang Ming Shih. While in Japan he trained in as many different martial art and yoga Dojos as he could.

The time spent in Australia and Japan cemented Sensei Perry's love and practice for the art of Karate. He tells a story when one day while meditating in a park in Melbourne, a ninja warrior leapt over a hedge and challenged him! Sensei Perry calmly told this fierce warrior that he would have to wait while Sensei finished. Eventually they bowed and commenced their battle. In an instant it was over with one of Sensei Perry's legendary kicks and the fierce warrior sailing back over the hedge from where he had come.

Back in England Sensei Perry continued practicing and teaching. He is a relentless practitioner, always perfecting and deepening his art. He realized the emotional and spiritual freedom that is at the heart of karate and moved towards this goal as he moved towards perfection.

One day, while nursing an injury, Sensei Perry made a breakthrough. Because of his injury, he could not practice as hard as he normally would have, but he went to the dojo anyway. While practicing kumite with a partner, he discovered that his blocks, punches and kicks were faster and more powerful by not trying so hard.

He loved the way that his body felt when he moved and so he studied body mechanics, reading and talking to professionals and experts in the field. He began picking apart every Karate stance and movement making them bio-mechanically perfect. In so doing he developed the Jin Sei Kai style of 'perfect movement and exact placement'.

The power and accuracy of this style is fantastic. Once thoroughly learned, the body recognizes and knows where it is supposed to be, comfortably falling into the same position time after time. The body, the feeling, becomes the conscious element and not the mind. This feeling generated by 'perfect movement and exact placement' plus soft flowing movements ending in muscle contraction (called kime) releases built up tension or energy and frees the self. It is a primary element of the practice but very hard to master. With 'perfect movement and exact placement', the attaining of this goal is made easier. 'Perfect movement and exact placement' is the key to the Jin Sei Kai style of karate. It was inspired by and researched and developed by Sensei Perry.

A no fear attitude is also a characteristic of Sensei Perry. He absolutely and completely trusts himself. This feeling of self-trust is also at the heart of Jin Sei Kai. Sensei Perry is a modest and wholly honest man. He is not self-inflated and does not teach karate for any other reason than to help others. Encouraging students to be the best that they can be is his philosophy.

Sensei Perry grew up in a more peaceful time than the warring environment found around the birth and development of martial arts. In those days warriors fought in life and death situations. In order to explore his strength and trust, Sensei Perry sought to challenge himself in dangerous and life threatening experiences. He tells stories of searching for crocodiles in a little 10 foot 'tiny' in the middle of the night. He also tells a story of daring when he and a friend stood on a ledge at the top of a 20 foot wall. They leapt around each other, not holding on, practicing a movement that is sheer and utter danger. The movement was out of the kata Meikyo and Sensei Perry wanted to find out whether it worked in a real situation. Sensei Perry doesn't expect his students to be the daredevil that he is. 'We live in a different world than the warriors of old', explains Sensei Perry, 'Karate today is not about the battlefield, it is about health and fitness and finding the strength and trust within so that each of us can achieve our own goals and ambitions.'

For about 8 years, Sensei Perry represented England in international championships for the SKI British Team. Because of his karate style, he was invited by Sifu Wong to be an instructor for the Chin Woo International Body. He won the Wilkinson Sword for his attainments and contribution to Karate.

He has been invited to the British Olympic Medical Centre while they were researching the biochemical movements of karate.

He was invited by DERA, the research centre of The MOD, to help in their research of energy transmission. During experiments there, Sensei Perry was tested on the speed and strength of his punch. He was tested at sending out as many kilojoules of energy as a 9mm bullet!

Sensei Perry is a master of the art of Karate, tai chi and yoga and he is a shiatsu body work therapist. He has and is training professional boxers, rugby and football players, skiers and cyclists and racing car drivers and he has been invited to train special forces. He spends a good deal of his time working in the corporate world teaching karate to senior and junior executives with the goal being enhanced performance in their professional careers. He is the author of the book 'Injury Free Karate' and he is in the process of producing a series of DVD's which will present the entire Jin Sei Kai curriculum."

Other interviews with Sensei Perry ar included in the 'Library' section. Back to top

Karate for self-defence

As mentioned above, Karate is a martial art and Jin Sei Kai does provide students with appropriate training in self-defence techniques to equip them to avoid or handle threatening situations. The word "appropriate" is crucial in understanding the Jin Sei Kai philosophy towards self-defence. Students can only safely learn self-defence techniques as they gain a solid understanding of, and mature within, the association's principles.

It is always best to avoid physical threat - to run away. If there is no escape, nowhere to run, then negotiation may help resolve a difficulty. Of course, if there is no escape and no ability to negotiate, then an appropriate and thoughtful self-defence may be called for. Jin Sei Kai aims to embed that thinking in every student. Back to top

Progressing through gradings

Students of Jin Sei Kai soon come to appreciate that learning the art of Karate is a commitment for life, and that every individual always has something new to learn. But, making tangible progress in Karate is an important incentive for a student, and Jin Sei Kai recognises his or her achievements through a system of Dan, Kyu and Sen grading (belts and tabs). These belts and tabs are awarded to students who follow the Jin Sei Kai Syllabus and satisfy Sensei Perry at a formal grading session that they have made satisfactory progress.

There are ten Kyu grades for adults - from 10th Kyu (White Belt) at beginner level through to 1st Kyu (Brown Belt/Two White Stripes) at a more advanced level. And there are Sen (intermediate) grades in addition for children. After the Kyu grades come the Dan grades - the first of these being Shodan.

Each student makes progress through the belts according to his or her personal abilities and commitment. Jin Sei Kai is not competitive - or, at least, the only competition you have is yourself!

You may be wondering what exactly a formal grading session is all about, or you may want to know what is contained in Jin Sei Kai's Syllabus. Our 'Library' section contains both the full Jin Sei Kai Syllabus and a guide for beginners - "What happens at a grading?". Back to top

Karate For Health - fitness and fun

At Karate For Health we further emphasise the fitness and fun element. We believe that people only learn well when they are continuously challenged and stretched and are self-evidently enjoying themselves. It's good to have fun! Back to top

Karate is for all the family - adults, teens and children

All ages and abilities are welcomed at Karate For Health. The earliest we believe a child should start Karate is six - and then only if they look as though they are enjoying themselves. As for the upper age limit, well there isn't one at Jin Sei Kai. We contend that students at any age can derive benefit from Karate - it's all about doing what you as an individual feel comfortable with. Back to top

Jin Sei Kai's focus on continuous development

Karate is a dynamic art and, in Jin Sei Kai, we strive for perfection happily knowing that it's a distant home. We place great store in learning more about our bodies and how they work, and do not subscribe to the theory that Karate is a static memorial to the teachers of the past. They would not have wanted that, and so our tradition is one of continuous development of the art. Back to top

Quality teaching

All JSK licensed instructors are trained to an exacting standard before they may take a class. And they need to keep learning, too, for the rest of their Karate life. That is why Jin Sei Kai instructors are required to attend the regular, special, classes given by Sensei Perry. New skills and old habits need continuous focus! Back to top

Child protection

JSK embraces child protection policies whose purpose is to ensure that younger students train in a safe and supportive environment. Jin Sei Kai also advocates and seeks to follow the best practice in this respect.

For example, all Jin Sei Kai instructors are recommended by the association to follow the Child Protection Policy, Photography Policy and Club Guidelines published by Karate England, the Official Governing Body for Karate recognised by Sport England. Copies of Karate England's Child Protection Policy, Photography Policy and Club Guidelines are contained in the Library section.

In addition, any instructor teaching children is required to have received a Criminal Records Bureau check.

Parents or guardians of children training with Karate For Health who want more information on this subject should talk to the Club Instructor(s) teaching their child(ren). Back to top