Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Club of the week
Lanarkshire Karate Ac.
The Lanarkshire Karate Academy has gone from strength to strength in the first two years.
The Advertiser spoke to coach Chantelle Allen after she had led some of Airdire and Coatbridge’s brightest young talents to medals, and is still fighting for her own successes.
Lanarkshire Karate Academy was established by myself in December 2015.
After training in karate since the age of 10 and competing both nationally and internationally for Scotland, I decided to start up my own club as it was something I’d dreamed of doing since being very young.
What kind of success has your club had?
For a club that is only two years old, we have had massive success. Our club competition squad numbers are increasing all the time and always doing incredibly well at tournaments.
Last year, we had members take Scottish titles as well as British medals and International medals.
This year, seven of our club members have been picked for the Scotland squad and two picked for the Scotland elite squad, so will get the opportunity to travel and compete all over the world.
We have sessions five days per week at our own full-time dojo which is located at Railway Road in the middle of Airdrie and Coatbridge. We also have numerous other classes in the local schools as we run after-school and lunch-time clubs.
Our times are a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 6-7pm and a Saturday 11-12pm.
Our club competition squad then stay on for an extra hour after these sessions.
Our competitions take place locally such as Wishaw, Ravenscraig, and for our international events this year on the competition calendar is Croatia, Canada, Venice, Germany. So a big variation.
Who are the coaches?
Myself and Chantelle, who is a 22-year-old full-time professional instructor, one of the youngest full-time instructors in Scotland
I am also a members of the Scotland elite karate squad and have represented Scotland at national and international level.
I still compete as I believe this sets a good example to the club and younger members.
What difficulties does the club struggle to overcome?
I would say until now there have been no real struggles. The club has only gone from strength to strength, and if myself as a coach and my members continue to work hard the club will keep getting better.
We have a great club with lots of keen members and supportive parents.
If anything I would say funding. When it comes to our competitions away there is no real funding for local clubs, so young athletes who work hard need to pay or their parents need to pay to get to these tournaments.
For some this is not possible so some great athletes miss out on opportunities. There should be more support out there for local clubs and young athletes.
What youth options does the club have?
When we go into the local schools we provide a pathway into our club and our competition squad for anyone interested.
Karate is a brilliant sport for youth. It helps build confidence, and improves physical and mental health.
There are so many benefits.
How does the club benefit the community?
Our club works very well with the local schools. We are in local primary schools sometimes up to five days per week providing free taster sessions, getting involved in health weeks and various programmes the schools run.
The free classes allow everyone the opportunity to try and enjoy karate.
Our club also gives young people who join a focus; they are not out on the streets, they are training and working towards their goals in a positive environment.
We also give local people exciting opportunities. We have had local children join who are now in the Scotland squad and competing all over.
How much work goes into running the club?
A huge amount of work goes into running the club although it does pay off and it is good to know the work you are doing is benefiting the children who attend.
There is lots of planning such as planning sessions, competitions and much more, as well as fun events for the kids in the club to bond.
There is lots of organisation and admin work such as planning school sessions, marketing, paperwork, emails, etc. We also have our own fulltime dojo, so lots of work goes into maintaining it. There is so much work it never really stops but it always gives positive results.
How would someone join your club?
Joining us is very easy and we always welcome new members from four-years-old onwards.
You can either pop along to a class; we are based at Lanarkshire Karate Academy .
Or, if you’d prefer, you can contact us first for a chat or if you have any questions. Contact us at 07718651271 or lanarkshirekarateacademy@gmail.com.
Further information can we found on our website www.lanarkshirekarateacademy.co.uk.