Halifax Jissen Karate-Do has only been running since January, but it is already attracting plenty of students.

Catering for men, women and children, the pupils include a mother and daughter, father and son and three brothers.

They are teaming up with the Courier's Join Our Club campaign to encourage more people to sign up.

Instructor Lee Richardson, who set up the club, said Jissen means "real fighting or combat" while karate-do translates to "the way of the empty hand".

"Our club emphasises the pragmatic, rather than the sporting, aspects of karate,.

"The two greatest weapons for a karateka – one who practises karate – are awareness and avoidance," he said.

"Only when these two have failed do we consider the use of violence in order to protect ourselves.

"Although we do practise light sparring our main focus is in developing stopping power."

Lee has been training in karate for 15 years and attained a first degree black belt – known as a shodan – four years ago.

He became an instructor last year and the club is part of the Society of Applied Traditional Marital Art as well as the British Karate Association.

The club trains on Monday evenings at Cross Lane School in Elland and on Saturday afternoons at the Serbian Orthodox Church in Boothtown, Halifax.

"The Elland club is quite busy, with more than a dozen regular students and has a good mix of men, women and children, who each get something different out of the classes," said Lee.

"Some solely enjoy the physical aspects, especially the boys, of the exercises and punching and kicking the pads.

"Others enjoy the more artistic side, performing the techniques while others still train for pure self-protection.

"The Elland club is especially family-friendly. I have a woman and her daughter who train there, along with her brother, his wife and their son.

"There is a father and son and three brothers who train together. I offer discounted rates for groups of three or more.

"The Boothtown club is under-subscribed at present and we are currently recruiting students there."

For more information visit Halifax Kissen Karate-Do's page on the Join Our Club website via www.halifaxcourier.co.uk.

You can also ring Lee on 07779 967038 or e-mail halifaxjissenkaratedo-enquiries@yahoo.co.uk.

Tell us about how you plan to be healthy on our online Join Our Club Community section.

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