Kudos Martial Arts - Canterbury

Kudos Martial Arts is Kent's original and most established Kyokushin karate organisation — four clubs, 30 years of excellence, and a track record of developing martial artists from nervous beginners to national champions and World Championship representatives.

We teach authentic Kyokushin karate — a traditional Japanese full-contact martial art founded by the legendary Mas Oyama and widely regarded as one of the most effective and physically demanding martial arts in the world. Kyokushin means "Ultimate Truth" — and that name reflects everything about our approach. Belts are earned here through genuine effort and demonstrated ability, not handed out for attendance. Skills are real. Progression is genuine. Results speak for themselves.

Our Clubs

We operate four clubs across East Kent, each offering the same high standard of Kyokushin instruction in safe, professional, and welcoming environments:

Canterbury — established 1996, our original and longest-running club, operating across four venues including St Stephen's Junior School, Canterbury College, Barton Manor School, and Chartham Village Hall.

Folkestone — over 25 years serving Folkestone and the surrounding coastal communities at Martello Primary School, with classes on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Sandwich — over 20 years of excellence in East Kent across two venues on Deal Road — Sandwich Technology School on Tuesdays and Sandwich Leisure Centre on Fridays.

Aylesham — our newest and most community-focused club, serving Aylesham and surrounding East Kent villages from the Workshop Trust Community Centre on Wednesday evenings.

Who We Teach

We welcome students of every age, background, and ability level:

Children aged 5-11 — our children's programme develops real skills, genuine confidence, and the discipline and focus that benefits young people in school and in life. Our instructors know how to make Kyokushin training both challenging and genuinely fun. Shy, unsporty, and unconfident children are especially welcome — these are often the students who benefit most and progress furthest.

Teenagers aged 12-17 — our teenage students train alongside adults from day one, benefiting from the elevated standards, real mentoring, and genuine challenge that only an adult training environment provides. This year our teenage students competed at the KWF World Knockdown Tournament in Spain as part of Team GB, represented England at international level, and placed at multiple national and European championships.

Adults 18+ — it is never too late to start. In December 2025 alone, our students earned black belt grades ranging from 1st Dan to 3rd Dan, with ages ranging from 18 to 59. David earned his 1st Dan at 56. John earned his 3rd Dan at 59. Emma was named our Student of the Year at 47. We have no upper age limit and no fitness prerequisite — just a genuine welcome for anyone willing to try.

Families — we offer family sessions at Canterbury and Folkestone where parents and children train together, sharing the experience, the challenge, and the achievements. From the shared warm-up to the belt grading, family training at Kudos creates bonds that no other activity produces.

What Makes Kyokushin Different

Kyokushin is full contact, bare knuckle karate — not the watered-down commercial karate that has given the art an undeserved soft reputation. It is the striking foundation that MMA legends including Georges St-Pierre built their careers on. It develops explosive striking power, extraordinary physical conditioning, practical self-defence skills, and the mental toughness to perform under genuine pressure.

Crucially, Kyokushin prohibits face punching — meaning students develop all the toughness and contact experience of combat sports without the repeated head trauma that boxing and MMA normalise. All the credibility. All the contact. None of the unnecessary risk.

Our Credentials

All Kudos Martial Arts instructors are DBS checked and safeguarding certified. Our instructor team holds black belt grades from 2nd Dan through to 7th Dan, with Shihan Paul Sarginson (founder, 7th Dan) and Shihan Russell Wilson (recently promoted to 6th Dan after 40 years in the art) leading one of the most experienced Kyokushin teaching teams in Kent. All students hold an annual IKK licence providing grading eligibility, competition access, and member-to-member insurance.