The WTKO (World Traditional Karate Organization) held its first UK Championship on April 24th 2005 in Hemel, Hempstead. The event was held over two days.  Seventh Dan John Mullin and 6th Dan Richard Amos, conducted seminars on Saturday and on Sunday the main event was held.  Teams and individuals, senior and junior, from the major British Shotokan Associations, as well as the USA entries, competed throughout the year for a place in the finals.

The standard was so good, Legend Productions took the unusual step of including all the elimination rounds in kata and kumite.  Our usual practice is to create fast action clips of the event, but Shotokan of this quality called for a different approach.  The kumite was at a level that would (happily) exclude it from the tepid brand of Karate that would be acceptable for Olympic 'sport' Karate.

As 7th Dan Charles Gidely of the Shotokan Kyogi International stated, "This is the type of competition Karate that made Shotokan the dominant style throughout the world. It's an exciting reflection of the art, rather than a boring game of fast tick."

The DVD is two and a half hours long, you can select either the kata or the kumite from the disc's menu.

Considering the fact that several ippons were scored and the fighting was very tough, there were surprisingly few injuries, and what was particularly pleasing was the high level of sportsmanship shared between the combatants.  Key Words:  Karate, Shotokan, Comptetion, Kata, Kumite, Sparring, Tournaments