• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
      Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
    • Turn it off: healing from news fatigue in the digital age
      Turn it off: healing from news fatigue in the digital age
    • Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflation
      Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflation
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Controversial
      The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Controversial
    • Lucy Dacus Brings a Minimal Yet Powerful Performance to Northeastern University
      Lucy Dacus Brings a Minimal Yet Powerful Performance to Northeastern University
    • “Glass Onion” Takes Shots at Easy Targets
      “Glass Onion” Takes Shots at Easy Targets
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Rejected Snooze Articles for the Week
      Rejected Snooze Articles for the Week
    • Happy Valentine’s Day from Spog
      Happy Valentine’s Day from Spog
    • The Four Best Places to Loudly FaceTime Someone on Campus
      The Four Best Places to Loudly FaceTime Someone on Campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Emma Deary, Stacey Kim Sports and WellnessNovember 14, 2018

Shotokan Karate Club combines art and athleticism

Wellesley’s Shotokan Karate Club was only formed this past September, but it has already had members place in the top three spots at local tournaments. Training in collaboration with Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tufts University with instruction by Sensei Kazumi Tabata, who trained in direct line from the founder of Shotokan Karate, this new club has created opportunities for students to explore their passion for karate while on campus.

Shotokan Karate is a Japanese style of martial arts that is considered offense-oriented and focuses primarily on rhythm, timing and control, though self-defense techniques are also taught and emphasized. There are three main components of Shotokan karate training. First, “kihon” (basic training) emphasizes the mechanics of basic blocks, kicks, stances, punches and breathing techniques. The techniques learned in kihon are then put into practice in “kata” (forms), which are choreographed movements using a combination of kihon techniques. Lastly, members train in “kumite” (sparring), in which they spar against opponents and demonstrate power and technique without inflicting injuries. The main philosophy behind Shotokan Karate is to perfect each technique so that in real-life situations, one can significantly harm an opponent with only a single blow or movement. Shotokan Karate is a physically demanding art form, but there is no previous athletic experience or martial arts knowledge required to join Wellesley’s team. All that is necessary is having the spirit of karate and a willingness to learn!

On Sunday, Oct. 14, the Wellesley Shotokan Karate team traveled to Providence, RI for the Brown University Fall 2018 Tournament. In the Kumite Beginner Division, Hanamei Shao ’21 picked up a second place award.

On Saturday, Nov. 3, the team competed at the University of Connecticut Husky Cup Tournament. Three athletes received awards. Ayusha Ariana ’22 won first place in the Kata White Belt Division and first place in the Kata Beginner Division, Amy Liu ’22 won third in the Kata White Belt Division and Ann Xu ’22 won first place in the Kumite White Belt Division.

Wellesley is not the first Boston-area college to have a Shotokan Karate team — Boston University, MIT and Tufts do as well — nor will it be the first Seven Sisters college to do so. At Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges, students can join the University of Massachusetts Amherst team, and at Barnard, students can join the Columbia University Shotokan Karate Club.

In the past, a few Wellesley students have gotten involved in karate by training on other college campuses, but this year the team is excited to host practices on-campus at Wellesley. Their practices are on Tuesday and Saturday evenings in the Keohane Sports Center, with optional Friday evening trainings at MIT. The club is currently in the process of becoming constituted, and once the process is complete, the Shotokan Karate Club will officially be the second martial arts organization at Wellesley, alongside Wellesley Wushu.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleSchool spirit at Wellesley
Next articleU.S. Olympic Committee strips U.S.A. Gymnastics of governing power

You may also like

Student-Athlete of October

Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022

The Case for Body Neutrality

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Stone-Davis dining staff report mistreatment
  • Logos of social media apps such as Twitter, Tiktok, Netflix, Spotify, and Discord. Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
  • The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Contro...
  • A collection of a wide variety of foods in the colors of the rainbow Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflat...
  • Red envelope that contains money to celebrate the Lunar New Year. America’s cultural appropriation is a modern form of i...

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top