Karate that’s real, rewarding — and really good fun!
Shogun Practical Karate is a club for everyone — we teach kids from age 5 right up to adults in their 70s! Whether you’re stepping into the dojo for the first time or returning after a break, you’ll find a class (and a community) that suits you.
Founded in 2010, we’ve helped over 1,000 students build confidence, learn real self-defence, improve fitness and discipline — and have a blast along the way! We’re proud to have produced many talented black belts, but even prouder of the positive, supportive club culture we’ve built together.
More than a karate club
At Shogun, you’re not just learning punches and kicks. You’re joining a community that lifts each other up — helping students grow stronger not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, too.
Our instructors and customer care team are passionate about your health, happiness, and success. We support every member on their journey to becoming the best version of themselves — one class at a time.
Classes for every age & stage
We offer tailored classes for:
Children (5–11 yrs)
Confidence, discipline, coordination — and lots of FUN!
Older kids & teens (12–17 yrs)
Self-defence, focus, fitness, and screen-free time
Adults
Real-world self-protection, fitness, mental resilience — and yes, still fun!
Families
Train together and grow together
Ladies-only kickboxing
Empowering, inclusive, and full of energy
Whether you’re a total beginner or have previous martial arts experience,
you’ll fit straight in.
So, what Is “Practical” karate?
Good question — and it’s right in our name!
At Shogun, we focus on karate that works in real life. We teach with discipline and purpose, but always in a fun, friendly environment.
We train hard. We play hard. And we love every second of it.
What you’ll learn (and why it matters)
Our training covers everything from technique to real-world application:
Combinations
Think of basics as the ABCs of karate — combinations are when you start spelling words. We teach students to link strikes and blocks smoothly, helping them build confidence and coordination from the get-go.
Padwork Drills
This is where things start to get exciting! Padwork helps students feel what it’s like to deliver real power, developing timing, control and impact in a safe, structured way.
Kata (Forms)
Kata might look like a karate “dance” to the untrained eye, but it’s packed with self-defence techniques. Practised solo, it builds sharp technique, focus and discipline.
Self-defence applications
This is where the lightbulb moment happens and your training and hard work springs fully to life! We take the movements from kata and show how they apply in real self-defence situations — working with a partner to explore them safely.
Kumite (sparring)
Controlled sparring gives students a chance to test their skills in real-time. We teach both points-style sparring (which is great fun and improves timing) and practical application sparring, which better prepares students for real-world scenarios.
Anti-Bullying & community impact
We’re proud to be an Associate Member of The Anti-Bullying Alliance, and we deliver annual anti-bullying assemblies in schools across our communities. Building confidence, emotional resilience and self-respect in our students is at the heart of what we do.
Meet the team
Doug Connell
Chief Instructor
4th Dan Practical Karate (British Combat Association)
1st Dan Reality Combat Systems (Geoff Thompson)
Sensei Doug Connell founded Shogun in 2009 with a vision for realistic, empowering karate. He’s grown the club into a thriving community of over 600 students.
He will be the one at grading awarding you your belt so be nice to him. 😊
Greg Walcott
Assistant Chief Instructor
4th Dan Practical Karate (BCA)
Sensei Greg leads most of our classes in Herts & Middlesex. Known for his dynamic teaching — and one of the hardest hitting lead hand hooks around! A formidable Karate-ka.
Mark Fagan
Senior Instructor
2nd Dan Practical Karate (BCA)
Sensei Mark has been training Karate for 14 years and started Shogun with his son Joe. His passionate and methodical teaching make him a big influence within the club. A formidable Karate-ka.
Soteris Zannettou
Instructor
1st Dan Practical Karate (British Combat Association)
With over 30 years of martial arts experience, Sensei Sot brings deep knowledge and passion to every session. He is also the self-proclaimed king of Karate FUN!
Rohan Stevenson
Instructor
2nd Dan Practical Karate (British Combat Association)
Sensei Rohan has studied Karate since 2004 and there isn’t much he doesn’t know! He is a fountain of knowledge on everything Martial!
Gavin Szeto
Instructor
1st Dan Practical Karate (British Combat Association)
From Hong Kong and a relatively new edition to the instructor team, Sensei Gavin brings excitement, passion and a great talent for sparring.
Daniel Noel
Instructor
1st Dan Practical Karate (British Combat Association)
Dan has been been with Shogun for 10 years. His love for tournaments is well known and he is a big contributor with the Shogun tournament team.
Susie M
Student Care Officer
Susie is a new and welcome addition to Shogun. We wanted to look after students outside of the Dojo to make sure all queries and questions regarding bookings, payments, admin were taken care of promptly and efficiently…..enter Susie. If you join us to start your Karate journey you are sure to have a conversation with Susie.
Safety first
All our instructors are:
- Enhanced DBS checked
- First aid trained
- Fully insured and registered with the British Combat Association
- Regularly trained in safeguarding, including certified child protection courses every 2–3 years
Ready to get started?
We offer free taster sessions and a whole community ready to welcome you in. Just find your nearest Hertfordshire, Middlesex or Colchester dojo and see what we’re all about!
Let’s train hard, have fun — and grow stronger, together.
Get in touch
Got any queries or concerns or just want to let us know you can’t make class this week?
Telephone us on 07415 639 059 or