Join Us

Training Monday (age 5 - 16)
Lime Walk Primary School

Lime Walk
Hemel Hempstead
Herts
HP3 9LN
(limited parking in school grounds) 
Beginners 6-7pm 
Advanced 7-8pm
Adults 8-9.30pm

Training Thursday (age 5 - 16)
Apsley Community Centre
London Road
Hemel Hempstead
Herts HP3 9SB
(parking available in Durrants Hill Rd) 
Beginners 6-7pm 
Advanced 7-8pm
Adults 8-9.30pm

History

The Sasori Karate Dojo has been based in Hertfordshire since 1980.  The name Sasori comes from the Japanese word for Scorpion, which was the name of the Karate Dojo where the founder and his wife started their training in the early Seventies.  (Dojo is the Japanese word for a training place).  Chris and Marie have eighty years experience between them and have trained with some of the top instructors of Martial Arts and Weapons from all over the world.

The chief instructor at the Dojo is Shihan Chris Green who holds 7th Dan in Goju Ryu Karate and 3rd Dan in Shotokan Karate.  He is assisted with the running of the classes by his wife Sensei Marie, who holds 5th Dan in Goju Ryu Karate and 1st Dan in Shotokan Karate.

Goju Ryu is one of the lesser known styles of karate in this country, which has been made more famous by the series of ‘Karate Kid’ films.  Although Goju is the main style taught at the Dojo, some Shotokan Kata, weapons and Ju Jitsu are also taught.

The Sasori Karate Dojo is affiliated to the Goshukan, which has direct links to Japan.  Shihan Chris is the chief instructor of Goshukan in this country.  Goshukan is also registered with Karate England, which is recognised by the Sports Council.  Goshukan is also affiliated to the JKF (Japanese Karate Federation).

It is important that all new students are registered members with all the above bodies when they commence training so that our insurance is not invalidated (one membership fee covers all).  Please see the separate sheet, which gives a breakdown of membership and training fees on the student pages.

Karate suits and equipment are available through us at quite reasonable prices.  Please ask for details.

In 1989 Chris and Marie were chosen to represent Great Britain at the JKF National Championships held in Takamatsu, Japan.  Prior to the competition they underwent extensive training in Choshi, Kyoto and Tokyo.  They have learned much from their experiences in Japan and this is passed on to all their students.

In 1992 Chris and Marie took a party of nine children to Japan.  They believe this is the first time such a trip had been organised and the children gained a wealth of knowledge both culturally and Martial Arts wise.  During the trip they took part in the Northern Japan Championships and came away with seven trophies!

In 1997 Chris and Marie made yet another trip to Japan, where they had extensive meetings with the Japanese instructors.  They hope to make more trips in the future, so that they can keep up to date with training methods in Japan and pass this on to their students.

Chris and Marie visited Japan yet again in 2023 and made time to discover parts of Japan they had never been to before.  They also spent three days walking on the Nakosendo Trail which is the old samurai postal route from Kyoto to Tokyo.  They also spent time with Ishihara Kancho and were given the honour of being added to his Shihankai.

The Dojo has always aimed to have a friendly atmosphere where students come to socialise as well as train hard.  We hold separate classes for children and adults, as the teaching methods for each are very different.  We find this works very well and the standard of all our students is very high.  Chris and Marie have found that having a male and female element instructing the classes is very advantageous, especially when teaching some of the younger students.

We occasionally are lucky enough to be able to have visiting Japanese instructors and seminars are held in Great Britain at least once a year.  We hold two ‘in-house’ competitions a year for our students and also offer the opportunity to enter outside competitions for those who want it.  We have enjoyed considerable success on the competition circuit in the past.

If you have any questions about your training or just general queries about karate please feel free to ask.

We would like to welcome you to our club, and hope that you will enjoy your training for years to come!