Demand drives Seido Karate club revamp

Demand drives Seido Karate club revamp

One of Wellington’s biggest and oldest Karate clubs is undergoing a facelift as it moves to meet growing demand on its services.

Seido Karate has been in Wellington for twenty years. Still running the club is fifth degree black belt, and founder of Seido Karate in Wellington Ben Otang.

He says the club’s increasing membership has driven the need for a change.

"Seido is one of the largest styles of martial arts in New Zealand - in the Capital alone we have around 200 members, of these nearly half are women and around 30 of our members are children.

“Last year we organised an international Seido Karate tournament in Wellington which attracted 300 international competitors and raised $4,000 for Women’s Refuge and Te Whare Rokiroki the Maori Women’s Refuge.

“Since then the club’s profile has grown and demand for our classes and services have been growing.

“We have been offered opportunities by businesses, schools and marae wanting to do self defence courses, team-building and for help in reaching fitness goals.

“Because of that demand we are establishing a centre for the development of Seido Karate and its related practices in Wellington.

“The Kaizen Academy will operate out of the Seido Wellington premises at 223 Thorndon Quay above Resene Paint Shop.

“What I want to achieve with the Kaizen academy is to take the messages and benefits of Seido wider into the community".

"Seido is founded on family principles and community involvement. There is also a strong meditative aspect to it, which helps reduce stress and increase concentration.

“The real beauty of Seido is that it is accessible to anyone regardless of sex, size, age or physical ability. The emphasis is not on physical strength, but on technique and spirit. I believe it is a principle everyone can learn from,” Ben said.

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