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The Story of Kuroten
Karate was originally taught by the old masters of Okinawa as an effective method of civilian combat.
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At Kuroten Practical Karate we seek the same values and aim to make karate as effective as possible within the modern world. With an emphasis on karate techniques that can be applied in real life scenarios; we teach striking with various parts of the body, along with grappling, throwing, groundwork, impact work and power generation, we also include both kata (forms) and bunkai (analysis) within our syllabus. We incorporate elements of self-defence and self-protection, also teaching de-escalation and escape.
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There are many benefits to karate and students often discover that their training helps in other areas of their life, such as improved self-confidence and coordination, self-discipline, concentration, flexibility and overall physical fitness and strength.
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Our classes are split into four age groups, Infants, Juniors, Cadets and Adults. This enables us to tailor the needs of the individual students to match their life experience and keep the lessons both practical and fun.
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Whether you are a complete beginner, returning to the martial arts after a break or an experienced martial artist, please do get in touch. We are a family friendly dojo, always ready to welcome new members and we would love to hear from you.
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We look forward to seeing you in the dojo soon.
Since 2020
Teaching in Wivenhoe
Why is the club called Kuroten?
When Tracey started Kuroten she wanted a club name that would mean something to her and also somehow represent her beliefs and training style. After much deliberation she decided on Kuroten Practical Karate.
A Kuroten is a small animal, a type of Marten that is native to Japan, they are known for being excellent predators and able to capture prey sometimes much larger than themselves. Even though they look small and cute they are still skilled fighters as they use other attributes such as having keen eye sight, being quick thinking and also having excellent agility.
Being relatively small in stature herself Tracey related to the Kuroten and wanted to help her students to understand that you could still be a good fighter even if you were not the biggest person in the room. She also wanted to ensure that she taught a syllabus that would help all of her students to develop other attributes, she didn’t want the club to just be about punching and kicking.
The English translation for Kuroten is Sable which was Tracey’s maiden name so it also has a personal meaning for her.
Tracey’s children joined with her when starting the club, they were both there for every step of the way, from the start up, to training in the club and then eventually also helping out with classes. This added to the family name reference and the family ethos that she wanted to create.
Our Journey
September 2020
Kuroten Practical Karate opened its doors in September 2020, whilst the world was in crisis with the Covid 19 Pandemic we took the opportunity to find a way to bring people together safely and build a community.
The Lockdowns
We opened in-between two lockdowns, initially having to keep numbers small and teach non-contact karate due to the health and safety restrictions in place. Within a few weeks the country was in lockdown again and all of our training moved online with Zoom classes.
Community on Zoom
We remained on Zoom for several months not just teaching students but also up to 50 local primary school children a week providing free karate classes for the community from their own houses.
Return to Training
Eventually we returned to the dojo and were able to introduce contact into our training, within a year our club grew from 3 classes a week to 5. We now run 9 classes a week plus private tuition and also host martial arts seminars and self protection courses.
"Many of our students have been with us since day one and often refer to us as their Kuroten family."
Meet The Instructors
Led by experienced instructors dedicated to the practical application of karate values.
28+
YEARS EXP
3rd
DAN BLACK BELT
Tracey Radley
CHIEF INSTRUCTOR (SANDAN, 3RD DAN)
Tracey began her martial arts journey at the age of 16 in 1998 when she joined a freestyle Karate club which taught elements of both Wado Ryu karate and kickboxing, she really enjoyed kumite and competed in some interclub competitions. After a few years she began assisting with coaching and went on to achieve her 3rd Kyu brown belt.
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Due to a house move in 2004 Tracey joined a Wado Ryu karate club. She slowly transitioned over to the different style and began coaching for them. She competed in kata at various competition levels and was awarded her Shodan black belt in 2014. As time went on Tracey realised that she wanted to explore a more practical approach and move away from sport karate.
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In 2018 she joined a Practical karate club and began her study of karate the way that it was taught in Okinawa before the karate styles were formed. She was particularly interested in bunkai and also wanted to learn and develop her throwing and ground fighting skills. To facilitate this, Tracey began attending seminars and having private lessons in other systems such as Muay Thai, Boxing and Brazilian Jujitsu. She also began her study of how to teach self-protection.
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At this time Tracey was keen to explore and learn from many different angles so also joined a Shotokan club so that she could study the differences between the Shotokan and Wado Ryu kata.
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In 2019 Tracey graded for her Nidan (second dan) black belt within practical karate and began helping out and coaching within their classes. She began to give more time to her study of self-protection alongside the martial arts training.
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When the Covid 19 Pandemic hit in 2020, Tracey continued her training and coaching online with Zoom classes and seminars which led her to opening Kuroten Practical Karate. After the pandemic, Tracey continued training in multiple martial arts and self-protection seminars across the country, taught by international instructors. She also attended various residential courses studying both practical karate and self-protection. At this time Tracey also joined a judo club so that she could spend some more time developing her throwing and ground-fighting skills.
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In 2023 Tracey graded for her Sandan (3rd dan) black belt in karate under the watchful eye of Iain Abernethy. She continues to not only coach her own students but also work on her own training throughout the week and attends seminars at the weekend so that her personal development continues to grow alongside Kuroten and her students.
Specialty: Practical Bunkai & Self-Protection
Liam Radley
ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR (SHODAN BLACK BELT)
Liam began his karate training from a very young age. He grew up in dojos and was learning punching, kicking and stances when he was just a toddler. He formally joined a club in 2014 and began training alongside Tracey in Wado Ryu. He loves kata and has competed in multiple competitions.
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In 2018 he decided that he would like to study Practical karate. This meant learning a whole new syllabus, but Liam rose to the challenge and was soon able to continue grading up through the kyu grades.
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When we opened Kuroten, Liam became Tracey’s uke whilst she was teaching her classes as due to the covid restrictions in place she was not able to train with contact with anyone outside of her family. Despite his age Liam stepped up, learning drills and techniques far beyond his grade. He also began assisting with the coaching in the children’s classes and then eventually in the adult’s class too. At this time he began his study of self-protection, also learning how to teach these skills to students of various ages.
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Liam spends his weekends attending seminars all over the country learning not only practical karate but also diversifying and learning elements of Boxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jujitsu.
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In 2026 Liam graded up to Shodan black belt under the watchful eyes of Tracey Radley, David Cole and Les Bubka. You will find him assisting in most of the classes that we teach, he is an excellent role model to our younger students!
Specialty: Kata & Youth Coaching
Class Assistants
Our Dedicated Assistants
Our wonderful assistants train in our adult classes and give up their time to help out in our kids classes. They are the glue that holds the club together!
Michelle
Training since 2021
As well as training in our Kuroten adult classes, Michelle also attends seminars all over the country. Michelle helps in our Infant, Junior and Cadet classes and takes responsibility for all the admin that happens during class - doing the register, making sure everyone’s grading sheets are up to date, handing out insurance slips and also kindly putting our termly newsletters together. Michelle is also Sable’s PA, so she is the person to speak to if you would like to take him on holiday with you!
Charley
Training since 2019
Charley started his journey learning Shotokan and then joined Kuroten after the first Covid lockdown in 2020, a few weeks after we first opened. He is one of our original members, having supported the club throughout. You will find him helping out in our cadet class where his son also trains, however having also helped out in Junior classes in the past he has watched many of our students grow up and has been overseeing their practice since they were small.
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Chris
Training since 2022
Having trained in judo as a child, martial arts were not new to Chris when he joined Kuroten, and he took to karate like a duck to water. He often attends seminars all over the country and trains in all of our adult classes. He currently assists in one of our junior classes where one of his sons also trains, however he kindly jumps in and helps out from time to time in other kids' classes when we are short staffed so all of our Cubs and Cadets have got to know him over the years.
Marie
Training since 2021
Marie is our newest member of the team. She has been training since 2021, initially starting in our morning adult class, she now trains in all our adult classes and assists in one of our junior classes where her daughter also trains. She is full of life with so much energy and the children all love her!
We are incredibly proud of our assistants. They are all dedicated students themselves, and their commitment to helping the next generation of karateka is truly inspiring.