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“‘Can you break a brick with your hand?’ is the question I’m often asked when I tell people I run a Karate club in Wetherby.

“The answer is ‘of course’ but what they find more fascinating is when I tell them the secret history of Karate and how it’s been linked to our area for decades.

"No one had heard of Karate 60 years ago and now more than 100,000 people practice in the UK.

"Its origins lie originally in China and came to Japan via trade coming into Okinawa Island.

"When I opened my club last year, I wanted to bring back the historical link to the town - Martin Cockx instructor at Wetherby Karate Club. (Picture contributed)

"In 1921, a school teacher whose pen name was ‘Shotokan’ took Karate from Okinawa to Japan. So Shotokan Karate began.

"The 1950s saw an explosion of the discipline as a group of Japanese men, highly trained in Shotokan Karate, moved to the four corners of the globe to spread the word.

"They wanted to share their teachings with the world and so, the growth of what we now consider modern karate began.

"One of those men, named Hirokazu Kanazawa, moved to York in the UK and set up karate clubs – including one in Wetherby.

"Bringing Shotokan Karate back to Wetherby feels like completing a circle." - Martin Cockx. (Picture contributed)

"The club in Wetherby took place in the Town Hall – where my club now meets.

"People were blown away by what the masters could do.

"They exercised patience, preparation and perfection and the clubs grew exponentially.

"Sadly, the Wetherby club closed in 1999 and there was no Shotokan Karate in the town for 25 years.

Hirokazu Kanazawa moved from Japan to the UK and set up karate clubs – including one in Wetherby. (Picture contributed)

"When I opened my club last year, I wanted to bring back the historical link to the town.

"So, what we teach now links directly back to what was taught in Japan in the 1920s – the authentic, traditional Karate that encompasses both physical and mental discipline.

"Bringing Shotokan Karate back to Wetherby feels like completing a circle.

"An ex-world champion came to teach one of our classes recently and he told me he’d had his first-ever lesson in the same room when he was eight years old.

"That’s really special. I might not break many bricks with my hands any more but when you come to our club in the Town Hall, you can feel the history of Shotokan Karate right there in the room with you.”

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Wetherby’s secret karate history by Martin Cockx instructor at Wetherby Karate Club