english Korean karate association

When Chris Batte returned to America, Mick Blackwell and Billy Brennan went on to form the EKKA Karate Association. The EKKA style was rooted in the original teachings of Lee Won Kuk and Choi Hong Hi, reflecting their study of Chung Do Kwan, alongside the influence of Gichin Funakoshi’s Shotokan Karate. This dual heritage is reflected in the continued use of both Korean and Japanese terminology, as well as the practice of both Korean hyung and Shotokan kata.

Since its inception in the early 1970s, Mick Blackwell, Billy Brennan and the other senior EKKA instructors have played a central role in the development of Karate across the East of England. What began as a small movement has grown into one of the region’s leading competitive martial arts organisations. With thousands of members and champions at every level, the EKKA Karate Association is now recognised as one of the most successful and highly respected karate organisations in the country.

Finally, the distinctive blue gi’s worn by EKKA instructors and students symbolises this heritage. It reflects the association’s link to Lee Won Kuk’s Chung Do Kwan, “the gymnasium of the blue wave”, and to Choi Hong Hi’s pen name Chang Hon, meaning “blue cottage”.