The Boston College Karate club has been an established sports club here at Boston College for more than thirty years. We are members of the New England Collegiate Karate Conference (NECKC), an intercollegiate group of karate clubs from the Boston area and beyond. The NECKC is one part of the North American Karate Federation, an organization founded by Sensei Kazumi Tabata to promote Karate here in the United States.

     The Boston College Karate Club is dedicated to the mental and physical teachings of the Shotokan Karate Style. Shotokan karate is one of the oldest and most popular styles of Karate. Master Gichin Funakoshi, from the southern island of Okinawa, developed it at the beginning of the last century. Shotokan was Master Funakoshi's poetry name.

     The Karate Club, meeting three times a week, is under the teaching of both Sensei Tabata and our black belt instructor, Eymard Riel. The Club meets on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays here at BC in the William J. Flynn Athletic Complex. In addition to our regular meetings, members frequently attend NECKC sponsored clinics and training sessions, where Boston College has consistently been the most well represented college in New England. We work on flexibility, fitness, and karate forms in addition to meditation techniques. The Karate Club also participates in the NECKC's semi-annual tournament where Boston College has won more trophies than any other college.

     The officers of the Karate Club welcome all interested to come join us regardless of age, gender, race, or experience with martial arts. The club is open to all and we welcome new members to share in the teachings of the Shotokan tradition.