The 52nd SKIF-GB National Championships will take place on Sunday 27th September 2026, bringing karateka from across Great Britain together for one of the major events in the SKIF-GB calendar.
This year’s championships return to the Nottingham Wildcats Arena, with a full day of competition featuring kata and kumite across the different age and grade categories.
For Kyōtō students, the National Championships are always a valuable opportunity not simply to compete, but to test their karate outside the familiar surroundings of the dōjō, meet karateka from other SKIF-GB clubs and gain experience that can be taken back into everyday training.
Event Details
52nd SKIF-GB National Championships
📅 Sunday 27th September 2026
⏰ 09:00–17:00
📍 Nottingham Wildcats Arena, NG3 7ED
The closing date for entries is Monday 21st September 2026, so Kyōtō members wishing to compete should make sure their entries are arranged in good time.
Click here for the entry form - these should be completed and returned to your club Instructor.
More Than Medals
Competition karate provides a very different challenge from normal dōjō training.
Stepping onto the competition area means performing under pressure, often against someone you have never trained with before. In kata, there is one opportunity to demonstrate your technique, timing, balance and spirit. In kumite, competitors must adapt instantly to an opponent whose movement, distance and tactics may be completely unfamiliar.
Of course, everyone would like to come home with a medal, but winning isn’t the only measure of a successful competition.
Sometimes the greatest progress comes from overcoming the nerves and stepping onto the tatami. It might be performing a kata more confidently than last time, scoring against a difficult opponent, trying something you have been practising in the dōjō, or simply discovering what needs more work when you return to training.
Competition gives us feedback — and whatever the result, there is always something to learn.
Kyōtō at the Nationals
Kyōtō has enjoyed some excellent performances at recent SKIF-GB national competitions, but each championship begins again at zero.
Previous medals don’t guarantee future ones, and a disappointing result last time doesn’t determine what happens next.
Between now and 27th September, there is still plenty of opportunity to sharpen kata, work on kumite strategy and prepare for the particular demands of competition.
For those entering for the first time, the Nationals are also an opportunity to experience the wider SKIF-GB karate family and see competitors of different ages and levels representing clubs from around the country.
To help with that final preparation we have scheduled the next Wales & Southwest Squad Development session one week before on the 20th September - read more here.
See You in Nottingham
We look forward to another great day of karate and to seeing the wider SKIF-GB community together again in Nottingham.
For our Kyōtō competitors, the preparation starts in the dōjō: train hard, enjoy the experience and represent Kyōtō with good karate, good spirit and good etiquette — whatever the final result.
Good luck to everyone competing at the 52nd SKIF-GB National Championships! 🥋👊🏻
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