The club has been going now for just over 10 years. It started in early 1997 in Rawyards Sports Centre, Airdrie.
The name Takaryu is comprised of two parts. 'Taka' is Japanese for hawk and 'ryu' means school, so Hawk School. This name comes from Andys childhood fascination with birds of prey and several references to hawks in key oriental martial texts.
Takaryu was originally an adult only club and a mix of Chinese kickboxing and karate was taught and the focus was on practical self defence.
The club had a very high technical standard and won much praise from visiting karateka and teachers. The applications were all simple, brutal, efficient and most importantly, effective. Unfortunately due to Andys work commitments the club had to be put on hold for a short while.
The all new Takaryu club opened in Townhead Parish Church Hall in early July 2002. The club opened to all ages. In 2004 a new venue was added to the clubs schedule at Calderbank Church Hall, Calderbank by Airdrie.
The instructors at the club are Andy Coyle, 4th dan karate, Frank Watson, 5th dan jujutsu, Gary Spiers, 3rd dan karate and Michael McDonald, 1st dan jujutsu and teach under the auspices of the British Combat Association.
Since early 2006 we have been working on the syllabus to provide our students with a better developed understanding of what the martial arts as a whole encompass. This means that there is a lot of karate, jujutsu, kickboxing, kung fu and grappling elements, drawn from the instructors 70 odd years of combined experience, within the syllabus that we teach now.
All of this training is geared to create an efficient, technically rounded and effective fighter with the confidence and mental skill set to deal with real life confrontational situations.
Of course that's not to say we don't have fun! The club provides an environment for safe and enjoyable activity for the kids and adults alike.
Hope to see you soon,
Andy