The Alcatel-Lucent karate club was started in February 2006. We are affiliated with Belgique Shotokan Karate Ohshima established in 1984. We started as a club for the Alcatel-Lucent employees but now we are open to anyone who wants to train in traditional Shotokan Karate.

Our instructor is Paul Tabe, who is a 4th degree black belt (yodan). Paul started his training in 1967 and his teacher was Mr. Tsutomu Ohshima who was one of the last direct student of Master Gichin Funakoshi and who first brought Karate to the United States in 1955.  In 1956, he established the organization which was to become Shotokan Karate of America (see website).  Mr. Ohshima continues to teach at the main Dojo in California, USA and throughout the world at the many affiliated organizations which he had started".

Paul himself says that he just "tries to carry on what was taught to him".

We train two times a week in the Extra Time in Hoboken on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 18:30h till 20:00h. And on Fridays from 18:00 till 20:00 in the Leeuwerikstraat in Antwerp. The lessons are in English (and of course some Japanese).

A normal training session consists of:

• a thorough warming up
• Kihon (this is training in basic movements)
• Kumite (sparring)
• Kata (series of pre-defined defensive movements)
• we end with some stretching