A full day of evidence-based, karate-specific medical education - the first MASSUK Symposium built entirely around karate.
About this Event
About This Event
A full day of evidence-based, karate-specific medical education — the first MASSUK Symposium built entirely around karate. Consultant orthopaedic, ENT, neurosurgical and sports medicine specialists join elite karate athletes and coaches to cover injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation across the whole body, from coaching methodology through to head and spinal injury.
Five clinical sessions, two live athlete Q&As, and guided access to the Training Camp and Stunt Workshop running alongside — clinically relevant for practitioners, and genuinely useful for coaches, clubs and committee members who want to understand injury risk in their own sport.
What You'll Experience
- Five expert-led clinical sessions covering coaching methodology, ENT & facial injury, lower limb, upper limb, and head & spinal injury — each with open discussion
- Two live Q&As with elite athletes on injury, rehab and return to sport — the competitive athlete's perspective and the performative athlete's perspective
- 6 CPD points applied for
- Guided Training Camp tours and a Stunt Workshop observation over lunch
- A multidisciplinary faculty of consultant surgeons, sports physicians and elite karate coaches, all in one room
Your Faculty (full bios at massuk.co.uk/faculty/)
- Mr Amer Khan — Consultant Orthopaedic & Trauma Knee Surgeon
- Mr Syed Aftab — Consultant Spinal Orthopaedic Surgeon, Barts Health NHS Trust
- Sensei Irfan Ansari — 8th Dan Black Belt, National Coach, Chief Instructor, The DOJO Karate Centre
- Dr Emek Can PhD — Sports Scientist
- Mr Khalid Ghufoor — Consultant ENT, Head & Neck Surgeon, St Bartholomew's and The Royal London
- Dr Irfan Ahmed — Consultant in Musculoskeletal, Sport and Exercise Medicine
- Prof. Sion Glyn-Jones — Consultant Orthopaedic & Trauma Hip Surgeon, University of Oxford
- Mr Matthew Solan — Consultant Foot & Ankle Surgeon
- Mr Graham Tytherleigh-Strong — Consultant Orthopaedic & Trauma Knee Surgeon, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
- Mr Matay Arsan — Consultant Orthopaedic & Trauma Hand, Wrist and Elbow Surgeon
- Dr Naomi Deakin — Honorary Clinical Fellow & Resident Doctor, Department of Neurosurgery
- Mr John Yeh — Consultant Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgeon
- Jordan Thomas, Justin Ortiz, Jewelianna Ramos-Ortiz — Athletes & Coaches
Full Day Schedule
- 08:20–08:50 — Registration / Light Breakfast Buffet
- 08:50–09:00 — Welcome & What is Karate? — Mr Amer Khan
- 09:00–09:50 — Session: Coaching Methodology (Moderator: Mr Syed Aftab)
Importance of correct Coaching Techniques in Injury Prevention — Sensei Irfan Ansari · Science of the Young Athlete: Optimising Martial Art Performance through Physiological Insights and Data Analytics (children up to age 8, pre-puberty) — Dr Emek Can · Discussion
- 09:50–10:40 — Session: ENT & Facial (Moderator: Mr Sajid Sharif) Above the Neck: Prevention and Management of ENT Injuries in Karate — Mr Khalid Ghufoor · Mouthguards for the Prevention of Orofacial Trauma in Sport — Dr Irfan Ahmed · Discussion
- 10:40–11:10 — Break — refreshments, tea/coffee, plus Group Tour 1 of the Training Camp
- 11:10–12:20 — Session: Lower Limb (Moderator: Mr Graham Tytherleigh-Strong) Hip injuries — Prof Sion Glyn-Jones · Knee injuries — Mr Amer Khan · Foot & ankle health — Mr Matthew Solan · Discussion
- 12:20–13:00 — Introduced by TBC - Injury, Rehab & Return to Sport — Q and A with Jordan Thomas
- 13:00–14:00 — Lunch, with an overlapping Stunt Workshop Observation (12:00–13:00 / 13:00–14:00)
- 14:00–14:40 — Q&A, introduced by Mr Amer Khan — Injury, Rehab & Return to Sport: The Performative Athlete's Perspective — Justin Ortiz and Jewelianna Ramos-Ortiz
- 14:40–15:30 — Session: Upper Limb (Moderator: Mr Matthew Solan) Hand, wrist and elbow injuries — Mr Matay Arsan · Shoulder injuries — Mr Graham Tytherleigh-Strong
- 15:30–16:00 — Break — refreshments, tea/coffee, plus Group Tour 2
- 16:00–17:00 — Session: Head & Spinal Injury (Moderator: Prof Sion Glyn-Jones) Traumatic brain injury — Dr Naomi Deakin · Spinal injuries — Mr John Yeh and Mr Syed Aftab · Discussion
- 17:10 — Symposium Close — Mr Amer Khan
Delegates split into smaller groups for the Training Camp/Stunt Workshop observation tours. The number of tours may increase once the Training Camp timetable is finalised. Final timings of tours and the Stunt Workshop are subject to change.
Register for the Symposium
Pricing
- £35 — Early bird, until 18 September
- £45 — 19 September – 2 October
- £65 — 3 October – 16 October
6 CPD points applied for.
Event Details
- Date & time: Saturday 17 October 2026, 08:20–17:10
- Venue: Leonardo Royal Hotel London City (Tower Hill), London
- Register: massuk.co.uk/registration/ (Symposium and Training Camp book separately)
- Full faculty bios: massuk.co.uk/faculty
Event venue & nearby stays
Leonardo Royal Hotel London City, 8-14 Cooper's Row, London, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.