Category: Shotokan

Charles Mack

Although his name may not be instantly recognisable, Charles Mack is a true pioneer of martial arts in Britain. A leading exponent and authority on Japanese arts, he holds black belts in Judo, Karate, and Aikido. He was the first British subject to be awarded his 1st Dan in Karate by the Japan Karate Association …

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Dan Ivan

Little did I know at that time in my life that destiny might have charted my course.  Despite my hostile surroundings, I was at the right place at the right time and on the precipice of a new life. Dan Ivan At times, Dan Ivan’s life has read like a work of fiction. His exploits …

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Hidetaka Nishiyama

Martial arts philosophy is not based on victory or fighting, but rather on finding a way to avoid violence through having the ability to defend yourself if needed. In Karate, through self-defence techniques we develop the awareness and sensitivity to the person facing us, we learn to feel the danger and go around it. Hidetaka …

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Frank Brennan

Karate is about many things but, first and foremost, it is about training. Frank Brennan Frank Brennan can arguably be described as one of the most technically gifted karatekas of his generation. He is one of the few competitors to be equally comfortable in kata or kumite, excelling in both disciplines. As a competitor, he …

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Steve Cattle

I do Karate for my own personal improvement and I am prepared to accept that I have to suffer in one direction in order to improve in another. Steve Cattle Those who knew and trained with Steve Cattle described him as one of the best karatekas to come out of the UK. Standing 5ft 6in …

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Teruyuki Okazaki

Karate-do is Budo and Budo is not a sport. The real meaning of Budo is to go into life more deeply and improve physical and spiritual qualities through hard training. The essence or concept of sport is to get away with the toils of life and have some fun. Teruyuki Okazaki Teruyuki Okazaki, described by …

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Dominique Valera

… Contact is the one and only thing that can establish the truth in a combat sport! This does not mean that we have to go back to the Survival Games of old. Mastery is when you touch with control without hurting. Dominique Valera Arguably Europe’s best-known Karate competitor of the 1960s and 1970s, Dominique Valera, a …

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Masatoshi Nakayama

Sport develops the contestants in a straight line. That is they train hard in the physical techniques until they become strong, and then they compete. As they compete, they become stronger and stronger, and some become champions. But after a certain number of years, the body begins to decline, and the contestant can no longer …

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Vernon Bell

12 Maybush Road, Hornchurch, Essex, holds a very special place in British Karate history. It was at this address, in his parents garden, that in 1956 Vernon Bell held the first Karate class in the UK. Over the years, Bell’s name has been largely forgotten in favour of other notable instructors such as Hirokazu Kanazawa, …

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Luis Maria Sanz De La Hoz

It’s fundamental to study and practise bunkai, it’s the only way of expressing the meaning of the techniques in a kata, otherwise, they are just movements without a meaning. Luis Maria Sanz De La Hoz Described as “the last link between traditional and competitive Karate” Luis Maria Sanz holds a notable place in karate, being …

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