Kata is very important especially for someone like me who is coaching full-time. I have to be able to offer my students everything. I started to concentrate on my kata to help me teach it and I thoroughly enjoy it and I believe it plays a very important part in your training.
Jim Collins
The winner of numerous titles, Jim Collins has won titles at National, European, and World level, in both individual and team kumite. He has been a part of many successful Scottish and British teams that have included the likes of David Coulter, Pat McKay, Vic Charles, and Geoff Thompson.
Jim Collins was born in the Liberton suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1961.
Collins began learning Wado-Ryu in 1975. He started practicing Karate because he wanted something to do in his spare time. Three years later he began teaching. In 1979 he established the Lasswade Karate Group, aged only 19 at the time.
In 1980 Collins was awarded his black belt.
Between 5-7 May 1980 the 15th European Karate Championships were held in Barcelona, Spain. Collins was picked to represent Scotland, which was coached by Hamish Adam. The squad included the likes of David Coulter and Pat McKay. Collins would become a part of many Scottish squads.
Collins was also selected to represent the All-Styles Great Britain squad at the 5th World Karate Championships. The tournament was held between 27-30 November 1980 in Madrid, Spain. The British Team was coached by Ticky Donovan.
By 1984 Collins had become a regular member of many Scottish and All Styles Great Britain Teams. 1984 was a big year for him. At the 19th European Karate Championships held in Paris, France, between 11-13 May, he helped Scotland win the Team Kumite title against the Netherlands. England and Finland were joint third.
Collins followed his success at the European Championships with success at the 7th World Championships, held in Maastricht, the Netherlands, between 21-25 November 1984. He had been picked to represent the All-Styles Great Britain Squad in the Individual-70 kg Kumite event. He defeated Gonzalo Rodriguez in the final to win the title. Teammate Cecil Hackett won bronze in the same event.
The following year Collins faced teammate Hackett in the final of the Individual -70 Kumite event, At the 2nd World Games. The games were held in London between 26 July – 4 August. Hackett won the title.
By 1986 Collins was married, with a young son. His wife was expecting their second child. As a Karate International, he was not paid when representing Scotland or Britain. The 8th World Karate Championships were due to be held in Sydney, Australia between 21-25 November. Collins made the decision not to defend his world title. Representing Britain at the Championships in Australia meant he would lose out on money to support his family. He did not try out for British squad selection.
The 22nd European Karate Championships were held in Glasgow, Scotland, between 2-4 May 1987. Collins was selected to represent Scotland. In the Individual -70 kg Kumite event, he finished in third place. He also helped Scotland win the Team Kumite title. Scotland defeated France in the final. The Netherlands and England finished in joint third. The following year Collins helped Scotland retain the European Team Kumite title. At the 23rd European Karate Championships held in Genoa, Italy, Scotland defeated France in the final.
Collins saw further success in October 1988. At the 9th World Championships held in Cairo, Egypt, he was selected to represent the All-Styles Great Britain squad. He helped Britain win the Team Kumite title against the Netherlands.
By 1995 Collins had been competing internationally for 15 years. In 1995 he officially retired from competitive Karate. By this time he was a:
- 2-time World Champion
- 3-time European Champion
- 2-time Wado-Ryu Grand Slam Champion
- 1-time British Champion
- 5-time Scottish Champion
Jim Collins, alongside David Coulter and Pat McKay, was part of the generation that helped put Scottish Karate on the world map. He was a member of the British Squad, During its dominant period of the 1980s, under Ticky Donovan.
Collins continues to teach at the dojo is in his Lasswade Karate Group. His goal is to teach the next generation of karateka.
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