Howard Collins

Welshman Howard Collins is a legend of Kyokushin Karate. A phenomenal teacher, he was the first man to complete the 100-Man Kumite Challenge in the new, single-day compulsory format.

Howard Collins was born in Mountain Ash, situated 20 miles outside of Cardiff, Wales, in 1949. His father had played amateur rugby for Wales. He later played rugby professionally. He died when Howard was eight years old.

Collins’ Karate journey began in 1964 when he began learning Kyokushin Karate at the Cardiff School of Budo.

In 1967, Collins decided to join the Metropolitan Police Force in London. Within three weeks of joining, his mother died. He was 19 at the time.

Collins left the Police Force in 1969 to join the Merchant Navy. He decided he wanted to go to Japan to further his Karate knowledge. His aim was to work his way around the world, earning enough money to reach Japan.

By 1971, Collins had arrived in Japan. He travelled to Tokyo, where he was allowed to train at Mas Oyama’s Kyokushin dojo. At the time, he had reached the rank of 3rd Kyu. He became a uchi-deshi (live-in student). He lived and breathed Kyokushin Karate. His main instructor was Yasuhiko Oyama, and he threw himself into his training.

Training in Japan was tough. As a uchi-deshi, Collins trained 7 days a week. Sessions lasted between 2 and 2.5 hours. Twice a week, he was allowed to attend the special training sessions Mas Oyama gave to his black belts.

Collins had the opportunity to train with many of the legends of Japanese Kyokushin Karate, including Shigeru Oyama, Yasuhiko Oyama, Terutomo Yamazaki, Yoshiji Soeno, Miyuki Miura, Daigo Oishi, and Katsuaki Sato, among others.

In October 1972, Collins competed in the 4th All Japan Open Karate Tournament. On his way to the final, he defeated Terutomo Yamazaki, the winner of the 1st All Japan Open Karate Tournament. He made it to the final, where he lost to Miyuki Miura. He had previously competed in the 3rd All Japan Open Karate Tournament the previous year.

Impressed by his dedication to his training, Oyama asked Collins to take the 100-man Kumite Challenge. This challenge is unique to Kyokushin Karate. It is a test that challenges a person’s mental and physical capabilities. Previously, the challenge was split over two days. However, Collins became the first person to complete the challenge in the new, single-day compulsory format. He completed the challenge in 3 hours and 30 minutes.

As a foreigner in Japan, Collins was very recognisable. The manga author, Ikki Kajiwara, featured him in one of his publications.

Oyama promoted Collins to 3rd Dan in September 1973. Collins returned to the UK, where he started teaching. He also taught across Europe.

Between 1st and 2nd November 1975, the 1st World Open Karate Tournament was held in Tokyo, Japan. 168 competitors from 32 countries participated in the tournament. Each country sent a team of four competitors and one coach. As the host, Japan was allowed to field six competitors.

Collins was selected to represent Great Britain. In one of the best fights of the tournament, Collins defeated American Willie Williams to make it to the next round. He lost to Toshikazu Sato, after several extensions and a rematch, by judges’ decision. He missed out on finishing in the top eight.

Katsuaki Sato of Japan defeated teammate Hatsuo Royama to become the first Kyokushin World Champion. The Japanese competitors finished in the top six, with Americans Charles Martin and Frank Clark finishing in seventh and eighth, respectively.

In 1977, Collins emigrated to Sweden, where he became the Chief Instructor at Gothenburg Karate Kai (GKK). He had been invited to Sweden by Attila Meszaros, the founder of GKK. Meszaros had been training since the 1960s and had established the dojo in 1965.

In 1977, Collins defeated Alwyn Heath in the final of the British Open. He won the heavyweight title. En route to the final, he had a memorable match against Kenny Uytenbogaardt of South Africa, who dwarfed him by several inches.

In 1978, at the British Open that also doubled as the 1st European Weight Category Karate Championships, Collins became the European Heavyweight Champion. At the event held in London, he defeated Jeff Whybrow in the final.

At the 2nd World Open Tournament in 1979, Collins represented Great Britain, alongside Bernard Creaton, Jeff Whybrow, and Alwyn Heath. He made it through the first two rounds. He finished in fifth place. After the tournament, he retired from actively competing.

Collins was promoted to 4th Dan by Oyama in 1980. That same year, his book, “The Kyokushin Knockdown Book“, was published.

For the next couple of years, Collins continued teaching and training his students in Sweden. With other instructors, like Brian Fitkin, Sweden had become a hotbed of Kyokushin Karate.

In 1993, Collins was promoted to 7th Dan by Oyama. This was the last promotion he received from him. Mas Oyama died on 26 April 1994, in Tokyo.

Always looking to teach, Collins has published several books. “The Absolute Karate: Applications of Kyokushin” was published in 1995. “The Shodan” was published in 2003. “The Gateway” was published a year later.

Collins is a member of the Swedish Karate Kyokushinkai and is affiliated with Kenji Midori’s WKO Shinkyokushin. He is the Chief Instructor of the GKK. He is also the Technical Director of the World Karate Organisation (WKO). A gifted instructor, he frequently travelled around Europe conducting seminars and training camps to pass on his wealth of knowledge to a new generation of students.

In 2015, the GKK celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The dojo was established in 1965.

At the 11th World Open Tournament WKO (IKO–2), held between 31st October and 1st November 2015, in Tokyo, Collins was promoted to 8th Dan.

Age has not stopped Howard Collins. He continues to teach at his Gothenburg dojo. He still regularly teaches courses with Brian Fitkin in Sweden and across Europe.