Steve Arneil

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The true essence of Karate is the forging of one’s character/spirit through hard training. No man typified this principle more than Steve Arneil. He was the second man to complete the gruelling One Hundred Man Kumite Challenge, after the great Masutatsu (Mas) Oyama.

Steve Arneil, the son of a steelworker, was born on 29 August 1934 in the mining city of Krugersdorp, South Africa.

Arneil’s martial arts journey began when, at the age of twelve, he started learning Judo from Allen Robinson, the son of the famous judoka Jack Robinson. The Arneil family had earlier moved to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), where Arneil’s father worked as a smelter in a copper mine.

Although Arneil dabbled a little with boxing, an operation on his nose put an end to that. In 1950, he earned his 1st Dan in Judo. It was around this time that he met an old Chinese man he saw practising Kempo and Tai Chi outside his hardware store. Arneil persuaded the man to teach him his style. He studied with him for the next two years.

It should be mentioned that Arneil was a keen rugby player, becoming one of the youngest players to represent Northern Rhodesia. He played in matches against Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and an invitation team from England and Wales.

On a visit to Durban, South Africa, Arneil first learnt about Karate from some Judo friends. His first introduction to Karate came from an Okinawan man who taught him Goju-Ryu for about a month.

In 1958, at the suggestion of his now very old Kempo instructor, Arneil travelled to China via South Africa (to gather finances for the trip). He stayed at a YMCA hostel in Hong Kong for six months. Unhappy with the Kung Fu dojo he was training at, he made an unsuccessful attempt to enter mainland China. He eventually ended up in the Philippines, where he stayed for around six weeks, working on ships and learning knife-fighting techniques.

Arneil’s old Kempo teacher had mentioned a karateka reputed for his great strength and discipline. This man was Mas Oyama. In 1961, Arneil travelled to Yokohama, Japan, in search of Oyama.

Once in Japan, Arneil travelled to the Kodokan, the headquarters of Judo, located in Tokyo. It was there that he met the famed martial arts practitioner and historian, Donn Draeger. The American, a fluent Japanese speaker, had previously trained with Oyama and offered to introduce him to Arneil. They travelled to Oyama’s Ikebukuro dojo. Oyama’s style of Karate was Kyokushin, meaning “Ultimate Truth.” At the time of the visit, Oyama was in the United States. Arneil was introduced to Kenji Kurosaki, who was running the dojo in Oyama’s absence.

With the absence of Oyama from the dojo, Arneil was not allowed to train. However, he could observe training. For six months, he would travel to the Ikebukuro dojo to watch the classes. He would leave without anyone speaking to or acknowledging him at the dojo.

Oyama eventually returned from his travels. Arneil was introduced to him by Draeger. Much to his surprise, Oyama asked if he had seen any other Karate styles while in Japan. He would not be accepted into the dojo until he had experienced some of the other Karate styles available.

Arneil visited the JKA to view its Shotokan Karate brand. He then visited the dojo of legendary Goju-ryu Karate master, Gogen Yamaguchi, who offered to accept him as a student. Although Arneil liked the Goju-ryu style, his heart was set on learning Kyokushin Karate. After several weeks, he returned to Oyama’s dojo, where he was allowed to begin his Kyokushin training.

It was around this time that Hideyuki Ashihara, another Kyokushin legend, started training. He and Arneil would go on to become good friends.

As expected, training at the Ikebukuro dojo was hard. The rules of the dojo were simple. Students were expected to do as they were told; otherwise, they were out. White belts would be drilled in the same basic techniques for hours before they were allowed to learn a new one. There was also a strict hierarchy in place at the dojo. White belts were expected to clean the dojo and toilets. They were also required to wash the black belts’ uniforms.

Arneil was living a few miles away from the dojo in a single room in Aoyama. He eventually became an uchi-deshi (live-in student). He was alone in a foreign country, struggling with the language and finding the cuisine difficult to eat. The training was also very gruelling. It was a daily affair lasting five to six hours. It was not uncommon for the class to perform 1,000 kicks during a training session. Every day, the class would spend an hour fighting against the black belts.

Arneil stuck with the training. He had saved some money from his time working in South Africa. This meant he could dedicate himself to training full-time. He rose through the ranks and was eventually given the chance to grade for his 1st Dan.

Unfortunately, Arneil failed his grading. In his own words, he had been a little arrogant, thinking that passing his grading was a mere formality. He had even purchased a black belt. At the time of the failure, he was very disappointed, thinking he may have failed because he was a foreigner. He now believes he failed because Oyama did not think he was mentally ready to hold the rank of black belt, even though he was physically capable. He believed failure would teach him humility.

Failure and subsequent hard training taught Arneil a lot about himself. In 1963, six months after his failed grade exam, he retook it and passed. Three weeks later, he received his black belt from Oyama. His whole life was about Karate. In 1964, he received his 2nd Dan.

The funds Arneil had saved prior to arriving in Japan were beginning to run out. To support himself, he took a job as a translator for a machine company. He later worked as an English conversation teacher for various banks, schools and institutes. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Tsuyoko. It was also around this time that he ventured into acting. He appeared in the 1967 James Bond film “You Only Live Twice”.

Oyama approached Arneil in 1965 to attempt the One Hundred Man Kumite Challenge. The challenge, devised by Oyama, was designed to test if a karateka had the necessary endurance and character to fight one hundred men in succession, without a break. If the karateka was knocked down for more than five seconds, then they failed the challenge. It was not about winning but about surviving. Kicks were allowed to the face and joints of an opponent. Oyama was the only man to take and complete the challenge. Other karateka had attempted the challenge and failed.

Arneil began the gruelling training required for taking the One Hundred Man Challenge. The training lasted over five months. He stopped working and dedicated himself to training hard every day. Oyama monitored and guided his training but did not set a date for the challenge.

On the morning of 22 May 1965, Arneil turned up for his usual training session and was told he would be attempting the 100 Man challenge. His first fight lasted around 15 seconds, and he knocked out his opponent. He would go on to knock out around thirty-four of his opponents. He did lose some fights, but importantly, he survived. The challenge lasted about 2 hours and 45 minutes. At the end of the challenge, his body was covered in bruises.

Steve Arneil became the first non-Japanese and only the second man, after Mas Oyama, to complete the One Hundred Man Kumite Challenge. Shortly after the challenge, he was graded and awarded his 3rd Dan.

In 1965, Arneil was preparing to return to Africa with his wife, whom he had married in 1964, when Oyama asked him to go to Britain to help establish Kyokushin Karate. Arneil met up with an old friend, Bob Boulton, a Kyokushin 2nd Dan who had already moved to the United Kingdom. Together in 1965, they founded the British Karate Kyokushinkai (BKK) organisation in London. The following year, Arneil was awarded his 4th Dan.

In 1966, Arneil was elected the manager and coach for the All-Styles Karate team, a position he held until 1975. It was during this time that the foundations were laid down for the future success of British Karate teams, long after he had left the position.

In 1970, Mas Oyama visited Arneil’s British Kyokushin Karate in the UK. Brian Fitkin was among the students who trained with him at Richmond Park.

In 1974, the 7th British Kyokushinkai Championships were held in Crystal Palace. Mas Oyama, Tadashi Nakamura, and Shigeru Oyama were the guests of honour. Arneil and his senior black belts gave a kata demonstration. Brian Fitkin and Howard Collins gave a kumite demonstration.

During his tenure as British Manager, Arneil coached some of the greatest British karatekas. This included Billy Higgins, Ticky Donovan, Terry O’Neill, Eugene Codrington, and Brian Fitkin. Under his guidance, his teams won several European Tournaments. The pinnacle of his career was winning the 1975 World Karate Championships in Long Beach, California. His team became the first non-Japanese team to be crowned Team Kumite World Champions. That same year, the French Karate Federation awarded him the title ‘World’s Best Coach’. He was flown out to Paris, where he received the award from Karate Administrator Jacques Delcourt. It should be noted that he never received any such acclaim from the British.

In 1976, the inaugural BKK British Open was held in Crystal Palace. The tournament became one of Europe’s premier Open Karate tournaments. The first tournament was won by Howard Collins.

By 1977, Arneil had graded to 7th Dan. He received his grade from Oyama at the Kyokushin headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, Arneil was a frequent guest instructor, alongside Tadashi Nakamura and Shigeru Oyama, on courses and training camps in Europe and the United States.

As a senior instructor within the IKO, Arneil frequently attended branch head meetings in Japan with Mas Oyama and other senior branch heads.

In 1991, beset by political and financial pressures within Oyama’s International Karate Organisation, Arneil and the BKK resigned from the organisation after a twenty-five-year association. That same year, he founded his own Karate Association, the International Federation of Karate (IFK). He remained President of the BKK and IFK until January 2021.

On 26 April 1994, Arneil’s teacher and mentor, Masutatsu Oyama, died aged seventy from lung cancer. Oyama’s IKO had become one of the world’s foremost Karate associations. However, after his death, the IKO split into factions. Oyama’s widow, Chiyako, approached Arneil and asked whether he would lead the IKO-2. However, not wishing to become embroiled in the politics of a worldwide organisation, he politely declined the offer.

In 1995, the 1st IFK Championship was held in Cardiff, Wales. Two years later, the 1st IFK Kyokushin World Championship was held in Moscow, Russia.

Over the years, Arneil was primarily concerned with spreading and promoting Kyokushin Karate worldwide. This was achieved through teaching courses and seminars and hosting tournaments. Because of his extensive workload, he relinquished his teaching role at his Crawley Dojo in 2008. The dojo was established in 1969. David Pickthall and Neil Madeley took over the teaching at the dojo.

On 28 March 2011, the 1st Conference of the Kyokushin World Union was held in Moscow. The Conference was to discuss the possibility of separate Kyokushin organisations coming together to compete internationally. The aim was to eventually become an active member of the Olympic movement. Russian, Yury Trutnov of IKO-1, chaired the meeting. Liam Keaveney and David Pickthall were sent as representatives of the IFK on behalf of Arneil. There were also representatives from the Kyokushinkan, the KWF (Kyokushin World Federation), the Shugokai Foundation, and representatives from most of the major Russian Kyokushin associations.

For his services to the British Karate community, Arneil was awarded his 8th Dan in 1992. In 2001, he was awarded his 9th Dan by the IFK Country Representatives Council in recognition of his work promoting Kyokushin Karate worldwide. In 2011, he was awarded his 10th Dan for his dedication to the practice and teaching of Kyokushin Karate.

On 30 November 2011, it was announced that the KWU (Kyokushin World Union) had been established at a founding conference. The event was attended by the likes of Yury Trutnov of the Russian Kyokushin Association, Hatsuo Royama and Tsuyoshi Hiroshige of KI (Kyokushin-Kan International), Kenji Sugekawa of the Kyokushin Foundation, Steve Arneil and David Pickthall of the IFK (International Federation of Karate), and Loek Hollander of the KWF (Kyokushin World Federation).

The 1st KWU World Championship was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in October 2013.

In 2015, the BKK celebrated its 50th anniversary. The main celebrations took place at the 39th British Open Knockdown Championships held in Crawley on the 17th October.

On 14 January 2021, Steve Arneil sent a letter to IFK members stating that he would be retiring as President of the IFK and that David Pickthall would succeed him with immediate effect. The IFK Executive Board had previously agreed with the decision on 3 January.

Pickthall became only the second president of the IFK. Arneil remained on the Executive Board as the IFK’s Founder. Liam Keaveney was appointed Vice-President of the IFK.

On 2 July 2021, Steve Arneil, the founder of the BKK and the IFK, died at the age of 86. British and world Kyokushin lost a true legend. He was survived by his wife, Tsuyuko.

Over the years, Arneil has written several informative books on Kyokushin Karate. He has also appeared on the covers of some top martial arts publications. Over the years, Arneil has written several informative books on Kyokushin Karate. He has also appeared on the covers of some top martial arts publications.

The spirit of Bushido runs deep in Steve Arneil’s veins. From being a stranger in a foreign land, he faced all the challenges that came his way. The Bushido spirit helped him conquer one of the hardest feats in Karate, thus becoming a true pioneer in Karate. His legacy is a strong one. Many top British and international Kyokushin practitioners can trace their roots back to him.