Tag: Hironori Ohtsuka

Gary Spiers

An instructor must instill the attitude… “My life is in jeopardy – I must finish this man (or men) here in now!” Gary Spiers A larger-than-life character, Gary Spiers was one of the earliest exponents of practical applied Karate in the United Kingdom. He was a no-nonsense martial artist who used Karate as a tool …

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This week in history…(10 July – 16 July)

10 July On 10 July 1963, Motokuni Sugiura (a future Chief Instructor of the JKA) resigned as a director of the JKA. In April of the following year, he became a full-time Physical Education Karate Instructor at Asia University. Between 10-14 July 2019, Yasunori Ogura was a guest instructor with Koji Chubachi at the JKA …

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Yoshitaka Funakoshi

When our Sempai taught us kata, they told us that when Yoshitaka Funakoshi performed a kata, those who observed him experienced a particular sensation, the tremendous impression of impending danger. Taiji Kase A major figure in the development of Shotokan Karate, Yoshitaka Funakoshi has arguably had the biggest influence on the Shotokan Karate practised today. …

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This week in history…(29 May – 4 June)

29 May On 29 May 1947, Hamish Adam was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a part of the British team that won the Team Kumite title at the 1975 World Championships, held in Long Beach, California. He was also part of a Scottish team that won the 1973 European Team Championships on their first …

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Leo Lipinski

I firmly believe that to learn to fight you must fight. So most of my basics are geared to fighting not the typical up and down movements you will see in most dojos. I use these for warm-up only and usually I dispense with this type of monotonous practice after about 15 minutes. Leo Lipinski …

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This week in history…(3 April – 9 April)

5 April On 5 April 1870 founder of Motobu Ryu, Chōki Motobu, was born in Okinawa. Motobu was the third son of a noble family. As the third son, he was not allowed to learn the family martial art of Motobu Udundi. This meant he trained under various Okinawan masters such as Anko Itosu, and Sokon Matsumura. A …

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Tatsuo Suzuki

These days, too many people stop training once they pass 2nd or 3rd Dan, they don’t realise belts are not important. Grades mean nothing, all that matters is to train hard. Many people call themselves 10th or even 12th Dan, but most of them are rubbish. Tatsuo Suzuki A direct student of Wado-Ryu Karate founder, …

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This week in history…(23 January – 29 January)

23 January On 23 January 1949, Henri Plee was graded to his Judo 1st Dan under Mikinosuke Kawaishi. Plee became the 16th Judoka to attain this rank in France. On 23 January 1973, Nicholas Pettas was born on the island of Mykonos, Greece. Sometimes known as the ‘Blue-eyed Samurai‘, Nicholas Pettas was one of Mas …

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This week in history…(21 November – 27 November)

21 November On 21 November 1982, the 6th World Championships commenced in Taipei, Taiwan, finishing on 25 November. Japan continued their dominance of World Karate by topping the medal table with six golds, two silvers and four bronzes. Mie Nakayama began her dominance of the Women’s Individual Kata event by winning the first of her …

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This week in history….(19 September – 25 September)

20 September On 20 September 1934, Takayuki Kubota, a pioneer of martial arts in the United States, was born in Yashiro-Shi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. He was the fourth of six children, having four brothers and one sister. His family was descended from a samurai clan that had once invaded the island of Okinawa. On 20 …

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