martial arts words | Frankie Hatton
SHOTOKAN DOJO Karate in Gibraltar
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Higgins, Mick Dewey, Bob Poynton, Bob from some early source in China. Gichen Rhodes and Steve Cattle. Funakoshi developed the style called shotokan and first demonstrated it in Tokyo in 1922. So successful was his demonI began training in 1982, took a seven year stration, he was asked to teach it in the gap then began in earnest with SEKU in university and from there, one of the most 1991. GibShot first started in 2009 using widely practised martial arts was born. the gym at DTC. Often, I would also teach By the 60’s, karate was being practised in a small room where I live until I got more in the UK under the watchful eye of than four students and space became an Keinosuke Enoeda (The Tiger), one of a issue. I’ve used various venues where I band of what are now known as the first can and currently our dojo is at Governor’s can hurt... generation of instructors to Meadow School. take karate beyond Japan. The Gibraltar Shotokan Karate It is learning By the mid 80’s, British karate Union, or GibShot in short, is relatively new Gibshot is affiliated to the Shotokan to fight so had several world champions to the Rock. There had been a shotokan of England Karate Union (SEKU) you don’t dojo previously but when I arrived in 2002, at different weights and were which I was able to join through my need to fight. own instructor who is Chairman I wasn’t aware of any. The words ‘shotokan arguably the best in the world. Enoeda began teaching first dojo’ mean pine waves house training hall. & Chief Instructor to SEKU Mick in Liverpool then in Blackfriars in London Pine Waves was Funakoshi’s pen name. Dewey 8th dan. Sensei Dewey regularly near the bridge across the Thames. His Shoto means ‘pine waves’ kan means comes to Gibraltar to ‘grade’ my students. students from that time read like a Who’s ‘house’, dojo is ‘training hall’. I have trained with Sensei Dewey for 25 who of karate fame Andy Sherry, Terry years now as well as other notables includO’Neill, Frank Brennan, Dave Hazard. All of ing Sensei Keinosuke Enoeda whose dojo Shotokan itself had its beginnings in whom became the backbone of the British in Marshall Street I joined in 1998 when I Okinawa, Japan. Karate as a fighting art, and All Stars karate squads along with Billy worked in central London. like most of them, began out of necessity ibraltar has a long history of war and knows a thing or two about conflict. That history, or Art of War is not lost on some as the martial arts from around the world find a home here. From Jujitsu to Judo, Iaido (pronounced ‘yaido’),Tai Kwan Do, Shotokai karate, Tai Chi, Injuries do Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and occur and my own particular favourite, training Shotokan karate.
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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE APRIL 2016