KOCHI: A top-quality training centre for advancing the cause of traditional karate will be officially opened to the enthusiasts at the Fort Valley in Kakkanad on Friday.
The Budo Academy, a state-of-the-art martial arts dojo, will be inaugurated by Hanshi Zenpo Shimabukuro, holder of the 10th Dan Red Belt - the highest ranking in the world of martial arts.
A native of Okinawa - the cradle of karate - in Japan will also oversee a demonstration of three martial art forms by the visiting ‘Sensei’s and their teams from four different countries, at Thrikkakkara Panchayat Community Hall.
The academy with rubberised flooring is the brainchild of karate experts and brothers V A M Iqbal, V A M Najeem and V A M Jaleel, who have been into martial arts training for three decades.
Practitioners of traditional karate, the brothers established the International Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Seibukan Karate Do in the United Arab Emirates in 1979. “We have opened six academies in the UAE,” said Iqbal. “It was our dream to open one in our state after finding that most of the training centres here do not have the best facilities.” The martial art forms of karate, kobudo and aikido are under the supervision of some of the best teachers trained by Senseis of International repute. Sensei J Measara - 8th Dan Karate - and his team from Germany and Sensei Anatoly from Russia will perform during the demonstration along with the ‘Karate Brothers’.
A 20-member team from the UAE will join Sensei Iqbal, 6th Dan Karate, sensei Najeem, 5th Dan Karate, and sensei Jaleel, 5th Dan Karate, in showcasing their skills.
kochi@expressbuzz.com