Chief instructor in Canada and Guyana, 7th Dan Black Belt Frank Woon-A-Tai is to meet with President Bharrat Jagdeo to discuss the construction of a local karate college.
“The Japan Karate Association (JKA) is currently on the verge of building a karate college in Guyana but still has to meet with the President to put things in place and to discuss the construction of the college,” Woon-A-Tai told Stabroek Sport in an exclusive interview.
He added that President Jagdeo had indicated that he was impressed with the idea of the college which Woon-A-Tai said would help in teaching the value of karate to students.
He said karate has three aspects: character development, physical education and fitness and self-defence. It is also a sport.
In addition, the organization is currently trying to introduce a diploma in karate programme as part of the curriculum at the University of West Indies (UWI).
Woon-A-Tai said he believed karate would help children to focus if it were introduced in the school system under the physical education programme here.
Studying to become an instructor is the equivalent of achieving a university degree, he noted.
“Karate training would help to develop the children’s minds and bodies as well as help them to focus. There are many young children who turn to a life of crime and violence and we believe if we can get them early they would understand the value of karate,” Woon-A-Tai said.
The Guyana-born chief instructor has been in Guyana since Saturday and has been conducting training sessions with the students of the Guyana Japan Karate Association (GJKA).
One of the main reasons for the course is to certify the students to be judges and coaches. The course started last year and is ongoing.
Woon-A-Tai has conducted the special training for judges and for the Dan exams that will be conducted by 9th Dan Master Teruyuki Okazaki. In the first exam held at the Guyana Red Cross Headquarters, 156 persons participated ranging from black to purple belt.
Woon-A-Tai said he was impressed with the work being done. He noted that the students were very enthusiastic. He, however, said that he would like to see the students taking the training a bit more seriously.
When asked what he expects to achieve from the programme, Woon-A-Tai said it was his hope that the trainees, especially the black belts, would be successful in their examinations so as to move on to the next level.
Woon-A-Tai started karate in 1968 under the JKA movement. In 1976 he emigrated to Jamaica and lived there for five years before moving to Canada in 1981 where he continued his karate studies. He is now the head of the JKA in Canada which has over 150 clubs.
Woon-A-Tai disclosed that he and his wife were the only couple with the rank of 7th Dan and were graduate instructors in the JKA which he said was unique.
He noted that there were many styles and forms of karate with different ranking systems but said he thought that JKA’s style was the best.
He also opined that more people should try to follow true or traditional karate.
