Sandokai Karate

"It was late 1969 when I first started training in the martial arts. At that time the club instructor held a green belt, and we had a visit from a black belt from Plymouth (90 miles away) every two weeks. At first, I studied traditional Japanese Wado Ryu karate and after a few false starts got my first belt in December 1973. I continued with Wado Ryu and reached 1st Kyu brown belt, and then my sensei (teacher) decided to form his own style - Bujinkai Karate. On August 12th 1978 I passed my grading examination for Shodan - Black Belt First Dan (level). 2nd Dan followed three years later, and my 3rd Dan three years after that.

"During that time I opened and ran a few clubs in Cornwall, the main ones that continued being the Penzance and Helston dojo (training halls). Apart from an assortment of trophies from a number of competitions both locally and nationally, I am proud to say I have fostered a number of some of Cornwall's best Karate exponents. Men, women and children, able bodied and not so able bodied, have all benefited from the study of the martial arts.

"After a growing dissatisfaction with my progress within Bujinkai Karate, I resigned in November 1991, and formed the Sandokai Karate Association with my senior grades in West Cornwall. 18 months later I was presented with my 4th Dan by Sensei Willie Thomas, the then World Karate Champion, and in May 1998 I was awarded my 5th Dan from the Federation of English Karate Organisations. 2004 saw a big step in my karate career when I was awarded my 6th Dan, the title of Shihan ("master teacher") and hung up my black belt in favour of a red and white "block" belt. In acknowledgement of my dedication to Karate, not just to Sandokai but in respect of my involvement with other traditional karate clubs throughout Britain, I was awarded my 7th Dan at the end of 2011and my 8th Dan in 2019.

"I have no particular preferences for one technique or aspect of Karate over any other, but as an "older" person I do still get considerable pleasure from Kata, especially Saipai, Nijushiho and Unsu. I have had my time in kumite squads, represented Redruth Karate Club, Bujinkai Karate and Sandokai Karate at both local and national levels, and now focus my fighting skills through refereeing and coaching. I am still learning and growing every day.

"I gain vicarious pleasure from guiding my students to their own successes, both in Karate and life itself. I could fill pages and pages of this web site with tales (funny, sad, heroic and just plain daft) of the antics and exploits of myself and my students, but suffice it to say that I have got a lot more out of Karate than I could ever put back in. Karate has been a constant in my life.

"Partners, friends, family, and fortunes have come and gone, but my Karate has always been there, as have life long friends scattered around Britain and the world."

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 12th August 1978
NIDAN - 23rd August 1981
SANDAN - 30th September 1984
YONDAN - 2nd May 1993
GODAN - 31st May 1998
ROKKUDAN - 16th May 2004
SICHIDAN - 17th September 2011
HACHIDAN - 17th November 2019

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
B.Sc. (HONS) PSYCHOLOGY - Polytechnic South West - 28th June 1991
CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATION (Cert. Ed.) - University of Plymouth - 29th September 1996
DIPLOMA IN SOCIAL CARE (QCF L3) - Taylors Academy - 24th November 2017

Kevin Gilbert was always "the quiet one". Not overly interested in the politics or intrigues of Karate, Kevin came, trained and went. Quietly working his way through the grades he was always there, training for the sake of training.

Kevin's strength is the technical side of Karate. The correct way to do a particular technique, a Kata or some element of the syllabus. Using this technical excellence Kevin was a regular member the Bujinkai squad and then the Sandokai team for both Kata and Kumite.

A regular competition entrant, Kevin was at home in either Traditional or Freestyle Karate and headed up the Sandokai squad at both local and national events. It was a rare event when Kevin didn't come home with at least one trophy.

A good all round Karateka, he is an example of how regular hard training can lead to a steady progression in Karate. An instructor who believes in simplicity and hard work, Kevin has produced some top class students.

Now, at a higher level, he is the Senior Instructor of Sandokai, trains the competition squads, oversees Senior Training and Kumite Squad sessions and is an active member behind the scenes organising and running Sandokai.

As the Senior Instructor of Sandokai he continues to ensure that Sandokai has a level of quality unrivalled in the area.

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 22nd October 1989
NIDAN - 29th October 1991
SANDAN - 20th November 1994
YONDAN - 15th November 1998
GODAN - 23rd November 2003
ROKKUDAN - 15th November 2009
SICHIDAN - 20th November 2016
HACHIDAN - 24th November 2024

Shihan Carenza Boughton
Sandokai Karate Registrar

One evening, two new beginners walked into the Penzance Karate Club. One was keen to train, but didn't want to start on his own so he dragged along his reluctant sibling, Terri, who was profoundly deaf. By the end of the evening Terri was hot, sore and hooked. Though Terri had previously trained in Judo with Sensei Brian Gent (and had graded to Green Belt), Karate was a whole new ball game.

The only allowance made for Terri's deafness was the instructor tried to make a point of facing Terri when shouting commands (so Terri could lip read him), and in grading examinations a senior grade stood to one side and signed anything that Terri had not understood from the grading panel.

Many evenings were spent in a local hostelry after training teaching Terri how to lip read Japanese, and other club members learning the rudiments of sign language. Being deaf, Terri would study intently every subtle nuance of a move and practice it to perfection. Unfortunately, this meant that the instructor could not afford to have an "off night" as Terri would collar him afterwards and demand to know why the elbow position in the Kata was two inches lower than it was last week!

A dedicated and hard working student, Terri soon became a "personality" in the South West of England attending every course and training session possible. Her pet phrase ''all part of it!'' has become part of local Karate terminology, usually uttered just after accidentally kicking someone in the groin! When Terri passed her black belt grading the local T.V. station invited her up for an interview and demonstration of her skills. An interesting day to say the least! The demonstration went well for Terri, but during a takedown technique she managed to pull down her instructor's trousers - fortunately there is only one copy of the video left in existence, and Shihan Whale isn't showing it to anyone!

Hard but fair, Terri was an instructor who brooked no nonsense and has many good students to her credit. However, just before Terri's Third Dan grading her doctor told her to quit Karate as she had severe arthritis in her back. Despite the pain and against doctor's orders, Terri took and passed her grade.

Terri's stubbornness resulted in the seniors of Sandokai forcibly resigning her, which didn't go down well at all. No longer capable of the usual physical demands of Karate training, Terri took on the role of Registrar and Licensing Officer, and utilised years of experience coaching the senior grades, sitting on grading panels and dealing with administrative and political issues. Terri is also Sandokai's Chief Examiner, with responsibility for all aspects of grading examinations - from sorting out the paperwork and deciding who sits on what panel to making a "final decision" in the case of any dispute.

In November 1998, Terri's continuing commitment to Karate generally and Sandokai specifically was rewarded with a 4th Dan. Never a quitter, Terri soldiered on and was awarded her 5th Dan in 2004, 6th Dan in 2010 and 7th Dan in 2024. To this day Terri is still actively involved in the martial arts, keeping the senior grades on their toes and setting an example of what can be achieved through a lifetime study of karate.

Recently Terri Carenza Boughton has dropped the "Terri" from her name and now only uses Carenza.

Sandokai Karate would not be the same without her.

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 25th October 1987
NIDAN - 4th November 1989
SANDAN - 28th November 1993
YONDAN - 15th November 1998
GODAN - 15th February 2004
ROKKUDAN - 16th May 2010
SICHIDAN - 24th November 2024

Adam and his brother Lee started training at the Helston Dojo in 1991. He was a cheeky little lad who has worked hard on becoming a quick and efficient kumite exponent.

Initially, a regular member of the junior kumite squad, Adam gained quite a reputation in the local area. Now he is over 18 he has stepped up to the rigours of being a senior in age as well as experience, but fighting in the senior age groups is something he enjoys. Adam is a determined competitor who likes to win and finds karate competition (both kata and kumite) an avenue of self-improvement.

When Sandokai puts on a public demonstration in aid of a charity event you will find Adam in the fore at almost every event. His "party piece" is a dynamic wood breaking demonstration, where he performs a jumping front kick to break a piece of about 8 or 9 feet in the air!

Amongst other pursuits Adam is quite adept at Cornish Wrestling having gained and successfully defended the Under 16's, Under 18s and Middleweight Championship title, though these days he has little time to seriously pursue this traditional Cornish sport.

Adam combines his hard work and dedication in the dojo with working as a nurse and studying to further his medical qualifications.

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 16th November 1997
NIDAN - 14th November 1999
SANDAN - 24th November 2002
YONDAN - 19th November 2006
GODAN - 20th November 2011
ROKKUDAN - 26th November 2017
SICHIDAN - 24th November 2024

Josh was one of a group of lads from Helston that thought they'd try out karate for a bit of a laugh. Typically, most of the group dropped out after time as they realised that the fun came with hard work.

Not so, Josh.

Carrying on quietly in the background, and willing to give anything a go, Josh started being noticed as an efficient kumite competitor and a reasonable kata exponent.

Unsurprisingly, Josh passed his black belt in 2007 with very positive feedback from the examiners and is now the backbone of the Sandokai kumite squad.

He continues to train, growing in many ways with every passing week. Despite the pressures of a young man's life, Josh always makes time for his karate and intends to do so for a long time to come.

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 26th August 2007
NIDAN - 9th August 2009
SANDAN - 19th August 2012
YONDAN - 21st August 2016
GODAN - 21st August 2022

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 24th February 2013
NIDAN - 19th February 2017

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 21st November 2021
NIDAN - 26th November 2023

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 22nd May 2022
NIDAN - 19th May 2024

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 23rd February 2020

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 21st November 2021

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 20th August 2023

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 26th November 2023

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 26th November 2023

Diogo (or "D" as he is mostly known) hails from Portugal where he had extensive training in Shotokai karate before moving to Cornwall with his family.

Once settled in he looked around for a new dojo. Eventually he alighted in a Sandokai dojo and found his new karate home with Shihan Whale. Several years later, having reached 1st Kyu, fate conspired against him in the form of work commitments, illness and Covid-19. It took him five years before he finally took, and passed, his Shodan (Black Belt) grading in 2024.

During those five years on the cusp of his black belt he was Shihan Whale's assistant instructor, club secretary and right-hand-man, not just being a mainstay of the Kea dojo at Playing Place but also opening satellite clubs between Truro and St. Austell.

As a family man, he has channeled his passion for karate to his two older boys who have joined Sandokai and are steadfastly following in their father's footsteps; as D followed in the footsteps of his father, John Camacho 2nd Dan in Shotokai, who trained with Tetsuji Murakami, Atsuo Hiruma, Tomoji Miyamoto, and Mitsusuke Harada. He also met Ōsensei Shigeru Egami, the founder of Shotokai and an old student of Funakoshi, when he was a green belt and later went to his home in Japan.

D's aspiration is to train and expand his knowledge of Karate with people that have shaped and influenced karate around Cornwall and around the world. Knowing that karate is physically, mentally and emotionally a foundation for life he intends to continue to share his karate with everyone he meets, teaching strength and perseverance, creating friendships for life and finding a home anywhere in the world where there is a dojo to train in.

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 18th August 2024

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 18th August 2024

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 18th August 2024

My journey in Karate began in the Summer of 2021. My friend and neighbour Sempai Neil Didlick, encouraged me to bring William my son (now a 1st Kyu Student himself) to the dojo to learn Karate.

The first training session was supposed to be supporting my son and initially I had no intention of getting involved in the training. Shihan Gilbert encouraged me to have a go and at the age of 44 yrs I had begun my journey on the educational path of Karate with no idea where it would take me. The rest is history.

The gang at Helston are a great bunch and welcomed myself and William from day one. I cannot stress enough the gratitude I feel towards all of the instructors at the club who have tirelessly dedicated themselves to teaching myself and my son karate over the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Sandokai. The training has pushed and pulled me in ways I never believed my body was capable of. For me, the key is always to seek improvement but, equally as important, to maintain a bit of fun in the training.

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 18th August 2024

DAN GRADES
SHODAN - 18th February 2001