Andersonstown karate aficionado Oliver Brunton enthralled participants at the special technical (kata) course which he conducted last weekend.
Everyone from beginners to advanced students were mesmerised by his mastery of the techniques which enable him to produce the explosive karate necessary to be competent in this ultimate self defence system.
Oliver has studied wado karate for the past six decades, travelling to Japan once a year to study with the top proponents of the art.
This has given him an unparalleled knowledge of karate and the technical aspects needed to to become proficient in this ancient system of combat.
Oliver is able to harness this awareness into producing precise, dynamic karate which is all the more remarkable given that he is now in his eighties.
Such is his level of expertise that the Japanese Karate Federation (JKF) awarded him the level of 7th Dan (black belt) with their wado-kai school following completion of a rigourous grading examination.
Oliver’s technical ability and keen eye to recognise the level of others’ proficiency also led to him being made a technical examiner within JKF.
Many karate practitioners seek out Oliver to help them to progress in the technical field of karate, something which has eluded many within the British Isles and across Europe.
“I am finding that more and more people are realising there is more to karate than just kicking and punching,” Oliver related.
“They want to explore the detail required to make their karate effective and enable them to produce competent techniques.”
Andersonstown Karate Club trains at Andersonstown Leisure Centre on Fridays from 4.30pm to 5.40pm. Girdwood Karate Club trains at Girdwood Community Hub on Wednesdays 7pm to 8pm.
Anyone who wishes to learn karate with Oliver should visit www.irishkarate.com or email him at obrunton@aol.com.
