(705) 927-2309 < Back Lindsay Wado Kai Karate Sensei Craig McCleary (705) 927-2309 lindsaywadokai@gmail.com Address 260 Kent Street West, Lindsay, ON, Canada Lindsay, ON, Canada K9V 2Z5 Practice Times Tuesday - 5-9 yrs - 6:00-6:45 pm (Eastern Daylight Time) Tuesday - Youth-Up - 6:45-7:45 pm / Adults - 7:45-8:30 pm Club Website or Social Media Notes Previous Map Next

(705) 884-2222 < Back Dubreuilville Wado-Kai Sensei Clarence Boutin (705) 884-2222 boutin.clarence@gmail.com Address 1596 Avenue du Parc, Dubreuilville, ON, Canada Dubreuilville, ON, Canada Practice Times Wednesday/Sunday - 6:00-8:30 pm (Eastern Daylight Time) Club Website or Social Media Notes Previous Map Next

< Back 2025 REACH Awards 2025 Reach Award recipients announced at Shintani Annual Memorial Tournament on 24 May 2025 https://811184d5-cd1f-4953-859e-95ef22fe2c82.usrfiles.com/ugd/811184_1a86ba4252a04fb19eb64e6817a16acc.pdf Previous Continue Reading Next

< Back Darren Humphries - Shichidan (7th Dan) Director Inspired by his older brother Jayson Humphries, Sensei Darren began his karate training in Arcola, Saskatchewan in 1986 under Sensei Rathe Mokelky (Rokudan). He was honored to have been graded to his Shodan in the spring of 1990 by Sensei Peter Coilfi and Sensei Roland Day. In January 1998, he received the rank of 1st Dan in Jin Pal Hapkido and in July the same year received the rank of Sandan in Shindo. In September 2021, he received the rank of Shichidan (7th Dan) from the World Traditional Karate Association. In November 2021, he received a Rokudan (6th Dan) in Shindo from the Shindo Federation of North America. In December 2021, he received the rank of Shichidan (7th Dan) from the SWKKF Senate. In 1996-1997, Sensei Darren was selected by Sensei Shintani and his senior students to be on the first Shintani World Competition Team to travel to Okinawa to compete. Sensei quoted on September 15, 1996 " I think that this team will show the world the true spirit of karate." Although the trip was eventually cancelled, the groundwork was established for the SWKKF National Team. He was a member of the National team in 1997-1998 and 2002 – 2004 at which time he competed across Canada and the United States. Sensei Darren has been involved with numerous committees and has been active in the growth and development of Shintani Wado Kai in Saskatchewan and Alberta. He became Sensei Rathe Mokelky’s assistant instructor in the late 80s and early 90s; teaching at several clubs in South Eastern Saskatchewan and then later founded clubs in Findlater, Saskatchewan. In 2005, he founded the Dynamic Karate Association of Alberta based out of Northwest Calgary Alberta. He is currently the head instructor and treasurer for the Dynamic Karate Association of Alberta and operates clubs in NW Calgary and Turner Valley, Alberta. Sensei Darren resides in Calgary, Alberta with his wife Deborah, son Carter and daughters Lexi and Maya. dhumphries@shintani.ca +1 (403) 671-5662

Brief History of Karate Some of the earliest origins of karate have been traced to the island of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Island chain. It is thought that a native style of self-defense developed here called te, or hand in English. Okinawa is within close distance to the coasts of Japan, China, Taiwan, and Korea. Thus there has been extensive influence from a number of Asian cultures in the subsequent history of this island. Karate as it has developed is thought to be an amalgamation of te with some prominent Chinese martial arts, such as Shaolin Temple Monk fist boxing. In early years, karate was translated as "Chinese hand". (kara = China / Chinese and te = hand) An early event germane to the development of karate, occurred in 1477 during the beginning of the newly formed Sho Dynasty (Reid & Croucher, 1983 ). In order to manage unruly warlords, the king proclaimed a ban on the carrying of swords, and had all weapons, and the warlords themselves, brought to court, where they could be monitored. In 1609 when the Japanese annexed Okinawa, they maintained the ban on the carrying of weapons. However, Japanese samurai were exempt from this edict. It is suggested that during this time both the art of the hand, as well as weapon arts, or kobudo, were developing. The nobility were studying mostly te, and the peasant classes developing weapons systems based upon the use of familiar, and available tools, such as rice flails (nunchaku), mill grindstone handles (tonfa), sickles (kama), and other implements. On Okinawa, te began to develop into three similar, but distinct systems. They were tied to the major geographical regions of Shuri, Tomari, and Naha. Reid & Croucher (1983) state that these differences may have emerged through the divergent influences coming into each region. Shuri-te evolved more from the influence of the harder Shaolin Temple style under the likes of Sokon Matsumura, and Naha-te, these being more closely related to the "inner" Chinese styles. They emphasized the cultivation of ki (a.k.a. chi), or life energy and was fostered by Kanryo Higaonna. In the early 1920's, an Okinawan school teacher under the tutelage of Anko Itosu, named Gichin Funakoshi, was observed by the Japanese Emperor's son performing a display of Shuri-te karate. Funakoshi was subsequently invited to Japan to demonstrate karate for the nation, and later went on to be charged with incorporating it into the regular Japanese school curriculum. Funakoshi's adaptations to shorin-style karate later became known as shotokan, a name adapted from his own authored pen name. In 1935, a multi-style coalition of karate masters met to decide on a common name for their teachings, and "karate" was decided upon, with a slight change in the meaning to "empty hand", a decision which reflects the independent political stance at the time. Tomari-te appears to adopt aspects of both the hard and soft of Shuri-te and Naha-te, and has been associated with Kosanku Matsumora. Towards the late 1800's, the Shuri and Tomari styles merged into what was called shorin-ryu (the small forest school). Shorin is the Okinawan pronunciation of "Shaolin" in Mandarin-Chinese. The shorin-based styles tend to be light and high in stance. Many styles have emerged from this line, including kobayashi-ryu under Chosin Chibana, matsubayashi-ryu under Shosin Nagamine, and the shorin-ryu of Yasutsune ("Anko") Itosu. Naha-te emerged as goju-ryu (hard and soft school) under the development of Chojun Miyagi, with the goju style placing emphasis on breathing and tension. Another school, shito-ryu is a combination of both goju and shorin styles, while uechi-ryu is very similar to goju.

(519) 420-0594 < Back Simcoe South Wado Kai Sensei Bruce Perkins (519) 420-0594 t-foster@flarenet.com Address 128 Evergreen Hill Road, Simcoe, ON, Canada Simcoe, ON, Canada N3Y 4N5 Practice Times Tueday/Thrusday - Juniors - 7-8 pm / Adults Mix Class - 7-9 pm Club Website or Social Media Notes Previous Map Next

(306) 921-3915 < Back Melfort Wado Kai Karate Sensei Jonathan Scott (306) 921-3915 melforkarateclub@gmail.com Address 550 Hutcheson Street, Melfort, SK, Canada Melfort, SK, Canada Practice Times Tuesday - Junior Class - 6:00-7:00 pm (Central Standard Time) Adult/Advance - 7:00-8:30 pm Club Website or Social Media Notes Previous Map Next

(780) 961-3538 < Back Vimy Wado Kai Sensei Ian Shank (780) 961-3538 ilshank@mcsnet.ca Address 5016 50 Street, Sylvan Lake, AB, Canada Vimy, AB, Canada Practice Times Tuesday/Thursday - 7:00-8:00 pm (Mountain Daylight Time) Club Website or Social Media Notes Previous Map Next

Karate Federation Shintani Wado Kai SWKKF Introduction The Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation (SWKKF) is a non-profit organization that was founded by Hanshi Masaru Shintani in 1966. The SWKKF is one of the largest martial arts organization of a single style in North America. Current registered membership is approximately 1,900 students with 400+ active black belts. The largest Canadian membership groups are in Southern Ontario and Alberta. SWKKF membership continues to grow nationally, particularly in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and British Columbia. US membership also continues to grow, an area that we are looking to expand. The SWKKF supports a national team that represents it at Canadian and international tournaments. Organizational Structure The SWKKF has adopted a practical, functional structure that supports its strategy and strategic direction. One aspect addresses its hierarchical structure and the other area establishes designated SWKKF activities. Members are elected to representative positions within this structure for a period of 4 years. The last election was held in 2020. Hierarchical Structure SWKKF Committees Provincial Senate Finance Viability Regional Members Investment Clubs Service Excellance Legacy Click any box for more info. NOTE: Current provinces represented include: Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Current states represented include: Arizona, Arkansas, Texas and New York. Club members with any questions or concerns should first contact their club representative(s). They will be pleased to assist you.

< Back Peter Ruch Jul 13, 2022 comments debug Comments (1) Write a comment Write a comment Sort by: Newest ylebel Nov 18, 2024 Some pictures of our dear late friend and pass senate member sensei Peter Ruch being recognized by the Town of Fort Erie for his years on contribution. Sensei Denis Labbe and I were at the ceremony. Also a pic of his family, daughter Cory with her husband and son Brayden and his son Steven and Peter’s wife Darlene. Like Reply Previous Next

< Back Jim Atkinson - Hachidan (8th Dan) Vice President & Secretary Sensei Jim started his karate career in 1981 at the Simcoe South Club under the instruction of Sensei Bruce Perkins. He was graded to Shodan in 1987 and in June 2021 received the rank of Hachidan (8th Dan) from the SWKKF Senate and in December 2021, received the rank of Hachidan (8th Dan) from the World Traditional Karate Association. Sensei Jim has been the head instructor of Delhi Wado Kai since 1992. Sensei Jim has been very active in the SWKKF. He worked with Sensei Bruce Perkins to develop the SWKKF scholarship fund and was a member of the first Shindo committee, which has worked to develop the Shindo program within the federation. Sensei Jim was also involved in the production of Volumes 1 and 2 of the Kata DVD's as well as all 3 Shindo DVD's. Sensei Jim was the Ontario provincial representative for a lengthy time until being appointed to the Senate. Sensei Jim is currently the Vice President and Secretary of the Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation and the Chair of the Shindo Federation of North America. jatkinson@shintani.ca +1 (519) 428-8406

(403) 257-4638 < Back South Calgary Wado Kai Sensei Heather Fidyk (403) 257-4638 senseiheather@calgarywadokai.com Address 223 146 Ave SE, Calgary, AB, Canada Calgary, Alberta T2J 6P8 Practice Times Tuesday - 6:15-8:30 pm / Thursday - 7:00-8:30 pm (Mountain Daylight) Friday - 7:00-8:30 pm / Saturday - 9:20-12:30 pm Club Website or Social Media Notes Previous Map Next