Karate: Kyokushin-Ryu   |20 October 2023

Shihan Philip Verghese conducts karate training in Sri Lanka

Shihan Philip Verghese 6th Dan has just returned from conducting a 10-day intensive training course for the Kyokushin-Ryu karate students in Sri Lanka who train under Sensei Alberto Rodrigo.

Sensei Rodrigo started his Kyokushin career while he was working as a security officer for the then Seychelles Marketing Board (SMB).

He joined the Seychelles Kyokushin Karate School and trained under Shihan Phillip Moustache.

Before he left Seychelles, when his contract ended some 20 years ago, he had earned the rank of 2nd Dan Black Belt.

During this time, his son Buddika also started his training in Seychelles and was a 2nd Kyu Brown Belt when he left Seychelles.

Upon his return to Sri Lanka Sempai Rodrigo started his own dojo in his home town of Moronthuduwa under the IKO.

When Shihan Moustache decided to leave the IKO and join the International Karate Alliance Kyokushin Ryu Organisation (IKAK) under Kancho Peter Chong, Sensei Rodrigo also decided to follow and on August 23, 2023 he was nominated as a Branch Chief in Sri Lanka and awarded his 3rd Dan.

During his many years of training, seven of Sensei Rodrigo’s students had achieved the rank of 1st Kyu Brown Belt and were due to be evaluated for their shodan grading.

Shihan Steven Foo (5th Dan), the Global Director for IKAK and Shihan Mohammed Nazim (5th Dan), the Regional Representative for Sri Lanka, Maldives and India, organised to be in Sri Lanka on Thursday October 12, 2023 to conduct the grading.

Realising that his students needed more up-to-date training in basic techniques and further explanation of the various katas, Sensei Rodrigo reached out and contacted Shihan Verghese and enquired if he was willing to come to Sri Lanka to help the students.

Shihan Verghese agreed and arrived in Sri Lanka on October 4.

During his time there, Shihan Verghese conducted two classes daily, one every morning from 9am to 11.30am specifically for the senior students and the other in the evening from 5pm to 8pm for the general class.

In the morning class apart from polishing their basic techniques, the three senior students were taught advanced combinations as well as fighting combinations; they were taken through all the required katas (forms) including the newly introduced katas and the changes made.

The grading on Thursday October 12 was conducted by Shihan Nazim with Shihan Foo and Shihan Verghese presiding as grading officers.

Due to the fact that Shihan Foo and Shihan Nazim had to travel for almost two hours to reach the dojo from Colombo and had to travel back the same day, time spent on the grading was limited but the karatekas were required to demonstrate all the basic and advanced techniques of Kyokushin Ryu Karate.

This was achieved by their continuous repetition of the basic and advanced katas of Kyokushin Karate coupled with their knowledge of the application of the techniques used in the katas.

The students also had to fight ten opponents each with all the fights being conducted under the IKA’s full contact rules and was undoubtedly the hardest part of the test.

As this was the first time a Shodan grading exam was held at the Moronthuduwa Dojo, the karatekas were cheered on by their parents and a large crowd that had turned up to witness the event.

All the members aptly demonstrated Kyokushin’s unique philosophy of the ‘Spirit of Osu’ which requires them to persevere beyond one’s limit.

At the end of the grading, Shihan Foo informed the seven karatekas that they had succeeded in their grading exam and promoted them to the rank of 1st Dan with the title of Sempai, but he also reminded them that they had to train harder and implement the knowledge they had gained from Shihan Verghese to better themselves and help bring the younger karatekas up to the standard required by the IKAK.

For his part, Shihan Verghese thanked Sensei Rodrigo and his students for the hospitality shown to him during his stay in Sri Lanka and reiterated the need for the senior students to practice harder and take on the responsibility of helping with the running of the dojo and training of the younger students.

He promised to return next year to further their knowledge and hold grading for the younger belts. 

Contributed