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Welcome to Henka-Ryu.co.uk. Henka-Ryu, the "Way of Change" or "Alternative Way" is not a style. It was the name given to a (somewhat successful) string of karate clubs in the South East London area in the mid seventies by my first instructor, Glenn Wylie (with whom I recently re-made contact). Glenn, third Dan, began his karate career in Kyokushinkai under Mike Dinsdale and Dickie Wu, a perfect combination, he told me, of stylish and tough that gave him a great grounding. My early training consisted of: kihon; a set of seven novel kata, mostly based on traditional ones, plus Sanchin - which always involved shimewaza (testing); and a fairly brutal form of kumite. When I left London for University my training took me to many different styles and schools, but I stuck with the name "Henka-Ryu" because I liked the maverick quality it implied. |
In1999, I wrote an article for "Traditional Karate" called "What's so Special About a Black Belt". It was deliberately provocative, but reasonably well received, and started the ball rolling with many more articles, leading to a "Combat" Hall of Fame award for my journalism in 2003. My writing led to my appointment as press officer for, firstly the AMA, and more recently the EKGB and its successor, Karate England (see links for more info). As a result I have added to my portfolio a number of competition reports and other press releases. These will be added to the site in due course. The "What's New" page also tries to provide a (wholly unauthorised) update of on the development of the new governing body, "Karate England", during this period of uncertainty and upheaval. I would welcome any information from my readers. It is my intention to stimulate and inform. My inspirations are the late Geof Gleeson, of whom more later, a giant intellect and superlative judo player and coach; and Rob Redmond, editor of www.24fightingchickens.com , a site which sets out to challenge many of the prejudices and misunderstandings taken as fact by many. I would like to invite you to join me on the shoulders of these two giants. |
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