Bob Rhodes 7th DAN KUGB

Sensei Bob Rhodes is a leading practitioner and teacher of Shotokan karate in Great Britain and Europe. Born in Middleton, Leeds on the 3rd March 1946. He was educated at Harehills School, Leeds and he quotes his early interests a "Sports in general, swimming, cricket, and football in particular".

He intended to join the Merchant Navy as a draughtsman, but his papers were delayed and by the time they arrived, he had changed his mind.

In his 'teens he heard about a karate club in Leeds town centre which he promptly joined. He picked up karate quickly, and it was not long before he realised that the standard of tuition left a lot to be desired.

In 1967 at the age of 20, he discovered a club at Armley called the Leeds Shotokan Karate Club. On visiting, he immediately realised that the standard of karate was much higher, and he became a member. His first teacher at the club was KUGB International Team member Ron Wade.

Bob made rapid progress at the club and was soon fighting as a member of the Leeds team at local, regional, and national championships. He was a member of the KUGB national team at the same time as the Great Britain All-Styles National Squad for 8 years. In 1975 he was a member of the kumite squad which achieved first place in the World Championships in California, beating the Japanese team. In 1971, he was first selected as a KUGB Grading Examiner and in 1974; he became a full-time instructor of the KUGB. He is also a member of the KUGB Technical Committee, and is also a qualified international referee.

He is noted for his hard dynamic fighting style, and he was strongly influenced by Sensei Enoeda, as can be evidenced from his specialisation of Kuzushi-Waza, that is, the application of foot-sweeps, trips, and throws to defeat an opponent. He is also noted for his creative applications to Shotokan Kata. A staunch and supportive member of the KUGB, he says he will continue to work for the future development of the organisation.

Sensei Rhodes has never put money before the quality of his karate and of his teaching. Sensei Rhodes has taught many dedicated students who have won national and international events in both kata and kumite giving credibility to the effectiveness of his teaching. For over 30 years he was the Chief Instructor at Leeds Karate Club and Leeds University KC where he and the students dominated regional and national competitions for many decades. Sensei Rhodes now lives in Torbay, South of England where he will be teaching on various courses as well as around the country.