Last Monday evening Shotokan Karateka from all over the North-West converged at the Vale Centre in Greysteel to train with one of the finest and most successful competitors in the world.
Frank Brennan had been rejected from the Red Triangle Karate Club at the age of 12 because he was deemed to be too old; today he is regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time, a fact that is acknowledged and respected throughout the world.
Some of the action from the local karate event.
One of the most senior instructors in the Japanese Karate Association even claimed that “the Japanese team trained with the sole intention of beating Frank Brennan,” highlighting how fantastic a fighter Brennan was.
In 1973, he successfully started training at the Red Triangle Karate Club under Sensei Andy Sherry. After just one year of training he entered his first ever competition in 1974 winning the junior kata event.
Just one year later he was thrust into the lime light as one of his team members was forced to retire from the final of a kumite (fighting) competition with a broken leg. Brennan took the injured team member’s place, and against all expectations won the final with an impressive mawashi-geri combination, making Red Triangle winners again.
Brennan’s karate career continued to progress and in 1979 he became Grand Champion of Europe, winning both kumite and kata categories, a much sought after title. He then went on to repeat this success a further three times, consolidating his reputation as one of the greatest fighters in the world.
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He continued to compete up to 1990 by taking the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) team to victory at the World Shotokan Championships.
Sensei Frank Brennan continues to form a integral part of the world of karate as a senior instructor in the KUGB. He is a much sought after instructor and coach, and this was clearly illustrated by the attendance at the training session on Monday evening.
The event was organised by Sensei Don Geddis, chairman of the Fudoshin Shotokan Karate Club based in Templemore Sports Complex and Greysteel. Sensei Geddis praised Brennan’s abilities describing him as “the most technically gifted karateka of his generation who combines an exciting fighting style with a calm demeanour”.
Geddis continued to describe the event as an “invaluable learning experience” and talked about how the appearance by Sensei Brennan will hopefully be a spur to the many enthusiastic karateka in the Fudoshin Club. During the course of the evening, Brennan took a training session for about 50 karateka from clubs around the North-West followed by a grading session.
For more information on joining the Fudoshin SKC please contact Don on 07563124749 or visit www.fudoshin-ni.co.uk
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