Alphonse Rudakubana, member of West Lancs Karate Academy
Alphonse Rudakubana has travelled a long road to achieve his black belt in Shotokan Karate.
He began his training in his native Rwanda in 1996, studying sport Karate for around three years and taking his first belts there before moving to the UK in 2002.
Based in Cardiff Alphonse resumed his karate training in 2002, training with the Welsh Shotokan Karate Union in three different clubs and progressing through to brown belt by 2010.
Alphonse moved to Southport in 2013, where he continued his training at the West Lancs Karate Academy, moving away from sport karate and taking on the club’s more traditional approach.
Since his move he continued to train hard, although found the transition from a sport orientated association to a Budo based system even more challenging.
Despite this he continued to push himself and travelled all over the UK to benefit from training under the top instructors from the Kase Ha Academy.
Not completely forgetting his roots he also took time to represent the West Lancs Academy at the ESA National Kata Championships in Grimsby in 2013.
Alphonse’s commitment to karate has seen him recently pass his black belt on a senior course in Grimsby, at the same venue where he had previously represented the West Lancs club in competition.
Alphonse was one of only a handful to pass and the grading panel was impressed with his performance, praising his kumite skills as he cut a swathe through his opponents using a range of excellent kicking, punching and sweeping techniques.
It has been a long road for Alphonse, spanning nineteen years, two continents and three countries, but he firmly believes passing his dan grade was one of the greatest achievements of his life.
Having experienced training at a number of clubs Alphonse notes that he could probably have got a black belt much easier but knows it would not be worth as much.
Having attained the high standards set by the club and the ESA he says he appreciates the real value of a black belt which will be recognised across the globe.
He is now focussed on moving forward and training even harder as he is also very aware that passing a dan grade is merely the start of any martial artists’ journey and the real training is just beginning.
For more details about karate or the club log on:
www.westlancskarate.org.uk
