Shihan Nick da Costa 7th dan, started Kyokushin Karate in 1978.  Making rapid progress, within 6 months he won a national individual & team title for point-scoring and gained his England badge fighting in the all-styles karate championships of 1979 representing the British Karate Kyokushinkai. He progessed to full-contact and won the British Middleweight title on his second attempt also winning the wood-breaking competition at the same time. The same year, 1982 he also passed his black-belt. Over the next seven years he won 2 European championships, 2 European Cups, 2 More British & the first Kyokushin Commonwealth Championship. Retiring from competition in 1989 at the age of 28yrs, he then went on to coaching the National men & women's teams of Kyokushin. In 1987 he started Docklands Karate Club with his wife Maria and as a further commitment to karate, started Ilford (formerly Newbury Park) dojo in 1999. He takes great pride in seeing his students develop and is recognised within kyokushin as a world class instructor. Directly below is a short video of Shihan da Costa knocking out one of the top Japanese fighters Okomura in the 4th Word IKO tournament in Tokyo 1987. 

In 1974 I started Karate after one of my friends at Kingston branch of the British Sub Aqua Club decided to go to a Kung Fu display at the then Empire Pool (renamed the Wembley Arena). The day before we were due to go, I received a telephone call from him asking if I wanted to attend a Kyokushinkai karate beginners’ course at the Richmond club run by Frank Perry, so I said yes, and was hooked straight away. Back in my earlier days we trained very hard; running up to 4 miles then returning to the Dojo to work on free fighting, often for over an hour. In these early days we had courses lead by Hanshi Steve Arniel, then a Sensei, at the same place where I did my SCUBA pool training. Other instructors that I’ve trained under are Shihan Jeff Whybrow, Sensei Tetsu Nakamura, Shihan Darren Stringer and Shihan Nick Dacosta, to name a few. I was graded by Hanshi Steve Arniel in 1985 for my initial black belt grade. Over the years I have entered many competitions: Knockdown, Clicker and WUKO fighting, along with Kata competitions. I always remember in my first few years of karate, in the 70’s, seeing Sosai Mas Oyama when he visited Crystal Palace for the Open Knockdown tournament. I was in awe of his presence, the man who fights bulls and lived in the mountains! My life of instructing started when I was a 2nd Kyu. This was in a way by accident, a group of us had made friends with some of the staff at Epsom hospital and got chatting to them about karate and they were keen to try a session. Following on from this; I was offered to take over Cranford club as the instructor had to leave the club. Currently I am the Chief instructor for Staines Seijitsu Kyokushin karate club teaching both Children and adults. The club was established in 2007 by Sensei Mike Tanaka.

Trevor started karate at Crystal Palace Kyokushinkai Karate Club in 1987 aged 18 training under Hanshi Steve Arniel. He became a green belt aged 21 and participated in kata, non contact and full contact tournaments. He has travelled all over the world representing the organisation, his first tournament in France 1987 which he won. He was in the British squad for 10 years until 1997, during this time he fought in France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Holland. Poland, America and has competed in England several times, all full contact. He has won 4 major titles in Valencia, Oldham, Welsh and London. He has fought in several British National Tournaments and came third, two world tournaments in Russia , one as lightweight in 1995 where he came in the last 6 and in 1997 he got to the quarter finals. He competed in the European Karate Championships and came third. He also competed at Crystal Palace in the semi contact team, which won 4 times. Just prior to the World Tournament in 1997 he was on The Big Breakfast television show performing a demonstration and interview representing the British Squad. He is a referee in all forms of tournaments and is a qualified first aider. He is now an Instructor with Shihan Felix Ntumazah at Crystal Palace Dojo and also Chief Instructor at his own Dojo in Greenwich.

Chelmsford Kyokushinkai Karate Club was opened in 1981 by Chief Instructor Shihan Stuart Wright who has always followed traditional methods of training to ensure an exciting and authentic learning experience. Chief Instructor - Shihan Stuart Wright - 5th Dan Shihan Stuart has been training for more than 45 years and has been Chief Instructor at the Chelmsford Dojo since it opened in 1981. He was awarded his fifth dan black belt by Hanshi Steve Arneil in 2010 in recognition of his commitment and service to Kyokushin Karate. He has been a long standing executive committee throughout his extensive Karate career and is one of the British Karate Guild's founding members and sits on the current board. Shihan has previously competed in all disciplines and Chelmsford dojo has a brilliant record when it comes to students competing for England and Great Britain on the international stage . On the National stage Shihan has frequently coached British Champions in all of the disciplines, Kata, Clicker and Knockdown. Shihan is proud of his traditional values and this is emphasised through the way his family run club operates and conducts itself.

I came to UK from Japan in 1989 and wanted to start karate, so I joined the Wado-Ryu Karate Dojo in Mill Hill. After training 6 months the Chief instructor recommended Kyokushin karate to me as my fighting and power was a little harder than the way they trained. I found a Kyokushin club in Leyton and joined it in 1991. Shihan Roy Banton was teaching me. After 3 years I became a 6th Kyu. Sadly due to family reasons I had to stop training. I re- joined the association at another club in Cranford 11 years later. This is where I met Senpai Karl who instructed me for 3 years where I gained my 2nd kyu. Then I moved to another club called Staines tigers, now Staines Seijitsu, under sensei Mike, 2006 to 2013. During this period I became a 2 Dan. Currently I’m still training in Staines. I’ve been training 22 years in Kyokushin karate. My knock down fighting carrier was relatively short due to some injuries and age, however I still enjoy training and fighting in the Dojo. My dream is teaching dojo students to become champions.