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The Chief Instructor of Shotokan Karate Bahamas (SKB) is Sensei Brian Stapleton. A native of the twin island federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean, Brian began his karate training in 1986 at the age of 14. Progressing quickly through the system, his progress was eventually stalled at 2nd Kyu Brown Belt when his instructor broke away from the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) to which he had been affiliated up to this point. In 1996, Brian got a chance to once again link up with the ISKF when he was required to move to Barbados for work related reasons. That same year he was graded to Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt) by Sensei Okazaki. This period – March 1996 thru July 1997 - marked a highlight in Brian’s life as a Karate-ka. He was able for the first time in his life to train with and among many senior Karate practitioners. The standard of his Karate was greatly improved during this period. In 1997 Brian was once again required to move for work related reasons, this time to Nassau Bahamas where he is now domiciled. Now ranked at Yondan (Fourth Degree Black Belt) he brings his twenty one plus years of karate experience to the class. Besides Nassau, he has also taught Karate in Barbados and St. Kitts. Brian’s teaching style places emphasis on developing a strong spirit and encouraging maximum effort from the students. Although he has never represented his home country St. Kitts in competition, Brian has been a member of the Barbados team at the Caribbean Camp and Goodwill Tournament held in Trinidad in 1996 where they won Silver in Men's Team Kata. Most recently Brian has represented the Bahamas at the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) games held in El Salvador in November 2002. Brian has supplemented his regular training by attending camps and other Karate seminars and clinics conducted by some of the world’s most renowned and senior Karate exponents. These include masters Teruyuki Okazaki, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Takayuki Mikami, Yutaka Yaguchi, Keinosuke Enoeda, Masaaki Ueki, Masataka Mori, Hideo Ochi, Yoshiharu Osaka, Shojiro Koyama, Shigeru Takashina and Takenori Imura. He has also had the pleasure of training with some of the most senior non-Japanese such as Stan Schmidt, Robin Rielly, Maynard Miner, James Field and Frank Woon-A-Tai.
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