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Stan Schmidt

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Stan Schmidt
Born(1936-10-06)October 6, 1936
South Africa
StyleJudo, Shotokan Karate
Teacher(s)Keinosuke Enoeda, Masatoshi Nakayama, Tetsuhiko Asai; Taiji Kase
Rank8th dan karate (JKA)[1]

Stan Schmidt is a South African master of Shotokan karate. Along with others such as Norman Robinson he was an early practitioner of Shotokan karate in South Africa and his establishment of the South African branch of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1965 after training in Japan, along with his subsequent promotion of the art in South Africa earned him the appellation of 'The Father of South African Karate'.[2] In 1963 he was one of the first westerners to be invited into the JKA's famous Instructor Class in the Tokyo Honbu dojo and he was one of four non-Japanese karateka to sit on the JKA's international Shihankai. He was also the first non-Japanese karateka to attain 7th dan from the JKA[3] and also the first to attain 8th dan and he is today the highest ranking non-Japanese karate master of that organization.[1][4][5] He is also known for his acting roles in several martial arts films of the 1970s and 1980s.

Early life

Schmidt was born on 6 October 1936 in Kokstad, Transkei, South Africa.[6] He was educated at King Edward VII High School and then studied at the University of South Africa where he obtained a master's degree in Communications. His route into martial arts was initially through judo in which he competed nationally[7] and later karate.

Karate

Stan Schmidt is credited with formally introducing karate to South Africa in the 1950s along with other men such as Len Barnes, Richard Salmon, James Rousseau, Des Botes, and Norman Robinson.[8] Schmidt had been introduced to the concept of karate by his Judo instructor who gave him a karate book authored by Hidetaka Nishiyama entitled ‘Karate - The Art of Empty Hand Fighting’, whilst Schmidt was convalescing from a broken ankle. As with the other pioneers of South African karate, it was textbooks such as this that Schmidt gained his knowledge of karate he began training himself at his judo dojo. There, he encouraged other judoka to join him, including Ken Wittstock, Norman Robinson and Eddie Dorey.

Of those that were studying Shotokan, Schmidt was the first to realize the ambition of travelling to Japan for further training when, along with his wife Judy, he left for Tokyo in 1963 to train with the JKA. Whilst in Japan Schmidt fought the then All-Japan Grand Champion Hiroshi Shirai who had won both kata and kumite in 1962. This was despite Schmidt's then much lower rank of 7th Kyu, but in which he gained approval from the then grand champion.[7] After this fight the senior instructor Keinosuke Enoeda coached Schmidt privately after class until he returned to South Africa a few months later. Before returning to South Africa from this first trip to Japan, Schmidt was graded to 3rd Kyu brown belt by Masatoshi Nakayama who had also previously invited Schmidt to train with the Instructors Class, which Schmidt dubbed 'The Hornet's Nest' due to the arduous nature of the training therein.[7]

Schmidt's visit to Japan helped forge relations with the JKA such that in 1964 Taiji Kase visited South Africa, and the next year, in 1965, Schmidt and Robinson brought four Japanese instructors to South Africa: the returning Taiji Kase; Keinosuke Enoeda; Hirokazu Kanazawa; and Hiroshi Shirai.[8] These instructors stayed for six months and from April to October 1965. Enoeda, stayed at Schmidt's house and trained him. Schmidt achieved his Shodan ('black belt') and then his nidan (second dan) under Kase. He also went on to become the first South African kumite champion.[7] Enoeda then left South Africa for the United Kingdom.

After this, Schmidt and Robinson spread Shotokan Karate further into South Africa and on many occasions they visited Japan during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

In the late 1980s, when Schmidt was training for his 7th Dan in Japan he spent time under the teaching of Tetsuhiko Asai. He went on to become the first non-Japanese karateka to attain the level of 7th Dan from the Japan Karate Association and has remained as the highest graded westerner in that organisation[3] latterly being awarded his 8th dan on 14 February 2015[1].

JKA split and the foundation of JKS

Retirement

After retiring, Stan Schmidt moved to Melbourne, Australia.

Film career

Stan Schmidt appeared in a number of films as a Martial Artist including in 1976, Karate Killer and in the 1981 box office success Kill and Kill Again.[6] Schmidt and Norman Robinson choreographed and featured in the fight scenes in Kill and Kill Again as the main protagonists companions the Fly and Gypsy Billy respectively, with one commentator citing these karate action scenes as the film's only commendation.[9]

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c JKA SKC Australasia official site - biography
  2. ^ Shotokan Karate Magazine, Issue 42, January 1995
  3. ^ a b Budo Karate International biography of Stan Schmidt
  4. ^ Robin L. Rielly, Karate Basics, Tuttle Publishing, 20 Dec 2011
  5. ^ Black Belt, Dec 1984, p94, Vol. 22, No. 12, ISSN 0277-3066
  6. ^ a b Stan Schmidt at IMDB
  7. ^ a b c d Stan Schmidt Interview at The Shotokan Way
  8. ^ a b Antonio (Tone) Resende, Hajime: Karate History in a U.S. community, p31, Xlibris Corporation, 16 Sep 2013
  9. ^ Sarah Miles Bolam & Thomas J. Bolam, Fictional Presidential Films: A Comprehensive Filmography of Portrayals from 1930 to 2011, p124, Xlibris Corporation
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