Karate kids were sweeping the leg in Dundee long before Daniel LaRusso gave Johnny Lawrence a big toe to the eyeball in 1984.
It’s not just about grappling with people and chucking them on to mats, though!
The benefits include physical fitness, improved co-ordination, focus and discipline.
Sensei Jim Fraser was Dundee’s answer to Mr Miyagi and he started teaching at the Ancrum Activities Centre in April 1969 after attaining his black belt.
The city’s love for karate has grown over the past five decades and there are now several schools offering a range of training programmes suitable for everyone from tots to adults.
The World Union of Karate-Do Federations (WUKF) World Karate Championships for All Ages will also be returning to the city in 2023 for the second time in five years.
We decided to strike first and show no mercy by opening up DC Thomson’s Kingsway archives to celebrate the city’s karate kids in past times!
‘Wax on, wax off; wax on, wax off’
The martial arts craze swept Britain in the 1970s thanks to badass movies, with many a Dundee bedroom wall adorned with the latest Bruce Lee poster.
Our first image wouldn’t look out of place in a scene from Enter The Dragon and shows the beginners’ class at Ancrum getting down to some training in October 1974.
Unlike Daniel-San, we do not all have a Mr Miyagi to mentor us but Sensei Jim Fraser went on to open Dundee’s first professional karate school in 1981.
Sensei Jim trained thousands of people over the years and our image above shows him putting Christine Poole through her paces in January 1982.
The Karate Kid movie arrived in 1984 and strengthened the sport’s popularity further.
Our picture shows Lee Malcolm and Chris Flynn demonstrating a move to a group of fellow class-mates at Ancrum Karate Club in November 1984.
Instructor Jim Kidd and members of the Satori Karate Club arrived at the Dundee YMCA in November 1985 to give a demonstration to its youngsters.
We’re not sure whether it’s a karate move being taught or the actions to the YMCA!
Sensei Jim Fraser looks like John Creese from Cobra Kai in this black get-up!
The instructor was giving a lesson to six-year-old Robert Hanney at the Seagate Karate School in January 1987, who appeared to be doing fairly well!
Courtesy, respect, modesty, loyalty, generosity and dedication are not only the source, but also the reward, of martial arts.
Do well enough, though, and you might also win a trophy like the one being shown off by these members of Lochee Karate School in April 1987!
Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Full-Contact champion Bill Wallace was known for his adept use of high-speed leg kicks, earning him the nickname Superfoot.
He was Elvis Presley’s personal trainer but 10 years after The King’s death he found himself giving this karate demonstration at Menzieshill Community Centre in 1987!
Sensei Jim Fraser keeps a watchful eye on Ryan Ringsell and Suzanne Lynch in February 1991 at his Ancrum Karate School pre-school class.
The instructors would teach and test the karate tots class to enable the children to win eight skill stripes, which was very much like the belt system for adults.
Kickboxer Doris Aboagye visited Lochee Karate Freestyle Club in March 1994.
She won bronze in the 1993 W.A.K.O. World Championships in Atlantic City and showed off some of her agility and moves to the karate kids.
Simon Ferry and Neil Sivewright were getting stuck in back in September 1994.
Martial arts teaches self-defence while improving overall coordination and they were members of Dundee’s Tenshinkan Karate Club, which has several city dojos.
Surely this isn’t an attempt at Daniel LaRusso’s iconic crane kick?
This youngster was one of the children in attendance when instructors from the Skyaxe Combat and Fitness Centre held a workout in the city’s Baxter Park in 2003.
These youngsters are from the Shin-gi-tai Shotokan Karate Club.
This image from 2008 shows them putting on a display at the Kirkton Gala Day.
Tenshinkan Karate students gave a demonstration at Fintry Gala Day in 2012.
The club meet at the Finmill Centre and didn’t let the heavy rain or the soggy conditions underfoot affect their performance on the grounds of Fintry Church.
Leah Dunn returned from the World Union of Karate Federation World Championships with Kanzen Karate as world champion in 2014.
The 12-year-old had been practicing karate for five years and our picture shows her alongside chief officer Roy O’Kane and instructor Daniel Woods.
Kanzen Karate opened its full-time training centre HQ in March 2016 and our next picture was taken ahead of celebrations to mark the first birthday at the facility.
The HQ Dojo at Mains Loan is now a leading centre of excellence for the sport with members becoming European and World champions since the doors opened.
Kanzen Karate hosted the 2018 WUKF World Karate Championships in Dundee and will be working hard with partner agencies to make 2023 even bigger and better!
Bring it on!
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