Kent Karate Schools

08/09/2026

NAKMAS HEAD OFFICE
08 September 2026

The NAKMAS National Register of Qualified Black Belts has today been updated.

The new entries as of the 08 September 2026 are:

David Reason 4th Dan

Reggie Lee Brown 3rd Dan
Phillip Marshall 3rd Dan
Marc Robbins 3rd Dan

Paul Allen 2nd Dan
James Cooper 2nd Dan
Steven Cooper 2nd Dan
Alison Davies 2nd Dan
Katie L Gower 2nd Dan
Ria-Louise Jenkins 2nd Dan
James Yeats 2nd Dan

Charlie Ardrey 1st Dan
Danny Ardrey 1st Dan
Caleb Beldom 1st Dan
Caleb Beldom Jnr 1st Dan
Riley Burton 1st Dan
Kristanti Cahoon 1st Dan
Erin Calpin 1st Dan
Matthew Carter 1st Dan
Kyla Cochius 1st Dan
Shani Cochius 1st Dan
Ben Connor 1st Dan
Kevin Croft 1st Dan
James Crowe 1st Dan
James Elliott 1st Dan
Edward Everill 1st Dan
Joseph Hayes-Cook 1st Dan
Sonny Henson 1st Dan
Joshua Kerry 1st Dan
Dominic Lee 1st Dan
Sebastian Lee 1st Dan
Mihela Leelasena 1st Dan
Jack P Manning 1st Dan
Rebecca Martin 1st Dan
Archie Maxwell 1st Dan
Dylan Wong 1st Dan
George Wood 1st Dan
Lewis Yates 1st Dan
Zak Young 1st Dan

James Bowyer-Sidwell BB
Indiana Fronda BB
Mia Nguyen BB
T J Nguyen BB
Rosa Page BB
Josephine Williams BB

To view the full National Register visit the following NAKMAS link:

www.officialblackbelts.com

03/09/2026

I was recently asked for clarification on my comments relating to eye strikes following a course I was teaching in Canterbury. Here’s my reply:

Why I treat an eye strike as a last-resort interrupter — not a default “best move”

People sometimes ask what I think is the most reliable empty-hand option when someone is already on you and you cannot leave. My answer has always been the same: finger strikes to the eyes, using mainly relaxed fingers but stiffening them in real danger, are one of the few techniques that can create an immediate flinch. It's not magic, clean, or a recommended first attack. It is a high-consequence act that can cause permanent harm.

The reason it works when it does is simple. The eyes are poorly protected once someone is in grabbing range. Most people reflexively close them, turn away, or loosen their grip. That pause can be the difference between being held and getting space to leave. That is the only job the technique should have: interrupt, break contact, and get out.

I have used it in real trouble — including many years on nightclub doors when one person, or more than one, came in too fast to manage with talk or a simple hold. I do not take pride in that approach. Door work is supposed to be control, distance, and teamwork, not maiming. Every time it happened, the legal and moral question was the same: was the threat serious enough that risking someone’s sight was proportionate? At times, the immediate response seemed to be affirmative. That does not make it a technique you should lead with, teach as a primary attack, or treat as “almost certain” in every fight.

There are hard limits. It is ugly. It can blind someone. Courts do not treat eye attacks the way they treat a shove or a wrist control. Attacking multiple people is not a strategic plan; rather, it is a desperate attempt to create a moment of space while you move, call for help, or try to pass through a door. It also fails. Hands miss. People wear glasses. Adrenaline makes fine motor skills worse, not better.

If you train self-defence, train first what you can justify and repeat: awareness, space, voice, a simple frame, a break from a grab, and leaving. An eye strike belongs in the same drawer as biting and throat attacks — reserved for when you reasonably believe you are about to be badly hurt, or worse, and nothing milder is available. That is how I think about the times I used it. Not as a signature move. As an emergency I would rather never have needed.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

—Rev’d Fr. Joe Ellis (8th Dan/Hanshi)

01/09/2026

I hope you’ve had had a brilliant summer and are ready to get back to training. Just a reminder, that all sessions resume as normal from the 7th September. I know lots of schools dates are resuming at different times but this is when the kids karate sessions will resume as normal. Looking forward to seeing you all there, Osu - Joshua Traylor (5th Dan/Shihan)👍🏼 — feeling excited.
fans

31/08/2026

When life throws punches, just roll with the funny videos – because even black belts need a good laugh..! —Hanshi Rev Fr. Joe Ellis

29/08/2026

Reposted - originally posted on the 10 January 2025:

GERRY BRYAN'S 10TH DAN: A LIFE WELL LIVED IN THE WORLD OF MARTIAL ARTS

The loss of a loved one is heartbreaking for family, friends, and followers.

Gerry Bryan's karate history dates back to the early days of Kyokushin karate in the late 1960s, and he founded Tsuyoi Ryu Karate, which was initially constructed and formed in 1975. Over time, the style evolved, departing from its initial concept to become a timeless style. Tsuyoi signifies strength or power, while ryu signifies school.

Sosai (Japanese: 総裁, "Sōsai") means roughly "president" or "director-general, but has a much greater meaning from a historical part of Japanese karate, and following a lifetime of training and teaching, Gerry Bryan certainly deserves the title of Sosai and holding a recognised 10th Dan.

Sosai had a respected following of karateka, with some becoming well-known and respected karate knockdown fighters in their own right; he trained and oversaw their training. I witnessed the training firsthand back in the day, having attended a few dojo sessions when Sosai had a successful Tsuyoi Ryu club in Sutton in Surrey. I also enjoyed the Tsuyoi Ryu courses in Sutton, as did some of my students. Additionally, private one-on-one training with Sosai in his private dojo in his house reminds of the pleasant memories of Sosai, as a karateka and as a person in private life.

My students enjoyed Sosai’s visits to my dojos, both in Ashford, Kent, and Thanet, and Sosai stayed with me and my first wife, Sue, a few times many years ago and with my wife Sandra in Herne Bay.

We both shared our passion for karate and the way it should evolve. I disagreed with him on a few of his changes relating to technique and kata changes. This invariably strained our relationship, which ended sometime after I met Sandra. She too trained with Sosai inside dojos.

Yes, we may have had differences, but these differences were well known between us as we discussed them many times. Karateka have their own views about Sosai and me, but their views I consider to be completely irrelevant, as many of them I have never met or I have never had a discussion with them. Secondhand information is worthless. Facts are priceless.

I introduced Sosai to Peter Manning, 8th Dan of the TSKA, many years ago now. Their professional relationship and friendship endured until the end. They both shared mutual respect for each other, and Sosai was a regular visiting instructor for Peter’s courses in Wiltshire. He will surely be missed by Peter and his members.

From my own personal perspective, I sincerely do have fond memories of Sosai. Despite our differences, we should respect and admire his long journey in karate. I admired his determination to make Tsuyoi Ryu succeed as an authentic Japanese karate style, but most importantly, I respected Sosai. Friendship between us may have finished years ago, but my respect for him as a karateka never ceased. Some of his technical ideas are still taught inside the Kent Karate Schools, and as my adult students will confirm, his name was mentioned many times in sessions as a respected founder of a Japanese karate style.

Rest in peace, Sosai. You are no longer in pain, and I am confident that you will oversee the excellent dojo above.

Osu,

Hanshi The Reverend Joe Ellis 8th Dan
Chief instructor
Kent Karate Schools (Tsuyoi Ryu)
www.kentkarateschools.co.uk

Photos ©Joe Ellis 2024

28/08/2026

Taken from the creative page via https://revjoeellis.church/creative

27/08/2026

Karate transcends mere Japanese tradition; it embodies a profound sense of social responsibility and compassion toward others, fostering a spirit of readiness to aid those in need —Hanshi Rev Fr. Joe Ellis (8th Dan/Karate)

27/08/2026

Shihan Paul Cheesman and Hanshi.
The Kyokushinkai and Tsuyoi Ryu Karate Concepts Workshop took place in Canterbury on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, and it was a remarkable success.

Practitioners of Kyokushinkai, Tsuyoi Ryu, and Shotokan Karate, both adults and children, gathered in unity, and the event was a resounding success.

It was truly uplifting to witness practitioners of three distinct styles of karate training united, fostering new bonds of camaraderie

27/08/2026

The Kyokushinkai and Tsuyoi Ryu Karate Concepts Workshop took place in Canterbury on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, and it was a remarkable success.

Practitioners of Kyokushinkai, Tsuyoi Ryu, and Shotokan Karate, both adults and children, gathered in unity, and the event was a resounding success.

It was truly uplifting to witness practitioners of three distinct styles of karate training united, fostering new bonds of camaraderie.