Gamini Soysa to coach karatekas here

By Srian OBEYSEKERE

KARATE: Karateka Gamini Soysa, who was domiciled in America for the last three and a half decades as an assistant instructor of the Westbury Karate Family Training Centre where he coached many locals there, has returned to Sri Lanka to share his experience with Sri Lankans.

Soysa, a 9th Dan Black Belt, who is a director of the San Fransisco housed California World Okinawa Shorin Ryu Association and the chief instructor of the Federation of Okinawa Karate Shorin Ryu Shorinkan South Asia (FOKSSA) is also a driving force of traditional Japanese Shorinkan and Kobudo Martial Arts, said that he had set up his dojo (training centre) at Pirivena Road, Boralesgamuwa where he would focus on imparting quick self-defence in modern techniques to students.

Some of the leading world exponents in the art like Hanshi Gibo Giyu from Japan heading the Okinawa Shorin Ryu Shorinkan International Association is due to attend the opening of Soysa's dojo shortly along with several other exponents in the art.

"I think that we should always follow the traditional Okinawa karate if we are to promote karate in Sri Lanka which needs to be propagated here. Importantly, the traditional way is to mainly follow katas and its application. Just training without this basic requirement is like doing a Japanese song without knowing its meaning.

When doing katas there are so many things to follow like proper breathing, focus, speed and power," opined Soysa from his longstanding experience of training and coaching both in Japan and the USA.

Soysa (57) could be contacted on 0602151552.