Instructors
John Hanratty, 8th Dan
Head Instructor
Sensei John Hanratty has been training and teaching Shotokan Karate for over 53 years.
He is Chief Instructor for CSKA Alberta and National Coach. He is also past president and current Vice President to the World Shotokan Karate Association. For 12 years John was the Provincial Coach for Karate Alberta, the provincially recognized body for Karate.
He was elected 3m coach of the year in 1989 by Karate Canada and was nominated for Air Canada Sportsman Award. He has received a Distinguished Citizen Award from the City of Calgary for services to sport and is an internationally ranked official and a top level NCCP coach.
He presently still instructs and conducts seminars throughout North America and Europe; He is considered a leading authority on Karate Kata history and application.
John was Canadian masters Champion 3 consecutive years1989-1991 and in 1995 at age 50 won North American Masters Championship at Ray Dalke’s tournament, taking 1st in Kumite’ and 2nd in Kata.
Sean Meehan, 5th Dan
Senior Instructor
Sensei Sean Meehan has been training Shotokan Karate for over 30 years. He has recently taken over the role of Head Instructor for Shi-Ku-Kai, the Honbu dojo for the Canadian Shotokan Karate Association as well as the Vice President for the previously mentioned organization.
Sensei Meehan began training in the United Kingdom with the Traditional Association of Shotokan Karate before emigrating to Canada and continuing his training under Sensei Hanratty at the CSKA.
Sensei Meehan began to accelerate his training under Sensei Hanratty and began to compete locally, nationally, and internationally, competing with the World Shotokan Karate Association in Switzerland, Chicago, and Poland.
Recently Sensei Meehan has switched gears and is focusing more on training and teaching, concentrating on force progression precision of technique through appropriate use of body biomechanics.
Daniel Curdov, 3rd Dan
Instructor
Sensei Daniel Curdov has been training Shotokan Karate for over 15 years under both Sensei Hanratty and Sensei Meehan, and has represented CSKA in competitions across Canada, the United States, and Europe. He has recently started teaching as an instructor for the Shi-Ku-Kai dojo in Calgary. Taking inspiration from his instructors, Daniel focuses on teaching and correcting the technical and bodily aspects of karate and emphasizes the importance of having discipline and consistency during training; practice makes permanent, and only perfect practice makes perfect. Moreover, he believes that Shotokan karate builds character and will always appreciate the good it can do for someone’s self-confidence and mental fortitude.
Felipe Scatolin, 3rd Dan
Instructor
Felipe has been training Shotokan Karate for over 25years. He began training in Brazil and kept progressing after moving to Canada where he became a CSKA instructor.
Throughout the years, Felipe has competed nationally and has developed a particular interest in the martial art aspect of Shotokan Karate. He considers important to learn about style origins, influences, philosophy and understand how over time Karate evolved into what it is today. Above all, Karate training helps in developing techniques as much as one’s character.
Felipe greatly appreciates the wellness benefits Karate practice inherently presents such as increased strength, flexibility, coordination, reflex as well as strong sense of discipline and focus.
Rommel Palanca, 2nd Dan
Instructor
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Joe Essenburg, 2nd Dan
Instructor
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