Scott Langley, 7th Dan
Scott has been practicing martial arts since the age of 5, however, he started his karate career proper in 1986 under the instruction of Howard Milson, a senior member of Kodokai and one of the very few 5th dans in the UK at the time. Scott trained hard with Howard and Kato Sensei and gained shodan in 1992. After travelling to Japan with Kato Sensei in 1993, Scott started university in Staffordshire and trained on a daily basis with him.
During this time he assisted Kato Sensei teaching around the UK and Europe. Scott also competed regularly; winning, both in kata and kumite, the National Championships five times, European Championships three times, and the 1996 JKA World Championships in Moscow. Building on this success, Scott travelled once more to Japan in 1997 and started to train full time at the JKA (Asai fraction) Hombu dojo.
Under constant pressure from the instruction of Asai, Abe, Yahara, Kagawa, Isaka, Yamaguchi etc, Scott went from strength to strength and in 1998 was asked to enter the instructor’s course. Unfortunately, an injured knee prevented this, so after considerable rehabilitation, Scott, along with Yasuhisa Inada, entered the course in 2000 and became the first instructor’s course class of the newly formed Japan Karate Shotorenmei. Two intensive years later, Scott graduated from the course and became the fifth non-Japanese person ever to do so (JKA/JKS).
Feeling it was time to move on and encouraged by the hombu dojo to develop JKS karate, Scott moved to Ireland. From 2002 until 2013 Scott was the Technical Director of the JKS GB & Ireland and the Chief Instructor of JKS Ireland’s Hombu Dojo. In that time the group grew from 4 clubs to 120 clubs, making it the biggest single style group in the British Isles. His own club also grew from the initial 8 members that showed up on the first night, to over 500 members and four full time instructors.
Scott is the bestselling author of Karate Stupid and Karate Clever. He is a founder member of Hombu Dojo Karate International and Chief Technical Director of the group.
Raymond Stritch 6th Dan
Ray first started Shotokan Karate with the KUI at the age of 10 in 1982 in a local club and graded for his orange belt under Sensei Tommy McGrane - who was the chief instructor. He obtained Shodan in 1990 under Sensei Andy Sherry and competed in the First European Competition in Monaco in 1992. He then went on to compete in numerous European and World Championships in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland and Germany and also the UK. He retired from International Competition after the World Championships in Chicago in 2005.
He graded for Nidan in 1994 under Sensei Sherry as part of the KUI Group and also obtained Sandan in 1993 again under Sensei Sherry. He later went on to ‘join’ the JKA and graded for Yondan in 2004 under the watchful eye of Sensei Tonaka.
He acheived the Grade of Godan in 2009 under the panel of Sensei’s Andy Sherry, Frank Brennan and Bob Poynton who are the main instructors and Chief of the KUGB. He graded for his 6th Dan in June 2016 under the stringent panel of Richard Amos, Scott Langley, Rick Hotton and Aidan Trimble in Norway after the NSF 3 day training camp.
His dojo in Palmerstown has been running successfully since 2009 and is growing and doing very well at both grading and competition level and he is very proud to instruct there.
He is also a qualified judge and referee.
Humphrey Doody 5th Dan
Humphrey started his martial arts career doing Kung Fu in Tralee in 1978. In 1980 Humphrey switched codes and started Karate training with John McCormack in Newcastle West and achieved all his Kyu Grades with Kawasoe Sensei together with Shodan in 1985. During this period Humphrey competed successfully in both Kata and Kumite. He also formed the Abbeyfeale Karate Club in 1985.
Over the years the Club has produced some great students and the Club is still going strong today. Since 1980 Humphrey has trained with many top Instructors, this included travelling to Crystal Palace to train with Sensei’s Enoeda and Ohta. He also travelled on numerous occasions to Edinburgh for the International Summer Camp where he trained with Sensei’s Kawasoe, Naito, Ochi, Shirai and Kase. It was during these camps that he achieved his Dan Grades to 4th Dan.
In 2004 Humphrey decided to affiliate his Club to the JKS following a training seminar with Sensei Scott Langley. Subsequently Humphrey and his Club joined the HDKI as part of Sensei Langley’s group. In 2019 Humphrey achieved 5th Dan.
Jason Smyth 5th Dan
Jason started Shotokan karate at the age of 10 in a local club in Corduff Blanchardstown under Sensei Gerry Kane who was a part of the K U I. There he trained for several years up to the grade of 2nd kyu. After a year or 2 of a break and joining the military, in 1991 he went back training in Corduff then under sensei David Royle where he trained for the next 25 years.
In 1999 he passed shodan, in 2005 nidan, in 2008 sandan and in 2012 yondan, all under Sensei Sherry from the KUGB, also competing along the way.
His club is the Hartstown Shotokan karate club, opened in 2004 and is very successful in both gradings and competition. In 2017 he starts the next chapter of his karate story with the HDKI and opens his 2nd club, the Hansfield Shotokan karate club.
Ross Stewart 4th Dan
Ross comes from Ayr in Scotland where he was with JKS and SKA, both teaching and coaching successfully. He has been competing since he was 10 years old and at 13 he became the WKC Juniors Kumite World Champion.
He comes to Ireland fresh from his recent experience of coaching the Scotland squad at the WUKF European Championships and has been acclaimed as a vibrant, fun and passionate instructor of karate. He was the 2010 JKS European Cup Kumite Champion and gained silver in the same competition with kata. In 2012 he (and his team) became JKS World Kumite Team Champions. He also holds many championship medals with other karate organisations.
Now a full time instructor with the Hombu Dojo, he also competes for our HDKI National Squad when he can. He achieved his 4th Dan in 2019 at the HDKI International Summer Camp.
Kay Doody 3rd Dan
Kay started Karate training in Killarney in 1980 and achieved Shodan in 1985. She competed successfully at national level in both Kata and Kumite. She has long retired from the competition scene and is now one of the Instructors in the Abbeyfeale Karate Club. She has trained both nationally and internationally with some leading Karate Instructors. She achieved Sandan in 2008 when she graded for Kagawa Sensei.
Colin Friel 3rd Dan
Colin started martial arts as a teenager training in Kung Fu and Taekwondo. He took up Shotokan Karate in 2008, joining M.A.S.K Karate Club.
He graded Shodan in 2014 under George Reilly I.S.K.U., joined Faolchu’ Karate Club in 2015, graded to Nedan in 2017 under IMAF Europe President Jens Fricke. He graded Sandan in 2020 also under Jens Fricke IMAF.
He also passed Shodan in Nihon Taiho Jutsu in 2019 in Germany under Jens Fricke IMAF.
Colin set up H.S.K Karate Club in 2018 with his son Kieron.
Audrius Janusauskas 3rd Dan
Audrius has been teaching with the Hombu Dojo for 4 years now gaining his 3rd Dan at the HDKI International Summer Camp in 2018.
Kieron Friel 2nd Dan
Kieron started Shotokan Karate in 2007 at 5 years of age with M.A.S.K Karate Club.
He joined Faolchu’ Karate in 2014. He graded to JKS Shodan in 2016 under Masao Kagawa and graded Nidan in 2019 IMAF under Jens Fricke.
With his father Colin, he set up H.S.K Karate Club in 2018.