Northern Karate Schools, the Ancient Way

There is an ancient Buddhist proverb that says, “When the student is ready, the Master appears.” If such is the case, Northern Karate Schools’ students must be well-prepared, as Hokama Tetsuhiro and Shiroma Kiyonori, both 10th dan Hanshi, graced them with their presence this past September.

“It was a great honour to have men of their stature visit our schools,” says Kyoshi Cos Vona, an instructor and sixth-degree black belt at Northern Karate. “It’s extremely rare to have experts of this calibre visit North America, let alone Canada.”

From the island of Okinawa, Japan, the birthplace of karate, Hokama and Shiroma both hold the rank of “Hanshi,” essentially a senior expert or grand master. Through demonstrations and lectures, these teacher-of-teachers shared their vast knowledge Read more

Georges St-Pierre: One On One With An MMA UFC Legend

Everyone has a dream. Most often, it’s tales of rags to riches that give people inspiration, driving them to be like a heroic protagonist. For anyone whose dream involves becoming the Welterweight Champion of the UFC, there’s one man who knows exactly what it takes. Rising to the top with an already soaring career, Georges St-Pierre, also referred to as GSP, is the ultimate example of a winning warrior and a living legend.

Growing up in the humble parish municipality of Saint-Isidore, Que., St-Pierre’s early life was far from easy. Simple things like going to school provided big challenges for the young fighter, forcing him to defend himself as early as the second grade. “To tell you the truth, I was really concerned back in the day about my ego and my image,” St-Pierre admits during a telephone interview. “Even though I knew I was going to get beat up when somebody was trying Read more