Featured School

Interview with Andree Kielholtz of Shorin Kan Dojo

1. Who is the dojo’s founder and what prompted him/her to build the school? Is there any rich history behind its making?

I am the founder of our dojo, the Shorin Kan Dojo in Sonthofen, Germany. The original Dojo was founded in 1986 when I started teaching as a brown belt out of the garage of my parents. Back then, there was no real karate dojo nearby, and since I had traveled a lot to my teachers, I finally made up my mind and started to teach. Today, I guess I was simply desperate and looking for some training partners. The location of the Dojo moved several times over the years till I found a nice place in Sonthofen in 2006. It was like a dream come true since I had always wanted to build a traditional dojo in the typical Okinawan style.

I am quite glad because I had a lot of martial artists from all over the world visit our Dojo, and everybody told me that at the moment they entered they felt like being in Okinawa.

2. What forms of Japanese martial arts do you teach in your school? Can you please share with us the history behind them?

At the Shorin Kan Dojo, we teach several arts, concentrating in our classes on Karate and Kobudo. For the most advanced students, we also teach the basics of Ken Jutsu, mostly based on the Iai of the Setei Kata and Eishin Ryu curriculum. In addition to that we also have a “non classical” group for Kickboxing and self-defense.

3. What are the principles and concepts that you uphold and try to instill in your students?

To us it is very important that no style is superior to another and we are all only searching for a way through different paths. This is why we are teaching Katas from Shorin Ryu (Shuri – Te) as well as Goju Ryu (Naha – Te) background.

4. Why do you think it is important for people to learn martial arts?

Since people study the martial arts for several reasons, we try to address a lot but not all of them. Reasons to enroll in our Dojo are as individual as every student that enters through the door. At first they want to lose weight, get in shape, have some workout or simply to learn how to defend themselves. After a while, one can see that it doesn’t matter how different their intentions were, they all get to see that there is always more in a good martial art then one can see on the surface. I am very happy that, although our group keeps growing, all of our members see their fellow students in the Dojo as a big family.

This is a very important point for me as an instructor, since martial arts turn into business more and more. I don’t want to turn my students into no name numbers and I am proud to say that it is still possible to teach the idea of traditional Budo like honesty, discipline, loyalty and courage.

5. What difficulties and obstacles have you encountered so far with regards to teaching martial arts and how did you overcome them?

When we moved the Dojo to its current location, I started to teach a kids class also. Before, I didn’t have the time to do so, and at first it was pretty hard for me to get used to this different approach of teaching. But when single parents started to enroll their so called “problem children” (which are often labeled “ADD” also), I could see how these kids grew and turned into good students, not just in the Dojo but also in school. Giving these children a helping hand to live a successful life is more than an instructor or teacher can ask for.

6. What advice and/or insights can you share with our readers who want to pursue their interest in the Japanese form of martial arts?

I think there is no “general advice” for a layman to find a good dojo. I often read about credentials, high Dan certificates or recognition form a Japanese organisation. While this can tell something about the technical qualification of an instructor, it doesn’t say much about his abilities to teach other people. So my only advice would be to make an appointment, visit a dojo, and observe the instructor during the class. Try to talk to some members after the class and find out how the structure of the dojo is working. Most important of all, trust your feelings when meeting your future instructor. It’s like finding a good doctor; trust everything.

Always keep in mind that the typical Japanese way of teaching is different from our western approach. Anyway, this mustn’t be confused with military drill our yelling at students. A friendly-but-straight-to-the-point style of teaching will guarantee your best possible success in learning.

7. Can you give a short biography of your instructor(s)?

My instructors are:

Heinz W. Köhnen Sensei
Köhnen Sensei is a martial artist for over 50 years. While living in Japan and Okinawa for over 10 years, he had the opportunity to learn from some of the most respected Japanese Grandmasters of their time. Besides studying Karate, he went on to learn Ken Jutsu, Aikido / Aiki Jutsu and even an old version of Te (old Okinawan fighting system) and came across such names as Sugino, Wakayama, Shian Toma, Kobayashi and Uehara. A former IMAF (Kokusai Budoin) national director Köhnen Sensei today resides in Freiburg, Germany and teaches various martial arts out of his Budokan Dojo.

Shifu Serge Seguin
Born and raised in France, Shifu Seguin started his martial arts instruction in Savate (French Kickboxing) under his father. Meeting Grandmaster C. Flowers in the 70’s he learned the Wing Kido Kai System from Flowers and was named European Chief Instructor after Flowers return to the US in the 80s. Being one of the pioneers of Wu Shu in Germany and Austria, Shifu Seguin travels to China every year to get instructions from his teachers Yuen Xi, the Wu family, and highly respected Wu Bin. Living in Munich, Germany, Shifu Serge Seguin teaches Wu Shu, Taiji, and Wing Kido Kai Martial Arts in his “Lang Long Wu Shu school”.

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