Karate tournament draws international field

For 30 years, people have been gathering in Dothan from throughout the country — and on some occasions, the world — to compete against some of the best Yoshukai Karate participants around.

However, many of the 177 competitors on hand Saturday would say they are not competing against an opponent. The competition, they say, is against themselves — a challenge to be just a little bit better than the last time.

But mostly, Saturday’s Southern Regional Open World Yoshukai Karate Tournament was a celebration of discipline and honor.

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Champions crowned Saturday at the Southern Regional Open tournament at the Dothan Civic Center

Youth Black Belt Champion Forms and Weapons - Stephen Vance
Adult Black Belt Champion Forms and Weapons - Greg Turnbull
Adult Men Black Belt Fighting Grand Champion - Rickey Murray
Black Belt Men Sr/Exec division Fighting Grand Champion - Chris Wheeles
Black Belt Women’s Grand Champion Fighting - Jamie Hagler

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Eugene Henderson has been on hand for many of the Dothan tournaments. He is believed to be the first Yoshukai karate instructor in Alabama, training participants since 1966.

“Through martial arts training, you can progress in many ways; physically, mentally, psychologically,” Henderson said. “Some may not be the greatest tournament competitors, but you can measure yourself against where you were and ask, ‘Where am I relative to where I started’?”

The participants competed throughout the morning and afternoon in several categories, including Musical Kata, Open Hand Forms, Weapons Forms and Point Sparring. Six participants were from Japan, four traveled from Canada, and one from Germany. The event was hosted by Dothan Leisure Services and is held in conjunction with the National Peanut Festival.

Henderson said one of the most gratifying aspects of instructing the martial arts comes when he teaches the overly-aggressive person to harness his/her competitive juices, while at the same time teaching the timid to come out of their shell.

“When you get right down to it, both have a common reason for being the way they are,” Henderson said. “It comes down to self image with both. Yoshukai Karate is focused on getting a person to the point of having a healthy self image, a solid respect for other people and for authority.”

The event was also attended by Yoshukai founder Grandmaster Katsuo Yamamoto of Japan.