Oxford Karate Academy

Instructors

Meet our instructors

Chief Instructors

Sensei Hkanhpa Sadan

Sensei Hkanhpa is 3rd Dan All Japan Karate-Do Seiwakai; 3rd Dan JKF Gojukai. Prior to training in Goju Ryu karate, Sensei Hkanhpa trained for many years in Kyokushin, achieving his black belt in Burma, and teaching from his teens at Myitkyina YMCA. He is also a founder and secretary of the Kachin Relief Fund, a registered charity in the UK, which promotes karate as physical education for Kachin internally displaced camps. You can learn more about this at https://kachinrelief.org.uk.

sensei joe bennett

Sensei Joe is 3rd Dan All Japan Karate-Do Seiwakai; 3rd Dan JKF Gojukai. Prior to training in Goju Ryu Karate under Shihan Paul Coleman, Sensei Joe trained for many years in Shotokan karate, achieving a 2nd Dan. Sadly, he gave up shortly before taking his 3rd Dan, due to the untimely death of his Sensei. Sensei Joe also trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) at South Moreton Boxing Club and is a currently a blue belt.


previous chief instructor

Shihan Paul Coleman

Shihan Paul was 8th Dan All Japan Karate-Do Seiwakai; 7th Dan JKF Gojukai. In his youth he trained in Judo for 11 years, achieving his black belt. He started training with Oxford Karate Academy, then run by James Rousseau, in 1974, and started teaching in 1975, taking over responsibility for all teaching in the 1980s. Shihan Paul competed, trained and taught internationally, and was European and World Champion in Iri-Kumi. He passed away from cancer in Katharine House Hospice on 31 August 2023.