It is a pleasure to write an article on Shihan Roger Sheldon the Chief Instructor of the Okinawan system, "Shindo". Roger has been teaching the Okinawan martial arts for many years, this quiet man of great talent goes way back into the early 1970s. He is a purist in the arts and he specialises only in teaching the authentic ways of the past 'Masters'. Like my own system, his is based in Shuri, Okinawa. I have had the pleasure of training with him on numerous occasions and I have always gone home after a hard days-training full of enthusiasm and admiration, although extremely tired. Roger specialises in 'Te' and incorporates Kobudo into his system, which includes the weapons of Bo, Jo, Tonfa, Sai and Kama. I believe him to be one of the few people who teaches some of the original weapon kata's. He is selective in the students that he takes and he has several high-grade instructors who travel from all parts of the UK to learn his skills. He is amazingly strong with wrists so powerful that they would be the envy of power lifters. When he puts a wristlock on, you certainly know it's on. His techniques are economical and fast with the emphasis that what he teaches really works. He feels that there is no point in teaching methods that are not authentic. He quotes, 'they need to work in the street situation if they are to be of any use'. We do work together on a self-defence system called Project-5, though we prefer to call it 'Self Preservation'. It has been proved successful throughout Health Authorities and Government bodies for several years. Many hundreds of students from the nursing profession have attended these courses. Roger Sheldon is a tribute to the martial arts of this country and to his profession as a full time martial arts teacher. He is among several high-grade instructors who hold memberships with an association that specialises in groups and clubs that wish to study the Okinawan martial systems.

For further information regarding affiliation for clubs or tuition in Okinawan karate, Okinawan Te and Kobudo, contact: Okinawan Martial Arts Association, Greenways, Mill Lane, Titchfield, Hampshire P015 5DU. Please enclose a S.A.E. with your enquiry.