The Martial Way Podcast

Shihan Janine Davies, 6th Dan, is the IFK Chief Referee , an international Chief Judge in Kata and also former Europe Champion in Kata. (Please note, I refer to her in the podcast as former "World" Champion in Kata. I apologize for the error.)
Shihan Janine is respected worldwide for not only being a high-level Karate-ka, but as an incredible instructor at seminars. With amazing understanding and grasp of the intricacies of Kata. She discusses the highs and lows of her karate career, and leaves us with some amazing tips to apply to own learning. Shihan Janine was just a fantastic guest and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
OSU!

At the age of twenty-one, Nicholas Pettas completed the brutal 1,000-day Uchi-deshi program of Sosai Mas Oyama, which made him the second ever foreign graduate, and second non-Japanese, to ever finish the program (the first being Judd Reid, my first guest on this podcast), and he was the last uchi-deshi of Sosai Oyama, who died soon after his graduation.
After graduating the programme, he competed in several tournaments and achieved many significant titles and honours such as the European Karate Heavyweight Champion in 1995, placing 5th and 3rd place in the World Championships, respectively in 1995 and 1997, and would go on to win the K-1 Japan Grand Prix Championship in 2001, in front of 70,000 people.
He is the author of Blue Eyed Samurai: 1000 days in the young lions dormitory, which chronicles his time as an Uchi-deshi, he currently is a Japanese media personality, staring in several TV shows and movies, an entrepreneur, and became a Reebok Crossfit Ambassador and Trainer, playing a major role in its introduction to Japan. He is also in the process of creating a free audio version of his book!
This is amazing conversation about his time as an Uchi-deshi and later careers. Emotional at times, and so insightful. I really hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. OSU!
The Tokyo Show: https://www.youtube.com/user/nicholaspettas/
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Senpai Kimm Carriere started her Karate career at the age of seven and began competing when she was nine. She competed in her first international tournament in the 2014 Diamond Cup in Belgium. She has become a fixture at Canadian full-contact/knockdown competitions and went on to compete at many international tournaments, representing Shinkyokushinkai Canada. She is the Canadian lightweight champ for the past eight years and has had several podium finishes at international tournaments. Some of the highlights of her tournaments in recent years include:
Diamond Cup (3x)
British Open (3x)
Dageki World Karate Championships (3x)
Shinkyokushin World Cup (2017)
11th and 12th World Karate Championship (2015, 2019)
1st International Full Contact Karate Championships
Carpathia Cup
International Fujiwara Cup
The 1st Americas Full-contact Karate Championship (selection tournament for WFKO World Championship Japan)
On top of all of this, she is a psychologist and a student who is finishing up her PhD.
This is an amazing conversation with an amazing martial artist and person. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Osu!
Senpai Kimm Carriere's Dojo, West Island Karate / Karaté de L'Île www.westislandkarate.com, under Shihan John Kalaidopoulos

Shihan Koen Spitaels is an international legend, one of the leading Kyokushin / Shinkyokushin Karateka in the World and well known tournament fighter. One of the pioneers in Europe who is striving to make different organizations work together. The founder & and chief instructor Niji Yama Dojo.
It was an honour to speak to Shihan Koen, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Osu!
https://youtu.be/5Gy9VeIrdpg
Niji Yama Dojo: https://www.nijiyama.be/Shihan Koen FB: https://www.facebook.com/koen.spitaelsShihan Koen IG: https://www.instagram.com/koenspitaels/

Shihan Judd Reid is a world-renowned martial artistwith a remarkable journey. As a teenager, he became an Uchi-deshi—a live-in student—under Sosai Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate. Judd’s extraordinary achievements include completing the legendary 100-Man Fight, winning the WKO World Championship in 2010, and earning the title of Australian Heavyweight Champion in 2002. He is also the author of two books chronicling his life and experiences and is a much sought-after teacher.

This episode serves as a follow-up to my first conversationwith Judd in 2017, which marked the beginning of my podcast (you can listen to that episode here: 2017 Interview).Now, in 2025, as I relaunch the podcast, there’s no better way to start than with my first guest! We pick up right where we left off, focusing on Judd’s present and future.

For those who may not be familiar with Judd, he trained under Shihan Eddie Emin in Australia before embarking on an incredible journey to Japan, where he became the first (and one of only two) foreigner to complete 1000 days as an Uchi deshi under Sosai Mas Oyama from 1990 to 1993. His later accomplishments include winning the Australian Heavyweight title in 2002, securing the WKO World Championship in Thailand in 2010, and becoming the last student of Sosai Oyama to complete the 100-Man Kumite in 2011.

This journey was captured in the powerful documentary “100 Man Fight,” filmed by his best friend and corner man Anton Cavka. Tragically, Anton passed away before completing the book, which Judd dedicated to his memory. You can watch the documentary here: 100 Man Fight.

To learn more about Shihan Judd Reid or explore his dojo, the Chikara Organization, and upcoming camps, visit his website: www.juddreid.com.

Get Judd Reid’s books in Kindle and softcover here: Judd’s Books.

Check out the 100 Man Fight Documentary here: Watch 100 Man Fight.

Don’t forget to subscribe to The Martial Way Podcaston iTunes: The Martial Way on iTunes.