Anthony Minott, Star Writer

Three Martial Arts instructors from the First Jamaica Zen-Do Kai Kan Karate Organisation, with over 100 years of martial arts experience between them, were upgraded to higher degrees of black belt recently.

The instructors, Karl Tai-Loy, who has now been promoted to an eighth degree black belt, Renshi Shihan Christopher Collman and Shaihan Dalton Toy-loy, who have moved to seventh degree black belts, were understandably pleased with the accomplishment.

"It is an excellent achievement for us and well deserved, I have been training since 1976 with Seido Karate. We are three of the eight founding members of the organisation, which was started in 1993 at the Edgewater Community Centre.

"Some of the brilliant recruits from the school include Shaun Barnes, a member of the Jamaica Combined Martial Arts team, Christopher Dennis, the chief instructor at one of our branches in Ontario, Canada and there are a lot of other competent students and instructors that have made a mark on martial arts."

Over the years, the school has trained over 1000 students and is without a doubt Portmore's most recognised karate school. The organisation teaches both karate and self defense. They also teach karate at Wolmer's Prep, Portmore Missionary, King's Gate Prep and Southborough Primary and a host of basic schools in Portmore.

Barnes, a black belt himself from age 15, had only complimentary things to say about the trio.

"They have over 100 years experience in martial arts, that speaks volume of the work and dedication," Barnes said.

"Shacho Karl Tai-Loy is one of the longest-serving martial arts instructors in Jamaica and I salute him and the two other stalwarts," he added.

Barnes, a member of the Jamaica Combined Martial Arts team and the National Shot Gun champion, further stated that all three have a strong mental capacity as a result of dedicating their lives to martial arts and the distribution of their knowledge to students that come through the doors of the organisation.

Tai-Loy was trained by Errol Lyn, thought by some to be one of the best martial arts instructors to teach in Jamaica. He first took up the discipline as a way of exercise but soon found it to be a way of life. He then instructed youngsters in the discipline of martial arts in Jamaica and in New York, imparting his wealth of experience and skills on youngsters in Portmore and the corporate area.

In 1993 Tai-Loy, along with seven other black belts - Sensei Jadine Greenland, Sensei Derrick Dodd, Sensei Dalton Taylor, Sensei Christopher Collman, Sensei Marcus Reid, Sensei Keith Edwards and Sensei Lambert Plummer, broke away from Seido to form World Zen-Do. The school went on for a year before the name was changed to First Jamaica Zen-do Kai Kan Karate organisation, with Tai-Loy as chief instructor. Since then the school has grown to more than a thousand students both locally and internationally.