PKCC Episode 182 - Conroy Copeland and Frank Clayton

Punch Kick Choke Chat

Join us this week as we sit down with Conroy Copeland and Frank Clayton. Sensei Copeland began his karate training around the age of 15. He has been taught and trained under renowned martial arts instructors like Sensei Richard Kim, Morio Higaonna, and Professor Wally Jay, gaining valuable knowledge that he now shares with his students, some of whom run their own dojos. In 1975, Conroy met Sensei Don Warrener at a tournament and became his student, training at DWMA until the early 1990s when he began learning from Sensei Teruo Chinen, who has been his teacher for the last 20 years. As a competitor, he has represented national teams worldwide for WKO, Karate Ontario, and CKO, earning numerous championships. Sensei Copeland has been teaching since 1978 and has successfully run Copeland's Martial Arts since then. Additionally, he has hosted the Windsor Open Karate Championships for over 20 years, making it one of the region's longest-running tournaments. In 2023, Sensei Conroy Copeland was inducted into the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame. Sensei Clayton, born in Halifax in 1959 and raised in Montreal, began his martial arts journey with Judo and Boxing before fully immersing himself in Karate in 1971 after moving to Hamilton. He joined Don Warrener's Delta club in 1977, earning his black belt in 1980. Over the years, he has helped his students open their own dojos, mentoring them to positively impact their communities. With over 10,000 students taught and more than 300 black belts produced, Sensei Clayton has built a lasting legacy in martial arts. Renshi Clayton is a 7th dan in Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate and a 5th dan in Ryu Kyu Kobudo. Sensei Clayton continues to teach and pursue his own training, regularly traveling to Okinawa. In 2024, Sensei Frank Clayton was inducted into the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame.

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