Instructors

Shihan Nick da Costa - 5th dan....

is the British Karate Kyokushinkai Assistant Chief Instructor and is also the Great Britain knockdown coach for Men, Women & Cadets. He is also a member of the executive & technical committees of the association.

Shihan da Costa started karate in 1978 under the instruction of Sensei Bill Walsh 3rd dan who was 3 times B.K.K Wuko champion and a member of the first British World Knockdown Tournament team of 1975.
His other instructor was Glen Sharp who also went on to be British Champion in Knockdown & Kickboxing. After approximately 6 months he earned his England colours representing the BKK in the All Styles Wuko Championship and followed that some months later by winning his first BKK British Championship in Clicker in 1979.
Also, at the same tournament he was a member of the Millwall team who won the team event.
In 1982 he won his first British Knockdown Championship in the middleweight division, which was the first of 3, also winning the Tameshiwari (wood-breaking) twice on the way. He also went on to win 2 European knockdown championships and the inaugural Commonwealth Knockdown tournament in Australia in 1988.
In 1984 and 1987 he took part in the World open-weight knockdown Tournaments in Japan (IKO) and finished 6th & 8th respectively.
Since retiring from competition in 1989 he has turned to coaching.

Sensei Maria da Costa - 4th dan....

is the current B.K.K treasurer and has been instructing since the formation of Docklands in 1988. Sensei Maria started training in 1981 at RHQ, a club using the facilities of British Telecom in South London.
In the early 1980's she was part of a team that won the ladies clicker. She started training with Shihan da Costa in 1987 and won her first individual title in 1990 in Switzerland. She then went from strength to strength winning many individual titles and was also a member of the GB team that won the European Clicker Championships in 1991.
In 1993 she turned to knockdown, which was not available to women until then and won the British title 3 times, also winning Spanish and Belgian titles along the way.
In 1997 she was selected to fight for Britain in the first IFK World Tournament in Russia and finished 3rd losing to the Russian winner by dubious decision. After retiring from Knockdown in 1998, she continues to compete in point scoring championships and has won two more national titles in consecutive years.

Tournament Record

Sempai Helena Pettit - 2nd Dan....

International knockdown fighter and British Heavyweight knockdown Champion.

Sempai Sunil Tailor - 2nd Dan....

is the current European & British Kata Champion and is a England international in point scoring.

Tournament Record

Sempai Gary Padget - 1st Dan....

started training in 1980 at Millwall dojo on the Isle of Dogs alongside Shihan Nick da Costa, but under the tutelage of Glen Sharpe & Bill Walsh. Sempai.
Gary had a break from training in the 1980's and resumed regular training at Docklands in late 1990's. He has represented Kyokushin-England in Internationals at Semi-Contact.

1982 - 1st place low grade in National Men's Clicker team.
1984 - 3rd place National Men's Clicker team.
1991 - 2nd place National Men's Clicker - Individual.
1999 - Silver Medal, England V Wales Clicker/Wuko team.
2001 - Gold Medal, England V Wales Clicker/Wuko team.

Sempai Simon Howes - 1st Dan....

Started training in 1989. 5 times England international (pointscoring).
3rd Place in British Novice Middleweight Knockdown Championships 2000 @ Crystal Palace.
2nd Place in Black/Brown belt Category of the British Team kata Competition 2001.
Formerly of Leyton dojo .

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