London Docklands Kyokushinkai Karate Club

Maria Da Costa (4th Dan)

An insight into the BKK's highest graded woman karateka

Interview and report Liam Keaveney

Can you recollect any opponents that have stood out in your mind nationally or internationally?
In the early years the main top fighters were Pinny Borg, Lisa Fludder, Tracey Baker and Alison Powell. Later on my hardest opponents were Gitta Kondorosi and Clara Akpokomua. Internationally I had hard fights against De Loof from Belgium, Patricia Hanselmann from Switzerland and Kubanova from Russia.

What are your ambitions for the BKK?
I would like the BKK to grow in numbers by more black belts getting out there and opening their own dojos. I would love to see the BKK open it's own fully equipped Honbu for the benefit of all to use. And it would be nice to have more people volunteering their time, skills and ideas to help run our association more efficiently.

What, if any, are the goals you have yet to achieve?
It would be great if at some point in the future I became an international referee. I would also like to spend more time on weapons training.

You retired from knockdown in October 1998, how did it feel to be a very successful part of what was a groundbreaking movement for women fighting knockdown?
I am privileged to have had the opportunity to participate in knockdown. Knockdown for women started when I was 25, and couldn't have come along at a better time for me. I had success in Clicker and WUKO by then and this was a new and harder challenge.

What advice would you give to prospective fighters contemplating tournament participation?
I would say don't be afraid to have a go. In knockdown we have the novice section providing a safe starting point. There really isn't a better way to test out what you have been taught. Win or lose you have faced a challenge.

Are there any things that you regret in your years of training or have there been anything that you would have done differently?
Over 20 years of training there are always things I could have done differently but I don't have any major regrets. Karate is one long learning curve and when I maybe didn't train up hard enough for one tournament and suffered the consequences it made me train much harder for the next one. Possibly I made a mistake attempting my 30 man kumite test in 1987 but then the failure made me ensure I was ready in 1993 when I was successful.

For the past 5 years you have been the BKK's treasurer - how has that influenced your perspective of the organisation?
It has opened my eyes to all the hard work and dedication that has to occur in order fir the BKK to exist as it does. When you're a student you are in your own little world of training and are oblivious to what goes on around you to provide the hight standard of tournaments, squads, camps, courses, etc. nationally and internationally. I have and still do benefit for all this and as Treasurer it's my chance to do my bit to help with the workload.

If you could do it overnight what would you develop or change within the BKK?
I would increase the membership. I would stick a cople of zeros onto the end of our bank balance to enable us to do so much more (i.e. build that Honbu, and host a World tournament in this country). I also think it's time we had our cadets participating in "semi-contact" competiotns based closely on our knockdown rules with some additional safety measures, so as to better prepare them for knockdown.

Have you any aspirations to take over one day a coaching role within the BKK and more sppecifically the women's section?
No, not as things stand. Ther are so many talented people within our organisation that Hanshi has a hard job when selecting the coaches. I don't feel that the women's section would benefit more in having a female coach as opposed to a male coach. I strongly believe in having the best person for the job.

Where did you begin training with the BKK and why choose karate and why Kyokushin karate?
I started at a club in the Elephant and Castle called RHQ just before my 13th birthday. My father worked in the British Telecom building where the club trained and suggested i give it a go. I had no idea about different styles or standards of karate being taught. I was just lucky to stumble across a reputable club.

Who was your first instructor?
Jim Verona. He was a good instructor and RHQ, all be it a small dojo, produced a number of top fighters in it's day. There was only a senior class (no juniors) si I had to learn fast.

What dojos have you trained at for any length of time and what effect did these dojos have upon you?
In the early years I trained at RHQ twice a weeks and Crystal Palace twice a week under Hanshi. Crystal Palace was great to train at especially when in the main arena. I remeber being terrified of Hanshi but felt safety in numbers, as Crystal Palace was always a big class. The atmoshphere that was generated pushed you to train hard. In later years I trained at Bethnal Green under Glen Sharp in the infamous "Glass House". The floor was so cold there in winter that my legs would go numb up to my kneecaps, but it wasn't something you would complain about. Glen always trained hard and ran a strict disciplined class in line with Japanese traditions. He always demanded the best from you. Enentually in 1987 Nick and I opened Docklands. I taught the juniors and trained under Nick in the seniors. It's hard for me to describe Nicks' influence on my training without sounding like an advert for our dojo! I supoose my tournament results show his influence. My success started shortly after training under Nick and has continued to date.

You are now an instructor with Docklands and Newbury Park - how do you find the time and energy with a young family and you're other commitments within the BKK?
Nick does the majority of the teaching at the dojos. I mainly help with the juniors. But it is hard keeping it all going. I rely heavily on my close family without whose continued support I could not manage. I love karate and when your doing the thing you enjoy you find the time and energy.

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