Shihan Neoh Then Hock

Shihan Neoh Then Hock was born on 2^nd May 1959. He took up karate martial art at the age of 18 years old. He started his earlier training under Karate Budokan International (K.B.I.) and obtained his Black Belt Shodan in 1980 and Nidan in 1984 under the late Grandmaster Chew Choo Soot.

He joined Goshin-Ryu in 1988 for “Karate Sport”. In 1990, he left and joined the state body thinking of the better prospect in the karate sport under the state body, but it was worst. He decided to form an association with some senior Instructors of various styles for the betterment and development of karate-do martial art on 28/11/1993 and the association was registered under the name as Perak Karate-Do Academy Association (KDA) and got approved by the Registrar of Societies on 19/04/1994.

Prior of forming this association, Shihan Neoh Then Hock gained experience by training under various styles of karate and even attended the Oyama Karate Centralized Training at the Batu Ferringgi, Penang under the guidance from the late Chief Instructor Shihan Joe Chin.

Shihan Neoh Then Hock had participated in a number of Championships. His first karate tournament was in Klang in 1978 and the last championship was in 1990 in Seremban for the “semi contact karate”. He even won a number of medals in kumite and kata. He was a Champion in the Penang Open Karate Championship in 1984 and Perak Open Karate Championship in 1988.

Throughout his karate-do exposure and commitment, he hopes to give his utmost best to his newly formed association – KDA, but he feels that something amiss in karate and don’t know what actually the causes. He decided to accept an invitation for the “Asia-Pacific Koshiki Karate-do Open Championship – 2000” in Bandung, Indonesia.

He was so shock that the exponents using their legs and hands so freely and entirely different from the “semi contact karate”. He was told that the competition was a “hard contact karate” and under the governing body of WKKF (World Koshiki Karate-do Federation).

After his return from Indonesia, he introduced the “hard contact karate” in his dojo. He saw there a lot of improvement and progressing among his students. From there, Shihan Neoh Then Hock realize what amiss and to the downfall in the present karate-do, because of the semi contact karate especially in the “score and yame” format which killing the true identity of karate-do. In the “hard contact karate” it encouraged multiple and simultaneous scores which it reflex the true identity of the art and an ideal sport. He decided to form an association for Koshiki Karate-do fully emphasizing the “hard style” and the development of Koshiki competition through the “Safety Contact Karate” sport. Koshiki Karate-do well known as a “scientific and modern karate” by the invention and user of the “anzen bogu” for the training and competition, and also a “traditional karate” by the wearing of the black “hakama” for the judges and referees during the competition.

He decided to travel to Tokyo, Japan in 2002 for the “Japan Open Koshiki Karate-do Championship” to know much more about the Koshiki Karate-do. From there, he learnt more about the “shiai” from Hanshi Masayuki Kukan Hisataka. In his return, he start promoting the sport of Koshiki by organizing the “Perak Open Koshiki Championship in 2003”.

In late 2003, Shihan Neoh Then Hock decided to travel to European country and made his journey to Lisbon, Portugal for the “World League Koshiki Karate-do Championship”. From there he knew that “SAFETY” is the main priority for everyone in Koshiki. In his return, he gave a Koshiki Karate-do Seminar & Referee Clinic for the development of “Safety Contact Karate” to various styles and form of martial art on 04/09/2004, and encouraged more youth to join Koshiki Karate-do by organizing the “Perak Junior Koshiki Karate-do Championship” on 09/10/2004 & 10/10/2004.

Other than being a karate sensei, Shihan Neoh Then Hock is a qualified Physical Instructor and a Body Builder Instructor.