SHUNPOOKAN AIKIDO INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT
Dan Gilbert, 4th Dan
Sensei Daniel Gilbert has been practicing martial arts since 1976. He trained in Aikido in the UK under Sensei Paul Evans and Shihan Brian Burrows while he lived there from 1998 to 2005. In 2005 Sensei Gilbert moved to NC and started up the first Shunpookan club in the US.
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Shunpookan NC hosts a semi-annual international seminar where senior instructors from the UK come to teach classes here in Gastonia. In off years Sensei Gilbert travels to the UK to train at the Shunpookan dojos there and to maintain the strong links we have with Shunpookan in the UK.
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We are blessed with a strong relationship with St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Our dojo is considered part of the community outreach and a key resource to the local community.
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Contact Sensei Gilbert at spknc@yahoo.com or 704 478 6030
Christian Smith, 3rd Dan Fukushidoin
Tulsa Oklahoma
Christian Smith Sensei has been practicing martial arts since 2000. He began Aikido in the UK under Brian Burrows Shihan and Paul Evans Sensei and in 2006 he was awarded his 1st Dan blackbelt. He continued under the instruction of Burrows Shihan until 2010 when he emigrated to NYC.
Upon arriving in NYC he began to split his time between the New York Aikikai and the Yoshikan Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu dojo in Brooklyn for 3 years achieving 3rd Kyu rank.
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Christian has always maintained strong links to Shun Poo Kan in the UK and NC and regularly collaborates at seminars where senior instructors from the UK come to teach classes in Gastonia, NC and Tulsa where Christian has lived for the past 3 years.
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Christian was awarded his 3rd Dan in 2023 and is committed to teaching a very practical method of self defense through a traditional Aikido lens.
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Contact Christian Smith Sensei at shodan06@gmail.com or 551.666.3537
