Video: UAE’s pioneer karate master, 73, recounts 5-decade journey including teaching children of determination
His team’s special performance welcomed the world to Dubai for 27th Chess Olympiad in ‘86
Sharjah: A karate performance during a chess championship may seem unusual, but that was the kind of a special spectacle Dubai presented to welcome the world when it hosted the 27th Chess Olympiad in 1986.
And the man behind the karate version of the famous “Evergreen” chess game was the UAE’s pioneer karate instructor Abdul Rahman Al Hadad.
Now 73, the Canadian national of Syrian descent still cherishes those memories and a video of the opening ceremony broadcast by Dubai TV that he has uploaded on his YouTube channel.
In the video, Al Hadad can be seen as the main player who defeats the king of the opposite team in the game watched by spectators including leaders and great chess players.
Beautiful game
“It was a beautiful game and a proud moment,” Al Hadad recalled in an interview with Gulf News.
Dubbed the most beautiful chess game ever, the Evergreen Game is a famous chess game won by German chess master Adolf Anderssen against his student Jean Dufresne in 1852.
Al Hadad recounted that replicating the game through karate was not easy. He said the karate players were first taught how to play chess in order to comprehend the beauty of the game, and then they trained extensively to represent the individual chess pieces and perform their fights depicting the players’ moves.
“The demonstration was a huge success and was watched by audiences around the world.”
Master
Al Haddad has not only trained thousands of children, but also helped children with determination improve their physical and mental health with the martial art.
Sharing his life story as a “karateka” (karate practitioner) who has lived for five decades in the UAE, Al Haddad said he had become passionate about the martial art when he was a teenager in Damascus, Syria.
“I learnt karate under the supervision and support of Sensei Hideki Okamoto, who was the chief instructor from Japan Karate Association (JKA),” he said.
A 1967 graduate of the JKA Instructors Course, Okamoto, who passed away in 2009, was known for developing Shotokan Karate in Africa and the Middle East.
Early days
It was after he secured his first black belt in 1975, that Al Hadad decided to move to the UAE and embarked on a journey to promote the art of karate across various emirates.
“I began in Abu Dhabi and later moved to Sharjah and taught in Dubai and Ajman also.”
Al Hadad became an official sensei when he took a licence from Sharjah Municipality and opened the first karate centre in the emirate in 1980.
Since then, the Shotokan Karate School in Sharjah, which was later renamed as Shotokan Japanese Sports Centre, has been the launchpad dojo (Japanese word to describe a room or a hall in which martial arts are practiced) of thousands of karatekas, including some international champions.
“I have kept the admission papers of each and every student,” Al Hadad said, pointing to piles of files containing the admission papers. He feels blessed to have students today, whose parents were his students when they were children.
“Many of my old students who left the UAE are also still in touch with me. I have visited many of them in different countries.”
Even while teaching, he continued his own training, learning through books and videos and travelling extensively to Europe, Canada, and Japan to hone his skills under his master.
In 2010, Al Hadad achieved the prestigious seventh Dan rank, an honour bestowed upon him directly from Tokyo, Japan. “I was the first karate instructor from the Middle East and Africa to attain this distinction,” said Al Hadad, who hit the milestone when he was just two months shy of turning 60.
Also a recognised chief instructor and examiner, Al Hadad’s coaching legacy spans various schools and clubs, fostering a passion for karate among thousands of students, young and old.
Shaping youngsters
Al Hadad is not only dedicated to teaching karate, but his ambition is to use this sport as a tool to help shape a better future for children, both physically and mentally. He believes that karate instructors play a pivotal role in shaping young minds, instilling confidence, discipline, respect and resilience.
“I love to teach people to understand that karate is not for fighting and killing. This martial art and sport helps people to become polite and control their body and mind. It feels great to see mischievous kids learn to be polite with the sport.”
Proud teacher
Over the years, Al Hadad has worked with children from diverse backgrounds, including those with special needs. He said learning karate has helped children of determination with remarkable improvements in their mental and physical well-being.
“When their children’s condition becomes better, the parents become very happy and thank me.”
He said one of his students with Down syndrome went on to secure third position in one of the categories in the World Championship in Spain in 2018.
“That was a very proud moment for me, her and her family.”
He is also proud of teaching karate to his children Natalie and Najmeddin, who became the youngest 5th Dan Black-belt in the history of Shotokan. Najmeddin went on to become a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter known as the Canadian Scorpion and has acted in movies and series.
Milestones
Al Hadad has achieved many milestones including authoring two books on karate tailored for children and organising special events to raise awareness about the art.
Dozens of trophies, shields, and certificates in both Japanese and English decorate his karate school, serving as proof of the achievements of the master and his students.
Apart from organising many national karate championships over the years, where clubs and students from around the UAE joined and won, Al Hadad has held several seminars to help popularise the sport.
After Okamoto, Al Hadad has invited JKA chief instructor Tatsuya Naka, who is also famous for acting in several karate movies, to coach students from around the UAE.
In addition to adopting a disciplined lifestyle through practising karate, Al Hadad attributes his age-defying appearance and skills to his positive energy and habit of smiling.
His advancing age, Al Haddad said, does not hinder his advocacy for karate as a tool for self-defense, physical well-being, and personal growth.