About SKA (Shitoryu Karate Association of Singapore)

In the early sixties, a group of people got together with the idea of setting up a karate school in Singapore. They were no ordinary men in the street. They were law enforcement officers who understand the importance of martial arts, not only as a form of exercise, but also for self-defence.

Together with other professionals and martial arts enthusiasts, they started a karate school in McNair Road in December 1964. It was then the home of one of the founder-members, a police officer. The school - the first of its kind in Singapore - was named the Singapore Karate Association.

Among the notable founders were Messrs Ronald Naidu, Lam Kok Keong, Tan Kah Wan, Yoong Siew Wah, and the late George Wee and Dr Chia Ah Kwan.

In June 1967, the Association recruited the services of a senior Japanese instructor :- Sensei K Oda, a 3rd dan black belt holder trained in the "shito" style of karate. It was deemed necessary to engage Sensei K Oda to upgrade the standard of karate and promote shitoryu style of karate among Singaporean.

Shihan Wong recieving WSKF Affliation Certificate from Master Ken Sakio

The recruitment of Sensei K Oda stirred up local interest in the art. A steady stream of students signed up, and they had to be screened to ensure that they were of good character. The courtyard was turned into a training dojo. Training was hard and made even tougher by the afternoon heat on the cement courtyard. Rules were also drawn up to ensure discipline among the members and ensure the maintenance of the dojo.

The membership grew and the Associaton produced some of the best karate-kas in the region in the 1970s. this was evident when a local team beat stiff competition from Japan and the United States and clinched the second runner-up spot in the 2nd World Karate Championship, held in Paris in 1973. The team which achieved this accolade for Singapore comprised Messrs Wong Tuang Seng who is still the current Chief Instructor, Victor Sim, Loh Kong Wing and Chan Wah Heng.

The names and faces of these pioneers are displayed at the dojo today. -Some have retired since then, but a few of the veterans stayed on.

SKA and Sensei Wong

Shihan Wong began training at the age of 25 at the then Singapore Karate Association and went on to train under various Japanese instructors. He took part in several international tournaments and built up the SKA as a reputable dojo. He has steered the Association through the past 29 years as its Chief Instructor since 1977. Under his leadership, the dojo was also physically transformed into a modern, well-equipped training ground for its members. It has also been renamed Shitoryu Karate Association (SKA) to meet government regulations.

In 1989, the Association implemented two major steps to further improve and promote karate. Previously, there were only "ordinary," honorary," "life" and black belt members - all of whom must meet the required training standards at its headquarters. The Association's constitution was amended to allow for "associated" and "affiliated" memberships. With these amendments, it allowed trainees at its branches to become "associated" members of SKA, and thus able to identify themselves with a larger and more established organisation. Currently, the SKA now have associated membership from organisations such as the SIA Cabin Crew Martial Arts Circle, the West View Primary School Karate Club and the Singapore Island Country Club.

Similarly, the "affiliated" membership allowed other local and foreign-registered clubs and associations involved in the training of "shitoryu" karate to benefit from the resources of a larger parent body. We have now "affiliated" members from:

The Association is presently affiliated to the World Shitoryu Karatedo Federation (WSKF), Asia Pacific Shitoryu Karatedo Federation (APSKF), Singapore Karatedo Federation (SKF) and Karate-Do Union of Singapore (KUS). In September 2005, the Association was designated by the Asia Pacific Shitoryu Karatedo Federation (APSKF) as its hombu (headquarter) dojo because of its excellent facilities.

The Association's Logo

The Association introduced its logo in the year 1986 to reflect its wider scope and maturity: a red Merlion - one of Singapore's national symbols - set prominently against a white background, reflect Singapore's colours, and two concentric circles encircling the emblem complete the logo."

The Merlion signifies courage, strength, determination, honour and perseverance. The black knot signifies its essence as a martial art, and the red circle is for unity, equality and harmony among all karate-kas.

Into the Future

The Association continues to produce outstanding athletes for kata (pattern) and kumite (sparring) tournaments. The new generation of youth members are as young as 10 years old. Youth members have all been winning medals for the past years in the junior tournaments.

As the Association moves into the future, the responsibility to carry the torch rests on the shoulders of these young karate-kas and their brethren. To aid them on their journey to the pinnacle of the art, various training programs have been set in motion to nurture outstanding, talented and promising members. Outstanding Youth Members from Shitoryu Karate Association

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