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Friday, March 29, 2024

KDA at Ali mall: karate gym for future champs

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Tucked between rows of antique and curio shops at the upper ground floor of Ali Mall in Cubao is a karate gym, which, because of its location (and perhaps because of the activity inside) has become a magnet for passers-by, a mini-spectacle of aspiring fighters striving to master the intricacies of the Japanese martial art.

KDA at Ali mall: karate gym for future champs
Karate icon David Lay teaches the martial art’s fundamentals.

The gym is owned and operated by the Karate Development Arts and Sports, simply known as KDA, and its Chairman and Chief Instructor is no less than David Lay.

A many-time member of the national team during the late 80s and early 90s, David Lay is best remembered for giving the country countless honors in the international stage, including winning a gold medal in the 1989 Southeast Asian Games; a silver in the 1991 SEAG and a bronze in the 1993 SEAG. The following year, David represented the country in the Hiroshima Asian Games.

But perhaps his biggest achievement was when he pocketed the gold medal in the men’s kumite of the Asian Karatedo Federation championship held in Manila in 1995, a feat which remains unmatched to this day.

In 2000, David, with the help of friends and the unequivocal support from wife Maricar, established the KDA, which had its first headquarters right inside Unilever at United Nations Ave. in Manila.

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Over the last 20 years, KDA has grown tremendously and has produced more than 70 blackbelters. It also has 11 local branches and international headquarters in the United Kingdom and New Zealand as it celebrates its 20th year of existence.

JKS Affiliate

But what David considers as a ‘game-changer’ for KDA is its affiliation with JKS, or the Japan Karate Shotokan Fedartion, headed by the famed karate guru and 9th dan Masao Kagawa.

Aside from being the chief instructor of JKS, the 65-year-old Kagawa is considered as a karate icon in Japan and his association has produced world champions in the sport.

“It is really an honor to be affiliated with JKS since this group is known and respected worldwide and Masao Kagawa is a master of the highest order,” said David, whose KDA was certified as a JKS affiliate in December 2018.

Aside from the KDA, JKS, through David’s efforts, also certified three other karate clubs in Maharlika Karatedo Kai Philippines Inc., headed by Gregorio Lacorte; the Philippine Karate Tradition and Sports, led by Raymond Lee Reyes and the Association of Shotokan Karate of Ramon Franco.

Kagawa is scheduled to visit the country in March for a series of seminars and lectures in Lipa City in Batangas, even as David and friends also plan to attend a similar, also by Kagawa, in Japan as part of KDA’s activities.

Bully victim

David, who at 60 years old remains physically fit and active as an instructor, admitted that he was a late bloomer in the sport and took up the martial art when he was already 16.

But he has a distinct reason for taking up the sport.

“I was a victim of bullying. I was bullied when I was in elementary and in high school. But when I started studying karate, the bullying stopped,” he said.

As a believer in self-defense, David said men – and girls too should take up karate or other martial arts.

“Karate gives you confidence kasi alam mo that you can defend yourself anytime, na at least may advantage ka pag nagkagipitan,” he said.

“And yes, it can help you stay fit and strong,” he added.

(KDA (Ali Mall gym) is open from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. For inquiries, call Melissa or Bell at 0289618381)

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