Igor Dyachenko
Encyclopedia
Igor Dyachenko is a Ukrainian
karateka.
When asked when he started learning karate, Igor has answered, "Since I remember myself." His father had decided to take karate classes to improve his spirits and physical condition one year after the explosion of the atomic reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
where he worked. When Igor was six years old, his father began to show him basic karate
moves. Later, Igor was assigned to the local karate school.
During his athletic career, Igor Dyachenko has had many achievements, including world titles and both international and national competitions. He has practiced with coaches and athletes from Japan
, Brazil
, Yugoslavia
, Slovenia
, Hungary
, Egypt
, Azerbaijan
, and of course Ukraine
and USA. He also practices judo
, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
, boxing
, and muay thai
as a supplement to his regular karate training in order to become a complete fighter and take his skills to an even higher level. He believes that knowledge of other martial arts
techniques helps to achieve a new, modern approach to the teaching and practicing of karate
.
Igor is a former member of the Ukrainian National Karate team and a former Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Association (FSKA) World Champion in the kumite
division.
In 2006, Igor Dyachenko established his own school, D-Dojo / The School of Modern Japanese Karate, located in New York City
. He is currently Sensei
at D-Dojo, an officially recognized branch of Shotokan Karate-do International Federation
.
's historic Berlin Wall
speech. To honor the event, Dyachenko broke an 1/8 inch plywood board symbolizing the Berlin Wall, broke a watermelon, and cut a piece of cake for Stephen. Stephen enjoyed Dyachenko's watermelon breaking feat so much that he repeatedly mentioned it in several subsequent episodes.
(level) of black belt
(Yon-Dan) from Hirokazu Kanazawa.
2005 - 1st place at Shotokan
Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF-USA) National Open Karate Tournament; Mounds View, Minnesota
; individual kumite
.
2004 - 1st place at Ozawa Cup, Las Vegas
, Nevada
; individual kumite
; awarded most outstanding tournament]] competitor from Kotaka Sensei from Honolulu, Hawaii
.
2003 - 1st place at FSKA 5th World Karate Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada; individual kumite.
2003 - 1st place at USAKF National Championships; Akron, Ohio; individual kumite.
2002 - 2nd place at WTKO World Karate Championships; Staten Island, New York; senior individual kumite.
2001 - Received 3rd level of black belt (San-Dan) from Hirokazu Kanazawa.
2000 - 1st place at USA-NKF National Championships; Houston, Texas; senior team kumite.
2000 - 2nd place at the 19th Annual Traditional Karate Tournament International known as Ozawa Cup International Karate Tournament; Las Vegas, Nevada; senior team kumite.
1998 - 1st place at SKI-Ukraine National Championships; team kata.
1998 - 2nd place at WKO World Championships; Orlando, Florida; junior individual kata.
1997 - 1st place at the 6th SKIF World Championships; Milan, Italy; junior individual kata.
1997 - Received 2nd level of black belt (Ni-Dan) from Hirokazu Kanazawa.
1995 – 1998 - 1st place at the National Ukrainian Championships of Shotokan Karate-do; junior kata division.
1993 – 1997 - Eight 1st place medals at Kiev Championships in various divisions including adult divisions in kata and kumite.
1993 – 1996 - Four 1st place medals at Kiev Cup in various divisions including adult divisions in kata and kumite.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
karateka.
When asked when he started learning karate, Igor has answered, "Since I remember myself." His father had decided to take karate classes to improve his spirits and physical condition one year after the explosion of the atomic reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant or Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant is a decommissioned nuclear power station near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine, northwest of the city of Chernobyl, from the Ukraine–Belarus border, and about north of Kiev. Reactor 4 was the site of the Chernobyl disaster in...
where he worked. When Igor was six years old, his father began to show him basic karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
moves. Later, Igor was assigned to the local karate school.
During his athletic career, Igor Dyachenko has had many achievements, including world titles and both international and national competitions. He has practiced with coaches and athletes from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, and of course Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and USA. He also practices judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, and muay thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
as a supplement to his regular karate training in order to become a complete fighter and take his skills to an even higher level. He believes that knowledge of other martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
techniques helps to achieve a new, modern approach to the teaching and practicing of karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
.
Igor is a former member of the Ukrainian National Karate team and a former Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Association (FSKA) World Champion in the kumite
Kumite
Kumite means sparring, and is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which you train against an adversary, using the techniques learned from the kihon and kata....
division.
In 2006, Igor Dyachenko established his own school, D-Dojo / The School of Modern Japanese Karate, located in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He is currently Sensei
Sensei
' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...
at D-Dojo, an officially recognized branch of Shotokan Karate-do International Federation
Shotokan Karate-do International Federation
Shotokan Karate-do International Federation is the largest shotokan karate organisation in the world, with in excess of two and a half million members worldwide, in one hundred and twenty countries....
.
Appearance on the The Colbert Report
On June 12, 2007 Igor Dyachenko appeared on the The Colbert Report (Video) to help Stephen commemorate Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's historic Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
speech. To honor the event, Dyachenko broke an 1/8 inch plywood board symbolizing the Berlin Wall, broke a watermelon, and cut a piece of cake for Stephen. Stephen enjoyed Dyachenko's watermelon breaking feat so much that he repeatedly mentioned it in several subsequent episodes.
Awards and accomplishments
2007 - Received 4th Dan rankDan rank
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
(level) of black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
(Yon-Dan) from Hirokazu Kanazawa.
2005 - 1st place at Shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF-USA) National Open Karate Tournament; Mounds View, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
; individual kumite
Kumite
Kumite means sparring, and is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which you train against an adversary, using the techniques learned from the kihon and kata....
.
2004 - 1st place at Ozawa Cup, Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
; individual kumite
Kumite
Kumite means sparring, and is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which you train against an adversary, using the techniques learned from the kihon and kata....
; awarded most outstanding tournament]] competitor from Kotaka Sensei from Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
2003 - 1st place at FSKA 5th World Karate Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada; individual kumite.
2003 - 1st place at USAKF National Championships; Akron, Ohio; individual kumite.
2002 - 2nd place at WTKO World Karate Championships; Staten Island, New York; senior individual kumite.
2001 - Received 3rd level of black belt (San-Dan) from Hirokazu Kanazawa.
2000 - 1st place at USA-NKF National Championships; Houston, Texas; senior team kumite.
2000 - 2nd place at the 19th Annual Traditional Karate Tournament International known as Ozawa Cup International Karate Tournament; Las Vegas, Nevada; senior team kumite.
1998 - 1st place at SKI-Ukraine National Championships; team kata.
1998 - 2nd place at WKO World Championships; Orlando, Florida; junior individual kata.
1997 - 1st place at the 6th SKIF World Championships; Milan, Italy; junior individual kata.
1997 - Received 2nd level of black belt (Ni-Dan) from Hirokazu Kanazawa.
1995 – 1998 - 1st place at the National Ukrainian Championships of Shotokan Karate-do; junior kata division.
1993 – 1997 - Eight 1st place medals at Kiev Championships in various divisions including adult divisions in kata and kumite.
1993 – 1996 - Four 1st place medals at Kiev Cup in various divisions including adult divisions in kata and kumite.