Ticky Donovan
Encyclopedia
David 'Ticky' Donovan OBE (born 1947) is a renowned British
karate
competitor and coach. He was the coach and manager of both the British and English national karate teams, from 1977 until he retired from that role in 2008. During his tenure as coach, Britain won numerous European and World championship team gold medals. It was for his achievements as a coach that he was awarded the O.B.E. in 1991. Ticky Donovan currently holds a 9th Dan black belt
. He is based in Loughton, Essex
.
In 1973, Donovan formed his own style of karate known as Ishinryu, which means ‘All of one Heart’. This style has had significant competition success over the years and continues to be practised at a number of UK clubs, as well as in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
On 28 March 2009, Karate England held a testimonial evening for Donovan, with many senior karateka present, including Steve Arneil
, Dave Hazard
, Tyrone Whyte, and Aiden Trimble.
's Clapham Common club. Having previously trained in boxing
, Donovan found karate 'slow' and was ready to quit after his first lesson. However, he changed his mind after seeing a dynamic demonstration from the legendary Tatsuo Suzuki
himself, and from that point on, he was hooked. Donovan stayed with Wado Ryu
for over three years, training with Tatsuo Suzuki and Len Palmer.
When Mister Suzuki and Len Palmer unfortunately parted company, both men wanted him to stay with them and Donovan's loyalties were split, as Mr Suzuki was a great instructor and Len Palmer had helped Donovan in various ways. Donovan stayed with Len but did not forget Mr Suzuki and the fundamentals he had been taught. When Mr Kanazawa came over, the group switched to Shotokan, and at this point, Donovan trained with Kanazawa and Enoeda but fate was to play a hand again as Mr Kanazawa went to Germany and Mr Enoeda to Liverpool. To make matters worse, Donovan broke a bone in his hand at the selections for the European Championships and decided to give up karate completely.
After six months out of the Dojo
, Donovan got ‘the bug’ once more, and the nearest Karate club to him was Steve Arneil’s Kyokushinkai dojo in Stratford, where a lot of his friends trained. Donovan found the atmosphere electric, changed to Kyokushinkai and trained in the style for nearly four years, taking his second Dan with Mas Oyama.
, a Dojo that saw the beginning of the now famous Ishinryu style. Donovan remembers that he wanted a name that meant “open mind’ but when translated it came out as “empty head” and the idea was quickly scrapped. Meeting a Japanese Judoka while on holiday, he came up with the name 'Ishinryu' meaning “everybody with one heart”. Donovan asked if there was an Ishinryu style in Japan, and he said no, and Ishinryu was born (not to be confused with the Okinawan Isshin-ryu
karate system), recognised by The World Karate Federation
.
At first, Donovan simply used 'Ishinryu' as a club name. However inspired by the suggestion of Mr. Kimura (a famous Shukokai instructor) Ishinryu was incorporated as a style integrating what Donovan had learnt from previous karate instructors - Ishinryu became a unique style developed from Kyokushinkai, Wado-ryu and Shotokan.
The first Ishinryu club was formed in Dagenham. Other clubs soon emerged with Peter Dennis opening an Ishinryu club in Basildon; Will Verner opening in East Ham; and Tyrone White opening in Stratford. Administration in the early days of Ishinryu was taken care of by Fred Kidd, a well-respected friend of Ticky’s who had previously trained with him in Kyokushinkai.
Since 1976, Ticky Donovan has hosted an annual Open Summer Course at Clacton in Essex. This course takes place in the last week of June.
Ticky Donovan's style of Ishinryu should not be confused with Isshin-ryu
, a style of Okinawan karate founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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,...
competitor and coach. He was the coach and manager of both the British and English national karate teams, from 1977 until he retired from that role in 2008. During his tenure as coach, Britain won numerous European and World championship team gold medals. It was for his achievements as a coach that he was awarded the O.B.E. in 1991. Ticky Donovan currently holds a 9th Dan black belt
Black Belt
Black Belt may refer to:*Black belt , an indication of attainment of a high rank of skill in martial arts**Black Belt Magazine, a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals*Black Belt Black Belt may refer to:*Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of a...
. He is based in Loughton, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
In 1973, Donovan formed his own style of karate known as Ishinryu, which means ‘All of one Heart’. This style has had significant competition success over the years and continues to be practised at a number of UK clubs, as well as in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
On 28 March 2009, Karate England held a testimonial evening for Donovan, with many senior karateka present, including Steve Arneil
Steve Arneil
Steve Arneil is a prominent South African-British master of Kyokushin karate. He learned directly from Masutatsu Oyama and was a senior instructor in Oyama's International Karate Organization until 1991, when he resigned from the IKO...
, Dave Hazard
Dave Hazard
Dave Hazard born in Bow, east London, in 1952 is a well known British 7th Dan Karateka and instructor of Shotokan karate and was one of the few students present at the very beginning of British Karate. He is a former KUGB national champion and British team member...
, Tyrone Whyte, and Aiden Trimble.
Early days
Ticky Donovan attended his first Karate lesson aged eighteen in 1965, at Tatsuo SuzukiTatsuo Suzuki
was the founder and head of the WIKF and held the 8th dan in Wadō-ryū karate. He died at his home on 12th July 2011.- External links:* Professor Tatsuo Suzuki 8th dan hanshi...
's Clapham Common club. Having previously trained in 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...
, Donovan found karate 'slow' and was ready to quit after his first lesson. However, he changed his mind after seeing a dynamic demonstration from the legendary Tatsuo Suzuki
Tatsuo Suzuki
was the founder and head of the WIKF and held the 8th dan in Wadō-ryū karate. He died at his home on 12th July 2011.- External links:* Professor Tatsuo Suzuki 8th dan hanshi...
himself, and from that point on, he was hooked. Donovan stayed with Wado Ryu
Wado Ryu
is a karate style; three organizations now teach the Wadō-ryū style: the Japan Karate-dō Federation Wadōkai , the Wadōryū Karatedō Renmei, and the Wadō Kokusai Karatedō Renmei .- Philosophy :The name...
for over three years, training with Tatsuo Suzuki and Len Palmer.
When Mister Suzuki and Len Palmer unfortunately parted company, both men wanted him to stay with them and Donovan's loyalties were split, as Mr Suzuki was a great instructor and Len Palmer had helped Donovan in various ways. Donovan stayed with Len but did not forget Mr Suzuki and the fundamentals he had been taught. When Mr Kanazawa came over, the group switched to Shotokan, and at this point, Donovan trained with Kanazawa and Enoeda but fate was to play a hand again as Mr Kanazawa went to Germany and Mr Enoeda to Liverpool. To make matters worse, Donovan broke a bone in his hand at the selections for the European Championships and decided to give up karate completely.
After six months out of the Dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
, Donovan got ‘the bug’ once more, and the nearest Karate club to him was Steve Arneil’s Kyokushinkai dojo in Stratford, where a lot of his friends trained. Donovan found the atmosphere electric, changed to Kyokushinkai and trained in the style for nearly four years, taking his second Dan with Mas Oyama.
The Birth of Ishinryu
The Kyokushinkai years were a great time for Donovan, but unfortunately splits came, and so Donovan decided the time was right to leave and open his own DojoDojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
, a Dojo that saw the beginning of the now famous Ishinryu style. Donovan remembers that he wanted a name that meant “open mind’ but when translated it came out as “empty head” and the idea was quickly scrapped. Meeting a Japanese Judoka while on holiday, he came up with the name 'Ishinryu' meaning “everybody with one heart”. Donovan asked if there was an Ishinryu style in Japan, and he said no, and Ishinryu was born (not to be confused with the Okinawan Isshin-ryu
Isshin-ryu
is a style of Okinawan karate founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku and named by him on 15 January 1956. Isshin-Ryū karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryū karate, Gojū-ryū karate, and kobudō. The name means, literally, "one heart method"...
karate system), recognised by The World Karate Federation
World Karate Federation
The World Karate Federation, or WKF, was formed in 1990 from former WUKO members and is the largest international governing body of sport karate with over 130 member countries. It is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than ten million members...
.
At first, Donovan simply used 'Ishinryu' as a club name. However inspired by the suggestion of Mr. Kimura (a famous Shukokai instructor) Ishinryu was incorporated as a style integrating what Donovan had learnt from previous karate instructors - Ishinryu became a unique style developed from Kyokushinkai, Wado-ryu and Shotokan.
The first Ishinryu club was formed in Dagenham. Other clubs soon emerged with Peter Dennis opening an Ishinryu club in Basildon; Will Verner opening in East Ham; and Tyrone White opening in Stratford. Administration in the early days of Ishinryu was taken care of by Fred Kidd, a well-respected friend of Ticky’s who had previously trained with him in Kyokushinkai.
Ishinryu today
Ticky Donovan still plays a very active role is running the style he formed in 1973. The original Dagenham Ishinryu Dojo still exists as the Woodlane Club and has been joined by many others in the UK and abroad. Today, Ishinryu Karate is taught as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.Since 1976, Ticky Donovan has hosted an annual Open Summer Course at Clacton in Essex. This course takes place in the last week of June.
Ticky Donovan's style of Ishinryu should not be confused with Isshin-ryu
Isshin-ryu
is a style of Okinawan karate founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku and named by him on 15 January 1956. Isshin-Ryū karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryū karate, Gojū-ryū karate, and kobudō. The name means, literally, "one heart method"...
, a style of Okinawan karate founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku.
Controversy
In 2006 Donovan was suspended for seven weeks by Karate England following unfounded allegations of racial and child abuse made in an anonymous letter, and later refuted. The allegations were investigated by Essex Police and found to have no foundation.Achievements as British team coach
- Consecutive World championship titles: Taipei 1982, Holland 1984, Australia 1986, Cairo 1988, Mexico 1990
External links
- Ishinryu.org - Official website of Ticky Donovan and Ishinryu Karate.
- Btinternet.com - Interview transcript from 2003