Sensei Wicks is one of Master
Tatsuo Suzuki's top students and main assistants with whom he has trained,
travelled and taught extensively throughout the World. Sensei Wicks is also
the WIKF World Chief Instructor having been appointed to
the role by Sensei Suzuki in Cyprus 2009.
Sensei Wicks began studying karate at
the age of 13 and achieved his 1st Dan (black belt) aged 17 years. At the
age of 50, Jon Wicks became the youngest official Wado-Ryu 8th Dan in the
world which was awarded to him personally by Master Suzuki.
Sensei Wicks has had a long and
successful competition career and has won most major competitions. His main
achievement was to win the WIKF World team and individual events in Florida
in 1997 where he overcame stiff opposition to take the premier Wado-Ryu
title. Sensei Wicks has also won the WIKF European Individual Championships
4 times and Team Championships 8 times and numerous National Events
throughout the years. Please see our gallery for photos of Jon Wicks taken
throughout his long and successful career.
As well as a distinguished
competition career, Jon Wicks has had the honour of training with many
Japanese masters, the most notable being Master Hironori Ohtsuka the first.
A significant factor and fundamental ethos of Su-Ha-Ri is that Sensei Wicks
is a traditionalist and only teaches authentic Wado-Ryu as taught to him by
Sensei Tatsuo Suzuki 8th dan Hanshi.
Sensei Wicks has also had the honour
of teaching and demonstrating authentic Wado-Ryu in many countries with
Master Suzuki and continues to do so today.
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