In 1981 I started with my Shotokan Karate Club in Rotterdam, Holland. Later well known as the successful Tadashii-do Shotokan Karate Club. In Japanese Tadashii-do means "the right way". By coincidence I met Sensei Hans de Jong and his father Shihan Jan de Jong in Perth, WA. It was in 1987. My cousin and her husband, at that time relatives of Sensei Hans de Jong, asked me to join them to Western Australia
Of course interested in Martial Arts I was looking forward to meet the instructors of the Jan de Jong's Self Defence School. I was really surprised of the high standard of techniques. In my opinion it was the most developed Martial Arts system that I knew at that moment. In all these years it has been proved that it is still a revelation into the Martial Arts. In 1990 I visited Australia again, and again I trained a lot with Sensei Hans de Jong, as I also did in 1987.
Hans de Jong always operate in the shadow of his father, Shihan Jan de Jong. In full respect to his father, Sensei Hans de Jong developed his own high standard in Ju-Jitsu and other Martial Arts.
In 1990 Sensei Hans de Jong rewarded a Shodan rank certificate by the Dutch branch of Shihan Hirokazu Kanazawa's (9th Dan) Shotokan Karate international (SKI) for his contribution to the Martial Arts.
In all those years Sense Hans de Jong visited me and my club twice in Holland. The first time was in 1991. On the 29th of April he gave a seminar on Tadashii-do Shotokan Karate Club. In spite of that we train karate, the combinations of their self defence techniques was simply to insert in our system. Of course I have to mention that it was the merit to Sensei Hans de Jong's knowledge of education. One day later he gave, together with the Jan de Jong demonstration team and my karate team, a demonstration for an audience of around 500 people on our queens birthday. It was a great success. In that same week Sensei Hans de Jong was also invited to give a seminar for the prison guards in the State Prison of Rotterdam.
After a very long period Sense Hans de Jong visited me for the second time in Holland. There were old Martial Arts friends of him who were also on the first seminar of him 1991. It was a nice reunion for them. But also for novices. They were really surprised after the seminar. For my members of the competition squad, also members of the Dutch karate selection, it was very instructive. A new view of sweeping the opponent was very useful for them for competition karate. The seminar was again a great happening.
In all these years I visited a lot of country's in the world, under which Japan. As coach of my students I visited also many European tournaments and twice a world cup tournament. I saw alot of self defence demonstration on these tournament during the breaks. They were presented by high level Shihan's with a minimum degree of a 6th dan. Compare to them, in my point of view, Sensei Hans de Jong reached that same level. That Sensei Hans de Jong is still a 2nd dan is because of his modesty. It must be, otherwise I can't explain it.
Wim Mallens
(3rd dan Dutch Karate Federation, KBN)
(3rd dan World Shotokan Karate Federation, WSKF)
Trainer/coach and founder of the Tadashii-do Shotokan Karate Club Rotterdam
Website www.tadashii-do.cjb.net