Black Belts from Japan Shotokan

This link will show some of the folks that have earned black belts after studying at Japan Shotokan Karate.

Chief Instructor: Brad Webb

Brad Webb started his karate career in Springfield, Illinois under Doug Dennis studying Shudokan karate-do in 1981. He immediately took a liking to the system and teachers of the style, and was quickly training 6 days a week/2 hours a day.

Midway into 1982 Brad moved to Dallas, Texas and luckily found Alex and Susan Tong.  In Sept 1982 they establish JKA Dallas. He has kept in contact with Doug Dennis over the years.

While Brad couldn’t start studying Shotokan under Dr Tong and Sensei Nishiyama until Jan 1983, Mr Webb kept up self-training(6 days a week) and was able to help start the UT-Dallas Karate Club in Sept 1982. He served as an officer and junior instructor over the years until he finished his Masters Degree in 1988. The same year Brad met Elizabeth Regnier.

Dr Tong brought Brad and the Southwest region to Nishiyama Sensei’s Nationals starting in 1985.  Mr Webb competed until his retirement in 2007 earning many medals and awards.  Brad has been on the AAKF national team as a competitor from 1993-2009, earning 4 gold medals, and 26 Silver and Bronze in World, PanAm, and World Cup competition.  He also holds International “A” class judge, examiner,  and coaching licenses from ITKF (the only current “A” judge in the USA). In 2000 Nishiyama sensei requested Mr. Webb join the AAKF board of directors, where he served until 2010.    Mr. Webb has been the USA national coach since 1995 – helping the United States athletes (including himself) to earn many medals in international competition, and has since transitioned into judging.

When Nishiyama Sensei died in Nov 2008 the AAKF went into a state of mourning.  In 2009 there was a leadership gap that  Mr. Webb, with the remaining board of directors of AAKF(Robert Graves, Tati Eugenio, William Battle, and Robert Fusaro) stepped into to establish organizational control, as they sought to support and extend the goals of Nishiyama sensei and piloted the very rocky time of the year after his death.  With the establishment of new Bylaws for AAKF, in 2010 Mr. Webb stepped down from the Board.  In 2013 the ITKF expelled/suspended the AAKF and 9 other national federations after a coup attempt.  Mr. Webb and many other USA dojos left the AAKF to establish other groups of clubs.   Mr. Webb has established USA Traditional Karate and rejoined ITKF as it’s USA representative.

He is currently Rokudan(6th degree black belt).

As a last note, Brad was certified judge for the USA Gymnastics organization (like Elizabeth)  since both of the Webb children were/are gymnasts.

Elizabeth Webb

Elizabeth Webb is an instructor at Japan Shotokan Karate, where she specializes in teaching children and beginning students.

Elizabeth started her karate training in her hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin in 1969 under David Rand.  She received 8^th kyu at that time from Shojiro Sugiyama and then took a break until she rediscovered Shotokan karate at the UW-Madison club in 1980, instructed by Richard Schulz. Elizabeth moved to Abu Dhabi in 1986, where she continued training with Minako Kondoh. She received her Shodan from H. Okomoto, the JKA chief instructor of the Middle East, in 1987. After moving back to the US in 1988, she continued her karate training at JKA Dallas under Alex Tong and Brad Webb. In 1990, Bradley and Elizabeth Webb founded their own dojo, Japan Shotokan Karate. She holds a 3rd degree black belt, received in October 1999 from H. Nishiyama.   Currently, Elizabeth trains under her husband.

Elizabeth has competed at AAKF National competitions since 1995, earning 3rd place in Enbu in 1995&1996, 3rd place in Fukugo/All-Around in 1996 & 1997, second place in Team Kata in 1997, first place in Team Kata in 1998 and third place in Team Kata in 1999. In 1998 she and her kata team competed for the US at the ITKF World Championships in Warsaw, Poland. They earned 6th place.

Elizabeth has had several different career interests. For years she worked as a teacher in Wisconsin, UAE, and Texas. She then finished her second degree, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and first in her class, from UT Dallas’ Electrical Engineering program, and took a job as an ASIC design engineer.   In addition to working as an engineer, teaching karate, and managing several sole proprietorship businesses, Elizabeth was also a certified judge in USA Gymnastics.  Needless to say she/they are raising  twin girls, Bethany and Lydia.

Lydia’s college gymnastics team earned the USAG Collegiate national championship in 2021.

Bethany is helping to run a publishing house base out of her university.

They can be reached at bwe962@airmail.net or at 214-938-6449 (USA based).