Sensei Brett Halliday started Shotokan karate in 1968 under his late
father, sensei Laurie Halliday, a pioneer in South African karate.
After Laurie’s untimely death in 1972 he stopped for three years
and started again in 1975 under sensei’s Conrad Scheepers, (a
private student of Hiroshi Shiriah sensei) Werner Matthe (SA’s first
JKA kata champion), and Clive Himsworth of the Renshukan
Karate dojo in KZN, South Africa.
Brett was graded shodan in 1979, nidan in 1981, sandan in 1984,
yondan in 1990, all under the Renshukan panel consisting of the
above sensei. He came second in the Natal Karate all styles kumite
being beaten by springbok karateka Chris “Borax” Botha, chief
instructor of Funokoshi Karate SA. .
In 1984, whilst travelling around UK and Europe he trained under
sensei Shiriah and his assistant sensei Carlo Fuggazo in Milan, Italy,
and with sensei Tomita in London (missing Enoeda sensei who was
instructing abroad)
The Renshukan, after the split in the JKA following Nakayama
sensei’s death, joined sensei Norman Robinson of the JKS, and
Brett won the individual open kumite event in 1993.
He relocated to UK in 1994 and joined sensei’s Gerry Breeze and
Colin Putt in the FBSKU(I) During this time, he was privileged to
glean his technical skills under the guidance of both these illustrious
sensei’s, who shared their accumulated knowledge gained from
training with numerous Japanese over the years.

During this time he was also able to train in shihan Keneth
Funokoshi’s classes on several occasions.
Brett relocated to Ireland in 1997 where he trained, captained, and
competed the Irish team that won silver in the Gichin Funokoshi
world championships. He was mentioned in SKM magazine as
executing the best technique of the tournament, ashu barai both legs
followed by gyaki tsuki as his opponent struck the ground. Whilst
in Ireland he attended classes held by sensei Kawazoe on a few
occasions.
He then joined, with Renshukan senor karateka sensei’s Artie
Speight from Northern Ireland, and sensei Gary “Gabby” Ellis from
South Africa, sensei Taiji Kase’s instructor’s academy. During this
period until Kase sense’s death in 2004 Brett intensively studied
Shotokan Ryu Kase Ha (Kase’s way)
When sensei Kase died in 2004, Brett, Artie, and Gary left the
association to run the Renshukan with Conrad sensei. Brett was
graded rokudan in 2005 under Conrad sensei and his panel in South
Africa.
Other illustrious sensei Brett has trained with over the years include,
sensei Stan Schimdt, sensei Rob Ferrier (who took on Yano sensei
in the JKA honbu), and sensei Duncan Player of JKA South Africa.
Former springbok karateka and second in the world shukokia
kumite, his very good friend, an exceptional kumite exponent,
sensei John Ferreira.

Sensei “Maps” Daniels, (another good friend from early Renshukan
days) chief instructor of Budo karate, shito-ryu, South Africa. He
also spent some time studying the Internal Martial Arts with Sifu
Lee Harvey for three year’s whist at the Anglo European College of
Chiropractic.
Brett’s philosophy to karate is as follows:
First build the spirit, and then technique by employing the
biomechanical dynamics that is uniquely Shotokan karate with the
objective of building a devastatingly powerful, explosively fast
“killing blow.” As Kase sensei said, the three major ingredients for
the execution of a technique are speed, power, direction (trajectory)