Keeping the Atlantic Karate Club’s Flame Burning

Glenn Euloth is the chief instructor of the Atlantic Karate Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Started in 1969, the AKC has been one of the longest-running and most successful martial arts dojo in the country, producing a long line of teachers, competitors, and highly skilled Chito-Ryu karateka under inspired leaders such as Michael Delaney and now Glenn.

Euloth-Sensei started training in 1986 and took over as head instructor when Randall MacLean retired in 2015. An IT professional by trade, Glenn was one of the first Chito-Ryu karateka to share technical videos online, despite some pushback.

When interviewed, Glenn was recovering from a severe health condition but remained determined to keep the legacy of the AKC alive.

Question: How did you start karate?

Answer: I was always fascinated with martial arts, watching Bruce Lee and the Karate Kid and, you know, all those movies and stuff growing up. I was going to my first year at Dalhousie University, and I met Joseph Power, who was a blue belt at the Atlantic Karate Club. So, I came one night with him to the AKC, and I’ve been there ever since. That was October of 1986. So, we’re coming up on 38 years.

Q: Mike Delaney would have been the head instructor back then. What was he like?

A: Well, I had just seen the Karate Kid, so he reminded me a lot of  Mr. Miyagi. [Laughs]

Q: What is it like running one of the oldest martial arts dojo in the country?

A: It’s definitely inspirational. It’s hard to believe that when I started as a raw little white belt at the back of the room that I’d be running the place now. So it’s been quite an adventure. It hasn’t always been totally straightforward. You always take some sideways journeys along your path. I mean, I stopped for a couple of years when I got married and had kids.

I’ve been running the club for the last eight or nine years since Sensei MacLean retired. So, it’s been keeping me very busy, that’s for sure. It can be burdensome sometimes, but mostly, it’s very rewarding.

Q: What do you like about teaching?

A: I just love sharing my knowledge. It’s something that’s always been in me. In the early ’80s, I was a member of the Atari Computer User Group here in Nova Scotia. And I was the person who helped put together software for people and stuff like that, and was involved at meetings. And then, when I joined Sackville Photography Club, I ended up becoming part of the executive and helped to run meetings, taking people out on photography adventures, and teaching them how to use their cameras better. In university, I was a teaching assistant and a programming assistant for a couple of years. I like to teach and like to share.

Q: You were one of the first Chito-Ryu people to share your technique online on channels such as YouTube. What led you to do that?

A:  Well, I’m an IT guy, so that stuff comes naturally to me. You couldn’t find anything about Chito-Ryu online. Having the manual with its pictures was great but it’s not the same as having a video, showing people how to shift from one move to the next. I found it very disappointing that the beautiful Chito-Ryu that O-Sensei had given us could not be found online anywhere.

So, I decided I would put myself out there [putting the technical videos online].

Q: Did you get ruffle any feathers sharing Chito-Ryu techniques online?

A: You know, I did catch some heat over the years. But I mostly just ignored it. What are they going to do, fire me?

Higashi-Sensei might not have wanted online videos of himself for whatever reason, but I was just some random dude in Halifax, so . . .

Q: What kind of goals do you have for yourself and your dojo?

A: To be truthful, I’ve been struggling with some health issues. So succession planning is part of what I am doing. But I’m also committed to regaining my health and continuing my training, digging deeper into Ryusei karate.

First and foremost, I’m committed to keeping the AKC going. It’s been running since 1969, so it’s almost as old as I am. It has a tradition that I want to keep alive.