About Shotokan Winnipeg
Affiliated
International Shotokan
Karate Federation
Shotokan Winnipeg headquarters is located in South Winnipeg, close to the University of Manitoba. Sensei Larry Loreth is the chief instructor of the dojo, which has branches in the community of St. Norbert, as well as Fort Garry. In total, the dojo has approximately 60 students. Children's classes, beginners, intermediate and advanced classes are offered. Prior to developing Shotokan Winnipeg, Sensei Loreth was Chief Instructor of the University of Manitoba Shotokan Karate Club for 22 years. He has studied / taught karate for over 60 years and holds the rank of 8th Dan. He is a graduate instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation kenshusei (Instructor's Training Program) and sits as a member of the ISKF Shihankai. Sensei Loreth was educated as an economist, receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Winnipeg and a Masters Degree from the University of Manitoba.
Sensei enjoyed competition, and was actively involved in provincial, national and international tournaments. He represented Canada at Pan American events and the 1975 world championship of the Japan Karate Association in which the Canadian team placed fourth. From 1968-1978 he was a regular winner at the Manitoba Karate Championships. He won kumite (sparring) four times and placed second or third in kata (form) and kumite on numerous occasions. In 1978 Sensei Loreth was the captain of the Manitoba team that won the Canadian championship.
His students have also participated very successfully in competition. Ernest Kwan has won kata and kumite many times in the youth (under eighteen) and adult divisions. He has won first place in kata (form competition) seventeen times in Manitoba and five times at the Canadian National Championship. In sparring, Ernest won first place at the provincial and national level on numerous occasions and also placed second or third many times. Ernest has been a semi-finalist on the Canadian team at Pan American and World Events (Shoto Cup).
Brad Katona, a former black belt of Sensei Loreth, recently won the BRAVE Combat Federation Bantamweight World Championship. Katona formerly competed in the UFC and was the Featherweight winner of the Ultimate Fighter 27. Brad and his entire family all trained together and achieved their black belt at Shotokan Winnipeg.
Sensei Loreth is presently involved in administering the provincial and national organization of ISKF Canada. He is President of ISKF Canada and the Chief Instructor of ISKF Manitoba and sits as a member of the ISKF Shihankai. The Shihankai consists of a small group of the ISKF's most senior instructors. They provide advice and counsel to the Chief Instructor on all matters Technical and Administrative.
Shotokan Winnipeg involves family participation (parents and their children train together in the same class) On Tuesday and Thursday, classes take place at Parc LaSalle School in St. Norbert. The first class (6:00 p.m.) is for children 6-11 years of age and their parents, as well as individuals 12 years of age and over who have just started training. Basically, White to Green belts train in the 6:00 p.m. class. New students recieve private instruction for the first month or until they are comfortable with regular class participation. The 2nd class (6:45 p.m.) is an Intermediate class for Purple and Brown belt level. Black belts train from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Classes on Sunday morning accomadate all levels.
Although one of the most senior karate instructors in Canada, Sensei Loreth has kept the cost of instruction down to accommodate family participation. The style of karate that Sensei Loreth teaches (Shotokan) focuses on perfection of character, self-defence, sport and fitness. Respect for others is a very important element in his classes.
About Shotokan Karate
What is Karate?
Demonstration by Shihan Yutaka Yaguchi
“One of the most striking features of karate is that it may be engaged in by anybody, young or old, strong or weak, male or female.”
Master Gichin Funakoshi
Karate is many things. It is an excellent and well-balanced form of exercise. It is a highly evolved Asian means of self-defense. There are many different styles of karate just like there are many different languages in the world. But, as all language seeks to communicate, so all karate seeks to enhance self-defense. Karate is an art since the karateka must reach beyond just the mechanics of technique toward creativity in the application of karate skills in order to be proficient. It is also an art in the sense that karate represents a body of accumulated skills gained through considerable experience. It is a well organized, highly-competitive sport. Karate can also be a way of life. Most importantly, karate is a means of personal character development and improvement.
There is karate and there is Karate-do. Karate is a general name for a type of Okinawan and Japanese martial art using only empty hands. In the past, karate was written using the characters for "empty hand" a purely physical way to describe karate. Yet, there is a deeper aspect to serious karate training which deals with character development.
Master Gichen Funakoshi
the founder of Shotokan Karate
Master Funakoshi, the founder of our style of karate, modified the way karate was written by changing the character used for "kara" from empty in a physical sense to empty in a spiritual sense. In the former context, "kara" conveyed only a physical aspect of karate which was just concerned with technique. However, Master Funakoshi recognized that there is also a more profound dimension of the "empty hand" martial art which is concerned with psychological development and is often referred to as development of the spirit. This is Karate-do.
“Students of any art, clearly including Karate-do, must never forget the cultivation of the mind and the body.”
Master Gichin Funakoshi
Karate is not a religion or a philosophy, but it may complement religion and philosophy in one's life. Karate is not merely a sport or form of exercise although it does incorporate these elements. Karate is not merely a form of moving Zen or active meditation although karate also contains these benefits.
Karate is a way for an individual to realize greater potential and expand the limits of that individual's physical and mental capabilities. Karate is an excellent, time-proven method of personal development.
According to the International Shotokan Karate Federation, karate is not a martial art whose ultimate aim is to win. It is based on hard physical training that demands strict mental discipline by which one attempts to mold an ideal character through physical and spiritual trials.
As Master Funakoshi stated: "True Karate-do is this; that in daily life, one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility; and that in critical times, one can be devoted utterly to the cause of justice."
Our Instructors
Senior Instructors
Name: Larry Loreth
Rank: 8th Dan
Sensei Larry Loreth has studied and taught Shotokan Karate for over 60 years and holds the rank of 8th Dan. A graduate of the International Shotokan Karate Federations Kenshusei Instructor Training Program, he serves as President of ISKF Canada, Chief Instructor of ISKF Manitoba, and a member of the ISKF Shihankai.
Throughout his career, Sensei Loreth has been deeply involved in provincial, national, and international competition. He represented Canada at Pan American events and the 1975 Japan Karate Association World Championship, where Team Canada placed fourth. From 1968 to 1978, he was a consistent top competitor at the Manitoba Karate Championships and captained Manitoba's national championship team in 1978.
Under his instruction, many students have achieved success at the provincial, national, and international levels. Notable students include Ernest Kwan, a multiple-time national champion and international competitor, and former student Brad Katona, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 27 and BRAVE CF Bantamweight World Champion.
Sensei Loreth's approach to Shotokan Karate emphasizes strong fundamentals, character development, discipline, self-defence, fitness, and respect for others.
Name: Michael Thomlinson
Rank: 6th Dan
Name: Nancy Stewart
Rank: 6th Dan
Sensei Nancy began her training in the International Shotokan Karate Federation in 1993,
obtaining her Rokudan (6th degree black belt) in 2026. She is a graduate of the Official Instructor
Trainee Program, holding both a Level D Official Instructor and Official Examiner ranking, as
well being a Level B Official Judge in the ISKF. She has also competed both regionally and
nationally at the ISKF Canadian National Tournament and sits on the Board of Directors of ISKF
Manitoba as Secretary, and as a member of the ISKF Manitoba Technical Committee.
Name: Charles Allsopp
Rank: 5th Dan
Sensei Charles Allsopp has been involved in Karate since the age of 11, and has
been a student of Sensei Larry Loreth since 1979. He Obtained his 5th Degree
Black belt (GODAN) in 2009. He is currently enrolled in the ISKF Instructor
Trainee program, and is a C level judge.
Under the guidance of Sensei Loreth, Sensei Allsopp has been a prolific
tournament competitor and has competed at the provincial, national, and
international levels. He was a member of the Manitoba provincial team that won
the team kumite Championships at the 12th Canadian national tournament
(Calgary), and was also a member of the Canadian national team that represented
Canada at the 5th World SHOTOCUP in Philadelphia (1994).
On an individual level, Sensei Allsopp placed 1st in Kumite (Free Sparring) at the
first inaugural International Shotokan Karate Federation Championships (Ottawa)
1980), and retained that title in 1981 (Winnipeg). In that same year he represented
Canada at the US/Canada Goodwill Competition (Winnipeg). In 1992, he placed
second at the 12th Canadian National Championships (Calgary) and has also won
the Manitoba individual Kumite Championships four times.
Name: Adrian Chu
Rank: 5th Dan
Name: Doug Craig
Rank: 4th Dan
Sensei Doug started training in Karate (with the ISKF) at the age of 20 in 1986 in Sackville, New Brunswick at Mount Allison University. They could only train during the school year and did not have their own black belt instructor. However, an instructor came every Saturday from Moncton (Barry Ripley, 2nd dan) to train them. In 1988, Doug started training under Sensei's Tony and Danny Tam (both currently 8th dans) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Back then, Doug did not train consistently and bounced between Karate and Aikido. He moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1993 and trained under Sensei Larry Loreth (currently 8th dan). In 1994, he moved to Edmonton, Alberta and trained briefly in Taekwondo and then for 3 years in Aikido. In 1997 he moved back to Winnipeg and returned to training under Sensei Loreth. At this point he committed to Karate and started training consistently. Doug was promoted to 1st dan in 1999 and to 2nd dan in 2002 by Sensei Shigeru Takashina. In 2003-2004 Doug lived for a year in Germany and trained under Sensei Helmut Korber (currently 8th dan) in Bad Abbach. He then returned to Winnipeg and training under Sensei Loreth and was promoted to 3rd dan in 2009 and 4th dan in 2012 by Sensei Yutaka Yaguchi. Doug received his level-D instructor certificate under Sensei Hiroyoshi Okazaki in 2024. He first competed in Kata and free-sparring at a local tournament in 1989 as a 5th kyu (back then free sparring was open to 6th kyu and up) and most recently competed at the Canadian Nationals in 2017.
Junior Instructors
Name: Susanne Stanze
Rank: 3rd Dan
Name: Gurnoor Dhaliwal
Rank: 3rd Dan
Senpai Gurnoor began training under Sensei Larry Loreth in 2014 and earned her 3rd Degree Black Belt in 2024. She first joined karate as an anxious 11-year-old girl whose father enrolled her in classes to help her build confidence and learn how to defend herself. What started as a way to overcome her fears quickly became a journey that transformed her life. Through karate, Gurnoor developed confidence, discipline, and resilience, which helped her both inside and outside of the dojo. She became stronger, more focused in school, gained the confidence to participate in extracurriculars such as drama and debate, and had a massive increase in her self-esteem. Over the years, she has earned multiple Provincial and National Championship titles, but the lessons she learned along the way have been even more valuable than the medals. As an instructor trainee, she is passionate about helping others experience the same growth that karate gave her.
Name: Adam Hildebrand
Rank: 2nd Dan
Senpai Adam began his Karate journey at the age of nine, starting his training in the JKA under Sensei Jarvis Kohut before continuing his development in the ISKF under Sensei Larry Loreth. Inspired by Hanshi Jason David Frank and the positive impact Karate can have on discipline, academic success, and self-confidence, he has dedicated himself to continuous growth both on and off the dojo floor. In 2024, he achieved the rank of Nidan (2nd Degree Black Belt), marking a significant milestone in his martial arts career. He is currently enrolled in the Instructor Training Program, further developing his leadership and teaching abilities. Throughout his Karate journey, he has competed at both regional and national levels, earning multiple Manitoba Provincial Championship titles in Kata, Team Kata, and Kumite.
In addition to his Shotokan Karate training, Adam also studies Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Filipino Stick Fighting, and Toso Kune Do, broadening his understanding of martial arts systems, self-defense, and combat strategy. His commitment to training, competition, and personal development continues to shape him as both a martial artist and future instructor.
