By William Jacko
Special to The Laker/Lutz News
When Shihan Wayne R. Shockness II was 7 years old, his friends dared him to sneak into a karate dojo.
“I was shocked,” Shockness said. “I saw this guy throw a roundhouse kick directly over his head, and he literally did a split in the air, balanced on the one leg and put the other leg directly over him. I stood there and said to myself, ‘Wow—I’ve got to learn how to do that!’”
The course of his life was set that day, and soon Shockness began karate training. It has now been 50 years, and he has completed 15 world championship tournaments, placing in the top three no matter when or where he competed. Shockness’ achievements have been so significant, that in 2016 he was inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame.
Today, Shockness focuses on the achievements of his students, who have also reached great success.
“My students do well,” Shockness said. “The three top instructors here are Sensei Elvis Ramic, Sensei Sabina Ramic and Sempai Benjamin Harrison. All are on the U.S.A. National Team for kumite, and all are at the top level of competitors.”
Shockness has five dojo schools throughout the country. The newest is Shockness Shotokan Karate in Lutz on State Road 54, where he teaches a traditional Japanese style of karate that also satisfies modern desires.
“We’re a traditional school with modern ideals,” Shockness said. “We believe in honor, respect, self-development, upholding certain manners and traditions. On the modern side, we like going to competitions, and we enjoy modern styles of training and exercise to develop ourselves even further.”
At Shockness Karate, students learn physical karate, such as blocking, punching and kicking. They also learn to focus their mind, develop a strong personality and persevere in overcoming obstacles.
“Karate is life to us,” Shockness said. “We’re a ‘karate-do’ school — the ‘do’ meaning way or path. We’re not just teaching how to kick and punch, we’re also teaching the path, philosophies and ideals of karate.”
Competition is very important at Shockness Karate, but not everyone competes.
“If our students win a million trophies, it doesn’t really matter if their lives are not good as well.” said Shockness. “Our students develop everything. They are confident, polite, well-mannered, strong, honest and respectful. They’re learning to become better people, because karate changes people in a positive way. The goal is to be better than you were the day before.”
Shockness Karate offers classes six days a week, with flexible hours to accommodate busy schedules.
(813) 406-4718 •
23600 State Road 54 (just east of Livingston)• Lutz, FL 33559
Published May 22, 2019
