It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I must let you all know Shihan Leo Lipinski passed away today, 1st January 2018 after a long battle with illness.
Many of you have had the pleasure of training with him at seminars at our dojo last year, at the annual London seminars over the years and also in Japan so I hope that those of you who got to train with him treasure those memories and remember what he taught you.
For the last decade he has been a huge influence on my own karate development and helped guide and improve my understanding of Goju karate and the Seiwakai methods and lineage, in turn, this has become a huge influence on elements that I teach as part of the SRK syllabus. He pulled no punches when he taught and could get the best out of you if you were willing to listen.
It feels like a big hole, an encyclopaedic library of information has gone from the karate world now that he has passed, but hopefully not entirely lost. He will be missed by everyone who knew and was influenced by him.
Our sincere condolences go out to his family who have asked for privacy at this time.
We at SRK will continue to support as best as we can during this difficult time. As per Shihan Leo’s wishes, our seminar at the end of this month will go ahead as planned, with Sensei Rob Langworthy and other senior Seiwakai instructors teaching in his place. I will keep you all updated with other news as I am informed.
Rest in peace Shihan Leo, we will all miss you.
