A Brief History

Shoto-Chi was founded in 1990 by Rob Norton in England as a form of Karate, but with the intention of becoming a unique art. As time went by the founder changed the dynamics of the art to reflect his original vision.

In the mid 1990′s the art started to break away from tradition by starting to eliminate the grading structure. The founder decided that he wanted the art to portray more realism and move away from the materialistic aspect of belts. Even though a belt structure has a psychological impact on people in regards to the sense of accomplishment, the founder wanted the students of his art to gain a higher level of self confidence. He wanted his students to look within to find that sense of accomplishment.

During 1999 the art became fully licensed and recognized as an independent martial art rather than as a form of Karate due to the nature of the art. This was part of the founder’s original vision. By the end of the 90′s the art officially stopped teaching the traditional ways and the grading structure played no further part in the art. At this time the founder was officially recognized and awarded the title of “Master” rather than as a Dan grade. He was a 4th degree Black belt at this time.

In the early part of 2001 the founder moved to Canada where he continued to develop the art. He moved the art more into a Psychological direction focusing on human behaviour and conflict resolution. He started teaching privately and found that the art became more tailored towards each individual than he even anticipated. This allowed the art to grow even more and pushed the boundaries of what was taught within a martial art.

Over the next few years as the art continued to develop, the founder created the BullyProof Canada program aimed at the rising concern with bullying in different environments. He also developed specialized Women’s REALISTIC Self-Defence workshops.

The art continues to grow and the future looks extremely optimistic for the art and its students.