Bio

George Kotaka was born on July 28, 1977, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He began karate at the age of 3 under the teachings of his father, Chuzo Kotaka. His first competition came when he was just 6 years old and it has been in his blood ever since. At age 11, on a popular TV show called, "Hawaii's Super Kids", he told the world that he one day wanted to be rated #1.

In 1988, for the first time, George tested his skills on a national level at the AAU National Championships in Richmond, Virginia. Bringing home gold medals in kobudo, kata, and kumite was just the beginning of a long and rewarding career.

In 1996, George made the USANKF national team with the distinct honor of representing the United States of America. Since then George has gone on to winning WKF Jr. World, Pan American, Pan Am Games, World Collegiate, and most notably, two WKF World titles.

All of his success lies within the teachings of his father, Chuzo Kotaka, who has given his son the tools and mindset of a champion. George also has a great mentor by the name of Sensei John Limcaco, who has been his single-most inspiration in karate. As a little kid, Sensei John would teach George day-to-day in the lessons of hard work, humility, and discipline. It is this foundation that has created the man and competitor we know today.

George's last competition was the 19th WKF World Championships held in Tokyo, Japan, on November 15, 2008. After winning gold in Tokyo he has retired the gloves and called an end to competition. Since then he has devoted his time to teaching his students, conducting seminars, and growing his school.

George takes a lot of pride in his teachings and has developed some of the finest karate athletes in the world. He has come up with is own unique style of training that is innovative, simplistic, and most of all, original. The key to his teaching lies within the details of each drill and technique that can only be taught through experience.

George currently teaches at 5 different dojos on the island of Oahu and travels around the world to conduct seminars. Thus far, George has travelled to numerous countries: Japan, Russia, Croatia, Slovakia, New Zealand, India, and most notably the United States.

On his spare time, George also trains Gracie Jiu Jitsu at Team HK in Honolulu. Besides training and teaching, he likes to spend time with his niece and nephew, going to the beach, and eating good food.