Shihan Raymond Elmore became active in formal karate in the early
1960s’ when he began studying under Hulon
Willis at the Southside Virginia Police Karate Academy. Under the
auspices of Elmore’s School of Karate and the City of Hopewell
Recreation and Sports Program’s Karate Club, he developed a large
dojo that trained thousands of karateka in Kyokushin karate.
He helped pioneer karate in southern Virginia and the surrounding states,
traveling widely to compete and instruct karateka. A disciplined and
celebrated instructor, Elmore taught in a traditional atmosphere with
an emphasis on physical conditioning, demanding kumite and tameshiwari.
A proponent of the way of karate, Elmore continues to stress the positive
values of the art’s philosophies. An advocate of tameshiwari,
Elmore was a celebrated state champion in his competitive years. He
was named the East Coast Champion for three straight years and won the
prestigious Virginia State Open. He competed throughout the United States.
A golden gloves boxer, he also instructed numerous police departments
in self defense techniques. Elmore played professional football for
a short period of time and was distinguished in the United States Military.
Over the years, Elmore has been affiliated with a number of clubs
and organizations, including Mas Oyama’s Japan Kyokushinkai-Kan
(International Karate Organization), Robert Trias’s United States
Karate Association (USKA), Hulon Willis’s Southside Virginia Police
Karate Association (SVPKA) and served as the Virginia Director of the
Oriental Defensive Arts Association.
In 1990, he assumed his present position as the Chairman of The Phoenix
Karatedo Association. His long time student, Shihan
Dan Soller, serves as Chief Instructor of the Association.
