Our Founder
A Man Celebrated By His City & Beyond
On January 28th 2016, GM Colwell was honoured by both The Museum of Liverpool and The Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
Museum of Liverpool are displaying an exhibition of Colwell’s display items that bear testament to the man’s achievements throughout an incredibly rich life – items that include his SAS wings, an Olympic Gold Medal from Los Angeles, World Gold Medals from South East Asia amongst other things are displayed in Colwell’s own Sports Locker in The Wondrous Places Gallery.
During the Memorial Service, GM Colwell was awarded with Citizen of Honour Award – posthumously received by his son, Andrew Colwell.
Presented in person by The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor, councillor Tony Concepcion, the award was presented on behalf of The City of Liverpool and included the wording:
“In recognition for your outstanding global contribution to Martial Arts, and the communities of this city, with Liverpool being viewed as a place of excellence in this respect, as a result of your efforts”.
A Life Lived to the Full
"I live my life as I train, always getting straight to the heart of it."
Ronnie Colwell is a legendary figure in British Martial Arts. He is one of the founding fathers of British Karate and British Ju Jutsu. Indeed he held the post of first chief instructor to the British Ju Justsu Association, the governing body for Ju Jutsu in the UK.
Colwell's life has been spent in the study of the martial systems of Japan. From a young boy in the streets of Liverpool to early 2015, he tirelessly devoted himself to pursuing excellence. A renowned International instructor, Colwell has taught throughout the world. He is known as a very direct and straight talking budoka who doesn't suffer fools gladly. In Colwell's own words "I live my life as I train, always getting straight to the heart of it. Life is too short to waste on superfluous or wasted action. This is as true in the dojo as out of it."
The term Bujutsu is defined in the Dictionary of Martial Arts [Louis Frederic - The Athlone Press] as "BU-JUTSU - warrior techniques or techniques of combat used by the warriors of ancient Japan, whose aim was to achieve maximum effectiveness in warfare"
A clearer definition of Ronnie Colwell's approach to the martial systems you won't be able to find. As Ronnie himself puts it "the warrior is there to do a job, there is no time or room for the superfluous on the battlefield. Some of the modern gymnastics that gets added to the fighting systems these days would get you killed when it came time to really be tested."
Ronnie Colwell is a recognised 10th Dan in the arts of Karate-do and Ju Jutsu and has spent a lifetime pursuing knowledge on fighting systems throughout the world.
Ronnie's CV is impressive including British Military Service in the Parachute Regiment and The Special Airborne Service, additional Government Service, personal bodyguard to European and Middle Eastern Royalty and special forces instructor across the globe.
After extensive time living and training in Japan, Ronnie became one of the founding fathers of both British Karate and British Ju Jutsu.
The senior officer positions he held throughout his life are numerous. A selection of them can be seen below: