Shihan Keith DaCosta, HF

Keith DaCosta, 8th Dan, began training in 1964 with 14 year old Frank Woon-A-Tai in Guyana. Since then, he has been his most loyal and devoted technical assistant and trusted advisor for an astonishing 48 years!

He and his sister, Maureen, attained their Shodan in March 1974 from Master Okazaki, his Nidan in 1976 in Jamaica, and Sandan in 1979. Although he remained quite active since his Sandan rank, economic conditions in Guyana, and as a consequence, lack of opportunities to advance rapidly was slow. When he moved to Canada in 1994, he was promoted to Yondan. Thereafter, in 1998, he passed his Godan and Rokudan in 2007 with Master Okazaki. When Maureen began training in 1970, her other instructor was Shihan Keith.

Shihan Keith brings to the IKD a wealth of tournament experience. He has captained many Guyanese teams with an assortment of medals. His international experience began in 1974 in Lima, Peru where, as team captain, Guyana copped three silver medals at the Second IAKF Pan American championships, which was headed by Master Nishiyama. The following year, he was also team captain at the IAKF First World Championships in California, USA. He attended with Frank and Charles Woon-A-Tai, a special week long intensive judge’s seminar under Masters Nishiyama and Richard Kim in Mexico City in 1978. He produced two Pan American champions in kumite: Rawle Da Sent and Denise Jonas.

Shihan Keith along with Shihan Josef Woon-A-Tai, have remained in the background covering for Master Frank Woon-A-Tai whenever he visits other regions and countries. Without them, Master Woon-A-Tai’s extensive travel schedule would not be possible.

Like his instructor and sister, he has had the opportunity to train with many legendary JKA Masters that began with a kyu examination from Masters Nishiyama and Okazaki in 1971 in Trinidad. Shihan Keith is a senior member of the IKD Shihan-kai and is knowledgeable in WKF rules and regulations. He also brings to IKD, real life self-defense experience from his early days in Guyana.