Sensei Bob Hopwood

"I remember that first day vividly. I recall, in particular, the students bowing as they entered or exited the gym. The rows of students standing in a straight line at attention with their fists held out in front of them was an imposing site. When the teacher shouted Japanese words, the class knelt and closed their eyes. After they stood once again they began executing karate techniques with loud shouts performed in unison. I could feel the noise in my chest. When I left that night, the thing that impressed me the most was not the punches or kicks. What caught my attention and piqued my interest was the palpable atmosphere of respect. That impressed me. It was something I had not expected."

The year was 1984, and Sensei Bob had found something he truly loved. He threw himself into training and soaked up as much as he could. Whenever possible, he was training. Once he enjoyed the freedom that a driver’s license afforded, he spent six days per week with his sensei at the YMCA in Fairfield, Connecticut. Training was hard and his teacher (then fifth-degree black belt) Sensei Ray Martens was intense.

"Sensei Ray lives and breathes karate. Karate is not an activity for him. It's  an integral part of him, as it has become for me. Sensei Ray is sensei. To this day, you can’t separate that from who he is. [...]  Back then you didn't ask too many questions... you just followed and trained as hard as you could.  If Sensei told us to push a tree over, you'd run over and start pushing without a thought of 'why' or 'what for.'  If Sensei had told us to go stop traffic, we'd have run out into the middle of the road in our uniforms and stood at attention.  But I absolutely loved it.  It was perfect for me and I always tried my best.  For better or worse, we did things you wouldn't/couldn't do today.  But one thing is for sure, we learned to never give up, to fight the good fight, to never lose to yourself.  That was more important than any technique."

Sensei Bob attended the University of Connecticut from 1988 to 1993. He concentrated on his studies and trained diligently during school breaks. After he earned his degree in Computer Science and Engineering, Bob returned to training and was subsequently awarded his shodan (first-degree black belt) from Martens Sensei.

After a hiatus during which Sensei Bob started a new business and had his first child with his wife, Alison, he began formally training again with his sempai (senior). In 1998, Sensei Ray’s most senior student, Glenn Learnard, started teaching Kyokushin karate as a member dojo (school) of the International Federation of Karate and Bob began training with him. Sensei Glenn augmented the normal Kyokushin syllabus and introduced concepts such as kyoshu Jutsu (vital point striking), kansetsu waza (joint locks/manipulation), and bunkai (analysis) of traditional karate techniques.

Sensei Bob served as Sensei Glenn’s most senior student and helped to run the operations of the karate club. As time went on, Sensei Glenn gave Bob more of the teaching responsibilities of the dojo, and he served as the primary instructor in Sensei Glenn’s absence. Under Sensei Glenn’s tutelage, Bob earned his nidan (second-degree black belt) ranking in 2004 and was presented his belt by Hanshi Steve Arneil. In 2009, several months after Sensei Bob had taken over the karate club, Sensei Glenn awarded Bob his sandan (third-degree black belt).

Bob continues his own training as well as that of his students. His passion for karate has only intensified since becoming a sensei. He continues to expand his own knowledge of the martial arts as he delves deeper into the areas of full-contact fighting, self-defense, and improvement of the self through the practice of budo, the martial way.

Sensei has four children who you will find helping and training at the Connecticut Budo Karate dojo (opened in 2009) with he and his wife. Bob is also a co-founder of Closerware, a provider of software-based services for not-for-profit organizations. The dojo is operated as a labor of love in addition to Sensei’s very busy family life and full-time job.