Bart van der Drift Success Story

Bart van der Drift a karate athelete lives in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands.

A brief introduction to yourself?
I started training Kyokushin karate when I was 16 and later also started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Yawara Jujutsu.

How did you develop your fondness for karate?
A highschool friend of mine was training karate and invited me to join a class. I fell in love with the sport immediately!

What drew you to Karate out of all other sports?
I like the hardness and realism of Kyokushin, while still preserving a traditional martial arts mindset of respect and discipline.

At what age did you start learning karate?
16

What is your style and what rank do you currently hold in karate?
In Kyokushin karate, I currently am 3rd dan under the Kyokushin Budo Karate Shakai. I am 2nd dan in Yawara Jujutsu and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

What was the highest prize you won?
Dutch champion in the brown/green belt division in Matsui group.
Second place in Dutch championship black belt division in Royama group.

What do you like more Kata or Kumite?
Both equally!

Do you have a favorite Sensei?
For Kyokushin, my favorite teachers are Shihan Prassana Fernando and Shihan Egbert Thomas. As far as self-defense my Yawara teacher Wim Pieck is one of the most knowledgeable martial artists I’ve ever known.
In Brazilian Jiu JItsu I look up to Augusto Ferrari, Remco van Baardewijk and Kenan Bajramovic.

How did you get to this position and how was your journey being in this sport?
Training regularly and consistently, for multiple days a week for many years. Always training hard and trying to improve me. Started assistant teaching around the time I was a green belt. A few years ago I decided to found my dojo and now I am the head instructor of Toryu Dojo.

Do you take karate as your profession or is it just a hobby?
Since I am an owner and head instructor of my dojo I need to have a business perspective at times, but I mostly consider martial arts to be a hobby.
I have worked as a martial arts teacher for primary schools, but have stopped doing so since the Corona pandemic.

Who’s been an inspiration for you throughout your sports journey?
Old school well known martial arts icons like Bruce Lee and Masutatsu Oyama, but also all the people I’ve met and trained with over the years!

What challenges did you come across on getting where you are at today?

You can share any injury story as well.
What’s most disappointing to me is the politics involved in the martial arts world. The power and money games. This has been off-putting at times and has made me question my future in martial arts more than anything else.

What motivates you the most about your profession as an athlete?
The opportunity to share the experience and knowledge that I’ve gained with a new generation of martial artists, and to see them grow and improve in life and in a martial way. Being able to contribute to the lives of others makes me very humble and grateful.

What are your strengths as both an athlete and as a person?
I think my ability to stick to a plan, not get distracted by minor setbacks, and keep my eyes on the main goal.

Do you have something you want everyone to learn?
I think it is beneficial for any person to have a basic understanding of martial arts and self-defense. Even if a person just trains for a short time, or infrequently, I want that person to walk away with something useful that they will carry with them for the rest of their life.

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