Ronald Willems has born on 17-04-1965, raised and educated in Vlissingen the Netherlands. He is a construction engineer and a company owner. But more importantly, he trains Shotokan karate with Ryukyu kobujutsu. He holds go-Dan Shotokan and yon-Dan Ryukyu kobujutsu. He is a NOC-NSF authorized teacher karate-do and instructor Ryukyu kobujutsu as the assistant to the head instructor Ryukyu kobujutsu Maarten van Bloois, go-Dan at the dojo: Zanshin Shotokan karate en Ryukyu kobujutsu Vereeniging Vlissingen.

www.zanshinvlissingen.nl

Ronald Willems began his karate training in 1982 with Sensei Wim van de Leur whom he is still fond of and takes him as a teacher. He started his lessons in a need for self-defense but within one year he forgot about that need and realized that a little self-confidence was really all he needed all his life. He took karate lessons and trained accordingly until 1994 when he had to step up in this field and start coaching in place of one of his teachers who were not physically fit no more.

Ronald Willems started his karate lessons when he was only 17 and as he grew in Dan-grade, on average once every six years, he started to look outside the Shotokan for more Kata understanding. After reaching yon-Dan at the age of 47, he started to reprimand and express his opinions on purpose and training of karate to the people who were open to such discussions.

Ronald Willems actually started karate because it was the only sport available at that time and one of his uncles Martin van der Klooster, currently his assistant was already training with Wim van de Leur. Willems decided to practice along with and stayed as he was learning. Later he found himself indulged in the pleasure that karate brought to him and he stayed. He does everything according to his own pace and he found karate self-satisfying at that point. His favorite Sensei is Wim van de Leur. He considers himself lucky to have such a great instructor.

According to Ronald Willems, materialistic awards do not matter to him and he doesn’t think he is very curious to know who is better at it than me. He explained that people might call him a loser for it but he has never considered that winning a fight gives any sort of gratification. He is connected to karate way more than that and that is commendable.

He has however rewarded a membership in the royal Dutch order of Oranje Nassau for his unpaid efforts to the community by teaching karate-do. And such recognition is the highest prize for him.