Penpicture of Shihan Patrick Teo
After completing his national service in 1985, Patrick assisted Sensei Jimmy Ng at the SAFRA Dojo, Toa Payoh, as an assistant instructor. The following year at the age of just 22, he took over from Sensei Jimmy Ng as the instructor-in-charge of that dojo. In spite of his younger age, he quickly gained the respect of his students, many of whom were older than him, by training even harder. A typical day began at 5am in the morning, with a 2 hours jog to work from his home at Jalan Besar to Jurong Port Road Interchange, where he worked at a steel construction firm, and ended with training in the dojo at night. Karate had not only kept him extremely fit, but had also instilled in him a strict sense of discipline. Shihan Patrick is currently the chief instructor at the Pasir Ris East Community Club and Chinese Dojo at Kolam Ayer Community Club where he continues to impart his karate experience and skills to the many young and keen karate enthusiasts. Shihan Patrick was awarded his 5th degree blackbelt at the end of 2007 by Kancho Shokei Matsui. The garding which was conducted in Japan was no easy task. Despite his age of 43 then, Patrick had to proof himself against many younger men half his age from various countries (e.g. Japan, Russia, Brazil etc.) in a 50-man Kumite (ie. Full contact sparring). This is a true testament of his spirit and dedication to Kyokushin Karate. Herein are some of his accomplishments through the years ….. 1987; Represented Singapore in the 4th World Open Karate Tournament held in Japan. Fought Kenji Midori who was known for his strong mental spirit and effective fighting techniques. Despite losing the match to Kenji Midori, not by knockout but by technical decision only, Shihan Patrick was awarded the Most Spirited Fighter Award from Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate. 1991; Participated in the 5th World Open Karate Tournament. Not surprisingly, the strong and spirited Kenji Midori won the 5th world championship. Till today, Shihan Patrick remains the only Singaporean to have competed in two world tournaments. 1990; Participated in the 4th Asia Karate Tournament held in Hokkaido. Participated in the Singapore International Tournament held at Singapore Indoor Stadium. This was the first time ever for Singapore to organize an international karate tournament. There were more than 30 countries represented in this popularly dubbed 'mini world tournament.' 1995; Tasked by Shihan Peter Chong, Shihan Patrick formed a new dojo at Pasir Ris. The dojo was first established at the Pasir Ris Zone '14' RC basketball court but subsequently moved to its current premise at the Pasir Ris East Community Center in 2002. 1996; Was awarded his Sandan (3rd Degree blackbelt) by Shihan Peter Chong. In the grading, Patrick had to complete a 30-man Kumite (full contact sparring). Most of those he fought were fearless fighters from the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force. 2002; Was awarded his Yondan (4th Degree blackbelt) in Japan by Mas Oyama's successor, Kancho Shokei Matsui. 2004;
2005;
2006;
2007;
Shihan Patrick obtained his 5th dan in Mount Mitsumine, Japan at a grading conducted by Kancho Shokei Matsui.
2008; Shihan Patrick recently conducted a Kata and Kumite tournament in June this year. Every Kyokushin dojo in Singapore participated. The following were members from Patrick’s Pasir Ris and Chinese Dojo who acquitted well: Christopher Low – Budo Spirit Award( Kumite-18 years and below) , Fariz Adam – 3rd in place ( Kumite-19 years and above) , Lian Fang Bin ( Kata- 1st in place) , Michael Ryan ( Kata- 3rd in place) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89911i7I8Lg Other accomplishments; Shihan Patrick's numerous international tournaments' experience has proven invaluable. He has helped coach the Singapore Team for the 7th Asia Karate Tournament, 7th World Open Karate Tournament and 1st Indonesia Open Karate Tournament. Besides coaching, Shihan Patrick is also a certified IKO (International Karate Organization) Associate Referee.
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Shihan Patrick started the Chinese Dojo, at Kolam Ayer. A result of a joint venture between, Huang Wei Dong, a new member at the Pasir Ris Dojo and Shihan Patrick. Huang Wei Dong, a practicing karate-ka from China, was in Singapore to further his studies then and approach Patrick to set-up a new dojo specifically targeted at Chinese Nationals in Singapore.
The 2 Dojos: Pasir Ris Dojo and Chinese Dojo were merged under the auspices of Patrick Dojo. Shihan Patrick felt the need for increased interaction between the Chinese Nationals and the other Singaporeans at Pasir Ris. He wanted to create a healthy atmosphere or sharing and learning. While the 2 branches have retained their names, operational management and activities are now combined. Some of these major activities include: outdoor trainings, Kumite tournaments, public demonstrations, as well as combined indoor training.
Karate exponents in China, under the Shanghai Karate organization joined the Kyokushin family. This was a milestone event in China. This move had its seeds planted early on when Shihan Patrick started the Chinese Dojo at Kolam Ayer with Mr Huang. To aid their entry into the Kyokushin organization, Shihan Patrick was formally invited to Shanghai and other parts of China (e.g. Suzhou, Hangzhou and Lian Yun Gang) to conduct their ‘winter, spring, summer and autumn training camps. He was also invited as their VIP guest to their tournaments, all of which lasted through to 2007
With China now recognized as a member of the Kyokushin organization, they participated in the 9th world tournament in Tokyo, Japan. Sensei Hua Ji An was appointed the Branch Chief for China, while Shihan Patrick continued in his task as their consultant. (See: 
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