Sensei SIMEON / Founder & Chief Instructor
Sensei Simeon, our founder and Chief Instructor, has been involved in Martial arts for thirty-one years. He started his martial arts journey at age four in his home country of Bulgaria. By age nine, he was already a multiple national champion in the most competitive form of full-contact karate. One of the only twenty-five people shortlisted to represent his country’s national team, he competed in both European and world tournaments. Sensei Simeon continued to represent his home nation for nine years – competing in different age and weight categories as he progressed. By seventeen, Sensei Simeon became the youngest person in Bulgaria to reach the rank of a black belt in the strongest style of karate in the world. He is a six-time national champion in a variety of age and weight categories.
To further perfect his skills, he spent 3 years practising gymnastics and athletics training with some of the greatest athletes in the field. He won, multiple times, the prestigious award of “SportsPerson of the Year” and was also awarded by the President of Bulgaria with a special prize for “Exceptional Achievements” in Sports and Academics (graduating top of his class at Math High School).
At the age of 18, he moved to London where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance. At university, he was awarded a Presidential scholarship, and also won the prestigious STARS award for his outstanding achievements in combat sports.
Sensei Simeon is a multiple times National Karate Kyokushin Champion of Great Britain, and a French Open Karate Champion. At the early age of 19, he was appointed to be the “Karate Head Coach” at London Shootfighters, one of the most respected Mixed Martial arts gyms in the World. Simeon was appointed with the difficult task to set the foundations of the karate division within the gym. He spent 9 years building the Karate dojo within the MMA Gym and produced many National and International Champions. Some of his students progressed their training further and are now competing at some of the most prestigious Combat Sports organisations like UFC and Bellator.
While at Shootfighters, Sensei Simeon spent 9 years learning the arts of MMA, BJJ, Grappling, Wrestling, Thai Boxing and KickBoxing. He is a regular sparring partner to many Boxing and MMA World Champions and Olympic medallists.
Sensei Simeon has been an Elite pro Fighter for over 22 years and has accumulated over 250 professional fights of which 7 in the octagon. He is a Vice World Champion in K1 with UCMMA (Ultimate Challenge Mixed Martial Arts) and has won multiple awards for most spirited fighter, fastest knockout and most broken boards in a tournament (tameshiwari test).
After more than 9 years leading the Karate division at Shootfighters, Sensei Simeon decided to follow his childhood dream and open his own dojo. In 2016 his dream came true when he opened his first dojo in Richmond, London. In a short period of time Sensei Simeon’s work started bearing fruit, with a strong team of competitors spawned by his team, rising through the ranks of the karate world. Most of these athletes started in Sensei Simeon’s class with no previous martial arts experience. Competitors aside, there are plenty of success stories outside the competitive arena. From students who were able to shed the extra pounds they had been trying to lose for years, to others who obtained the self-confidence they were lacking in their personal lives.
In a period of only 5 years, EMAR dojo became the biggest and most successful Karate Kyokushin Dojo in the UK. The dojo currently has over 25 black belts with a combined experience of over 175 years and over eighty athletes competing nationally and internationally. In 2022, EMAR Dojo was ranked number one among those from thirty countries across the globe.
With unparalleled enthusiasm, a keen eye for details, and high level of experience from national and international competitions for various styles of combat sports, Sensei Simeon is leading the EMAR Team by example. His warmth and friendly attitude are capturing the hearts of our students. Simeon has a unique approach to teaching and likes to mix things up so get ready for a surprise whenever you join the EMAR Team.
