The West Island Karate dojo (training hall) was founded by John Kalaidopoulos in 1997.  Over the years, the club has grown steadily, encouraging a positive and friendly environment that allows students to develop to their full potential.

Shihan John Kalaidopoulos has been training in the martial arts, and in particular in Kyokushin Karate, for over 30 years.  He earned his Shodan (1st Dan) black belt from Paul Desmarais at Samurai Karate.  After honing his skills by training and assisting at various schools over the years, Shihan John opened his own dojo in 1997 in a section of a training gym called Wimgym.  Since that time, Shihan John has been associated with Shihan Roman Szyrajew and with the I.K.O. Matsushima (International Karate Organization KyokushinKaikan).

In October of 1999, after training hard and participating in many seminars, Shihan John was rewarded by the achievement of his Nidan (2nd Dan) black belt.  The belt and certificate were presented to him by Shihan Roman and by Kancho Yoshikazu Matsushima, president of the International Karate Organization of Japan.

Membership increased steadily for the 3 years spent at Wimgym.  Seeing the increasing possibility of teaching karate as his profession, Shihan John quit his day job in January of 2002 to devote himself to teaching and training in karate full time.  Devoting all his time to karate paid off - the dojo grew and Shihan John was selected to represent Canada in international competition.  He was one of two lightweights to compete in the 7th Kyokushin Karate World Tournament held in Japan in November of 2000.  He also fought at the 1st World Cup held in Portland, Maine in June of 2002 and earned his Sandan (3rd Dan) from I.K.O. Matsushima later that same year.  Upon returning from Maine, Shihan John decided to move the dojo to 550 Beaconsfield Boulevard.  The new, more spacious dojo had an excellent beginning with a doubling of membership within two months of its opening day.  In August of 2011, the Beaconsfield dojo was once again moved to a new location to better meet the needs of its expanding membership.  In the summer of 2012, Shihan John expanded yet again by opening Karaté de L'Île, a second larger dojo located in Île-Perrot.

Shihan John was graded to Yondan (4th Dan) by Shihan Roman Szyrajew on December 16, 2006.

In November of 2009, Shihan completed the AGATSU Level 1 Kettlebell Training Course.

Shihan is also certified by Ambulance Saint-Jean to render Emergency Level First Aid and CPR.

On January 13th, 2016, Shihan John was certified by the World Karate Organization Shinkyokushinkai as meeting their requirements for Yondan (4th Dan) and was presented with a Yondan black belt and certificate from the WKO.

On July 4th, 2017, Shihan John participated in the yudansha shinsa (black belt grading) which followed the 6th World Karate Championship in Weight Categories in Astana, Kazakhstan, and earned his Godan (5th Dan).  The grading took place at Burabay Lake in Kazakhstan and was overseen by Kancho Kenji Midori and several other high level Shihans of WKO Shinkyokushinkai.  Click here to see the photos from the grading (courtesy of the WKO Shinkyokushinkai).

Click here to e-mail Shihan John or call him at 514-730-4623.