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Contact Us
You can email us at niangam2@yahoo.com or call 801-450-6172.
© 2001-2022 Amadou Niang, Salt Lake City, Utah

At IMA-International Budokan we teach traditional Shotokan based on the philosophies of the founder of Shotokan karate-do, Gichin Funakoshi. Our students learn in a safe and fun environment, and are taught traditional karate with the use of basics (kihon), forms (kata), and sparring (kumite). They participate in local, national, and international competitions, and achieve great success.

Karate classes and competition training are offered throughout the Salt Lake Valley, at:

  • Central City Recreation Center in downtown Salt Lake City
  • Redwood Recreation Center in West Valley City
  • Northwest Community Center, Salt Lake City
  • Draper Recreation Center, Draper

This provides karate lessons and competition lessons for: Sugar House (Sugarhouse), Millcreek, East Millcreek, Canyon Rim, Cottonwood, Cottonwood West, Cottonwood Heights, Indian Hills, Emigration Canyon, Parleys Canyon, Glendale, The Avenues, Downtown Salt Lake, Murray, Holladay, Cottonwood, West Valley, Salt Lake Valley, Harvard-Yale, Yalecrest, Liberty Park, Mt. Olympus, 9th & 9th, 15th & 15th, University of Utah, East Bench.

National and international karate tournaments include:

  • USA Open Karate Championships, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • USA National Championship and Team Qualifiers, Reno, Nevada
  • IMA Rocky Mountain Karate Championship, Louisville, Colorado
  • IMA North Fork Karate Championship, Grand Junction, Colorado
  • Colorado State Championship, Eagle, Colorado.
  • Intermountain Karate Championship, Park City, Utah
  • IMA Annual Championship in Utah, Northwest Recreation Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Local karate tournament locations include: Sandy, UT, Park City, UT, West Valley City, UT, Cottonwood, UT, Salt Lake City, UT,

SHIHAN AMADOU NIANG Head Instructor, 7th Degree Black Belt

Shihan Amadou started learning Shotokan Karate in Bamako Mali in 1976. His first instructor was one of the pioneers of Malian karate, Sensei Boubacar Bagayoko, who was a student of Kase Sensei and Enoeda Sensei (both Japanese instructors and direct students of Funakoshi Sensei, the founder of modern karate-do). However, it was under another pioneer of Malian karate (Sensei Abdoul Wahab Traore, 7th Dan, known as Sensei Bob) that Shihan Amadou Niang did most of his training in Mali.

In 2007, Shihan Amadou Niang joined Hanshi Cyrus Madani's organization (International MartialArts Association - IMA). Under the guidance of Hanshi Madani (8th Dan Shotokan), Mr. Niang trained and re-certified for the Sandan that Northern Arizona Martial Arts Association had granted him in 2001. He also obtained his US National Kumite Referee license in Louisville, Colorado under the guidance of Hanshi's wife, Sensei Fariba Madani (WKF Referee and member of the World Karate Federation Referee Council).

In 2010 while Shihan Amadou Niang was diligently working on his Yondan recertification under IMA guidelines, he had the great honor and privilege of being elevated to the rank of 5th degree back belt by his country (Mali)'s Department of Sport and the Malian National Karate Federation in recognition of more than 30 years of training, teaching, and services he dedicated to karate in Mali and in the United States of America.

Over his 34-year tenure as karate student and instructor, Shihan Amadou Niang has attended seminars and camps by many respected experts of karate-do including: Taiji Kase, Guy Chauvin, Masayuki Hisataka, Shojiro Koyama, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Masafumi Shiomitsu, Fumuo Demura, and WKF 1980's kumite legend Goeffrey Thompson ( five times world champion).

Shihan Amadou has a B.A in English from the University of Bamako, a B.S. in Insurance from The African Institute of Insurance, a Master of Education from Northern Arizona University. He is currently completing his doctoral program in Education at the University of Utah, Department of Education, Culture and Society where he is ABD.

The International MartialArts Association (IMA) was founded in 1991 by Shihan Cyrus Madani. IMA is dedicated to teaching Shotokan Karate. The main school is located between Denver and Boulder, Colorado.
Website: www.imakarate.com

USA KARATE
Website: www.usankf.org