Chief Instructor, 7th Degree Black Belt

Shihan Niang 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, now 8th Dan, known as Sensei Bob) that Mr. Niang did most of his training in Mali.

In 2007, Shihan Niang joined the International Martial Arts Association (IMA) and became a member of its technical committee.

In 2010 he had the great honor and privilege of being elevated to the rank of Godan - 5th degree black belt by the Malian National Karate Federation and Ministry of Sport in recognition of decades of training, teaching, and service dedicated to karate in Mali and in the USA.

In 2012 Shihan Niang recertified for his Godan under Hanshi Madani (8th Dan, student of Nakayama Sensei, founder and President of the IMA). After progressively climbing the ranks, he passed Roku Dan (6th degree black belt) at the IMA June 2018 Dan testing in Louisville, Colorado. Three months later, he received from Hanshi Madani the title of “Shihan” at the IMA 24th Annual Gasshuku in Granby, Colorado. Shihan Niang thus joined the restricted circle of the organization’s Shihan Kai (a group of chief instructors who are recognized to have reached a high level of technical expertise and established a proven leadership record within the organization). In 2022 the Malian Karate Federation and Ministry of Sport promoted Shihan Niang to 7th Degree Black belt. In addition to his credentials as karate instructor, Shihan Niang is also an international karate referee.

Over his long tenure as karate student and instructor, he has attended seminars and camps by many respected experts of karate-do, including Cyrus Madani, 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 Niang is a professional educator in Salt Lake City School District. He has a Master of Education degree from Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. in Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Utah.