PURPLE Dragon will celebrate 50 plus (52) years at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, on November 20. Before that, for three days, black belt grading will be held with candidates from around the world travelling to Trinidad to impress judges.

The weekend of activities will be held from November 18-20. A total of 120 people from TT, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, USA, Canada and England will aim to end the grading with black belts.

Founder and creator of Purple Dragon Professor Don Jacob is anticipating the events.

Jacob never imagined that the organisation would be in existence for more than 50 years.

“To be truthful, not really, because I came from a background where we never use to have long-term planning like this.”

He tried to learn how to run an organisation by making trips to more developed countries.

[caption id="attachment_985096" align="alignnone" width="683"] Keyanna Farfan from the Arima Dojo of the Purple Dragon martial arts school shows off her Donjitsu Kata during a previous championships. - Lincoln Holder[/caption]

“As time went on I started travelling and became more internationally exposed and renowned. I started seeing and learning and going to seminars and seeing how things are done in first-class countries. I modelled Purple Dragon as much as I can, decades ago, to be a first-world school in a third-world country,” Jacob said.

Jacob said because of that mentality Purple Dragon is the longest-surviving martial arts school in TT and the Caribbean.

The grading and the anniversary celebration were originally scheduled to take place in 2020, but because of the covid19 pandemic, it was postponed.

Jacob said the quiet time would have helped some of the athletes.

“People have been working out (at) home and building up their immune system and building up their technique because they knew when it was over…they would come to do their grading.”

In the grading, candidates will demonstrate their skills in all different aspects of martial arts including sparring, and physical fitness and people will also write essays to be more certified in martial arts.

“We have 14 people who are trying to become masters of the martial arts and get the title Shihan.”