Sensei Ricardo Llewelyn has been practicing Shotokan Karate since 1970. He holds a Sichi-Dan (7th Degree Black Belt) in Shotokan Karate and has been granted titles of Kyoshi and Shihan with the International Santen Karate Association (ISKA).  Kyoshi Llewelyn is the President of the ISKA, founded by Sensei Vincent Cruz.  Sensei Llewelyn is also ranked with the Dai-Ichi Shotokan Karate Association (DSKA), headed by Sensei Ricardo Johns and the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF), headed by  Sensei Hidetaka Nishiyama.

Originally from Panama, Sensei Llewelyn began his karate studies in his native country in 1970 under Sensei Ricardo Johns, a student of Sensei Vincent Cruz. When Sensei Johns departed Panama in 1971, Sensei Llewelyn continued training under Sensei Enrique Kelly and Sensei Percival (PJ) Jordan, under whom he achieved his Shodan in 1973. Upon Sensei Johns return to Panama in 1973, Sensei Llewelyn resumed his training under him. In 1974 Sensei Llewelyn migrated to the U.S., where he continued training independently, with regular visits to Panama for training with Sensei Johns.

Sensei Llewelyn joined the US Navy, where he also taught Karate classes from 1975 to 1981. In 1985 he joined the Shotokan Karate Institute in Oakland California, headed by Sensei Sharifi, 7th Dan with the ITKF, under Sensei Nishiyama, and he became affiliated with the ITKF. During this time, Sensei Llewelyn re-established connections with his roots through the DSKA and became affiliated with the ISKA, headed by Sensei Vincent Cruz, headquartered in Fresno California.

Sensei Llewelyn taught Karate at the Mariners Square Athletic Club, Alameda Ca. from 1986 to 1993 and in 1992, inspired by his daughter LeDonna, founded the Shotokan Karate Academy (SKA); fulfilling a life long dream of owning his own dojo. LeDonna was his first SKA student and progressed to a high kyu level; LeDonna is now working and attending college in Sacramento.

Since the SKA opened in 1992, Sensei Llewelyn has promoted over twenty Black Belts. Each of his students receive the same instruction passed on to him from Sensei Johns, Sensei Cruz, and Sensei Obata (Sensei Obata, was a student of Sensei Gichin Funakoshi). Two of Sensei Llewelyn’s prominent students from Panama, Armando Jemmott and Ivan Haywood, are now both full Sensei in their own right and run sister dojos in Southern California and New Jersey, respectively.

As Sensei Llewelyn continues to train and further develop his karate, he shares his knowledge freely with his students. Sensei Llewelyn was deeply influenced by some of the best Karate practitioners alive today, including Sensei Nishiyama, Sensei Hiroshi Shirai, Sensei Oichi, Sensei Kawazoe, Sensei Robert Stevenson, Sesei Gary Ellis, Sensei Kenneth Funakoshi, Sensei Okazaki, Sensei Yaguchi and Sensei Kanazawa, to mention only a few. Sensei Llewelyn was also influenced by Sensei Lionel Worrell, who recently departed us.   Sensei Vincent Cruz and Sensei Nishiyama, continue to be the most influential forces in his continued growth.

The underlying principle of the SKA is to "seek perfection of character through the perfection of technique". Sensei Llewelyn is known among his peers for being meticulous about technique and form. He is often sought to teach the intricacies and details of kata. Because of his attention to details, he is the ISKA Technical Director for Kata. Emphasis on this principle, and drawing references to the application of kata in self defense and kumite (sparring), has helped his students to develop courage and a positive demeanor in karate, which transcends into their daily lives.