Shihan Liven was born in Tel Aviv on March 3rd, 1949. He started training Karate when he was 9 and received his first Dan when he was 15. Over the last 43 years he has learned many different styles including Shotokan, Kyokushinkai-Karate, Thai-boxing, Kendo, Judo, Aikido, Kobudo, Kick-boxing and Full-Contact Karate. A combat veteran for the Israeli army Shihan Liven fought in two wars and has returned to instruct special forces in hand to hand combat. After his military service, Shihan Liven traveled to Japan where the trained under masters of the originally Okinawa-te. During 1977-1978 he worked as a bodyguard for the president of the island nation of Martinique. Those same years he became the two time European champion in Full-Contact Karate.

In 1980 doctors found a malignant tumor in Shihan Livens sinus. He slowly resumed his training shortly after surgery and radiation treatment. Shihan Liven believes he was able to fight off the cancer thanks to the years of intense physical and mental training he had received through the martial arts. In 1981 Shihan Liven was invited to Norway to prepare the Norwegian national team for the European Championships and there he found that the cool climate was good for his health. At the end of that year he moved to Denmark and started his first school for Karate there.

In 1985 the Bushido Sports Center was opened. The center serves as the headquarters for Shihan Liven’s new style: Sho Shin Do - “the Genuine Way.” Through his years of training Shihan Liven was never able to find “the perfect style.” Cultivating the knowledge he had gained from many great masters, he set out to compile a new eclectic art that took the most effective moves from the arts he had mastered. However, in contrast to other styles, Sho Shin Do is always defensive in nature. From the fighting stance one always goes a step back, blocks his opponents attack and gives him a chance to change his mind. By starting with a strong defense one can already take away the power of his opponent. Next>>