Sei Shihan David | 7th Dan

Sei Shihan David Hood took his first Seido karate class on February 10, 1985. Having previously trained in judo and Wu-Su kung fu, he was drawn to the traditional aspects of Japanese karate, including the white gi, the discipline, and the feeling of “kizuna” — the group connection and supportive atmosphere created through training.

He has been teaching since June of 2001, starting with a yellow and advanced-yellow belt class and then taking over the Sunday color belt and kata classes in 2007. He also assisted Kaicho's Monday night green belts-and-up class for several years, and taught the Monday night color belt class from 2012 through 2019.

Sei Shihan David has participated in most of Seido’s Anniversary & Benefit Tournaments as well as in Seido branch tournaments in Italy and New Zealand. He has been awarded the Sogo (all around) Champion title three times, placed first in masters kata multiple times, and placed first in his division in breaking and in team kumite twice.

He encourages students to have a serious attitude in their training but also to have fun and sincerely enjoy their martial arts journey. For him, teaching uncovers the student inside: To become a better teacher, one must be open to continuous learning and growing.

When he’s not at Honbu, Sei Shihan David works as a restaurant manager and enjoys going to Central Park with his family, swimming with his young son, and snuggling with his baby daughter. He also has an interest in art history, painting, and philosophy. His favorite kata is Seido Enpi No Kata Sho.