HBO’s Game of Thrones TV show may take place in the fictional and far off realm of Westeros; but among the dragons, swords and sorcery there’s a hint of Santa Monica as one of the show’s producers has developed a deep bond with a local martial arts school.
Ryan Condal is a producer on the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, and while his bond with local martial arts instructor Shihan Vassie Naidoo may not be quite as deep as that of a dragonrider and his steed, the connection to Goju-Ryu Sewai-Kai Karate of LA has remained an important part of his life.
Condal has said his continued training with the local school, even by Zoom when necessary, has helped him deal with the stress of the show.
Naidoo said his style of karate has stress relieving properties beyond the martial applications. His school is a direct descendant of the Goju-Ryo school, a form of karate known for its breath work and combination of so-called “hard” and “soft” attacks based on the shape of the hand.
“I focus a lot on breathing, on internal movements coming from internally, and everything we do, every movement means something. It's a defense or offense, and every movement we do involves breathing,” he said.
He said the focus on internal balance through breathwork was also valuable as a tool to cope with the Covid pandemic.
Naidoo’s journey to opening his own studio was a quest in its own right, rife with personal danger and crossing international borders.
When he began learning, Naidoo said he had to sneak to his friend’s Goju-Ryu school in a white area of South Africa, defying the law and the police during apartheid.
“When I got my black belt, I opened my own school, and I did the same; I had everybody train under my school.” he said.
Similar to his friend’s school, Naidoo put an emphasis on inclusion. In 1978, he hosted a multiracial karate tournament in a soccer stadium in South Africa.
“I took my chances,” he said of the controversy.
Naidoo’s studio offers child and adult classes. Each class begins with an extensive warm-up, as Naidoo emphasizes the importance of fitness. They will then move into basic stand-up movements, such as blocks, kicks, and punches. This is followed by moving techniques, known as kata. Kata is a cutting movement, which starts off with a block.
“The reason for that is because you don't start a fight — you finish it.” Naidoo said, noting the incorporation of the Goju-Ryu philosophy into his sessions. They will then spar, and end with a cool down.
While he now has a loyal following, the work has humble origins as weekly sessions at a dance studio. However, the dance studio was actually a step up from his first classes taught in local parks.
One of his customers at the Palisades Garden Cafe found out about his work, and asked him to teach sessions at their dance studio. Naidoo opened his first dojo on 14th St. Later, he formed Karate for Inner City Kids (K.I.C.K), a non-profit located on 22nd and Pico, where kids could train for free.
“That's where I built up from scratch to where we are today. We were part of the community there, and I tell everybody, you can't afford it, talk to me about it. No, we'd never turn anyone away,” said Naidoo.
Naidoo compares opening the non-profit to his days teaching in South Africa, where he allowed many of his students to train for free because they could not afford it. Aside from his non-profit, he has also worked in schools in Long Beach, where he would help keep kids off of the street.
While Condal may not have been one of the students that came to the school through the nonprofit, he has remained a dedicated student becoming a 4th dan black belt. Naidoo describes his celebrity client as “religious” when it comes to his training, as they continue to maintain their sessions over Zoom following Condal’s move to Europe and the UK for filming of the show.
Naidoo also describes pushing Condal to work hard during their sessions, even after Condal has long nights related to premiers and work.
“He was like, "Oh, I'm glad you didn't take it easy, because I feel good.’”
Naidoo’s current operating studio is located at 12416 Santa Monica Blvd.