Harun Haupt Sensei is the Head Instructor at Ban Ryu Kan Aikido in Paarl, South Africa.
He started Aikido in 1985 under Sensei Jos Niehaus and later went to Japan where he lived and trained full time under Morihiro Saito Shihan, Headmaster of Aikido in Iwama, for a period of two years.
In 1991 he returned to South Africa and opened a small dojo in Paarl which is known as Paarl Kombat Zone and still exists today in the same location.
The Aikido branch of the dojo was recently renamed Ban Ryu Kan Aikido as suggested and inspired by Tsuneo Ando Sensei of Yoshinkan Aikido Ryu.
Harun Sensei has a lifelong commitment to martial arts. He practiced karate from age 4 until changing direction and starting Aikido at age 15. He has been involved in the promotion of sports within the Drakenstein Community for a number of years and is currently the Coaching Commissioner for the Cape Winelands Sports Council.
In his other role as Chairman of Boland / Cape Winelands Kickboxing, from 2014 to date, he has been involved in sending many Kickboxers to the South African National Championships as well as to International World events.
In 2017, seven Ban Ryu Kan Aikido students traveled to Japan with Harun Sensei to train at the Yoshinkan Aikido Ryu Dojo. He returned again this year to train at Tsuneo Ando Sensei’s dojo in Urayasu.
He holds a Yondan (4th Dan) from Iwama Ryu Aikido Japan