Sensei Raoul was born on 1 August 1961 in Cape Town, South Africa. When he was 3 years old, his parents moved to Windhoek, Namibia, where he grew up. He played tennis and swam and in high school he was even on the national team. However, he also liked films with Bruce Lee, and in 1976 he began practicing Goju Ryu Karate with his brother. In 1979 when Sensei Hennie de Vries moved to Windhoek and revived Goju Ryu Karate, Sensei Raoul joined his Dojo and started to practice regularly. After about 4 years, he was awarded the degree of Shodan. He had a successful sport career on international level, but since 1989 he has been fully engaged in traditional karate.

In 1985, he moved to South Africa and began training with Sensei Tony de Beer. During the
following years he lived in South Africa, returned to Namibia, 2 years in Germany and then
back in South Africa. He started attending seminars and Gasshuku of Bakkies Sensei and
since then considers him his personal teacher.

In 2001, he left South Africa for good and moved to Germany, and a year later to Austria,
where he lives to this day. There he opened his own Dojo in 2005. He works closely with
TOGKF Slovakia and leads seminars and Gasshuku in Austria, Slovakia and other countries.
He holds a 7th Dan having been graded by Higaonna Sensei and Bakkies Sensei at the
World Gasshuku 2016 in Okinawa. 

His motto is "Karate-ka is always fit because you don´t know when your next match is!"