 In 1975, Felton Messina stops practicing Okinawan Kenpo and begins practicing the "Nihon Koden Shindo Ryu" style of Karatedo under the teachings of Hiroyuki Hamada, native from the province of Sendai, Japan.Felton Messina, aside from being known as one of the pioneers of Karatedo in Puerto Rico, is also known as the "father" of Karatedo in the Dominican Republic.He earned this mention because he was the first person who took Karate to the Dominican Republic and spread it throughout the whole nation, having the Kenpo Karatedo Association, in which he directed, more than 6,500 students throughout the whole nation.