I began my karate journey at the Vauxhall Karate Club in Ellesmere Port in 1974 training under the late Jim Smith Sensei. I passed my first grading in April of that year and was awarded my 9th Kyu by the respected Japanese instructor Tomita Sensei.
I rose through the ranks to 1st Kyu before career commitments forced me to take a temporary break from regular training. What was intended to be a short interlude turned into a sabbatical lasting decades until I returned to training in 2012.
Having opted to relinquish my grade, I started again from white belt and embarked on a second journey through the ranks. I eventually passed my Shodan Kuro Obi (Black Belt 1st Dan) in 2017, 43 years after that nervous 19 year old strutted his stuff in front of Tomita Sensei