CFTS KARATE

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I started Karate at the age of seven as the rest of my family were already doing karate. Therefore I wanted to know what Karate was like and so, I went along to one class and thoroughly enjoyed it. Since that first lesson Karate has always been my main interest although I have tried my hand at various other sports as I was growing up. These sports include gymnastics but did not enjoy it. Also, I ran for my Middle School in the National School Cross-Country competition two yea

I didn’t have many hobbies at the time so I always thought that one day; I would become overweight and so decided to act fast. That’s when I heard about this association of karate on the way to my lower school on one of the notice boards. At the early age of 8 in 2005, I began training at Ampthill club under the watchful eye of Sensei Kidby from which got hooked on it within weeks. Since the chief instructor was with me, I felt secure and knew what I was doing because of how

I have to admit that I spent about a year trying to avoid starting karate. At the time, everyone in my family had tried it except me and being a shy 6 year old, going along to a beginners course seemed like the scariest thing in the world. I can't remember why I finally started, possibly because if I stayed at home Mum and Dad had to take turns either going training or staying with me! I was 7 when I plucked up enough courage to go along to my first lesson at Newport Pagnell

The December gradings passed without any major incidents. Generally, a good standard was evident all round. The trophy winners were as...

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I began karate in 2000 when a friend and I went to a beginner’s course at Hazeldene Lower School in Bedford ran by the Association of...

I started karate in 1996 after 3 years boxing. I wanted a fresh new challenge. I looked around visiting other possible martial arts clubs in Milton Keynes. I looked at most fighting arts that were available at the time such as kick-boxing, Tae-Kwondo and even Judo! However none of these really appealed to me, but when I walked in to the Bletchley Leisure Centre in the Autumn of 1996 I saw Sensei Kidby teaching. It looked like what I was looking for and thought it looked like

Thanks to a chance conversation with a stranger in a pub some fourteen years ago, I have been awarded shodan (first degree black belt), a goal that I thought I would never reach. The guy in the pub happened to mention that he was training in Karate, which got me interested. I was nineteen and not doing a lot in my spare time, so I asked to join him on a training night (to give it go) and haven't looked back since. My first teacher was the late Sensei Steve Bell (3rd Dan) in 1

I discovered karate by accident in 2000, aged 10. While waiting for a lift home from school I found myself observing a karate lesson instructed by Sensei Kidby and the next week decided to try it for myself. I was not a gifted student and while I always tried hard I progressed through the Kyu grades steadily, more as a result of hard work and commitment than ability. In 2007 I was persuaded to grade for shodan, a target that I had never really set out to achieve. The notion t

At the tender age of nine, when I was literally driving my parents round the bend with my inexhaustible energy and inability to shut up (those who know me well will probably still attest to this day that the latter point is something I still haven't quite perfected), the notion of trying something that could harness my energy and enthusiasm quickly made its way up the to-do list. I remember Mum taking me to the library in St. Neots, my hometown (of sorts), to look up evening

Once a year, the CFTS Executive holds a morning's training session on a subject that is considered vital to the progress and continuing...

The September gradings over the weekend of 15th and 16th passed without any major incidents. Although there were a few less grading this...

I began training in Sept 1984 with Sensei Kidby at the Ousedale School club in Newport Pagnell. My first major milestone was in Dec. 1987 when I achieved 3rd Kyu (Brown Belt). I usually trained every Tuesday and Friday and when possible made it to the TASK honbu at the Bunyan Sports Centre in Bedford either Saturday for kata else on a Wednesday night for a gruelling session with Sensei Van Weenen. I was awarded Shodan (first level black belt) in December 1991 by sensei Van We

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On a very warm and humid July 7th, a good few CFTS members attended the Bunyan Sports Centre in Bedford for a traditional Shotokan course...

The June Kyu gradings were well attended and the standard was good, although in some cases more work was needed and a lot of comments...

Multi-martial artist Shihan Wayne Swietoslawski came to the Bunyan Sports Centre in Bedford recently to give us an insight into some...

One of our best competition days since the federation was formed in 1994 was held on Saturday 14th April 2012 at the leisure centre in...

One evening after our usual training session in Bletchley Leisure Centre I was sitting in the changing room gathering my thoughts and...