CFTS KARATE

I started training in 2015 under Renshi Kidby at the tender age of 45. Ten years later, almost to the day, I achieved Shodan under the tuition of Senseis Jan and Viv Wilson, and then Simon and Pam McMahon. I took it up because I wanted to learn some self-defence with my son before he went to secondary school, partly as a father-son bonding experience and partly because my own experience had taught me that school could be a tough and chaotic place. Having grown up with the Bru

My karate journey started in 2014, when I began training at a small local club at the age of four. Although I don’t remember much of those early days, being so young, I do remember wanting to learn to defend myself in case I ever needed to, as well as wanting to have fun. I also remember spending months trying to get my head around Taikyoku Shodan! I progressed through the ranks, motivated to continue improving and having fun. By 2020, I had reached 4th Kyu, just before lockd

I began my learning of Karate in 1992, as a young boy in a small American town, under the only Sensei around, Sensei David Rhodes (6th Dan), Wado-Ryu. In Sensei’s class we would train a 3-prong system for 5 hours every week: Kihon, Kata, & Free-style sparring. This improved my confidence and self-defence capabilities at school while also being quite fun. I remember times when while we were sparring Sensei would turn off the lights, switch on a strobe light and blast cheesy 80

Karate first started for me 38 y ears ago, then ended 36 years ago! As a child, I wanted to be with my friends, learn a martial art, and gain a skill. Years later, I tried Aikido, kung fu, Tae Kwon Do, and Jujitsu. Each brief and each not fulfilling at the time. I was fresh out of Uni and still not ready to commit to a martial art at the time. (Much) Later as an adult, and father, I wanted to find an activity I could do with my daughter Inara - then aged 6. On speaking with R

My karate journey started when I was five years old, a pale ginger boy whose mother wanted to be sure he could handle himself. She enrolled me at Sensei Steve Bell’s Sankukai karate dojo at Brooksward School in Neath Hill. The club later moved across to the stables at Downs Barn. Sankukai is quite different to traditional Shotokan: grabs and takedowns throughout, an enormous amount of kata, and movement full of spins, jumps and changes of level. I remember Sensei Bell as a re

I first started karate in late 2018, when I was 6, as some of my other friends were training at the time and I fell out of love with football at the time. I started in Tiny Tigerz, the junior club run by Senseis to give young, new karatekas (like me at the time!) an introduction to the martial art, and later started attending the junior beginners sessions before passing my first grading in March of 2019. I grew to love karate more and more from this point, and then graded und

My first taste of martial arts began by accepting an invitation from my university flat mates to see a Taekwondo (ITF) demonstration. After being suitably impressed by the board breaking, athletic feats and trying an enjoyable first session, we joined up. After a few months, my hall mates stopped attending but I had caught the bug. Training under the instruction of Mr. Iqbal and others, two to three times a week, became a part of my life. I made some great friends and met my

From little acorns (early years) My introduction to karate began at a very early age as an observer only. My father and two elder sisters began training, initially trying various styles of martial arts including Shotokan but eventually they settled on Shukokai karate. One of my earliest childhood memories was having my adored black “kung fu” suit with gold and red dragon patterns on it but, despite wanting to, unfortunately I only ever got to watch and never got the oppor

Saturday the 7th September 2024 saw the second Dan grading of the year and the Dan Grade Annual General Meeting. Incorporated into this...

I’ve made it to Shodan after years of rigorous training and hard work. Over the course of the years there have been up and downs, but...

Ever since childhood, Karate had always been on my bucket list of things to achieve one day. Aside from a self-defence class based on...

The journey to acquiring the black belt was long and rocky, but also filled with beautiful moments and tremendous support that encouraged...

Two nervous and anxious 1st Kyu candidates arrived at Daubeney Academy on Saturday to attempt their Shodan grading in front of the panel,...

It is with great sadness that we have recently said goodbye to Sensei Matt Eagles. Matt started his karate journey in 1997 with the late...

On Sunday 26th March, we had the first dan grading of the year. Brian, the sole candidate from Brickhill, was closely watched by Shihan...

I began my Martial Arts journey when I was 6 years old. My parents wanted me to learn self-defence. I chose Karate because I discovered...

Martial arts have always fascinated me since an early age but never had a chance to train. I put my son in Karate as he showed his...

My karate journey can be traced back to before I can even remember, hence it sometimes feels like I’ve done karate since the day I was...

My first experience of karate came almost 50 years ago, when I was still at school in London’s East End. Like so many, inspired by Bruce...

My Karate journey started when I was just 7 years old in 2012. My primary school had started an after-school club every Thursday to...