Mickila Travis

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 opportunity to train as my middle sister dropped out, my father and eldest sister were doing well by then, and my parents also separated. 

Karate beginnings at university (1991-1993)

Fast forward 10 years or so to 1991 and I’d just finished a HND and moved onto the 2^nd year of a BSc degree in Manchester.  There I met a new friend who was training at a local KUGB (Karate Union of Great Britain) Shotokan Karate class organised by the Students Union.  I jumped at the chance to finally give karate a try and, having been warned, I first spent a couple of weeks working on doing a single press-up!

Karate lessons were very strict back then…  I remember we would be shouted at to not drop our arms when being in a “ready” jiyu dachi stance (when our arms were literally falling off!).  After each Uni summer holiday, returning to karate was pure agony on my arms for the first week or so – My muscles were so sore!   I soon got back into it though and whilst it was tough it was so rewarding.  I only ever could manage 10 press-ups back then but I eventually could do sit-ups until the cows came home!  My sensei was both a very skilled teacher and karateka and he prepared us well for our gradings by teaching us good technique and putting us through our paces.  Gradings were judged by Billy Higgins, a prominent karate champion who is still very much involved in the KUGB.  I double graded in my first examination in March 1992 and, as I left University 2 years later, I was a 3^rd kyu (brown belt).  During the 2 years at the club I was the club’s Treasurer.  I also took part in two annual Shotokan competitions (probably KUGB, a Regional or even National University competition – There was a huge attendance!).  The first time I took part was in “kata” only and I observed the “kumite” competition – The girls’ kumite was lethal, with St. Johns ambulance volunteers running on and off with a stretcher more times than I could count!  In my final year at Uni I plucked up the courage to fight for my club in “kumite” too.  I’ll never forget it… I won my first fight!  I lunged in with a jodan (to face) uraken (back fist) but had to kneel whilst they checked my opponent was ok but was reassured by my sensei that I had done nothing wrong.  With the all-clear the fight continued, my opponent saw red-mist, charged in, I moved to the right side (I now know this as Tai Sabaki!), she lost her balance, and I executed a chudan gyaku-zuki as she went down.  That dreaded St. John’s ambulance stretcher was back out as my opponent was in clear distress with her leg or knee(?) - I had to kneel down facing away again feeling quite shaken but was reassured by my sensei (again!) that it wasn’t my fault!  I learnt the lesson to always keep your composure when doing kumite if you don’t want to lose!  So I was through to the next round, gulp, and I uneventfully lost that fight which was quite a relief!!  That was my one and only kumite competition experience! 

In my final few months at Uni, I arrived back to my flat early one day to find my inner flat door ajar with the lock broken.  As I gently pushed the door open, a burglar leapt out and so I instinctively jumped to one side into jiyu dachi and shouted an almighty kiai!  He ran past me down the stairs as fast as he possibly could.  I’d had my gi and belt placed on my bed and I always think that the visual impact of the gi and belt may have helped me so I didn’t have to fight.

Halifax, West Yorkshire club (1994 - 1997)

Following Uni, in 1994 I moved to Halifax in West Yorkshire and wasted no time joining the local club, Pennine Shotokan Karate, affiliated to what was then called the EKGB (English Karate Governing Body).  I was taught by Chief Instructor Sensei Fred Jones.  Sensei Jones and the association is still going strong but no longer in Halifax.  There I graded to 2^nd kyu, and then 1^st kyu at the end of 1994.  I trained for a further 12-18 months until work demands became too great.  One of my biggest takeaways from my time there was, whilst I wasn’t especially good at it, I no longer feared jiyu kumite as we used to practice freestyle at the end of every lesson.  It wasn’t especially timid though (although we did use mits and shin pads) …  I remember getting a tobi yoko geri kekomi in the stomach once from a 16yr old boy!

Revival in Milton Keynes (2018 - 2021)

My job moved from Halifax to the City of London in 2000 and we moved to Milton Keynes.  In 2018, my son wanted to try karate and I enrolled him in the local Shotokan Karate Association club and watched with great interest.  Once Sensei Carl Garnham-Lee realised I was once a karateka he was quick to encourage me to join the class.  I was like, “look at me, I’m massively overweight and out of condition!”; my desk job had taken its toll, but he was so encouraging and thank goodness he convinced me to join!  Within a few weeks I was back up to speed with all my previous katas (i.e. up to and including Bassai Dai) and standing in line with the other 1^st kyu students. 

Karate classes have changed quite a bit since the early days; they are a little more relaxed and very friendly, now have more children than adults, and the syllabus has broadened.  “Sets” never existed at my previous clubs so I had to learn all 5 kihon sets plus all 5 jiyu sets all at once!  I also had to learn the 3 J-katas which wasn’t in the syllabus until beyond 1^st Dan in Halifax.  Otherwise, all-in-all, traditional Shotokan karate is pretty much the same.  Around 6 months after restarting I was now also training under Shihan Roy Richards in the Advanced class.  I began to learn the katas for the 1^st Dan syllabus: Empi, Kanku Dai, Hangestu, and Gankaku; the latter I diligently practiced as was my tokui kata.  In early 2020, Shihan encouraged me to train for my 1^st Dan, but having been diagnosed with a cardiological condition this was not something I had anticipated!  After the end of the summer of COVID we were entering the 2nd lockdown, and I was under instruction to text Shihan EVERY day for the next 3 months with a record of what my daily training – Kihon, Kata, Bunkai, Kumite and Fitness, was.  In December 2020, during the brief respite from lockdown requirements, I was ready in all aspects and I successfully passed my 1^st Dan grading first time – It took a while to sink in!  Lockdown began again in January 2021 and I had a few private “zoom” lessons with Sensei Carl to learn their 2^nd Dan katas (Bassai Sho, Tekki Nidan, Nijushiho, Sochin, Meikyo, and Kanku Sho), and finally some outdoor lessons with Shihan to help me choose my Tokui kata and improve my kata generally.  Indoor classes eventually resumed however given my health condition, and regular contact with elderly mother, I preferred to have cross-ventilation in the dojo in winter 2021 and so I took leave from the club.  In March 2022 I was not quite ready to ditch the face mask and dojo ventilation so decided with a heavy heart to leave the association.  It had however been the best decision to have joined the SKA to restart my karate and it hit unexpected new highs.  Some of my biggest gains from my time at the club are major improvements in my technique, a stronger body, a much greater level of skill and depth in knowledge, and “subtle secrets” of karate that I have learnt from Shihan through our many conversations.  It would be an injustice to not mention that I have also learnt much from my father, who has shown me many a thing during our family visits ‘Up North, from self-defence techniques to freestyle sparring strategies.

A new path with CFTS (2022 - Present)

After contacting Sensei Jan Wilson in April 2022, I was invited to join her and Sensei Viv Wilson’s CFTS class in Newport Pagnell.  Thanks to their most welcoming spirit and the friendliest group of karateka I have ever met, I settled into the NP club very quickly.  After not too long I was asked to formally join and apply for my CFTS licence - Renshi Kidby carried forward my 1^st Dan grading of 2020.  Sensei Jan would tell me that that you couldn’t tell I’d come from another class as my karate fitted right in.  Having said that, Sensei Jan has had the patience of a saint especially in the first 12 months as I asked her so many questions to ensure I understood the finer details of how CFTS do things differently to my previous club.  Differences were in the “Sets” but also a few subtle differences in a few kata, albeit I wasn’t the only one working on changes as CFTS have re-aligned our kata to Kanazawa’s example. 

Karate truly does take a lifetime to learn and my journey since joining CFTS has not disappointed – The lessons are so diverse.  I am enjoying my exposure to more katas, improving my kihon, more frequent opportunities to do some light freestyle, and frequent exposure to weapons training which is a new one for me.  I was given the opportunity to assist Sensei Jan in the junior lesson earlier this year which was a huge privilege.  I was also given the opportunity to provide a short course of classes on sparring which was well received.  Senseis Wilson have now retired which truly is an end of an era; they have shaped me into a true CFTS karateka which I am very grateful.  Sensei Simon and Pam McMahon have now taken over our karate development at the Newport Pagnell clubs and I look forward to enjoying hopefully many more years or training under their expert tutorage.