I had always been fascinated by the martial arts from a young age. I remember as a kid finding a load of my fathers books about Judo, Aikido and Jujitsu and just couldn’t put them down.
Back then, what with all the Bruce Lee movies, it was inevitable I was gonna end up in a dojo!
I went along to my first proper Karate class at age 15. I was nervous as hell but excited at the same time. Somehow I was hooked, was it the smell of the dojo, the discipline, the movements? to be honest I couldn’t pin point exactly what it was that made me go back but I had the bug for it and I had it bad!!
Within a couple of weeks I was attending a Karate class twice a week, a kick boxing class at the weekend and a private judo lesson! And if I wasn’t at some lesson or other I was practicing. Yep I was your genuine Martial Arts Fanatic! For me I think it felt like I was making a difference to myself. The harder I trained the better I got, while at school though, I had no real interest in sport and absolutely sucked at football! I had found something I felt I could be really good at.
Martial Arts has made me into the person I am today. My health, focus, well being and outlook on life I owe to Martial Arts and the people that have taught me. Now teaching this great subject to others is a way of paying back that debt. Helping a student understand this amazing subject, thats what its all about for me! That makes me a happy Sensei!!
For me Martial Arts is all about the skill, honing a technique or a concept to change it from an idea into an art. Any pattern or routine is made of small movements that have profound results. Its all in the details.
Hope to see you in the Dojo!