• Justine

• Phil
• Richard

Justine

I began training at the age of 7 at a small club in Whitstable.  There was no specific style from what I can remember.  We joined Bujin Kai a few years later with Bob Spall and I progressed to 2nd Kyu.  After a few rocky years with Bujin Kai we broke away and joined UKASKO with who I earned my first Dan in 1989, 2 years later I gained my 2nd Dan and 3 years after that I earned my 3rd Dan.

Over the years I have entered many competitions, competing at county level winning the Kent Open numerous times in the Kata section and also in points sparring after being asked to make up the numbers to the minimum to run the category.  At national level I won the UKASKO national the first time I entered which was a pleasant surprise. I continued to enter competitions around the country with various degrees of success.

During a competition at Brightlingsea, Arthur Green approached me and asked if I would like to join the WKA GB Kata Team, for the world intercontinental championships in 1997 to be held in Ireland.  I then went on to represent Great Britain in Canada in 1998 and in Germany in 1999. 

In 2002 I was lucky enough to be awarded my 4th Dan with WUMA, which was a great honour.

Also in 2002 I left my original club with Phil and together we founded the Whitstable Karate Kai.  This was a big step, as I had never done anything like this previously and was not sure whether I would be able to take on such a big responsibility.

In 2003 we decided to open the school to children and started the cadet classes, lessons specifically designed for 5 - 11 yr olds who would then progress on to the junior and then senior classes.  We currently have a waiting list for the cadet class, which I can only see as a sign of high recommendation from current students and parents.