I began karate training in 1994 at the age of 9 and I’ve been hooked ever since!  As I child I looked up to the adult British team and remember how this spurred my ambition to compete at an international level, the rest as they say is history…  I went on to achieve my shodan (black belt) in 1999 and then selected to represent my country; gaining gold, silver and bronze medals in countless World and European.  Having competed at the highest level, I turned my thoughts towards how I could educate the next generation, to pass on my experiences and passion for the discipline through my own teachings and thus Tori Shukokai was formed.

I started out in karate having watched my older brother Sam compete at a local competition and as a 9 year old at the time I was keen to keep up!  Through years of dedication (and having an older brother to practice on at home) I was able to join Sam to compete internationally and together we created quite a storm.  I now too am enjoying being able to re-live my journey through teaching the next generation and in particular my daughter who has just begun her training under my instruction and already gained her red belt, which I must confess was somewhat of a ‘proud dad’ moment for me