NZKKA

My interest in martial arts started with watching ‘Monkey Magic’ on TV on a lazy Sunday afternoon (you can get the whole series on DVD these days).  The characters and kung-fu were amazing to me as a young boy and this planted the seed.  From there I grew up on a steady diet of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies but what really got my interest was body-building (thanks to Arnold the Terminator).

From the age of 16, pumping iron was my hobby, the gym my second home and martial arts had to take a back seat.  Finally, at the ripe old age of 21, I joined Kempo Bushido Ryu and the seed planted years before took root.   As luck would have it, I managed to start when the school decided to renew their Shaolin training programme, so was fortunate enough to be able to learn a good mix of both Chinese and Japanese martial arts.  Under the tutelage of my instructors and after a few years of solid training I gained my black belt, one of only two from a large group of 8 that all started together as white belts. 

Eventually I left KBR and returned back to the gym, with fond memories of kempo and the knowledge that I now had both the strength and ability to look after myself if needed.   My sabbatical from kempo didn’t last long however.  In 1998 my former instructors decided to set up a school of their own, teaching American Kenpo and asked if I could join (they started their club in my gym, how could I refuse!).  I joined with my lovely partner Beryl and the rest is history.

Twelve years later, I am now a certified Instructor with the rank of 3^rd degree black belt and my knowledge of kenpo has increased incredibly (but still only scratches the surface).

When new people come in off the street and ask me, do you do lots of sparring? I say No, and tell them to try a few arts renowned for their sparring.  When they ask, do you do grappling? I say No, and suggest a few arts renowned for their ground fighting.  When they ask, well what do you do? I say self defence!  American Kenpo is an extremely effective, efficient and lethal martial art and without a shadow of a doubt what I would use in the street if required. 

Finally, people may wonder do I still go to the gym? Absolutely! My time is split between the dojo and gym and I’ve finally managed to get them balanced.  And who was that other person that got their black belt with you back at KBR?  My friend and colleague Karl Windle, who is also a certified instructor with the NZ Kenpo Karate Association.