I started my Taekwon-Do career back in the early eighties at the Hayes
TKD Academy under Master Nicholls at the time a 4th Degree. Reaching
1st degree in '88, I started to teach at the legendary Hayes
Academy. I became Master Nicholls personal student in '89 where
my training was taken to the next level, training was
hard back in the day, sometimes twice a day plus
teaching in the evening.
I was the first to introduce the 5am training session that continues
today with the likes of Lee Hollingsworth and Mandeep Rauli. I
practised Kicking and Punching in the swimming pool well before "Van
Dam". Body conditioning was heavily focused on and still to this date
has proved it's weight in gold as kicking/striking has
become second nature.
Following a successful competition career, and retiring as an
Imperial Champion I concentrated on the teaching aspect and
taught many of our seniors from white belt. Not one to dwell on past
achievements I taught at the Hayes Academy till 2000,
Where I then took on the full time job as Imperial's
Now UK ITF Secretary General and it's administration.
Today I remain at the forefront of UK ITF and consider myself
very lucky to be working with such talented instructors and Masters.
I'm living the dream... who else gets paid for doing something they
love. I've travelled the world and seen many things, "I was there" in
South Korea 2004 when Taekwon-Do returned
to it's birth place, also 2008 for the first joint ITF & WTF
event, "I was there" for the 1st IIC in
China. Imperial were the first ITF club in
Israel and I remember the seminars with Master Nicholls and the
Special Forces as if they were yesterday.
Today Master Nicholls VIII is the
Secretary General of the ITF and I'm the Treasurer as well as our
commitment to
UK Taekwon-Do we have been fortunate to work closely with
Grand Master Choi Jung Hwa President of the
ITF and the son of the late founder General
Choi. Continuing to promote ITF Taekwon-Do across the
world as started by late General Choi and continued by his
son.
Through all my years of training, one statement by Master Nicholls has
remained true...
"No such thing as a
bad student, Only a bad Instructor"
Master Nicholls and myself from
around the world:
Some of the Taekwon-Doists I've
had the pleasure to meet: