Age 74
I have run Thackley Shotokan Tigers Karate club for almost thirty-two years. My Karate career began with Shukukai at Sensei Mick Fawcett’s club in 1978. Then after a short time, I joined Sensei Walter Legge’s Bradford Shotokan club. Taking a five year break due to my work, I came back to Karate opening my own club in 1990 whilst training with Sensei Mick Gilchrist at his Bradford Shotokan Tigers. Gaining my Shodan (black belt) with him, Sensei Mick Gilchrist was very supportive of my club helping me learn from him how to teach. Now the Club has several Black belts in attendance, Sensei’s Adam Flack, Simon Beer, Steve Hanna, Jack Hanna, Cait Hanna, Eleanor Marshall, George Reynolds and Matthew Stallard. We have a wealth of experience with highly trained black belts passing on their expertise.
Age 52
I have been practising karate for 20 years achieving my black belt 1st Dan in 2010.
I sustained an injury during my grading tearing my cruciate ligament, but I still managed to complete the grading. Karate is about discipline and perseverance and it has certainly taught me that.
To me it is spiritual, physical and mindful and even though the muscles are aching and the bones are creaking more than they used to, I still train as hard as I can.
Karate is a way of life. It stays with you and the more you give to it the more it gives back to you.
Join the club, be patient and train hard. You will not be disappointed.
Hi, my name is George and I have been practicing karate for over 10 years now. I started in primary school and
am now at university, this is something that has always been a part of my life. As the clubs youngest black belt I can say that
this club is a welcoming environment for everyone to train in and will foster your talent regardless of age and expierience. I hope to continue to learn and teach others about why I enjoy karate so much.
I joined Thackley Shotokan Tigers when I was 13, and can confidently say that the club has changed me and my life for the better. Another 13 years on, I now live and train karate abroad but always return to the Tigers for gradings, training and celebrations in the pub whenever I can! Obtaining my 1st Dan black belt from sensei Tony and sensei Adam was one of the proudest moments of my life and I am so grateful for the brilliant senseis, students and lifelong mates which make me look forward to every session. No matter where I live in the world, there’s no place like Thackley Tigers!
I joined Thackley Shotokan Tigers around Twenty years ago and worked through the belt gradings, becoming 2nd Dan a couple of years ago! I am the Senpai of the club and support Sensei Tony Cheetham-Hudson in running the club as well the training regime. My background was kick boxing but Shotokan and the club became my passion. I have four children, two of which are members of the Junior club and I am a Maths teacher in a girls school! Karate changed my direction in life and has become a massive part of it.
Jennifer
I joined Thackley Shotokan Tigers in 2015 while looking for a karate club after too many years of regret after leaving training at another club in my teens due to working on my A-levels at the time.
This club does not teach the same style of karate as I learned before, but the format of classes was similar to the ones I’d done before, the other people training were friendly and welcoming, so I decided to stay!
My two younger children followed my footsteps and joined the junior class too after a while. They learned some useful skills and made some new friends while having fun.
Now I help with the junior class on Wednesdays too and it’s fantastic to see the children learning new skills, making new friends, and gaining confidence.
I find Karate is an outlet for stress relief (who doesn’t want to punch something sometimes?), a place to keep both physically and mentally active, and a great place to meet new people.
Age 22
I started karate in 2008, a few months after my brother started. It was great to make new friends outside of school in a fun, friendly, nurturing and supportive environment. Sensei Tony became like a surrogate grandad to us and we were his little tigers. I can look back now and see the life skills that it taught me; respect, perseverance, determination, confidence and self-control to name a few, apart from the physical and fitness benefits.
I achieved my 1st Dan black belt in 2015 when I was 16 and its one my proudest memories. Karate has certainly helped me become the person I am today.
I’d recommend taking up karate to all young people, especially girls, who want to build their self-confidence and make new friends.
Age 52
I first started karate in 2009 after taking my children to the club for the previous 12 months. They were having such a fantastic time and I thought it was a great way to spend quality time with them in an environment outside home and it also looked like a great way to keep fit. I consider myself very lucky to have met a lot of new friends and to have seen my children (not children now) flourish and mature at the club.
It’s been a privilege to have been taught by some amazing sensei’s and now it’s my turn to give that knowledge back into the club and support the next wave of students, of all ages and abilities. It’s never too late to start and it’s been an amazing journey so far.
Sensei Jack
Age 21
I started karate in 2008 as one of my best friends was at the club and he told me how good it was. I’ll always remember going back and forth across the dojo doing basics and more basics and feeling tired but then having limitless energy for the games at the end of the lesson.
Right from the start I embraced the ethos of karate and pushed myself to try harder. For me it was all about the discipline of the moves and how I could control that, so learning and subsequently teaching new katas was my passion.
I achieved my junior black belt in 2015 when I was 15 and was awarded my 1st Dan black belt in 2016 when I was 16.
The discipline has stuck with me and has certainly helped me though school and university, and will continue to help into the future. It’s been an amazing experience.