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I have been interested in martial arts for many years. Between the ages of 8 and 10 I studied Judo with the Bushidokan association in Garforth, unfortunately though the club was forced to close in 1993 due to dwindling membership numbers.
There followed a few years in which I didn’t do any training, however during this time I still read lots of martial arts books, and watched plenty of martial arts films, never really losing my interest in the subject.
In early 1997, at the age of 15, I began training at a newly re-opened Kempo Ryu Karate Kickboxing club here in Garforth run by Sensei Glen Coolican. Kempo Ryu Karate is a system devised by Sensei Phil Cawood. The system is heavily based on Ed Parker’s American Kenpo system, but also has some kickboxing elements mixed in.
I continued to train at the club for the next six years rising to the rank of 1st Kyu, until during Christmas 2002 Sensei Coolican announced that he had to leave the club due to other work commitments. At this point myself and two of the other highest ranking students, my good friends Sensei David Hall and Sensei Brian Perkin, took over the running of the club.
We continued to teach Kempo Ryu for two more years under the British Kempo Ryu Association, and I was awarded the rank of Shodan in September 2003.
During Christmas 2004 however we left the BKRA and became an independent club. Since we are teaching our own syllabus we are simply called Garforth Kenpo Karate. We have now added back in many of the original American Kenpo techniques that were removed by Sensei Cawood, although we still do not teach a full 24 technique syllabus.
The website for our club is located here.
“Using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation.”
