Wantage Karate Club

Paul Edwards, Chief Instructor, 4th dan Print E-mail
Sensei Edwards started training at Southbank Polytechnic, London in 1985. He then moved to Caithness, Scotland and joined the ESKA (East of Scotland Karate Association) under Sensei Jim Wood from 1986 - 87. On returning to the south-east He joined the Toyakwai Karate Association (TKA) run by the Anderson bothers with their Honbu Dojo in Hackney Wick, London. He pasted his Shodan in front of the TKA Panel in 1990 and trained at both the Hackney and Southbank Polytechnic Dojos up until 1994. From 1988-92 He regularly competed at TKA regional and national competitions achieving a number of top three rankings in individual kata and kumite as well as team kumite events.Image

 

For a number of years in the late 90's Sensei Edwards jointly hosted a number of UK tours for American pressurise point martial artist Professor Rick Clark. This involved organising and promoting seminars within the Oxfordshire area and attendance at a UK centrally located special seminar for the course organisers. Overtime it became difficult to attract adequate numbers of participates in addition Sensei Edwards began having concerns about the long term medical ethics of repeated striking and the possible detrimental stimulus of meridians and their pressure points.

 

Image In 1994 he opened a club in Dartford, Kent but shortly afterwards changed jobs and moved to Wantage, Oxfordshire. Having moved he joined the Shotokan Karate Union of Great Britian (SKUGB) at the Leisure Centre and in 1996 successfully passed his Nidan grading. In October 1999 he took over as Club Sensei after the departing sensei, Martin Carter resigned to concentrate and compete on the full contact circuit. (Unsurprisingly, this highly talented and motivate karate-ka has excelled in a number of professional bouts that have included Vale Tudo and Muay Thai. Martin is invited back to the club to periodically coach mostly grappling and bag work.) Shortly afterwards the Club resigned from the association.

 

The Wantage Shotokan Karate Club had been a member of SKUGB for over 15 years. The decision to leave the association was a difficult one to make due to the long historic link. Sensei Edwards first met Sensei Peter Manning, TSKA Chief Instructor at a Kyusho-Jitsu course with American Professor Rick Clark hosted by Wantage and at the Traditional Shotokan Karate Association (TSKA) Nationals in 1997. After discussions towards the end of 1999 he proposed joining Sensei Manning's Association, which the Club members' endorsed. Image

 

The decision to change associations has been vindicated many times over and Wantage Shotokan Karate Club has grown from strength to strength. In fact it is a great tribute to Wantage karate-ka that the many association events are more often supported in the largest numbers from Wantage when compared to other travelling clubs. In 2003 Sensei Edwards successfully graded to 3rd Dan, Sandan in front of the TSKA Panel. This gives Sensei Edwards a unique background in that his Dan grades have been obtained at three technically orientated independent associations.Image

 

Sensei Edwards has been instrumental in establishing a locally held annual Shotokan Kata and Kumite competition. The inaugural competition in 2002 was held in conjunction with two other like minded clubs. During the subsequent years it has gradually expanded and now includes competitors from Devon, London, Kent and Wiltshire.

 

Sensei Edwards has trained with a number of accomplished martial artists, these have included: Sensei Terry O'Neill 7th Dan KUGB, Renshi Paul Coleman 6th Dan JKF Goju Kai, Kyoshi Patrick McCarthy, Sensei Masao Kawasoe 7th Dan International Traditional Karate Federation, Vince Morris 7th Dan Kissaki-Kai Karate-do, Professor Rick Clark 8th Dan Ao Denkou Kai International, Hanshi Steve Grayson 10th Dan Shindo-Ryu Karate-Do, Sensei Dirk Henne 6th Dan Shotokan Ryu Kase Ha, Sensei Akita 5th Dan Shotokan Karate Association, Sensei Joe Ellis 5th Dan, Ian 'the Machine' Freeman MMA Ultimate Fighting, Sensei Iain Abernarthy, Sensei Scott Langley 4th Dan Japan Karate Shotorenmei, Sensei Yoshinobu Ohta 6th Dan JKA, Shihan Akio Minakami 8th Dan Hayashi ha Shitoryu-kai, Sensei Bill Burger 6th Dan, Grandmaster Meng Kwong Loke 8th Dan Tang Sou Dao, Sensei Joe Anderson 7th Dan TKA and Kenny Taylor, 6th dan among others.

 

For those that aren't sure, it really is true that Paul used to be young. Here are some pics of Paul in his competition days (he is not the one in with the fetching facial hair) ...ImageImage
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