AMANDA GISBY.  2nd DAN - JSKA

I started Karate 23 years ago in January 1982 as a founder member of Somerton Shotokan Karate Club in the small town of Somerton in Somerset. I took my first grading on 28th February 1982 with Sensei Tomita at Bristol YMCA. Sensei Tomita still instructs and trains today. I trained regularly 2 or 3 times a week and gradually worked my way through the grades until reaching 1st kyu (the grade before black belt) on 8th July 1984 at the age of 16. During this time I had trained with several top instructors but the one who sticks in my mind the most is Sensei K Enoeda, who took my second grading and was training and grading students until his untimely death in 2003.

I found that being a karate student through my teenage years gave me a great channel to get rid of any pent up aggression. I was also quite big as I grew up but through the karate as well as several other sports I had a good level of fitness. I was extremely fortunate that I never had a problem with bullies at school and I put this down partly to the other students knowing that I did Karate and partly to the fact that the training gave me confidence to walk tall and hold my head up high which deterred any would be bully. I went to a very large senior school of over 1000 pupils. I continued training once I had left school and went to college. By this stage I was instructing some of the classes at Somerton and also training under a 3rd dan instructor in Sherborne, Dorset, some 20 miles away.

I gave up Karate when I joined the Army in 1986. It was whilst I was in the Army that I met my Husband, Dave. We moved to Basingstoke in 1993.

In January 2000 I started work at Sun Life of Canada Unit Managers which was at that time based in Basingstoke. It was whilst working there that I heard about the Sun Life of Canada Shotokan Karate Club (now Hampshire Shotokan Karate HSK) and met my current instructor Sensei Stevan Harrison 4th Dan.

Having had 3 Children I was in need of doing some exercise to get back into shape and decided to go back to karate and give it a go to see how I got on. I was amazed to discover that I had remembered nearly all that I had been taught as a junior but I was obviously very rusty. After training for about 6 months I regraded to 1st Kyu under Sensei Harrison. I was determined that this time I was going to get my Shodan Black Belt having come so close as a junior. Dave had obviously heard me going on about training so much that he decided to come along and see what all the fuss was about. After a bit of arm twisting and assuring him that he was not too old he joined "just to see how it went" and was hooked from then on. I trained hard and on 11th May 2002, after a couple of attempts, I gained my black belt at last.
During my time with HSK I have trained with some senior instructors. Most recently the head of JSKA, Sensei Abe. I also have trained with Sensei Enoeda, Sensei Ohta, Sensei Yahara, Sensei Sidoli, Sensei Ronnie Christopher, Sensei Sean Roberts and Sensei Frank Brennan to name but a few. I currently train 2 to 3 times a week with Sensei Harrison but I try and train under these very senior instructors when the opportunity arises as it is a great way to broaden my knowledge and understanding. I have competed in several of the HSK competitions and won quite a few trophies. I was voted Student of the year for HSK in 2002 and 2004.

I passed my 2nd Dan in March 2006.

I am still obviously really enjoying my karate and feel the time has come for me to give something back and pass on my knowledge and enthusiasm to anyone who wants to give it a go.