Sensei Kevin Bates 3rd Dan
I began my martial arts training, with Master Roy Partridge and Sensei David Barker, at the West Bromwich Do-Jo in 1968, as a twelve year old.
I was in the school hockey team at Churchfields High School and I did long distance running for the Tipton Harriers.
I originally started karate to combat bullying, but it quickly became a part of my life. I continued to train with Master Roy Partridge and during this time I fought many times with Master Roy's team at venues such as Crystal Palace and Temple Karate in Birmingham. Temple Karate was run by Sensei Toru Takamizawa a very much respected and renowned exponent of Wado-Ryu Karate. I have stated many times that these two masters were and still are a very big influence in my karate.
Time moved on, and in 1972 I joined the Army. The Royal Parachute Regiment 3rd Battalion and later the 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment. My time in the Army was quite eventful, four tours of Northern Ireland when the troubles over there at their peak. Then it was off to Guatemala in 1975 to sort out the troubles that had arisen there. My time spent training, stood me in good stead as the Army made me Chief Martial Arts Instructor for my regiment. It was during this time that I also trained in Aikido, Taekwondo and Judo, attaining my brown belt in Judo.
After serving with the armed forces, it was not long before both me and my family paid a visit to West Bromwich Karate Club (1992), I was 35 years old. On entering the Do-Jo with my wife and son Master Roy Partridge recognised me immediately, and after a very warm welcome and long discussion my wife, son and I decided to resume training.
My family and I trained very hard with Master Roy at his Do-Jo and with all this effort came rewards, for in 1996 I passed my 1st Dan, my wife Louise attained her 1st Kyu and also my son, Joe, reached the rank of 1st Dan. Training carried on in earnest and in 2001 I passed my 2nd Dan, during this time I attended many training seminars around the country and abroad in Cyprus and Germany, where Japanese Masters Suzuki and Tomiyama would teach many techniques.
Joe, my son, went on to compete in many competitions around the country. He has also trained in Cyprus and competed in Germany. Joe also competed for England.
During my time with West Bromwich Karate Club I taught the Junior/Senior classes three nights a week for several years, with my good friend Sensei Roy Partridge. As the students progressed through the Wado-Ryu syllabus both Master Roy and I would grade them accordingly, this continued until Master Roy Partridge passed away in the year 2000. I made a concerted effort to work with a new Chief Instructor that took over from Master Roy, but after several years decided it was better for everyone if I left West Bromwich Do-Jo and started anew somewhere else. So start anew I did, for shortly after leaving the West Bromwich Do-Jo both Sensei Dave Parry and I teamed up and formed our own club. The time and effort needed to start a Martial Arts Club from scratch is enormous and both Dave and I have done wonders to reach the position that we are at at the club - SHUHARI WEDNESBURY KARATE CLUB.
I regularly train with Sensei Sakagami Head of Wado-Kai, Sensei Derek Ridgeway Head of TIMAF and Sensei Dave Gillings Chief Instructor of Chase Wado-Kai Karate. All this training with various top exponents for the martial arts, is very good for the SHUHARI KARATE CLUB in general because all the experience is passed on to the students within the club.
Favourite aspect of martial arts - Is training the Junior Classes, I feel very proud to pass on my art and watch the children progress through their training with me.
Favourite Kata - PASSI, but each Kata has its own special place and challenge.
Favourite technique - URA MAWASHIGERI. Also whichever technique would flow naturally at the time required.
Aims - To pass on the martial arts I have been taught, and to enjoy a long and fulfilling life.
My philosophy - To follow your chosen path, it will always come true at the end.
During my years of training I have had the honour of training with many highly graded and respected martial artists, some are listed below (in no particular order):
(Late) Sensei Roy Partridge - 5th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Gary Dawes - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Dave Barker - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Paul Brownsword - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Vince Parker - 5th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Dave Gillings - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
(Late) Sensei Gordon Watts - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Kevin Brindley - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Keenan Pedley - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Eddie Pedley - 2nd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Derek Ridgeway - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu/7th Dan Shito-Ryu
Sensei Tony Bergen - 5th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Eugine Codrington - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu
(Late) Shihan Torutakmizawa - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Keiji Tomiyama - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu
Shihan Keiji Sakagami - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu and President of Wado-Kai England
Sensei Dave Wilkins - 6th Dan Shotokan
Sensei Pascal (Germany) - 5th Dan Shotokan
Sensei Peter Spanton - 8th Dan Shotokan
Sensei Ticky Donovan - 9th Dan Ishinryu
Shihan Tatsou Suzuki - 8th Dan Wado-Ryu
These are to name but a few, some of the above I still train with fairly regularly today.
Sensei David Parry 2nd Dan
started training in 1971 at the age of 13, I wasn't much interested in the more traditional sports like football, cricket, etc., but I did enjoy athletics, running the mile, throwing the javelin and eventually I was good enough to represent the Borough of Sandwell.
I like sports that are personally going to challenge me, then along came the martial arts.
With the advent of the Kung-fu series with David Carridine, the Green Hornet and, of course, Bruce Lee, my imagination was fired up like nothing else before.
So with half a dozen of my mates off we went to become martial arts experts! Little did I know, but 35 years on and I'm still trying to become a martial arts expert!
My training began at a school in Claypit Lane, West Bromwich studying Wing Chuan Kung Fu under Sifu's Pete Chancellor and Steve Cheung. I trained with them for 4 years until they were recalled back to Hong Kong.
I then joined a Judo club run by Sensei Graham Annington a 3rd Dan training at Wodensborough High School for the next 3 years. Unfortunately, the club was disbanded and I was out on a limb again so to speak. Then I heard about a martial arts called Lau Gar Kung Fu in Birmingham which was being taught by Master Jeremy Yau.
I trained with Master Jeremy Yau for the next 2 years. Unfortunately, college, work and marriage took it's toll and reluctantly I had to give up Lau Gar and I decided I had to find something closer to home.
For a while I drifted from club to club trying various martial arts, Shotokan, Shukakai, Ju-Jitsu and Aikido. I couldn't settle, then I heard about a club in West Bromwich run by Roy Partridge 5th Dan Wado-Ryu, he was teaching traditional Wado-Ryu Karate. I went along one evening to see what it was all about and this is when I met Sensei Partridge for the first time.
He told me a bit about Wado-Ryu, it's aims and a bit about himself. I started training with Roy (I call him Roy because we ended up very good friends) and I stayed with Sensei Partridge and took my 1st Dan with him (the black belt I wear today was embroidered and personally given to me by Roy). I stayed with him until the early 1990's having to leave to attend to personal commitments but always intending to go back at the earliest possible moment. The next I heard was that he had passed away Summer 2000. The loss of a man such as Sensei Roy Partridge was a massive blow to me, but it only serves to forge me on and to aspire to what Roy was - a dedicated martial artist and a good friend and a gentleman.
During my years of training, I've had the honour to train with many highly graded and respected martial artists, some are listed below (in no particular order):
Sensei Graham Annington - 3rd Dan Judo
Master Jeremy Yau - Lau Gar Kung-Fu
Sensei Roy Partridge - 5th Dan Wado Ryu
Sensei Gary Dawes - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Paul Brownsword - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Vince Parker - 5th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Dave Jillings - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Keenan Pedley - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu/Shito-Ryu
Sensei Eddie Pedley - 2nd Dan Wado-Ryu/Shito-Ryu
Shihan Derek Ridgeway - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu/7th Dan Shito-Ryu
Tony Bergin - 5th Dan Wado-Ryu/Shito-Ryu
Sensei Eugene Codrington - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu
(Late) Toru Takamizawa - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Keiji Tomiyama - 7th Dan and President of the Shito-Ryu Karate Do Kofukan
Y Iwasaki - 7th Dan Kyoshi Wado-Ryu
F Sugasawa - 7th Dan Renshi Wado-Ryu
G Grimes - 7th Dan Renshi Wado-Ryu
Shihan Keiji Sakagami - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu and President of Wado-Kai England
Sensei Dave Wilkins - 6th Dan Shotokan
Sensei Pascal 5th Dan Shotokan (Germany)
Sensei Harry Cook 7th Dan Goju-Ryu
Sensei Pete Spanton - 8th Dan Shotokan
Sensei Ticky Donavan - 9th Dan Ishinryu
Hanshi Masafumi Shiomitsu - 8th Dan Wado-Ryu Founder and Chief Instructor of the Wado Academy
Grand Master Hironori Ohtsuka 2nd 10th Dan
These are to name a few, some of the above I still train with fairly regularly today.
Favourite kata - I like them all, each one produces it's own challenge.
Favourite technique - Whatever wins the day.
Aims - To be at peace with myself and the world around me, to be at one with nature and help others less fortunate than myself and be happy with my lot in life.
My philosophy - "Be as peaceful as a lamb, but, if needs be, fight as ferocious as a tiger".
JUNIOR INSTRUCTORS
Stuart Ballyn 1st Dan
I began my martial arts training, with Master Roy Partridge and Sensei Kevin Bates, at the West Bromwich Do-Jo in February 1998, as a five year old.
I am currently in my school football team for Joseph Leckie Community Technology College, and I am a keen football fan of Leeds United.
I began karate at West Bromwich Karate Club, at the age of five, because I used to go and watch my grandmother do dance lessons opposite the club, and went in one night and was offered onto the mat by Sensei Kevin to join in, and from then I have followed karate at both West Bromwich Karate Club and here Shuhari Wednesbury Karate Club.. I spent 7 years at West Bromwich Karate Club, where I progressed under Sensei Roy Partridge and Sensei Kevin Bates to my brown and black belt. Sadly after Sensei Roy’s passing in 2000, there were changes made inside the club, which caused some problems, nevertheless I carried on and tried to adapt to the changes.
However when Sensei Kevin decided to leave West Bromwich Karate Club, I found myself stuck between two choices, one to stick with my original club or move to Sensei Kevin’s new found club. After much deliberation with my parents, I choose to join Sensei Kevin’s new club on the grounds that he had welcomed me in all those many years ago and I had formed a bond with him. Once he and Sensei Dave Parry, who I had met before at West Bromwich, formed the new club, I was the first of many students to follow Sensei Kevin from West Bromwich to the new club in Wednesbury and I can truly say I have never looked back! A highlight of my time so far at the club, was when I went on a weapons course with Sensei Frank Johnson, we began to discuss why I was still a brown and black belt after 7 years, and my reply was ‘At my old club, I began a dark period of my karate career, but now I have seen the light and moved on to bigger and better things’. Over the two years I have been at Shuhari Wednesbury Karate Club, I have met many new senseis and many new friends, including Sensei Derek Ridgeway among others. In November 2006, I became the first graded black belt within the club, and was presented with a huge certificate by Shihan Keiji Sakagami, 7th Dan Wado-Ryu and President of Wado-Kai England, at our Christmas party. Ever since I was graded up to a black belt, I have accompanied Sensei Kevin and Sensei Dave to many courses, such as bunkai courses with Sensei Derek Ridgeway and helped with senior gradings within the club.
Since I became a black belt I have began training with Sensei Derek Ridgeway Head of TIMAF on a Monday with Sensei Kevin and Sensei Dave along with another member of the club, at these lessons I have learnt a lot and met more friends. All this training with various top exponents for the martial arts is very good for the SHUHARI KARATE CLUB in general because all the experience is passed on to the students within the club.
Favourite aspect of martial arts - Is help train the Junior Classes, I feel very proud to pass on my knowledge and watch the children progress through their training with help from me.
Favourite Kata - KUSHANKU, this kata is the longest Wado-Ryu kata in our syllabus and I find this one of my favourite because of its degree of complication in remembering the moves and the stances. However every kata has some degree of complication and challenge.
Favourite technique - There are many in Wado-Ryu karate, and I believe that as long as you can perform and know the background behind the techniques, any technique can be your favourite on any different day.
Aims - To pass on the knowledge I have been taught, and to help young children through their karate careers.
My philosophy - Open your mind to change, and accept change however big or small it is, try to embrace it and help others along the way throughout life.
During my years of training I have had the honour of training with and being taught by many highly graded and respected martial artists; some are listed below (in no particular order):
(Late) Sensei Roy Partridge - 5th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Gary Dawes - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Paul Brownsword - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Vince Parker - 5th Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Dave Gillings - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei John Sheldon -
Sensei Keenan Pedley - 3rd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Eddie Pedley - 2nd Dan Wado-Ryu
Sensei Derek Ridgeway - 4th Dan Wado-Ryu/6th Dan Shito-Ryu
Sensei Frank Johnson -
Shihan Keiji Sakagami - 7th Dan Wado-Ryu and President of Wado-Kai England
These are to name but a few, some of the above I still train with fairly regularly today
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