[KF25] Member Interview: Wado Heretic

[Patrick]

For our 25th birthday celebration, we're publishing an interview series with members from our community.

Member Profile

@Wado Heretic (View Profile)

Joined: May 23, 2014

Posts: 514

KarateForums.com Awards: Karate Contributor of the Year (2020)

Interview

Where are you from?

On the Welsh-English Border of the Midlands in the United Kingdom.

Why did you get started in the martial arts?

Childhood interest in martial arts. I enjoyed a lot of media around martial arts or fighting in youth such as Dragonball and Star Wars.

Why have you continued to practice them?

Primarily the connection with people such as my sensei, fellow students, and my own students. My passion for the history of Okinawan Karate and Kobudo, and the possibilities and lessons of the martial arts, keep me interested in learning. My desire to preserve the tradition I have been gifted gives me the discipline to practice and motivation to teach. I also find several benefits to training to myself with my Autism including its help in regulating.

Please briefly describe the styles of martial arts that you have taken.

I will first explain my formal studies in arts where I have been granted grades. I started in and studied two heterodox forms of Kempo Karate from the age of 9 until 18. The first was simply titled Kempo Karate (which I studied until age 16) and the second was Pangai-Noon Shorei Kempo (which I studied until age 18). At age 19 (2008), I began studying Wado-Ryu Karate and Ryukyu Kobujutsu. In 2012, I switched from Wado-Ryu to the Kobayashi-Ryu Kodokan of Aragaki Isamu Sensei, along with my instructor at the time, Michael Bayliss (Yondan). I trained in Judo while in university from 2011 to 2015. In 2018, after a time training by myself without a teacher, I reconnected with Kazoku Kai and Derek Ridgway Sensei, who had much more time directly studying with Arakaki Sensei. I continue to study with him and, aside from deepening my knowledge of Shorin-Ryu, I have also revisited Wado-Ryu Kumite concepts and studied elements of Shito-Ryu including bunkai principles, Koshiki, and Naha Kata. I passed my Yondan examination in September of 2025 and currently run my own club.

For clarity, here is list and timeline of what I have accrued grades in:

• Kempo Karate (heterodox style local to myself based on Tang Soo Do and Shukokai): 1999-2005 - Junior Black Belt/Shodan Ha
• Pangai-Noon Shorei Kempo: 2000-2008 - Nidan/Second Degree Black Belt
• Wado-Ryu Karate: 2008-2012 - Shodan/First Degree Black Belt
• Ryukyu Kobujutsu (Taira Ha): 2008-2014 - Yonkyu
• Judo: 2011-2015 - Ikkyu Kobayashi-Ryu Kodokan (Arakaki Isamu)
• Shorin-Ryu Karate: 2012-Present – Nidan
• Kazoku Kai Karate: 2018-Present – Yondan

To briefly explain my present arts, I teach Shorin-Ryu and was awarded my Nidan grade by the Kodokan in Okinawa. Thus, as an instructor, my syllabus is grounded in Shorin-Ryu up to second degree black belt level. However, under Derek Ridgway Sensei, head instructor and founder of Kazoku Kai International, my personal study now includes elements of Shorin-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu. For simplicities sake, I just identify my current personal practice as Kazoku Kai Karate. Plus, for my Sandan and Yondan grades, I was just awarded the rank in Karate with no reference to styles.

Outside my official studies, as a teenager from 14 until 18, I also regularly cross-trained with two close friends. One who was an amateur wrestler and aspiring professional wrestler. The other trained in Judo and Hankyo Kempo Jujutsu. We exchanged techniques and drills from our different styles, and sparred against each to test our different skill sets in free-fighting. My specialty in the trio was striking due to my karate and Kempo background. We finished when the wrestler went off to pursue an Olympic career in Manchester, and the latter joined the army. I was also an aspiring kickboxer/professional fighter between the ages of 16 and 20, and cross-trained in boxing, Lau Gar Kickboxing, and shoot-wrestling. When I was in university, I also had the chance to study Shotokan and Shukokai Karate, Wing Chun, and European Jujutsu. Between 2015 and 2018, when I had no official teacher and did not belong to any associations, I attended seminars in Gracie Combatives, Muay Thai, Nippon Kempo, Shindo Yoshin-Ryu, Kukamishin-Ryu Bojutsu, and several styles of Okinawan Karate and Kobudo. However, I never earned any qualifications in any of arts mentioned above.   

From the age of 26 until 32, I trained with an exponent in Bujinkan, but I did not become a member of the organisation as it was a mutual knowledge-exchange relationship. I was interested in learning the kata of Shinden Fudo-Ryu, Kukishinden-Ryu, and Takagi Yoshin-Ryu. Shinden Fudo-Ryu due to its potential connection to Mabuni Kenwa, and the latter two due to their being authentic koryu. In exchange, I taught him live drilling methods and helped him introduce sparring to his students. I also helped him develop flows drills, resistance-based exercises, and shadow work based on the kata he taught. Our training relationship came to an end due to the COVID pandemic, and his moving to Japan after to further his training at the hombu. He gifted me nominal teaching certificates in the three arts I learnt from him, and to be fair I did become quite competent at them due to my prior experience, and the nature of the help I gave him required me to analyse them deeply. However, I do not use said certificates or claim their validity with great vigour or assertiveness. That said, I have incorporated some of the Shinden Fudo-Ryu and Takagi Yoshin-Ryu exercises into my karate teachings and have used elements of Kukamishin-Ryu to expand my Kobujutsu Syllabus.

I was also involved, to an extent, in historical European martial arts and historical fencing from age 13. Though it was through the medium of reenactment. I focused on the long-sword, and the quarterstaff. I took a step back from it when I turned 16 to focus on kickboxing, and after 19, struggled to be available for it due to my Wado-Ryu and Kobujutsu classes being on Sundays. I continued to dabble in armoured combat (longsword, spear, poleaxe, and dagger) until 26 but was forced to retire completely due to the ACL injury that stopped my Judo training as well.  

What is your grade or level?

Yondan in Karate.

Do you teach?

Yes, I have been teaching at my own club since 2018.

What are your first memories from training?

I most remember being shown a kata and not being able to get it right at all. Looking back, I am surprised I went back to training because it was embarrassing for a nine-year-old, though I am glad I did.

What has been the highlight of your training?

Training with Arakaki Sensei is what springs to mind first. Also, teaching on a course in India alongside my teacher, Derek Sensei. The other would be earning my Sandan grade. It was after a period of essentially training in Isolation, including COVID, and after getting my left knee ACL repaired. It was not to my own high standard with regards to final score compared to my second and first grades, however, I was very glad to pass. It gave me a sense of being back on the correct path after being in the wilds.

What do you do when you're not training?

Music is another big part of my life. I sing in a Welsh Male Voice Choir, play guitar, and compose music. I am also an avid reader and enjoy classics as well as knew works.

What do you do for a living?

I am an employment specialist. I work for my local authority in welfare and work/employment support assisting people to return to work or remain in work.

Who are or were your martial arts heroes?

Arakaki Isamu Sensei, I can say without reservation for he has passed, and the memory is dear to me. One day with a great master surpasses a lifetime with a poor one. Thankfully, my other major inspirations are people I can call friends rather than heroes. With regards to strangers, I do not believe in having heroes. I cannot know their true qualities. That said there are several figures I am grateful to for existing. Without them my life would not be what it is. Anko Itosu, Kano Jogiro, Funakoshi Gichin, Chosin Chibana, Yuchoku Higa, Tatsuo Suzuki, Peter Spanton, Roy Partridge, Steve Catttle, and Keiji Tomiyama are names that come to mind. That is just a short list of martial artists that needed to exist for me to be the martial artist I am.

What are your favorite martial arts films and/or shows?

Narratively, Karate Kid I and II and the Cobra Kai Series are my favourite western productions. Blood Sport was a good effort at bringing a more adult angle to martial arts films, and The Perfect Weapon really aimed for a much higher technical level. Karate Olympia is a film that has aged poorly with the quality of the acting and the state of the plot. However, it features some of the best European karateka of the time, and the fights are surprisingly entertaining still. They all fall flat with regards to the story compared to the Karate Kid though.  

Michael Jai White is arguably the best martial arts actor alive today in the west. Undisputed 2 works well even if the tropes are familiar and the setting convoluted. The action is great, and the story never strays from what it needs to do to justify the fights. Never Surrender: Never Back Down wears its heart on its sleeve and leans much more into martial arts. It weighs on them in a way few of Mr. White’s other films do.

From Japanese Cinema, The Twilight Samurai is not truly a martial arts film but is a period drama which features sword fights. It is a great film to watch regardless of genre preference. Kuro-Obi is a film with excellent martial arts, but the story is cliché, predictable, and works on familiar tropes with regards to Imperial Era Japan. Fighter in the Wind, a fictionalised biopic of Mas Oyama that borrows as much from Karate Baka Ichidai as reality, similarly has great fights scenes though it is cliched. However, the story is much more heartfelt and has an emotional weight Kuro-Obi struggles to capture. To go back to older efforts, Blood Fight is a Blood Sport knock-off, but the story has more heart, and the choreography is much better.

Regarding Hong Kong Cinema, It is hard to avoid having a soft spot for Enter the Dragon. It set the standard for a long time, and as a result the action has aged well. Enter the Fat Dragon is also an excellent spoof. Wheels on Meals, Drunken Master II, and Dragons Forever have action that needs to be seen to be believed. Fist of Legend is also an earnest and very capable reimagining of Fist of Fury and is arguably the better version of the two attempts.

Where do you see yourself going in your martial arts journey in the next few years?

Continuing to run my club and getting some students to black belt level for the first time in a while. Hopefully taking my Fifth Dan grading successfully. Attending and helping with courses around the UK, and overseas again, when the opportunities arise. I am also hoping to return to Okinawa to pay proper respects to Arakaki Sensei’s memory. 

Do you remember how you found KarateForums.com? Why did you join?

The short answer is no but I presume I may have just found it when searching for martial arts forums. In 2014, I had moved to start university and lost direct contact with my karate community. Thus, I joined a space to talk about karate.

Why did you stay?

The membership and variety of experiences. It feels like a place where one can have effective discussions, and many people share deep and interesting knowledge regularly.

You've been a member since May 23, 2014. During this time, how has KarateForums.com changed in your eyes, if at all?

Probably that it feels quitter than it once was, and that posting is down to some committed regulars. I admittedly have periods where my activity drops off, which is connected to life changes in the last few years rather than the forums, so that may skewer my perspective. I have appreciated the forum updates though and feels that as a site it is much easier to navigate and use.

How, if at all, have you used KarateForums.com in your classes or training?

I have employed drills and ideas I have read or seen on the forums.

Are there any members here who have had a particular influence or impact on you?

I am reticent to name names because everyone I have had the privilege of interacting with, or reading the work of, has given me an insight into different ways of thinking or given me the gift of knowledge or need to reflect.

Can you share a memorable moment within the community where you received great advice or an experience that really affected you and your martial arts journey?

When the community rallied around to offer its support to sensei8. It really made me appreciate that community is not always what we think it is, and how the martial arts can bring together people from very different places together for a good cause.

Edited Friday at 06:08 PM by Patrick

[Patrick]

Thank you for sharing with us, @Wado Heretic, and for all of the thoughtful contributions that you have made to our community.

[bushido_man96]

Great interview, @Wado Heretic.  Your posts always have so much depth and history in them, and they make me think every time.