The Club regularly invites guests instructors for training and gradings. Please click the links to read their profiles.

Sensei Andy Sherry 8th Dan

Sensei Terry O'Neill 7th Dan

Sensei Bob Poynton 7th Dan

Sensei Bob Rhodes 7th Dan

Sensei Billy Higgins 7th Dan

Sensei Frank Brennan 7th Dan

Sensei Andy Sherry 8th Dan.

Andy Sherry was born on July 9th 1943, near to Liverpool City Centre. While still at school, he became interested in Japanese martial arts and started to train at Judo. In 1956 he also took up Ju-Jitsu and it was while he was studying this he first started to become interested in Karate.

Along with several others, he helped found the Liverpool Karate club under the auspices of the British Karate Federation. He studied karate with T. Murakami, H. Mochizuki, and H. Kanazawa in the early '60s and received his Shodan in 1966, the first person in Great Britain to be awarded such a rank in Shotokan karate.

He was the KUGB's first Kata champion in 1967, and the next year, 1968, he became the first grand Champion by winning both the Kata and Kumite events. This was the start of a now legendary run of successes in National and International Championships. He first won the EAKF European Kumite title in 1968, and then went on to win other Individual European Championship titles and countless team events as a member of British and England teams.

In his competition Kumite, he was a fast and skilful fighter, noted for his stunningly fast Gyaku Tsuki which he combined with a very rapid Yori-Ashi (foot movement) to make him one of the most respected fighters on the International scene.

He was also a master of timing and tactics, skills that he now uses, along with Sensei Enoeda, to coach the KUGB international squad. Although recognised internationally as a fighter, it should not be forgotten that he dominated the Kata event in the first four KUGB National Championships, and that he achieved many successes in Kata in European and National Championships until his retirement from competition in 1977.

It was in 1966 that he, along with a small group of representatives from other UK Karate clubs, helped form the Karate Union of Great Britain.

Although very busy as a competitor and as an instructor, he immediately too an active part in the KUGB administration from its inception, and in 1973 he was elected as Chairman of the KUGB.

He has had many firsts in his long Karate career - he was Britain's first Shotokan Black Belt, the first 3rd Dan, the first qualified British Shotokan International Referee, and he now holds the highest rank ever awarded by the Japan Karate Association to a European - 7th Dan of the JKA.

His coaching and management of the KUGB National Squad reached its peak at Sunderland in 1990, when the KUGB British Team defeated Japan to win the World Shotokan Karate Championships. Since then, the KUGB has taken first, third and second place Team titles at the 1991, 1993, and 1995 WSKA championships respectively.

Quiet by nature, he is totally dedicated to Karate and the KUGB - he serves both with a passionate dedication that is an inspiration to others, and there can be no doubt that he will continue to dedicate himself to the KUGB to ensure that its remains the largest, most professional and one of the most respected Karate organisations in the World.

(Text and Image from KUGB website Sensei Sherry's Profile Page)

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Sensei Terry O'Neill 7th Dan.

Terry O'Neill was born in Liverpool on 27th February 1948, the son of a Police Officer. From an early age he had always been fascinated by stories of people with great physical strength - the "super-heroes", and this soon led to an interest in the martial arts.

He first started to train at Judo, but soon applied to join the Liverpool Karate Club, and like many of his contemporaries, he had to be less truthful about his age to get into the club.

His first teacher was Andy Sherry, with occasional visits by Murakami Sensei, Veron Bell, and Terry Wingrove and later, Kanazawa Sensei.

His first job was working as a security man at various venues where such starts as the Rolling Stones and the Walker Brothers were performing. He then worked at the Cavern Club and continued to be employed in security work for the next 17 years.

His introduction to Kumite was in the 1967 KUGB National Championships, where, he says, he was soundly beaten in the Individual event due to inexperience. This state of affairs didn't last long, as he won the KUGB National Championships Individual Kumite Kata title in 1972, 73, 74, 75, 77, and 1978. He was three times the KUGB Grand Champion and from 1967 to 1981, he was a member of the Red Triangle Team who were KUGB National Team Champions on no less than 13 occasions.

A member of the KUGB International Squad from 1968 till 1982, he was also a member of the highly successful British All-Styles Squad who defeated Japan to win the 1975 World Championships held in Los Angeles, USA. It is not generally known that he was joint third in the 1974 World Championships that were held in Japan.

At his fighting peak in the early '70s, he was recognised as one of the World's most fearsome competitors. A master of innovation and tactical surprise, he had a dynamic and flamboyant fighting style that few could beat.

He always considered himself as a kicking specialist, but many opponents have fallen prey to his exceptionally fast Uraken/Empi combination and he out-punched Danny Bryceland to win the 1969 KUGB Individual Championships.

Whenever he fought, the audience followed his every move, expecting the unexpected. Few were ever disappointed - for example - the unique rolling Kakato Geri that he used to defeat Steve Cattle in the 1977 KUGB finals was one of the most spectacular and innovative techniques ever witnessed at a championship.

Tragically, his run as a competition fighter came to an abrupt end in 1982, when he seriously damaged the ligaments of his knee in an International match against Italy.

In 1972, he founded the premier UK Martial Arts magazine "Fighting Arts International", which has a world-wide reputation as one of the few really serious and influential magazines on the subject.

Another aspect of his life is his work with international film star Arnold Swarzenegger, having appeared in several of his films. He is currently much in demand as an actor with recent appearances in "Civvies", "Comics", and "The Governor." He has also acted as martial arts consultant on many other films.

A senior member of the KUGB, he is also an International Referee and a KUGB Grading Examiner. he has been a member of the KUGB since its inception, and he says, "that it is one of the great organisations", and he hopes that it will continue to develop along the same lines as it has grown and developed over the last 30 years
 

(Text and image from KUGB website Sensei O'Neill's page)

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Sensei Bob Poynton 7th Dan.

Bob Poynton was born on the 30th July 1949 at Walton in the City of Liverpool. He attended the De La Salle Grammar School and on leaving school, his first job was as a civil servant with the Customs and Excise.

He saw "Odd Job" (Harold Sakata) in the James Bond file GoldFinger, and decided that he wanted to take up karate. In 1965 at the age of 15, he applied to the Liverpool Karate Club for membership. He had to "fib" about his age, as the minimum age for joining was 16. The day he started at the club, Sensei Kanazawa was teaching, so he had his first Karate lesson with a Japanese 5th Dan, ex-champion of Japan.

In 1968 he gained his 1st Dan and left the Customs and Excise to become a full-time assistant instructor to Andy Sherry.

He has many amusing anecdotes from those early days when they used to tour the country to teach karate. Clubs could only afford to pay a fee or travel expenses - not both so they used to hitch-hike to the teaching venue. It once took them 23 hours to travel from Liverpool to Plymouth.

He was first selected for the KUGB squad in 1968 to compete in the IAKF European Championships in Austria. He was so excited about being selected that he left without his Gi. In those days it was not possible to walk into a sports shop and buy a Gi, so he had to fight in his first championships in a borrowed karate suit.

In the 18 years between 1968 and 1985, he represented England and Great Britain as a member of both the KUGB and All-Styles teams, achieving countless victories in National and International events. In 1976 he was the KUGB National Individual Kumite Champion, and the Shotokan Cup Grand Champion on three consecutive years.

Known as a specialist in Keri Waza (Kicking Techniques), he is renowned for his exceptionally fast Mae-Kizami Geri (Front Cutting Kick). The speed of his kick was so great that his shin bone broke on impact against his opponents arm while competing in the 1974 European Championships and he again broke it in the same place at the KUGB National Championships the following year. During the period of convalescence from the injuries, he started to take an active part in the administration of the KUGB. He was appointed Affiliations Officer in 1974, a position he has held ever since.

He was responsible for the implementation of the very successful KUGB Charity Appeals which have raised considerable sums of money.

Totally committed to the development and welfare of the KUGB, he says that he will strive, as Affiliation and Notional Administration Officer, to maintain good communication between the Executive and the membership, so that the members are informed of, and understand, the decisions reached on their behalf.

His ambition is simply to see the KUGB maintain its position as one of the most professional karate organisations in the world.

(Text and image from the KUGB Website Sensei Poyton's page)

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Sensei Bob Rhodes 7th Dan.

Bob Rhodes was born in Middleton, Leeds on the 3rd March 1946. He was educated at Harehills School, Leeds and he quotes his early interests a "Sports in general, swimming, cricket, and football in particular".

He intended to join the Merchant Navy as a draughtsman, but his paper were delayed and by the time they arrived, he had changed his mind.

In his 'teens he heard about a karate club in Leeds town centre which he promptly joined. He picked up karate quickly, and it was not long before he realised that the standard of tuition left a lot to be desired.

In 1967 at the age of 20, he discovered a club at Armley called the Leeds Shotokan Karate Club. On visiting, he immediately realised that the standard of karate was much higher, and he became a member. His first teacher at the club was KUGB International Team member Ron Wade.

Bob made rapid progress at the club and was soon fighting as a member of the Leeds team at local, regional, and national championships. He was also a member of the victorious British All-Styles Squad which beat Japan to win the 1975-77 World Championships in Los Angeles.

In 1971, he was first selected as a KUGB Grading Examiner and in 1974, he became a full-time instructor of the KUGB. He is also a member of the KUGB Technical Committee, and is also a qualified international referee.

He is noted for his hard dynamic fighting style, and he was strongly influenced by Sensei Enoeda, as can be evidenced from his specialisation of Kuzushi-Waza, that is, the application of foot-sweeps, trips, and throws to defeat an opponent.

He is also noted for his creative applications to Shotokan Kata. A staunch and supportive member of the KUGB, he says he will continue to work for the future development of the organisation.

(Text and image KUGB website Sensei Rhodes' profile page)

Sensei Rhodes teaches in Torbay (which also hosts the annual KUGB Spring camp) and you can find out more from his website, please click here for the Goshougake Club website.

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Sensei Billy Higgins 7th Dan.

Billy Higgins was born in Bootle, Liverpool on 14th August 1945. Taking a keen interest in sport from an early age, he took up boxing, gymnastics, and football while still at school. In 1965 he started to study Wado Ryu Karate and he very quickly established himself as a fast and skilful fighter.

He was selected for the BKCC All Styles Squad and during training, he rapidly realised the high technical standard of the KUGB members of the squad. As he was having difficulty travelling to his Wado club, he decided to join the KUGB in 1970.

He has had a long and distinguished competition career, with many national and international titles to his credit. These include Individual 2nd in the WUKO All Styles World Championship in Paris 1975 and 1976 European All Styles Champion. He was captain of the highly successful 1975 British All Styles team that defeated the Japanese team to win the World Championships in Los Angeles. He was also a member of the very successful KUGB Senior International Team that won the Championships of Europe no less than five times!

He was coach and manager of the EKB squad and was squad coach for the KUGB Scottish and Southern Regions. He is a KUGB Grading Examiner and a qualified International Referee.

He is renowned for his fast and effective fighting style, particularly his lightning-fast Ashi-Barai/Gyaku-Tsuki combination which devastated his opponents and won him many events. Also noted for his dynamic Tai Sabaki, he is a popular teacher and examiner, always in demand around the KUGB clubs.

Since joining the KUGB, he has been a dedicated and active member of the organisation, particularly in the field of coaching. He intends to continue to be involved in making sure that the KUGB maintains its Strength and technical ability in the future.

(Text and image from KUGB Sensei Higgins Profile Page)

Sensei Higgins also teaches at his club, Sei Do Kan based in Lancashire. Please click here for the Sei Do Kan Club website.

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Sensei Frank Brennan 7th Dan.

Frank Brennan was born in the City of Liverpool on the 6th of May, 1960. He was always sport-oriented, and he took up Gymnastics while at school. At the age of 12 he tried to join the Red Triangle Karate club, but he was told to go and join the Judo club for a year, as he was too young. This was particularly galling, as his brother was accepted for the club, but it made him all the more determined to gain membership. In 1973, he was successful and started to train at the club under the tuition of Andy Sherry.

His introduction to Karate competition was in 1974, when he competed in the KUGB Northern Regional Championships. He entered the Junior Kata event, which he won. He was a 4th Kyu at the time, and it was indicative of things to come that he won the first competition he ever entered. His introduction to Kumite Shiai was even more dramatic. In 1975, while fighting for the Red Triangle team, Bob Poynton broke his leg in one of the matches. The team has no reserves, so the young brown belt, who had only entered the Kata event, was suddenly in the final of the Team Kumite event against Leeds. He fought one of Leeds' most experienced fighters, Andy Harris, and decisively beet him with a fast Mawashi Geri combination to held Red Triangle win yet again.

His first international appearance was with the KUGB Squad in the European Championships in Sweden in 1978, where he came 2nd in the Senior Kata event. The next year, in Belgium, he won the Grand Championship of Europe, taking both Kumite and Kata events, a feat that he has achieved no less that four times.

As a fighter, he is rather unique, in that he has no particular speciality - he is equally at home using hands or feet, and quite often surprises his opponents with very dynamic combinations of some of the more unusual hand or foot techniques. As a senior member of the KUGB International Squad, the most recent highlight of his career was leading his team to victory in the 1990 World Shotokan Championships in Sunderland. He is held in great respect internationally - in an interview at the World Championships, the Japanese team coach, Ex-World Champion Masahiko Tanaka said that the one man that the whole Japanese Team were specifically trained to beat was Frank Brennan.

He is a staunch and loyal supporter of the KUGB, and works very hard to further the aims of the Association. Asked recently what he thought were the main strengths of the KUGB, he replied:

"The KUGB is fantastic. It has shown itself to be one of the great associations of the World, and I'm not just speaking about success in competition. I refer more to the attitude and dedication displayed by its members - people who are in the KUGB do Karate for the benefit of Karate, rather than for personal gain, and that's what I really like about it. Nothing is perfect, and there may be some glitches on the route, but it is a bit like life, like evolution - things change and get better, and I can see the KUGB getting better all the time."

(Text and image from KUGB website Sensei Brennan profile page)

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