Sensei DAVE HAZARD ~ 7th Dan 

ASK Chief Instructor & Chairman

Sensei Dave Hazard was one of the few students at the very beginning of British Karate. Like many of his contemporaries his first encounter with the Martial Arts was via Judo, which he practiced for three years before coming across Karate at the Blackfriars Club in London in 1969. Lessons there were taught by Sensei Keinosuke Enoeda, Sensei Kanazawa, Sensei Kato and Sensei Takahashi. Among Dave’s contemporaries were the likes of Terry O’Neill, Bob Rhodes, Bob Poynton, Billy Higgins and Steve Cattle. In 1972 Dave was awarded his Shodan by Sensei Enoeda and he followed this with years of successes at the regular KUGB Championships. In 1977 Dave decided to widen his Karate education by travelling to Japan and there he was afforded the rare privilege of an invitation into the notorious Japanese Karate Association Instructors’ Class. These classes were taught by such renowned Karate names as Sensei’s Shoji, Ueki and Kanazawa. Most notably though, and most often the classes were taken by Master Nakayama himself – student of Master Funakoshi, the ‘Father of Modern Day Karate’. Dave recalls – “he could look at you and instantly reel off four or five things that could improve your whole technique. He instinctively knew what you were doing wrong and could tell you precisely what corrections you needed to make.” Dave returned to England and was something of a Ronin for a while, until in 1984 he joined forces with Sensei Mick Dewey who had formed SEKU, the South of England Karate Union. Acting as a Grading Examiner and Technical Director to SEKU, Dave also ran a dojo in Brighton and kept up his regular training with Sensei Enoeda in London as well as teaching across England and Scotland, Canada, the United States and Europe. Many Karate Associations appreciate Dave’s skills and technical excellence. At present he is Chief Grading Examiner for the Highland Karate Association, Technical Advisor to the Karate Union of Wales and the Federation of Shotokan Karate as well as being a former assistant Kata Coach (with Sensei Ticky Donovan OBE) for the English Karate Governing Body. In 1993 Dave co-authored the book ‘Fundamental Karate’ with Sensei Aidan Trimble of the FSK and since then Dave and Aidan have produced instructional Karate DVD’s along the same lines. In 2003 Dave set up the Academy of Shotokan Karate that has a growing membership throughout England with the addition of a group of Canadian and Irish clubs that Dave visits on a regular basis. 2007 saw the release of Born Fighter an exciting book highlighting scenes from Sensei Hazard’s life which was written by Dave himself along with respected writer and Martial Artist Chris Parker. Read the 2007 TSW interview with Dave Hazard Here

JEFF WESTGARTH ~ 6th Dan

Senior ASK Instructor for North of England

JESS LAVENDER ~ 6th Dan

Senior ASK Instructor for South of England

My aged KUGB licence shows Sensei Ray Fuller assessed me as a competent 9th Kyu in 1974. I achieved Shodan in 1977 from Sensei Enoeda and Godan in 1995 from Sensei Hazard. Karate is a hard taskmaster, ever demanding and giving no quarter if one wants to improve. My greatest achievement to date seems to me to be that after over 30 years spent studying Karate, I am still here. After a period of teaching for other instructors I started my own club in Billingshurst in the early 80s, successfully coaching members through to senior Dan grade level and achieving many competition successes at association and national level. I joined SEKU. South of England Karate Union run by Sensei Mick Dewey when he formed it in 1983 during a career spanning 20 years with SEKU I became a senior instructor, competition referee, member of the technical panel and grading examiner. I have qualified as a British Karate Federation Referee and Tatami Chief and England Referee for the English Karate Governing Body. When Sensei Hazard who also joined SEKU in 1984 formed the Academy of Shotokan Karate in 2003 I was invited onto the Technical Panel and to be Grading Examiner and Senior Instructor for the Southern England area. I took over Brighton Shotokan Karate Club from Sensei Hazard when he relocated to Nottingham to run ASK. I have been fortunate to train with some very talented people and be taught by the best instructors of the day. Attending gradings under the legendary Enoeda Sensei is now a distant memory, but still an honour, although I admit that on the actual day it was more survival of the fittest, however the aches, pain and blood rapidly fade into the background leaving only the euphoria of being successful and I feel both proud and honoured to be from that era. My teaching career has been for me most rewarding and I have been fortunate to show the open door of Karate to many and been profoundly satisfied when able to see students progressing through the ranks. For me the pinnacle of achievement reached in my coaching career is when some have excelled and gone on to surpass anything I ever could achieve, I see this as right and the sign of a good job done. In the early days instructing was something one learned on the job things taught then are not seen as good practice today, teaching karate should evolve as all things must in order to be successful. I have trained and taught worldwide and to me being a successful instructor is all about raising the standards of your chosen sport.

JULIE MARSH ~ 4th Dan

Julie Marsh 3rd Dan started training at the Portsmouth KC in 1982 and continued training there until emmigrating to Canada with her family in 1991. During this time she represented the Portsmouth club winning the SEKU and Mid West women’s individual kumite. She was assistant instructor at the Portsmouth Polytechnic Karate club.

After emmigrating to Canada Julie continued training at various clubs before establishing Chikara Karate club in Calgary in 2000. Julie received her sandan at the first ASK Canada Dan grading with Sensei Hazard. Julie is a director of ASK Canada and is the licensing officer and treasurer.

IAN GREGORY ~ 3rd Dan