John was born in Liverpool on the 4th August 1964 and had always been very interested in fitness and physical training from an early age. As a teenager, a friend told him about the Red Triangle Karate Club and he called in to watch a class. He was very impressed to see the students training with such a powerful and spirited attitude and immediately applied to become a member. He joined the Dojo and became a very enthusiastic student, training with great perseverance and dedication.
He achieved his Shodan from Sensei Sherry in 1993 and his Sandan from Sensei Enoeda in 2000. Since that time John has continued his study and practise of Karate and has advanced through the grades, successfully passing his Godan in October 2009. John admired Sensei Enoeda immensely and found him to be a very inspirational instructor who is a great loss to Karate and is sadly missed. John continues to practise and trains regularly at the Red Triangle in the evenings and also at the special sessions in the morning with Sensei Sherry and Brennan. He realises the value of Karate in developing the character and says it has helped him greatly throughout his life.
Understanding these important values, John encouraged his sons, Jay and Guy to take up Karate. They both started training at a very young age and are now 2nd and 3rd Dan respectively. His granddaughter Maya has also carried on the family tradition and is now a 2nd Kyu. John puts great importance on Karate training as a life enhancing activity both physically and mentally and will always continue training throughout his life. John passed his 6th Dan in October 2017.