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Sensei Jude King 2nd Dan

Sensei Jude King 2nd Dan demonstrating on a Self Defence Course Attacker grabs neck with both hands

Put chin down, palm heel strike to the nose

Followed by arm twist

Countering with back fist to the side of the head

I started Judo back in 1976 when I was 15. My best friend and I saw a Judo display and my friend fancied one of the guys doing the demonstration, at fifteen that seemed to be a really good reason to join the local Judo Club! My friend gave up after about six months but I found that I really enjoyed it. Perhaps all that fighting I had been doing for years with my two elder brothers had given me a good grounding in self-defence techniques!

When I was 16 my family moved from Canterbury to Horsham and I was looking for a new club. I tried a couple of local clubs and settled at Horsham Park Judo Club, which was at the then recreation centre in the park. Derek Paxton, who had actually been in one of the Olympic squads as a teenager, ran the club. Although I was a green belt and felt that I was quite a good fighter, it only took a few weeks at Derek’s club for me to realise that I wasn’t. I had a lot of hard work to do and a lot to learn if I ever wanted to become a good fighter.

The club had a fair number of women and I had plenty of people to fight and practise with. The club was fairly competition orientated and I was soon entering contests, which gave me valuable experience. I moved up through the grades and found myself regularly fighting competitions at venues such as Crystal Palace. This brought me into contact with members of the women’s national squad. (I only ever managed a draw against a national squad member). We attended courses and competitions in London and Brighton and our club soon had one of the strongest women’s teams in West Sussex. Three of us were in the Sussex team for three years running in 1980, 1981 and 1982. We were also in the Southern Area team two years running. I got married in 1982, that year was the year I had my last fight for Sussex. We travelled to Wales to fight against the Welsh National team.

By this time I was going for First Dan. In Judo going for first Dan is slightly different than in karate. You must win a certain number of points scored at qualifying competitions or gradings. Points can only be scored against those of equal grade or higher. You have to win fights to score points. Dan gradings took place in London in order to get enough people of equal grades to fight against. The first grading I took I won my two qualifying fights and earned myself a line up. (A line up consists of three people who didn’t win both their earlier fights. The idea is that you fight them one after the other, you must win each fight to go on to the next one. If you win all three, then you pass the fighting part of your Dan grade in one grading. (You still have to do the theory and demonstrate throws and locks etc.) Only a few people get their Dan grade this way. In my line up I won my first two fights but drew my third so didn’t quite make it. But it felt good! I carried on collecting points at other venues but never actually got my black belt because by the end of 1983 I had started having knee problems and then I found out I was pregnant, so Judo fell by the wayside and I concentrated on having our three daughters instead.

In 1995 our daughters tried karate at a ‘taster session’ run by Sensei Paul at Broadbridge Heath Leisure centre. They decided they’d like to join Horsham Karate Club and for a couple of weeks I went along and watched them. It didn’t take too much persuading on Sensei Paul’s part to get me to come along to one of the adult sessions.

We took our first grading on 29th January 1995 and continued to grade together up until blue belt (18.2.96) when the girls gave up. I think we were green belts when Trevor decided he wasn’t going to watch anymore (it probably reminded him of some long days at Crystal palace watching Judo), so he joined the club too. The girls trained at the children’s sessions we trained at the adult sessions. On Saturdays all five Kings trained together at Henfield.

Karate has given me very different experiences from Judo. I still enjoy competing but my opponent is now myself. I enjoy the fact that it challenges my whole self not just the physical, it is so much more that just a sport. I took my 1st Dan in April 98 only 3years and 3 months after I took my red belt. I had put in a phenomenal amount of hours into training in that time. The feeling when I received that Black belt from Sensei Paul was just amazing, somehow it made up for having not quite got there in Judo.

I continued to train and to teach at the children’s sessions regularly, (I am a primary school teacher and have an ITEC in Anatomy Physiology and Massage as well as Assistant Coach Level 1). Teaching the children has given me great pleasure and I am proud to have taught some very talented and committed young people. I am also very pleased to see that the number of females in both the junior and senior section of the club has greatly increased over the last few years.

Unfortunately our eldest daughter fell ill and was diagnosed with M.E in March 99. This hit the family very hard and I had to reassess my priorities. I needed to spend more time with my family. My training was reduced to once a week and I often couldn’t get my head round teaching at all. Karate became a means of escape because when your focused your mind is clear and problems cease to exist.

After a long personal struggle I took my 2nd Dan in October 2001. It had been much harder to apply myself because of our family situation and I think I had put off that grading three times by the time I actually took it. There had been many points during that time when I nearly gave up.

As Lorraine slowly improves I can begin to give more to my training and to the club. Who knows maybe one day I’ll even take my 3rd Dan!

Never give up.

Sensei Jude King 2nd Dan
Horsham Karate Club

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