Doug James, 9th Dan presenting Mark with 6th Dan

I first started karate in 1999 at the age of 13, after coming home from school one day with a black eye. My dad told me about a poster he’d seen at the Sands Centre advertising Chojinkai Karate, so I went down to read it and get the details. Before I started, I was quiet and lacked confidence. I wasn’t sporty and hadn’t found anything that really inspired or motivated me, but there was something about karate that immediately drew me in.

At my very first session there were only three students. By the second session, I was the only one left. At that time, new beginners only started every few months — you couldn’t just turn up and join whenever you felt like it, you had to wait for the next beginners’ course. Sensei Doug James continued that class with just me, one-to-one, when he could easily have told me to come back in a few months. Years later he told me, “I saw great potential in you and didn’t want you to stop training.” That’s something I’m still grateful for.

Those early classes were very traditional and demanding. The focus was on hard basics, repetition, and discipline. Sessions were tough and strict, and that environment laid strong foundations — both physically and mentally — that have stayed with me throughout my training.

I trained three times a week at the Carlisle Club. I started lifting weights after Sensei Doug James told me I needed to be stronger, and I also trained at home on a heavy bag. During this time, Sensei Ray Hind was one of the other main instructors and regularly took sessions when Sensei Doug James wasn’t there. Ray has been one of my instructors ever since. We are of a similar build, and because of that, much of the karate we do naturally overlaps. That shared physique influenced how I moved, trained, and applied techniques, and it played a significant role in shaping my karate. Once I learned to drive at 17, I began travelling around different Chojinkai clubs so I could train even more. In the early days there was a strong emphasis on competition — inter-club, club championships, and national events — so I competed in both kata and kumite until around 2008, before realising that wasn’t the direction I’d originally started karate for.

I earned my 1st Dan in 2004, gaining my black belt in around four years, which is relatively quick within our association. As I progressed, I followed Iain Abernethy around, attending his seminars as a helper. I also attended many other seminars, particularly within the British Combat Association, and was introduced to the work of Peter Consterdine and Geoff Thompson, leading figures in reality-based self-protection, through their videos and magazine articles.

In 2009, aged 24, I became an SIA door supervisor. My time working the doors exposed me to a wide range of high-stress, unpredictable, and often volatile situations involving many different types of violence — verbal, psychological, spontaneous, alcohol-fuelled, premeditated, and group-based. These were not controlled environments, and situations could escalate rapidly with little warning. The role demanded constant situational awareness, strong communication skills, and a clear understanding of the legal framework surrounding the use of force.

I was fortunate to have good instructors and colleagues, and I worked hard to pressure-test what I’d learned in the dojo against real-world behaviour. That meant constantly refining techniques, tactics, and decision-making under stress. Martial arts teaches that the highest aim is to avoid violence wherever possible, but in that role there were occasions where it was unavoidable. Due to the number of years I worked and the volume of shifts I covered, I experienced this many times. Those encounters stripped away theory and highlighted what genuinely worked under pressure, later forming the backbone of many of the lesson plans and principles I teach today.

Around the time I first started working the doors, I became involved with Darren Longstaff, who was teaching at the Haltwhistle Karate Club. We also worked the doors together, and he gave me some great pointers in the early days. I quickly realised that we shared the same views on training and self-protection based on our experiences. Over the last few years, we’ve worked together teaching joint seminars, bouncing ideas off each other, as we both take a similar approach to karate, blending traditional techniques with practical application.

Even after stepping away from door work, I’ve kept my training firmly rooted in reality while continuing to develop and improve. I still train six days a week, training appropriately and with longevity in mind. This includes three weight-training sessions, a dedicated cardio session, and a heavy-impact session each week. I remain actively involved in all classes, keeping most of my karate training technical during class time, while also regularly sparring with students of all levels. I believe it’s important to stay connected to the realities of training at every stage. I also still travel each week to train with what I consider to be some of the top instructors in the UK. The aim is simple: to keep doing what I’m doing, at a high level, for as long as possible.

Consistency has always been central to my progress. If there’s one thing I’ve naturally been good at, it’s simply turning up. That consistency played a huge role in my development. I reached Rokudan (6th Dan) at a relatively young age, and I never take that for granted — it’s the result of being fortunate enough to walk into a great club right from the start.

I am now a full-time instructor, teaching around 300 students across five clubs in five locations, some twice a week: Carlisle, Brampton, Wigton, Warwick Bridge, and Penrith. In addition to regular classes, I also run seminars, gradings, and courses throughout the year. Even though I teach full-time, I still work a few days a week because I never want to see karate as a “job.” It’s something I genuinely enjoy, and it’s hugely rewarding seeing students I’ve taught for years continue to progress.

My experiences, both inside and outside the dojo, have helped Chojinkai continually develop and refine its syllabus as it moves forward. I feel privileged to still be part of Chojinkai after all these years, and I’m proud to help it grow while continuing to develop my own training and the training of the students I’m fortunate enough to teach.

Doug James, 9th Dan presenting Ray with 7th Dan

I started training in 1983 at Strand Road and St Elizabeths in Carlisle, my primary aim was to loose weight and get fit.  I certainly achieved that within six months I was down to my target weight and getting fitter.  I would point out that I put a lot of effort into the classes.

Sensei Doug James was my first Sensei so I believe I had a really good base for the future ahead which at that time I didn’t realise where I’d end up.

When I first started to be honest I didn’t know what to expect but found myself doing odd things with my body and mind also my confidence grew in life in general.  I seemed to gel with the martial arts, the regular gradings we’re a good way to measure my progress and I also measured myself when sparring with the senior grades.  I always recall saying to myself well I can stand my ground with him and learned quite quickly how to master certain attacks and better defensive techniques.  Not without taking a few hits I might add and looking back it seems harsh but that was my learning process.

I started competition kumite after six months and won a bronze medal (and some blisters) at the Cumbrian Open in the market hall in Carlisle.  I enjoyed the Kumite more than the Kata side purely because I thought I was better at it.  I carried on doing competitions and won some and lost more, it teaches you humility and respect.  I still carried on with the competitions but work got in the way of weekend competing and gradually I had to step back!

My coaching career started when I was just a 4th Kyu and I’ve have been doing it on and off ever since. Hopefully the tips and techniques I pass on will help those students who want to progress to move through the ranks as I did. If I was to give a tip out it would be to learn off other students mistakes, as I did.  On seeing someone do something incorrect I would try and make sure I didn’t follow that example.

After training for about four years the ultimate goal of a 1st Dan Black Belt was mine and to be honest I never thought past that point. My technique continued to improve at pace and I earned my Second and third Dan, it seems a bit of a blur really but I guess it was because I was enjoying it so much.

I am the Senior Head Instructor at Carlisle Club concentrating on the Senior Class, a Permanent member of the Senior Grading Panel and in October 2024 I was awarded Shichidan (7th Dan) Black Belt by Sensei James.  It still amazes me and hand on heart I do genuinely feel privileged to command such an honorable position.

Doug James then 8th Dan, presenting Darren with 6th Dan in 2016

I started training in 1981 at the very first class of the newly opened Prudhoe Chojinkai Karate club.

I was a shy and quiet young lad but having watched many of the martial arts films of the time particularly starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan,  when my dad said he would take me to a Karate class that was starting I was nervous but also very keen.  I still remember that first lesson and meeting my first club instructor (the great Sensei Jimmy Hague), and I was hooked from the start. Within a very short time Sensei Hague had me training in the adults class as well as the juniors.  It was 3 months later at my first grading that I met Sensei Doug James and he remains my instructor to this day. In my early days I trained at Prudhoe but also on occasion at Hexham and Newcastle and also attended many competitions having success as both a Junior and a Senior.

Following Jimmy’s retirement from Karate and my own relocation to Haltwhistle in 1990, I started training at Hexham club under Sensei Martin Kammeier.  I still attended competitions, fighting in individual categories and in the association team, but grew increasingly interested in the practical side of Karate for self protection, a path I have followed ever since.

I have gained knowledge from many sources and though always remaining with Chojinkai have attended other clubs of differing styles and many seminars with a variety of instructors,I have also worked for several years in door security at various venues to gain the real life understanding and experience required to teach self defence to our students. I took over Hexham Chojinkai in 1999 and in 2007 opened Haltwhistle Chojinkai.

I am extremely proud to be with Chojinkai and have gained so much from Sensei James, my fellow instructors and those that have taught and trained with me over the years.I still love the training I do myself but gain even more pleasure now from seeing the progress and improvement made by our students,many of whom have become great friends and will continue to help others gain from Karate as it is a way of life with so many benefits.

I am now a 6th Dan Senior Instructor (awarded in 2016) and a Permanent Member of the Senior Grading Panel with Chojinkai, the Head Instructor of Haltwhistle club and I teach at many Chojinkai Karate events, run my own Self Defense Seminars & also oversee the Newcastle Chojinkai Club.

The Seniors Instructors within Chojinkai Karate

This Section lists the Senior Instructors within Chojinkai karate holding the rank of 3rd Dan Black Belt & above, including Ray Hind, Darren Longstaff & Mark Heaton, who along with Chief Instructor Doug James 9th Dan, make up the Senior Grading Panel & their role is to uphold the high technical standards of Chojinkai Karate & details the huge Karate talent & experience that is within our Organisation.