I became interested in martial arts in 1974 at an old ambulance hall on Thompson street in Padiham at
the age of fourteen It was something different and I had always found the subject interesting. I was a lot
smaller than any one else at school I thought it would be a good way of building my confidence and at the
same time learning to defend myself.
The system was called TEGATANI and was founded by Pro. J.A. Holt.
I began studying under a instructor called Sensei P. Leather at the age of fourteen years, it was a old cold damp room with a wooden floor and no heating what so ever and none of the comforts of today such as mats and in winter you certainly felt the cold. The instruction was very strict and discipline of the highest degree with respect to the Sensei of the up most importance. The physical endurance was very hard as one had to be fit to practice the techniques taught and lasted about an hour with forty five minutes on the basics of blocking, punching, kicking techniques and with a further ten minutes physical at the end of the session and five minutes meditation.
The principle of the Tegatani system were based on the principle’s of the Five Elements used with in the system, five basic blocks, kicks, Punches, Locks, Throws, Body movements and Animal forms etc. Everything we were taught could be related in some way to one of the Five Elements in some form or another.
I took my white belt under the watchful eye of my Sensei P. leather and Pro J. A. Holt who was the founder of the Tegatani system. This was the first time I was to meet a man whose philosophy in the years to come would influence me so much in my studies of Martial Arts. With his years of experience in different systems of Kempo, Karate, Aikido, Ju-Jitsu and many other Martial art systems he had studied would open gateways to so much knowledge. I started training with Pro. J. A. Holt from then on at the sports centre and with other Sensei`s who would influence me Sensei M. Carney, and R. Parker and have never looked back since.
It was in June 1987 that I was awarded the rank of YODAN by Pro J. A. Holt after a week of being assessed and on the final day at the Burnley Mechanics in front of all the other students who had been graded and the people in the public gallery, I had to go through an ancient ritual of the blood oath of allegiance and recite the Six Maxims, Martial Art Qualities and the Martial Art Law of the Tegatani system then show the five secret hand positions relating to the FIVE ELEMENTS.