About Me

Charlie Wildish:

I began training in Shotokan Karate at the age of 16 with the Sheppey Karate Club, attaining my 1st Dan in 1982 under the charismatic late Sensei Ray Fuller. Both Ray Fuller and my club Sensei, Arthur Wallace (now a 6th Dan), were interested in bunkai and I soon began to enjoy the practical side of Karate rather than competitions.

Work took me to Scotland where I continued training with the Karate Union of Scotland. A knee injury and 2 cartilage operations took me out of training for over a year, but I returned and attained my 2nd dan under Sensei Enoeda in 1988.

Work again moved me, this time to the South West of England, where I continued training, first with the Karate Union of Great Britain and then with South England Karate Union in Frome, Somerset. Training in Frome under Sensei Graham Mead in the early 90′s I further developed my love of practical bunkai, along with learning to make my Karate technique “softer”. Sensei Mead would teach that some of the more advanced applications should feel “soft, but heavy”, rather than forceful. He also taught more relaxed movements/techniques, condensing the techniques to take out any non essential movement (including over-exhalation and tension). I felt my Karate moving to a new level.

I also studied a bit of Wing Chun Kung Fu during this period which I found very practical and straight forward. Although different on the surface, I found that many of the Wing Chun applications were just the same as many of the movements in my Karate kata’s.

My friend Keith McKay Cormack was very much into Wing Chun then and we often tried out applications together and looked for ways to cross-reference the 2 styles. I definitely learnt more about my Karate by studying Wing Chun.

In 1995, I attained my 3rd Dan with SEKU under Mick Dewey, Dave Hazard and Mervin O’Donnel.

Then due to domestic problems, I was not able to train properly for a number of years, though I did try to maintain some standards, particularly in kata, training on my own when I could.

In January 2009 I happily returned to my Karate training. With the Frome Karate Club unfortunately closed down, I had to look around for a club that suited my needs. I wanted a club that had high standards of basics and kata, realistic self defence and bunkai, and a progressive approach. I was lucky to find the Wells Traditional Shotokan Karate Club, run by Sensei Paul Mitchell, 4th Dan, (part of the Traditional Shotokan Karate Association) which fulfilled all my needs. Paul also teaches Tai Chi which I took up in Aug 2009.

Although the Tai Chi and Karate are taught separately and are quite different on the surface, there is also significant overlap. It is also nice to see some of the Tai Chi softness put into the Karate, making it more fluid, effective and healthier.

To increase my own knowledge further I have attended courses with Iain Abernethy (grappling bunkai expert), Rick Clark (pressure point expert) Kevin O’Hagan (Combat JuJutsu) and others. I’ve also studied books and DVDs by some of the top names in the martial arts world.

For the emotional pressures of self defence, I have trained for a short time in Close Quarters Combat with Team Nemesis in Bath and attended a F.A.S.T. Defence Course (FAST = Fear, Adrenalin, Stress Training).

Having quite an analytical mind (helped by being trained as Mechanical Technician) and having had many influences, I am now able to read across and work out many applications for most movements without necessarily having to be taught them directly. I believe that this is one of the best ways, because things that you work out for yourself are more likely to fit your own physique and psyche. It was also the way of the original masters as when their students approached mastery they would encourage the student to adapt applications (and even adjust the techniques) to suit their own physiques and experierences.

This analytical mind also helps me to break down techniques into fine detail. It helps me to understand the actual mechanics and sequence of movements which I am sometimes able to “re-frame” when teaching to help give people a better understanding. I have a keen interest “natural movement”. By this, I mean making use of (as far as possible) the bodies natural alignments, sequences of movements and breathing. We can’t do this 100% as we are performing martial arts techniques which we would not naturally perform with out training. However, all too often martial artists are taught to use too much tension, unhealthy alignments which damage joints over time (eg: push the knees out in horse stance) and excessive exhalation which is not good for our internal organs.

Having had to contend with knee problems for some years, this ability to analyse has been essential for me to not only be able to maintain my own training, but to be able to move forward. I can’t run properly, but I can out-kick most of the youngsters in my club. I therefore have a special interest in helping other more mature martial artists (or those struggling with injuries) to keep training in the art they love . Too often you hear people who have given up training due to sore joints saying “it’s a young mans game”. No it’s not, at least not when you do it right (past masters trained well into old age).

I also believe that martial arts are very much about self development and teaching you to become a better person. If you are going to learn techniques that can maim or even kill somebody, then you need to have some kind of moral code as to how you would use it. Besides, any aspect of life is much better when you have stronger mind to cope with any of lifes challenges. I once read on the Internet somebody saying “if you had to fight for your life tomorrow, you’d change the way that you train today”. Maybe. But I would say that I train the way I do today so that I don’t have to fight for my life tomorrow.

Other achievements:

I have had articles published in:
- Traditional Karate
- Jissen Martial Arts Magazine (on-line)
- Bleeding Edge Magazine (on-line)
- World Martial Arts Magazine (on-line)

I organised the Rotary Martial Arts Festival in Bath (UK) in May 2010.

My Sensei, my Tai Chi teacher and my friend, Paul Mitchell, 4th Dan. Recognised as a bunkai expert within the Traditional Shotokan Karate Association, he is also one of the best instructors I’ve ever known for being able to explain the philosophical aspects of Karate as well as it’s bunkai. Sensei Mitchell is the main influence on my Karate today.