A BRIEF PROFILE OF HANSHI ALAN GIBSON’S 49 YEARS IN KARATE

I was born in 1947 in Govan, Glasgow Scotland

Once famous for its ship building industry Govan is situated right by the river Clyde.

Along with the Gorbals, Govan was known as one of Glasgow’s toughest area’s.

In past days police would walk around in two's or fours for their own protection. Some wore leather neck bands to protect them from razor attacks of the teddy boy gangs that roamed the streets at night.

Like many other run-down inner-city area's Govan could be a dangerous place.

My father had a bit of a reputation as a Glasgow hard man and had done some boxing before the war and as a means to survive the hardships of the these years he boxed illegally in the dockland pubs fighting mainly Russian and American sailors for money.

Living in such an environment you had to learn how to look after yourself, and although my upbringing may not of been an academic one, it did help me survive many a bad situation.

My interest in karate started late October 1959

My interest in karate began when I was 12 years old late October 1959 after seeing a karate man on a television show smash through a wooden door with his bare fists. I thought  to myself, how could he have the power to do that. The accepted age for joining a karate club back then was around fourteen or fifteen so I had to pretend to be older.

Note: The style of karate practiced at that time in Scotland was the traditional Japanese original hard style of Shotokan.

Note: Training was brutally tough there were no females or young children participating in karate at that time.

front of the Buddha shrine

As you can imagine in a city

like Glasgow joining a karate club was not for a jolly chap looking for a hobby after work.

Most students were either made up of teddy boys, gang members, street fighters, nutters or just plain hard men.

Doing karate then was usually either:

to enhance your fighting skills, test yourself, or have the opportunity to damage someone.

Maybe not all the students were like this, but what I experienced most were. If you are wondering what category I would put myself in, you would have to ask shihan and yondan plus all my past students that question.

Having such a deranged group meant that the instructors had to be that much tougher and a lot more brutal in their approach.

Although some of the students were good

street fighters and very aggressive most were not really tremendously fit.

On the other hand, instructors and senior students although good fighters themselves were always in good physical condition and because of this most of the tough nuts when really pushed found it hard to stay the distance.

The atmosphere and attitude in class sometimes lent towards a sadistic nature where you could smell the tension and aggression. But it was well suited for that time and place.

Outside training

front of the Buddha shrine temple bell

and below a close up of the bell

close up of the temple bell

jodo temple at night

Senior Japanese ladies training class

High ranking Grandmaster Kisho Inoue, of the Okinawan and Japanese Kobudo

and Jujitsu Ryu school and one of his Shihan instructors and student

traditional Honbu Dojo

  Kobudo class in progress

Japanese ladies

Karate in the early days

Although basic (no fancy stuff) karate then compared with today's standards was much more demanding and lot more brutal. You must understand, at that time Karate was just beginning in this country, coming over from Japan or Okinawa where the philosophy of karate back then was not for winning trophies or for keeping fit, karate was taught then as a kill or be killed fighting art and something that should not be confused with some of the watered down soft American type styles that are being taught in many of the karate clubs today.

This type of philosophy of hard training gave me a very strong mental and physical attitude and built a good foundation towards real street situations.

Once in a while we were served up to visiting Japanese teachers

Our Japanese teachers were all very tough determined men, although a few (just a few) could be at times helpful and polite in their teaching manner, others however must of thought the war was still on and we were their prisoners.

An early photo

With the great Shotokan Grand Master, Kancho Hirokazu Kanazawa 10th Dan

We had outside weekend courses in mid winter

Our Japanese masters would take us training to the windswept Scottish mountains, sometimes we would be there in the middle of winter and sometimes forced into the freezing sea or lochs to do sparring, kicking, punching and kata techniques, we must of been all completely mad to do this.

Training in these days was a non stop regime of 2 or 3 hours of grueling repetitious techniques along with very hard physical exercise. Being punched, kicked or hit with a staff by our instructors along the way was normal practice.

A typical warm up

1,000 kicks over a chair, 1,000 punches, bunny hops around the dojo (banned today), star jumps to the last man standing which usually lasted over half an hour where the instructor would only stop when the last man gave up, usually ending up with our feet blistered and bleeding.

Throughout the years I have certainly trained in many odd places such as; working men's clubs, dingy old shop basements, old church halls as well as outside training in all weathers. Many of these old establishments had stone floors that were so rough that your feet would often feel like they were being ripped to shreds.

Sparring in these days was a very aggressive affair

Sparring at times seemed nothing more than all out war. No protective equipment was available in these days and heavy physical contact was the norm.

To a degree anything went, head butts, knees, teeth, even grabbing the hair, throat or groin was deemed acceptable. You could grab your opponents legs if they tried a kick and throw them hard to the ground followed by punching them hard. Also dropping with your knee on someone was a good way to wind your opponent and then we would jump on them to wrestle them into a strangle hold. You were expected to do these moves lightly but usually we all got all carried away at times.

As you can imagine there were always lots of injuries, bruising, strains, broken fingers or ribs, toes or a broken bloody nose seemed to us part of our karate training and something you accepted.

Sparring was usually done one to one, although you could find yourself fighting 2,3, 4 or more opponents.

We had special names for these fighting sessions, such as; the "Pub Fight", "Street Fight" "All in fight" "Smash & Grab" or "Grab & Smash" where everyone in the dojo attacked anyone near them, just like a big battle. The fights were actually a big free for all and would last to the last man standing (the winner). We had Saturday and Sunday special sparring lessons being 3 to 4 hours long where we usually ended up totally soaked in sweat, battered, bruised and very bloody.

You never forget these times, anyway my injuries won’t allow me to forget.

I have often wondered how on earth I ever managed to survive some of these lessons.

Thinking back, we must of all been completely mad, although being a bit mad did help you to survive.

Come to think of it, I would be worth a fortune now if the compensation culture was around then, and the people I have damaged would be rich to.

7 years of hard training

I achieved my black belt after 7 years of hard training. Seven years was the minimum time required then for black belt.

Much later competitions between different karate schools sprung up however many students like myself who were brought up on old style karate found that our type of aggressive fighting methods seemed to suffer badly from a lack of control usually leaving the other guy picking up his teeth ending up with us being disqualified.

I left Scotland in the late 1960s

Since my shotokan days I have experienced other karate styles such as: Shukokia, Kyokushinkia, Gojo-Ryu and Wado-Ryu. I have trained with and have had the privilege to meet some great Japanese and Western masters of the martial arts, such as: Sensei Kanazawa, Sensei Enoeda (deceased), Sensei Kato, Sensei Mack, Sensei Tommy Morris, (Shotokan). Sensei Nanbu, Sensei Kimura, deceased (Shukokia). Sensei Higaonna, (Gojo-Ryu). Sensei Shimitsu, Sensei Mejii Suzuki, Sensei Fuji, Sensei Meada, Sensei Sakagami, Grandmaster Tatsui Suzuki, (Wado-Ryu).

Other fighting styles I have participated in

The other styles I have practices have been: Okinawan Ryukyu-Jitsu with Grandmaster Inoue and Sensei Mead, (Jujitsu & Kobudo, martial art weapons). Sensei Dillman (Kyusho-Jitsu) nerve, vital point strikes and locks. Judo and karate with Sensei Robinson, 6 times World Judo champion and Wado-Ryu karate teacher. Wu-dan Tai Chi. Iai (the art of Japanese sword drawing) with Sensei Elsgood, Unarmed Combat and boxing at Brighton Boys Boxing Club. Finally I have to say that my foundations before my karate came from street fighting and my father.

Training in the mountains in winter was a regular thing.

Weekend outdoor training camp. around 1960s

Above the Kobe Osaka Club

EARLY 1960

In early 1970 I was one of only two Westerners

I was asked to join a Japanese demonstration squad sent down to Brighton from London by the head man of Wado-Ryu in Europe, Sensei Tatsui Suzuki which consisted of myself and another Westerner who was at that time the British Wado-Ryu champion and five of the best Wado-Ryu Japanese karate masters in the World, some being ‘All Japan’ open style champions. It was said excluding myself and the other Westerner, that because of these famous Japanese masters coming together it was one of the best Wado-Ryu karate demo squads ever put together outside Japan.

One of the Japanese masters, Sensei Fuji wanted to open a karate school in Brighton

It was decided that Sensei Fuji and other karate masters would put on a demonstration in Brighton where his karate school was to be held, (the Brighton Boys Club). Commenting was Tom Hibbit who was then the secretary of the British Wado-Ryu Association. Mr Hibbit is now an M.B.E and head of the A.M.A, one of the largest martial art groups in Britain today. After sparring with the British champion I was asked to take part in a sparring with Sensei Sagagami one of the Japanese teachers, Meiji Suzuki was to referee, “a big mistake”. During the fight things started to get a bit rough, so much so that to the enjoyment of the other Japanese instructors one of my punches cut open Sensei Sakagami's lip! I must stress this did not go down to well with Sensei Sakagami (in Japanese terms ‘it's loss of face’). The fight became so fierce I ended up with a broken arm which I did not realise at the time. It was later in the changing room my arm swelled up like a balloon that I wondered if it was broken. Later when I forced myself to go to hospital they confirmed it was.. I was told later on that Sensei Sakagami had also injured his leg with the front kick that I blocked and which I believe was the kick that broke my arm.

Master Fuji as well as being a snappy dresser was one of karate’s true gentlemen.

A week later master Fuji opened his karate dojo in Brighton, with my arm in plaster I was one of his very first students waiting at the door. Sensei Fuji would always bring another Japanese teacher every week to help him.

On that very first week he brought along Sensei Sakagami who had a limp. I dared not ask if it was from the fight as this would be most disrespectful. Unfortunately within 6 months due to certain events the school sadly closed.

REWARD OF £10 A PICTURE

If anyone has any photographs of the Brighton Boys Club demo or remembers being there I would be very interested in hearing from you.

You can contact me at  headoffice@samaorganisation.co.uk

I would like to state that I have had to calm down a LOT, and I do mean a LOT.

Although my previous training may of been hard and sometimes brutal, it certainly has given me a strong mental constitution that has sustained my appetite for karate for over 48 years of the constant daily grind of repetitious training.

It has also installed in me the continuing search for self improvement.

Embroidered on my belt in Japanese kanji is the word "karate student" to remind me that I must always be humble and to continue to strive for perfection for I have still much to learn about this ancient art.

OSS!