Sensei Dan Smethurst (4th Dan) - Club Chief Instructor/Founder

Dan started karate in 1988 under the instruction of sensei Dave Warburton who was then a 5th Dan now 8th.  Over the years he achieved several top three rankings in regional and national fighting (kumite) competitions.

In 1992, at the age of eleven, he passed his black belt 1st Dan and started assisting in the instruction of cadets under Sensei Dave Warburton. It was from this point that his love of instructing others started being honed and developed by sensei Dave over a number of years. Dan ranks Sensei Dave as the most influential person in his life after his parents.

In 2001, Dan passed his fighting Judge qualification and, in 2002 became a fully qualified fighting referee and kata judge. He now holds the rank of " SENIOR REFEREE" within the Shukokai Karate Union

Dan has a wealth of instructing experience both within karate and his proffessional career.  He is frequently called upon to act as a relief instructor for other clubs in the area and is therefore well known to many existing students of karate.

Dan regularly attends courses both nationaly and internationaly and is currently a 4th Dan.  He is fully qualified and holds the senior instructor rank withing the Shukokai Karate Union est 1969 (SKU)  He has enhanced level CRB checks, is fully insured and is fully qualified in First Aid.

In his personal and professional life Dan is an economics graduate, He is a proffessional instructor in conflict management, self defence techniques in addition to instructing First Aid and the use of defibrillators.

Dan has recently gone back to school and is now also is a fully qualified teacher gaining a PGCE in 2010, and in 2011 completed his Qualified teaching and Learning Status with the institute for learning.













Ali Smethurst (1st Kyu) - Assistant Instructor

Ali started training in 2003 under sensei John Scott at the Holmes Chapel club in the Koshido Ryu group founded by sensei David Warburton.  It was here that she met Dan and eventually Dan and Ali married in 2005.

Ali is fully qualifiedas a nursery nurse and child minder and has a wealth of knowledge of child development and currently helps out at the local village shcool.  She is CRB enhanced level checked and is qualified as a first aider. Ali also runs her own successful baking business.

Dan and Ali have two children Louise and Joseph.