Testimonial by Sahun Lakhbir S.Sangha VII 'CHILL' Dan B.U.T.F.
'Schools of Excellence'

If you want to take up a Martial Art in 2007 it is difficult to find a good school, as you have little knowledge of what a "good one" looks like. I found myself in the very same situation back in 1974, which now seems like a lifetime away. I wanted to take up a martial art but had not a clue what to look for or what to expect. But what I did know was that what I saw was not anything special. I saw students going in and out of class without permission, instructors with sleeves rolled back showing off their 'Del Boy' jewellery and students giving commands reading from a book! No professionalism what so ever.

Fortunately for me a friend took me along to a school which he said I might be interested in. I did not hold up much hope but did not want to appear rude so just went along for the sake of it! This school by the way was 'Hillingdon,' in Royal Lane, in St.John's Church.

I turned up at the class not really expecting much, sat at the back quietly and watched. What I saw changed my life for ever. There was no casual chatting amongst the students, no one wondering in and out of the hall. There was an air of discipline. Students were being put through their paces by an instructor they obviously looked up to. They demonstrated this in the way they responded to his articulate commands during the course of the lesson. The instructor demonstrated patterns with ease and perfect timing. He was actually exercising with the class showing them exactly what to do.

Needless to say I took up Taekwondo that very month, having been so inspired by this school. I began my first Taekwondo lesson alongside two other beginners 'James Caulfield' and 'Gary Bolger', and a few yellow tags, 'Roger Koo, Jaz Vera and Peter Saunders'. I later found out that my instructor was a First Dan Black Belt, who had recently opened this school in 'Hillingdon'. Most of the students were adults, but I remember a youngster of about twelve called Trevor Nicholls and a bit later one of eight called Paul Munns.

As time went on my instructor was promoted to Second Dan, and some of us lesser mortals were also promoted to the dizzy heights of Green or yellow belt. Even as a mere yellow belt I knew that the quality of the teaching I was receiving was of the highest standard.

By 1976 Hillingdon School produced its first Red Belt and our instructor was promoted to Third Dan. And by the end of the year the school produced its first Black Belt 'Roger Koo!'

It was a wonderful achievement for the school and we all basked in the glory, feeling a sense of collective achievement.

Hillingdon School went from strength to strength producing a second group of Black Belts, Ron Major, Kamal Sharma, Trevor Nicholls at the start of 1977 with Gray Bolger, James Caulfield and I bringing up the third group later in the year. We were then closely followed in 1978 by the fourth group made up of Alan Smith, Peter Saunders and Marshall Pereira. Graham Hull, Robert Woodley, Robert Edwards, Michael Aylett and Wayne Brown made up the fifth group in early and late 1979. The multitude of Black Belts that came later is a blur with faces still vivid in my mind but names failing me. With Black belts of such quality and distinction it raised the bar for all students at the school. The numbers of Black Belts runs into the hundreds, what a great achievement for. What a legacy to leave.

At this point Hillingdon School with its dedicated instructor and excellent Black Belts also began to make a great impact on the local and national championships winning title after title.

A number of these Black Belts have reached the very highest levels in Taekwondo, Master Trevor Nicholls eighth Dan and Master Wayne Brown seventh Dan. Paul Munns was promoted to fourth Dan at the age of eighteen, the youngest in the country. Black Belts of this calibre cannot be produced without the dedication and commitment on the part of their instructor. It would be difficult if not impossible to find a school like this today!

In 1980 Putney Taekwondo School was fortunate indeed to discover that our instructor was taking over this school. My instructor asked me to assist in the teaching of this school, I felt honoured to have been asked. It was only then I realised just how difficult it was to teach.

Although Putney was a small school it did not lack in quality or enthusiasm producing many Black Belts, Angelo Martignetti, Donato Nardizzi and Jamie Hogan (now seventh dans), and Leonard Bernard to mention but a few. It produced great fighters, one of whom took part successfully in the 1984 World Championships, James Phillips.

By 1983 I was fortunate enough to open up my first Taekwondo School in Tooting only made possible because of my experience of teaching in Putney under the supervision of my instructor who was now a fifth Dan.

Having been teaching in Tooting for almost twenty four years I still look back with great fondness and know that my roots are in Hillingdon, where it all began thirty four years ago. My Instructor was and still is Grand Master Raymond M K Choy IXth Dan!

I would like to offer my heart felt congratulations and those of my students to Grand Master Choy IXth Dan on this most deserved promotion for his outstanding contribution to Taekwon-Do.

PLEASE NOTE: Further testimonials or acknowledgments may be emailed to headoffice@butf.com with the subject line "Grandmaster Promotion". We will endeavour to publish all appropriate messages.

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