Shoki: The Story of Sensei Pete Ratcliff
By Nick Armbrister
Interview 09/05/2013.
Nick: Why did you start Karate in the first place?
Sensei Pete: Well, it goes back from when I was first born really. I was born with a blocked tube that went into my heart and obviously from like being born to going to senior school I had to go to a hospital for checkups every two to three years and be examined and they always told me that I wouldn’t be able to do any physical sport ad it’d harm me.
Nick: So you like rebelled?
Sensei Pete: So I rebelled against it and that’s why I push myself so hard in Martial Arts over the years.
Nick: Right.
Sensei Pete: And obviously I’ve become quite successful now. I’ve had three clubs.
Nick: And at what age were you teaching it?
Sensei Pete: I started to teach at fourteen, I judge on the open Karate championships.
Nick: And you were what belt when you were teaching?
Sensei Pete: I think I started teaching when I was Third Kyu brown belt, that’s three belts off black. So, at fourteen years old. And that was classed as mixed classes of kids to adults.
Nick: All different ages.
Sensei Pete: Yeah, from five years old up to sixty years old.
Nick: And you were fourteen years old?
Sensei Pete: Yes, fourteen years old.
Nick: That’s quite an achievement.
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