History

"At the tender age of 12 years I started amateur Boxing, trying to emulate my hero Roberto Duran; unfortunately it was to prove a lot harder than I first thought. As a young boy I found myself boxing sometimes three times in one day at schoolboy championships, and so by the time I was 16 I had run up a total of over 50 amateur fights. Then I moved into the adult arena, finding the going quite tough as I didn't have the animal instinct that my hero had; always seeming to come off second best, although not without a fight. On many occasions I received a standing ovation for my efforts."

"It was around this time I realised there was something missing, when I saw the main man himself at the movies - Bruce Lee. Needless to say he changed my life; at the age of 21 I threw in my gloves forever, or so I thought. Trying to find a martial art that suited me wasn't easy as there were so many to choose from. Eventually I came up with Wu Shu Kung Fu, practicing for about a year, then onto Aikido. This I liked, but found it hard to learn moving backwards all the time after spending so many years aggressively moving forwards. From there I had a chance meeting with a friend who informed me of a local Thai and Kickboxing club run by his brother, a fantastic instructor by the name of Ian Stevenson. During my initial years I was beaten from pillar to post by the legs of this talented individual, but one day I noticed the bruising on him for a change - this was the turning point in my martial arts career! After 6 years I became an instructor myself."

"During the early days of my martial arts life I met the second man to change my life - Master Paul Bowman of Zendoryu Karate fame. He taught me that there is more than punching, kicking, elbows and knees to Karate, particularly Kyusho Jitsu (Pressure Points). All of a sudden I found myself studying acupuncture books, attending seminars and eventually doing pressure point KOs myself, content that I made at least one good decision in my life."

"At the moment I run Krusader Martial Arts with over 300 students on my books, and teach Kyusho Jitsu all over the UK with Master Bowman, hoping to spread the Dillman Karate International word. I also give personal tuition along with a small elite group of instructors here in Milton Keynes at R-Yea Sports (See the contact page for details)."

Sensei Keith Gray