Sensei Lydia was first inspired by the likes of The Power Rangers and The Karate Kid movies… Her fascination with Karate grew stronger and after begging her parents she started Karate when she had just turned 7 years old.
She started in Wado Ryu Karate and worked up to Green belt achieving the highest mark of the whole school on her grading.
Her parents later decided to move her to Sankukai Karate where she was asked to drop to Yellow belt to then work back up through the belts in the new style – which didn’t take long!
In school, Sensei Lydia was noticed for her skills and achieved a Sporting Excellence award for her achievements in Karate which was presented by the Mayor as well as being photographed as part of her Secondary School Prospectus to inspire more people into sports at the school.
At Brown Belt 1st Kyu Lydia was asked to assist in 4-6 year old classes, following from that she taught all age groups and was often left in charge of classes by age 16. She learnt invaluable coaching skills over the years and this has further led to her coaching ability to date. She continues to learn and evolve as a Sensei and aims to always offer top class instruction to her students. She teaches because she’s passionate about Karate and loves what she does.
When Sensei Lydia took her 1st Dan black belt, out of the 5 students grading only Lydia and one other student passed, it was extremely tough and exhausting but she accomplished the grade with flying colours.
Her last grading was for 3rd Dan black belt where she was the only student grading for this prestigeous belt. After a rigorous 2.5hr grading with a room full of fellow peers watching she was awarded the grade. She burst into tears at this one and her Sensei told her she had a “warrior spirit”, it was an unforgettable and emotional moment in her life. She was the youngest at the club to achieve this level at age 13 and was truly honoured to wear the belt with pride.
Following from 3rd Dan our belts are honoured based on years of training – (4 years for 4th Dan, 5 years for 5th Dan, 6years for 6th Dan and so on).
Over the years Sensei Lydia has competed in various Karate competitions and did very well at many of them with other Instructors trying to persuade Lydia to join their competition teams, but Lydia chose to stay loyal to her Sensei and stay committed to Sankukai Karate.
As an adult Sensei Lydia has also competed in Tae Kwon Do coming away with several medals for patterns (Kata) and point sparring.
Sensei Lydia has trained in many other Martial arts over the years both as a child and an adult including 6 years of Escrima, 2 years of Tae Kwon Do, 2 years of Kung Fu, 2 years of Keysi Fighting Method, 1 year of Thai Boxing, 1 year of Kickboxing, 1 year of Brazilian Jui Jitsu and 1 year of Jeet Kune Do.
Sensei Lydia has also had the privilege of training with some of the worlds best Martial Artists in Seminars and special events including several Martial Arts Movie stars!
On the 17th April 2012 Sensei Lydia ran her first ever class in her own club. She started with just 6 students at The Wordsley School gymnasium. She later moved to The Holy Trinity church hall in Wordsley and grew the club to 30 members.
In 2019 Sensei Lydia finally opened the doors to her very own Dojo in Kingswinford and the club has grown to just shy of 200 members across our Karate and fitness classes.
Sensei Lydia works closely with various primary schools in the local area offering free taster sessions to help motivate, and build confidence in children. She also has experience working with children who have special needs and has coached SEN children who have gone onto achieve greatly in Karate.
In November 2024 Sensei Lydia was inducted into The Black Belt Hall Of Fame for her dedication and contribution to Karate and came away with a Black Belt Hall Of Fame award.
Sunday 4th of May 2025 saw Lydia being presented with her 7th Dan certificate by Sensei Paul Barnett and Sensei Bob Sykes at The UK Martial Arts Hall Of Fame, this was an incredible moment and a true show of dedication to the Sankukai style.
Sensei Lydia was also awarded a Top Instructor award at The UK Martial Arts Hall Of Fame 2025 for her coaching abilities and is now recognised as a UK Martial Arts Hall of Fame Instructor.
Her achievements won’t stop here and I’m sure there will be more future awards to add to this page.
“As an Instructor I vow to teach students Karate with passion and help them achieve to become the best they can be. We don’t train for competition, we train for the love of Karate with enjoyment and positivity. Our students thrive because they’re training in a Dojo where we strive to build confidence and self belief whilst learning discipline and respect. As a Sensei I’m very proud of the club we have and the students that make it what it is. Thank you to you all”.
Sensei Lydia
