Sensei Paul James

Paul wanted to learn karate from childhood. He was around eight or nine, inspired by what he'd seen on TV. But growing up in the Aberystwyth area, there were no local classes available, so for years the ambition had to wait.

At secondary school he was smaller than many of the other pupils, and the idea of building confidence and self-defence strongly appealed to him. The chance came at fifteen, when local brown belt Danny Jones opened a class at the community centre. Paul joined straight away and has trained ever since.

Four decades on, that first lesson led to a 6th Dan black belt and an outstanding competitive career: JSKA World Kata Champion in 2008, twenty-times Welsh Champion, World Team bronze medallist in both kata and kumite, European bronze in individual kata and team kumite, and captain of the Welsh kata team.

After retiring from competition in 2010, Paul became national kata coach for Wales. During ten years in the role he coached Welsh athletes to around twenty podium finishes on the international stage, helping establish Wales as a serious presence in international kata competition.

Today Paul leads Ikkyo Dojo as Chief Instructor and runs the club's own association, the Ikkyo Karate Organisation (IKO). He founded it to give his students a clear path, consistent standards, and the freedom to do things properly.