Andy Sherry
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Andy Sherry (born 9 July 1943) is one of the most senior British practitioners of karate ref>Prospect Magaine A legendary karateka coaches Jeremy Clarke in head butts - Issue 18, April 1997</ref> and the chief instructor of the KUGB.[1]
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[edit] Biography
Born in Liverpool, Andy Sherry showed an interest in the martial arts as a young man. Initially training in judo and jujutsu, he soon took an interest in karate, starting his study of the art in 1959. In 1966, Sherry became the first person in the UK to earn a black belt in shotokan karate,[2] having trained with JKA instructor Keinosuke Enoeda.
In 1966, Sherry won the first British all-styles championship, beating competitors from all of Britain's karate styles.[3] He went on, in 1968, to become European champion in kumite, an achievement he repeated in a number of subsequent years.[3] Andy dominated the early KUGB karate championships, winning the kata competition for the first four years running (1967-1970) and the kumite in 1968 and 1970.[3]
On the competition circuit, Andy Sherry was well-known for using a yori-ashi gyaku-tsuki (lunging rear-hand punch) as his "trademark" manoeuvre, leading many competitors of the time to joke that he only knew one technique.
Retiring from competition in 1977, Sherry continues to coach the KUGB international competition squad to this day, and now runs his own karate club, the Liverpool Red Triangle. Sherry recently earned 8th dan (8th level black belt) making him Britain's highest ranking shotokan karate practitioner.[3]
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- Karate
- Shotokan
- Karate Union of Great Britain
- Enoeda Keinosuke
- Terry O'Neill
- Bob Poynton
- Frank Brennan
