Why I Started KRMA: The Story Behind Koku-Ryu Martial Arts

People often see what KRMA is today, but every martial arts school has a beginning.

For me, that beginning goes back to 1988.

My interest in martial arts was sparked by some fairly typical influences for a child growing up at the time: the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles — as they were known in the UK then — and martial arts films featuring people such as Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton.

My parents also had their own motivation for getting me involved. In my original telling of the story, I described it as their attempt to somewhat “tame” me.

Whatever the reason, I started training in Traditional Karate.

More Than Learning to Fight

What began as an interest in martial arts became something much bigger.

Training showed me that martial arts could affect far more than physical ability. It could influence the way someone thinks, behaves, approaches challenges and develops as a person.

That experience stayed with me.

It was ultimately one of the reasons I wanted to create KRMA: to give other people the opportunity to experience the positive impact martial arts had shown me.

The Idea Behind KRMA

From the beginning, the intention was never simply to create somewhere people could learn punches, kicks and techniques.

The vision was to build a martial arts environment around:

discipline, confidence, fitness and community.

The aim was to help students of different ages use martial arts as a way of developing themselves — both in training and outside it.

That distinction matters.

Technical ability is important. Students should become better martial artists.

But there is also value in learning to persevere when something is difficult, developing confidence to attempt something unfamiliar, setting goals and becoming part of a supportive community.

Those ideas became central to what I wanted KRMA to represent.

Seeing the Impact

One of the most rewarding parts of building KRMA has been seeing students take what they develop through martial arts into other areas of their lives.

Over the years, we have seen people grow in confidence, develop themselves through training and carry those lessons into their families, careers and communities.

That is a significant part of why KRMA exists.

Success does not have to mean becoming a champion or earning a Black Belt.

Sometimes success is simply someone discovering that they are capable of more than they thought.

The Values Behind the School

Respect, perseverance and integrity were highlighted in the original story because they reflect the kind of environment KRMA was intended to create.

Martial arts can provide the vehicle, but the wider goal is personal development.

My own journey started with Traditional Karate in 1988.

What followed eventually became KRMA.

And the reason behind it remains straightforward: to use martial arts to help people grow.