The instructor, Gordon Fong (3rd dan), started karate in 1980 at the youth centre in Newton Aycliffe. The club was part of the Tera Karate Kai association (whose Chief Instructor was Toru Takamizawa, 7th Dan Kyoshi) and run by Eddie Byrne who is still actively training in the martial arts. There was an interim period on the closure of the first karate club that he joined Keith Bell's Sentenashi Karate Kosai.

Upon moving to Sunderland he rejoined Sensei Takamizawa's Institute of Karate. Most of his training had been in the North East of England, under the likes of Frank Miller, Cliff Richmond and Peter Edwards and he is very grateful to those for their help and encouragement through life.

On the passing away of Takamizawa Sensei he formally joined the Wado Academy, under Shiomitsu Sensei.

Other periods of training included 4 years at Birmingham University with Ken Hassell winning British Universities championship titles at lightweight and middleweight levels in two consecutive years, as well as representing the British Students karate team on national and international levels.