Name: Hi I’m David Francis Damian
Nickname: My Mum and Dad call me David, everybody else calls me Dave, Oy You and Thingy. Some people call me Smithy.
Grade: I’m a Shodan, 1st Dan Blackbelt and have been since December 2018.
Dojo: I teach at Broadoak, Swinton and train in Sensei Paul’s Classes.
Full or Volunteer: I am a Volunteer instructor and really enjoy it, I’m Crazy Dave to most of my students, I actually think they just come for the laughs. It’s great to see kids doing what I did as a kid before technology, throwing your arms and legs about to make shapes and forms without caring too much. Engaging their imaginations to endless possibilities of success without being judged too harshly and seeing them try so hard to improve.
Why did you start: I started Karate in my 20s not the 1920s cos I know the jokes that are coming back off that. A knock at the door and a week later I was a white belt with GKR, went through the belts pretty quick and became an instructor with them. I left for reasons unknown. (Secret Agent). But don’t tell anyone.
What keeps you training: The fact that I love Karate and what it gives back. The endless pursuit of a Limitless Perfection that can never be achieved but that we constantly work hard at.
Job in the real world: I left school at the age of 16 in 1984, I went to Loretto College in Hulme for a month, couldn’t stand it and walked out, went to the job centre and joined the YTS as a Mechanic at a local Vauxhall Dealership. My Mum and Dad were on holiday and came back to that Bomb Shell. I’ve always known what I wanted and been confident Independent. Something that I try to instill in my children and my students.
I’ve been an AA Man, Mechanic, Car Fleet Controller (10,000 vehicles) and now I work at one of the top 5 banks as a Commercial Recoveries Manager, I help businesses get back on their feet and in some case I recover the banks money.
Favourite part of karate: Taking my Gi off, only joking, the best part is putting it on. It’s like putting your first suit on (Men in Black) the feeling never changes. Knowing that you are about to train with the utmost respect for an ancient art and try to respect the form that they created. There is a proper buzz from learning a new Kata.
Hobbies other than karate: Karate, cycling lots of cycling, fishing, paint balling, and restoring old Star Wars ships, vehicles and figures. I like repairing modern toys. But my biggest hobby is my 2 wonderful children, building memories and helping them understand that frustration is merely a test of their resolve in how much they want to achieve something and showing them that anything is possible and the only barriers that exist are in our minds.