Family Martial Arts Liverpool

Women in Martial Arts

Anita Wilson

1st Lady Assistant to Sensei Henry Ellis
Schools of Aikido Ellis
Anita Wilson was ranked to Shodan by Jiro Nakazono Sense the second son of the legendary Budo master who had filed her teacher Henry Ellis in 1963.

I was born in West London in 1963, my father was very involved in martial arts and a dan grade in Karate he was also a dealer in ancient Japanese arms and armor, although my father has an antique shop on Bond Street in London, my home was more like a samurai warriors dressing room, with original colors of Japanese armor with very frighting masks that scare the lives of my friends when ever they came home, there were also many valuable swords yari and naginata spears.

Masters

My father's trip around the world looking for the best quality weapons, what intrigued me most that the child was all these strange visitors who come to me, the famous Otani family were regular visitors with Sensei Otani 7th dan Judo Matsuro the UK National Coach, Kenshiro Abbe Sensei, Tomio Otani Sensei the UK National Coach for Kendo, his visitors were like a Who's Who of martial arts, as recently as two weeks ago I I have had the pleasure of meeting Sensei Kazuo Chiba 8th dan when he came to see my father.

Introduction to Aikido

As a child, I did a little Karate with my father, but nothing serious until 1992 when I went to the local Aikido dojo in Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom. All those years with my father and his weapons Japan should have a latent but profound effect on me as I watched Sensei Ellis teaching his positive style of Aikido I knew there and then that it was the martial art for me.

The hard training begins

When I started Aikido I made a point of training with men and they treated me like one of them. With regular practice I progressed. I developed the hard training bug and started courses in physical training and fitness enthusiast, after several years of hard work I became a certified personal trainer, personal trainer and amateur weight lifting coach, the high light of all this effort was when Sensei Ellis promoted me to assistant coach Ellis Schools of Traditional Aikido (ESTA) two years later he appointed me the first lady assistant to himself, he has never ever been lady assistant throughout the long history of the ESTA, Sensei put me on a test three months and 8 years on I am still here.

In 1994, I received my coaching certificate from the British Aikido Board (BAB), which is the governing body for Aikido in the United Kingdom. Once I became assistant to Sensei Ellis I became involved in supporting education in both men and women and also helps with classes of children.

The first seminar

Sensei Ellis asked if I would participate in a great and important seminar in Liverpool in northern England, Sensei Ellis is not one of those teachers who has a pet uke to follow him to fly across the carpet to a contact or a look, he prefers to try to involve all students who attend his seminars, if possible, knowing that, I felt very privileged but nervous when Sensei told me that there are about 700 students from various arts martial, I think the phrase "being thrown into the deep end" is applicable here.

Upon arrival at the scene, I was surprised to see so many students from many countries, the UK-France-Germany-Italy-India-Austria are a few that I remember. Sensei Ellis was asked to take the first class of about 50 degrees dan in various martial arts. Sensei me demonstrate 100 press-ups on the backs of my wrists with fingers pointing inwards and outwards. When I finished, and he was in the raised position Sensei sat on my back (it does n.