Gursharan Sahota was born in Kenya, East Africa but moved to the UK at the age of 12. He took up Karate at the age of 14 in the local Bedford club, and was awarded black belt 1st dan (Shodan) four years later.

 

Now a 8th dan, Gursharan has competed in a multitude of kata and kumite events, many at national and international level. But the most significant event in his career was the visit he made in 1984 to Japan. There, he fulfilled a great ambition by training in a Japanese dojo under the instruction of Sensei Hirokazu Kanazawa.

This experience proved to be a turning point for Gursharan. On his return to England, he realised the trip had been the inspiration he needed to dedicate his future to training and teaching karate as a way of life.

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Gursharan's first school was opened in Luton/Dunstable in 1981, and this is now the association's hombu (HQ). Having been a teacher of the art for many years, he formed his own association in 1993 - Tiska (The Traditional International Shotokan Karate Association) which is now one of the biggest associations in the UK.

Gursharan's love of karate has never diminished and he still teaches over 35 classes per week, in the UK and regularly takes master classes internationally.

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He is heavily involved in charity work, helping subsidise trips for surgeons to third world countries to operate on underprivileged children. He has for many years funded many projects in India for underprivileged children and is at present helping to fund the building of a new school there. Gursharan lives in Buckinghamshire and is happily married with a beautiful little girl who already shows signs of following in her daddy's footsteps