Instructor Profile - Lisa Coster

When I was a teenager, I dabbled in the art of Karate but I never really got anywhere with it. I then turned my attention to Ice Hockey, and served on the Slough Phantoms Women’s Ice Hockey Team for four years. I only stopped to have my children, but never went back.

I started training with Sensei Debi in September 2005. I was a 32 year old mother of two when I started, and like most in that position, I hadn’t done any form of organised exercise for quite a while so I found it incredibly hard work in the beginning! I then had two large gaps in my training during 2006 due to surgery, and another gap in 2007, so I have had a huge fight to keep going. I am now a brown belt, and at my last grading I also won the ‘Most Improved Student’ award for the Kew dojo, which was not only a great honour, but an amazing achievement personally. I competed in last year’s World Karate Championships despite having a fractured rib, and managed to win a bronze medal for kata. I was thrilled as that was my first competition, and I have been selected to represent our dojo in South Africa next year.

Aside from my karate life, I am Midwife at Kingston Hospital, and I also did my Pre-Clinical training as a Doctor, and am in the process of completing a Masters Degree in Clinical Anatomy. I currently serve on a committee for the South West London health sector dealing with immunisations. All this knowledge comes in very handy when I serve as the 'Medic' for grading days!

When I have a gap in my busy schedule, I love to act with The Richmond Shakespeare Society who are an amateur theatre company at The Mary Wallace Theatre in Twickenham. I have done several productions with them in the 8 years I have been a member there. I am also rather a film buff, and enjoy watching films whenever possible.

I have recently become a Parent Governor for Marshgate Primary School which brings many challenges, but I hope to use the knowledge I have acquired in the area of Special Educational Needs from helping my son, in my new role. I am about to embark on specific training to enable me to become the ‘link governor’ for Special Educational Needs.

I have been a member of the East Sheen Baptist Church for the past 17 years, and have served most of those working with the youth. I have taught Sunday school groups of all ages, and co-ordinated the youth work as a whole for several years. I currently teach the teenage group on Sundays with my husband, who is also a Deacon of the Church. I also co-lead a teenage youth club at the church on a Friday night, which is a ‘safe place off the streets’ for all who attend and is becoming increasingly popular.

I currently serve as the Chair of a committee which runs the nursery school in our Church, and my role is that of ‘Registered Person’ which is determined by Ofsted. This makes me responsible in law for the registration of the nursery, and any complaints against the manager, staff or the provision of childcare. I am also responsible for staffing, updating and approving policies, ensuring the manager and staff are updated with relevant training and liaising directly with Ofsted. I delegate roles to the other committee members and annually appraise the current manager, and I am about to embark on specific training to enable me to act as the child protection officer for the nursery.

Since I started training with Sensei Debi I have had many obstacles to overcome, both in my personal life and with regards to my health. I feel that the ethos of karate has enabled me to be strong and not give up, and as a result I have improved as a student and I have now become an Instructor for the Peewee division of the association. When I started, I never thought that I would be an instructor myself, but I have developed my teaching skills with the help of Sensei Debi, who often entrusts me with the honour of teaching lower grades for the Funakoshi Shotokan training sessions. Whilst I sometimes struggle physically to keep training, I don’t doubt for a moment that I will keep on doing so, and truly hope to one day wear a black belt.

Sempai Lisa Coster

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