Nina Hall - 4th Dan

Question and Answers

How long have you had your black belt?

Since December 2006.

Who was your first instructor?

Stuart Kitchener

Why did you start training?

I have always been quite sporty so when I heard of a new karate club starting up I thought I would give it a try and a loved it!

Who inspires you?

Many people one of course being Billy Brennan. Most recently Eddie Issard has inspired me a lot, he ran an astonishing 43 marathons in 51 days! No one can fail to be impressed by that!

What drives you to keep training?

Karate is a big part of my life and if I can’t train I really miss it and get grumpy! I always want to be better and learn more. 

What other sports do you do/have you done?

I have tried many sports over the years and enjoyed most of them (but not net ball as I think it was too girly for me!) I played Rugby at University and also did kick boxing for a while. I tried boxing training while in Australia which as great fun and most recently I have started running which I have a bit of a love hate relationship with!

Who do you know who is still training from when you started?

Janice Brown, Stuart Kitchener and Gary Last.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start karate now?

If you don’t try it you will never know what you are missing out on – karate has something for everyone it not all about fighting!

What age did you start karate?

15 years old.

What are your future goals & hopes?

I have just started refereeing and I have a lot to learn but hopefully one day I will be a good at it!

How often do you train?

I try to get to 2 classes as week but often do bits of training by myself like running though katas and practicing kicks. I try to go running 2-3 times as week to keep fit.

what challenges have you overcome?

It sounds silly but learning to run was a big challenge for me. Running is something I am not naturally good at and I convinced myself that I just couldn’t do it. When the powers that be changed the black belt gradings to include a one mile run I was horrified. I even offered to fight everyone on the black belt grading panel rather than do the run! However with help from my friend Abigail who took me running in my lunch breaks I discovered that I can run and completed the mile run at my 2nd dan grading quite comfortably. I now try to go running a least twice a week and sometimes even enjoy it!

What is your favourite kick?

If I want to show off it will be a crescent kick as I am quite flexible so can do it  well but when I am fighting it has to be a round kick to the head off the front leg.

What is your favourite hyung/kata?

Korean kata: Chil yang

Japanese kata: Seienchin (although I am still learning this one!)

What is your favourite fighting move or technique?

Round kick to the head!

What is you top tip to others?

You only get out of karate what you put in so always train hard!

What is the best piece of advice you've been given?

A school teacher of mine used to say “whatever you do, do it with confidence and style” which I think is a great bit of advice. And then there’s the good old favourite “train hard grade easy!” which is so true!