Kirby practised Judo at school but his serious martial arts training began when he took up Shotokan Karate under Terry O’Neill and Cliff Hepburn at Salford University in 1973. He progressed to become a member of the University team which went on to win the British Universities Championships. Future World Wado Ryu Champion Charles Longden-Hughes was a member of the same team.

 

In 1977 Kirby went to live in France and trained at Dominique Valera’s club in Lyon. Whilst in France he met Shihan Roland Maroteaux and was introduced to a modern form of Aiki Ju Jutsu which Shihan Maroteaux had named Goshin Do. He received his Black Belt in this art in 1979, shortly before returning to live in Britain.

 

The core art of Goshin Do was Hakko Ryu Ju Jutsu, an art in which Shihan Maroteaux had become the first westerner to gain a Shihan licence in Japan. Kirby went on to study Hakko Ryu with Shihan Roy J Hobbs, an American Air Force Colonel who was stationed near Ipswich at the time. He also trained in Hakko Ryu with Shihan Antonio Garcia from Belgium and was eventually graded to Yondan (4th degree Black Belt) in this art in 1989.

 

Shihan Hobbs had spent time in Japan and Okinawa and had become the highest graded westerner in the Okinawan system of Seidokan Karate Kobudo under Soke Shian Toma. Kirby studied this art with Shihan Hobbs also and received his Shodan (1st degree Black Belt) in 1985.

 

Kirby’s main art, however, and the only one he studies and teaches at the moment, is Kaze Arashi Ryu. This is a complete Samurai system using both weapons and empty hand techniques. The empty hand arts of the system are Aiki Ju Jutsu and Atemi Jutsu. He has been studying this system since 1985 and currently holds the ranks of Menkyo (Licensed Teacher) in Aiki Ju Jutsu and Oku Iri (Entrance to Secrets) in Ken Jutsu (sword arts) and Jo Jutsu (staff arts). His teacher is Henri Robert Vilaire Sensei who lives in the USA.

 

Kirby had articles published in all British martial arts magazines from 1985 and for several years wrote a column in Traditional Karate entitled “As I See It!”