South Hams karate practitioner Dan Curtis has been celebrating after having been awarded his second dan black belt after an intense grading session at the University of Bath.

Dan, 35, who has recently become an assistant instructor at Ivybridge Karate Club, was in the presence of karate legends on his visit to the university.

He took part in a two-hour training session with the chief instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain, Andy Sherry, a ninth dan, and eighth dan Billy Higgins, before passing his grading.

Dan has been practising karate on and off for 15 years and says one of the things he most enjoys is the social side of the martial art.

He said: ‘Initially I enjoyed the fitness side of it, and also the hidden confidence building side of it.

‘As I’ve gained more experience and belts, I have noticed the more social and almost family-like side of it.

‘Karate is almost like a small community, especially in the south west and even the South Hams, regardless of who you train with. Karate is an art for all to enjoy.’

Dan runs his own IT business, often taking him to different parts of the UK and thus affording him the opportunity to train in different places and broaden his experiences.

He said: ‘I contract out installing self-service checkouts, so that takes me all over the south and east which gives me more opportunities to train elsewhere.

‘I train primarily with sensei Neil Rowley (fourth dan KUGB), in Ivybridge as I find he pushes me a lot, which is definitely something I need to progress, as I can get caught in a “comfort zone” as it were, and he is very technically apt and likes his students to be so.

‘I have also trained locally with sensei Ash Hawkes in Kings­bridge, who has been a good guide and help, as well as Pete Aitken in Dartmouth, again a good sensei.’

The thing thing that is most rewarding, though, for Dan, is the relatively new task of teaching. He said: ‘I’ve recently started taking small group of students.

‘It’s a challenge teaching someone to do a combination or a kata, when you feel or know you’re not perfect yourself.

‘But when that student gets a compliment from a high-ranking sensei such as Andy Sherry or passes a grading, then nothing can beat that feeling really.’

With three years having to elapse before Dan can try for his third dan, he aims to use the time to refine his own technique and, after having competed in the KUGB Southern Championships in Reading in June, get involved in more competition.