I began my journey in 1955 with the London Judo Society, then delved into aikido, kendo and karate. I joined the British police and subsequently served as a troubleshooter in a bad part of London, which resulted in my rolling in more gutters than most people. It was a learning curve that separated dojo training from the real thing.
In 1967 my victory at the National Police Judo Championship inspired me to visit Japan to further my training. Being short on cash, I was forced to go there via a six-week crossing of Siberia during the Cold War. That was just
