Fifty years after stepping onto the mat for the first time, Alexandria's Tom McTaggart admits he is still as excited as he was when he first tried karate.
Though he had two hip replacements and earned the nickname 'Bionic Man' in his family, the 65-year-old remains passionate about martial arts . He teaches karate in Tani.
In Scotland he has won five times and in Europe he has won his once.In the last 50 years he has taught more than 3,000 karate as the popularity of karate skyrocketed. .
This is an amazing change from the dawn of karate. Tom had never heard of the sport and his embarrassed boss prevented Tom from competing for Scotland.
Looking back on those days, Tom told Lenox: It was very behind the scenes.
``When I won my first cap for Scotland, I remember asking the manager for a leave of absence.
"That's right. I remember him looking at me and saying, 'What is karate?'
"I have been self-employed ever since.
"My first involvement was with Bruce Lee. Martial arts have really grown: Taekwondo, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts.
"Surely, 50 years later, I never imagined I would be involved.
"I'm still as passionate as the day I started. Last week I was training after taking a two-week vacation, and it's been great to be back.
"Even after two hip replacements and ankle fixations, it never left me. I still love it just as much."
Tom is 6 In 1978 I taught 1st dan, in 1981 2nd dan, and 3 years later I achieved 3rd dan. After nine years of competition absence, he returned to grades. In 1993 he got his 4th dan and in 1999 he got his 5th dan. He juggled karate while working a full-time job in the construction industry.
And he admits that he is still thinking about advancing to Rokudan.
Tom continues:
"But once you reach the first black belt, the minimum time to the second, three years minimum to the third, and the same time to the fourth, fifth, and sixth.
``I got 5th Dan in 1999, and I think I was the youngest in Scotland at the time. I would like to do it, I might still do it, but it gets a little harder as I get older.
"You lose a little bit of speed, but your knowledge is at a level where you don't need speed. I'm a very dangerous man within a meter, but outside of that meter anyone could get away - I'm not going to catch them.
Not so with Tom, who is unbelievable for his age, having had two hip replacements and an ankle injury. A problem prevented him from achieving 6th dan.
He explained that there are many shortcomings that I would like to address.
"Japanese masters are 70 years old, and continue training even at 80. My teacher, Kawazoe Sensei, is 10 years older than me."
Throughout his karate career, Tom won a number of Scottish caps and last fought for his country at the age of 45. He won the Scottish Championships for his fifth consecutive year and in 1984 he was named European Champion and achieved runner-up. Up after 1 year.
As a competitor and trainer for his Scottish team, he has participated in over 20 international competitions and has forged long-lasting friendships with as far afield as the United States, Norway, Spain and Italy.
However, he believes his greatest achievement lies in his proximity to home.
He said Told. My greatest achievement was leading a blind student to a purple belt.
``We are still friends. He came down and we helped him.
"I worked alongside him as his co-pilot and this was a very special It shows that karate is for everyone.
``He had never participated in a sport in his life. It was a challenge for me, of course, but incredibly rewarding."
