Sensei Jake Weslake began his studies in the martial
arts as a child in Shorin-Ryu Karate at the age of six years old.
However as a fortunate twist of fate, his Karate Dojo stopped teaching
classes to children, and he found his way into the Dojo of GM.
Verkerke in 1987.
As a teenager he continued to study Seicho Jutsu as a direct student
of GM. Verkerke, but he was unable to fully appreciate the
completeness of the Grandmasters art at the time. This combined with
many of the challenges of growing up, temporarily guided him on a path
away from his Dojo. Sensei Westlake moved from Cambridge, got married
and started his family.
During this time, a passion for the Martial Arts encouraged him to
study more traditional fighting systems like Kung Fu and Jujitsu. At
this point in his life, he hoped to be able to combine the ancient
ideals and values of these arts with the teachings of Seicho Jutsu to
gain a greater understanding of his path in life.However, in his
quest to find a new school, he had a difficult time finding an Art as
complete as Seicho Jutsu. It was also a challenge to find a teacher
that could both respect traditional ideas of the martial arts, and
think outside the boundaries of them as well. He began to really
appreciate what he had given up a few years earlier.
Since then, Sensei Westlake has moved back to Cambridege, and in 2004
he began his studies in Seicho Jutsu again. Thanks to GM. Verkerke he
is beginning to find the answers he was looking for, in both the
Martial Arts as well as in life. He is currently enjoying his studies
in Secho Jutsu and in Dec 2005 he received his second degree blackbelt.
He hopes that his path keeps him in the Grandmasters Dojo for many
years to come.
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