Sensei Gemma Gibson, 3rd Dan
Gemma originally tried Karate when she was 5 at an after-school class, but after joining in with the class several times she realised she lacked concentration and decided she was not interested.
However, after watching the classes through the doors when picking her brother Dylan up, Gemma decided to try again at the age of 8 and she never looked back.
Gemma entering her first competition, the Liverpool Youth Championships 2009, as a red belt
Gemma has been competing across the country since 2009, since she was a red belt, and has a range of bronze, silver and gold medals at Local, Regional and National level.
In her first year competing as a junior grade she often made mistakes, but after almost two years of competing made her first final at the Seahouses Children’s Championships and won the 11-14 Novice-4th Kyu Kata which will always be a special one as it was the first final as well as her first win!
Gemma with her brother Dylan after winning the Seahouses Children's Championships 2009
Gemma passed her 1st Dan Black Belt Grading in October 2012, her 2nd Dan in November 2014 and 3rd Dan in May 2021.
At the age of 14, she began to help assisting in the junior class at the club and achieved her KUGB Assistant Instructor Qualification in 2015 and became a Fully Qualified Instructor in 2017 at the age of 18.
Gemma being presented with her black belt from Sensei Jill
She has been a member of the KUGB England Squad since 2014, regularly travelling to train alongside the top competitors in the country to develop her skills.
At the age of 15, Gemma was selected to represent England in Kumite at the 2014 European Shotokan Karate Championships (ESKA) in Zurich, Switzerland. This was the first year any Under 16s could compete in the European or World Championships, and she was one of only four Under 16s selected to represent England.
A recent competition success was winning 1st place in the Senior Female Kata and 3rd Place in the Senior Female Kumite at the KUGB Grand Slam in 2022.
Gemma with Sensei Jill after winning Kumite at the Shotokan Cup 2014
Gemma holding the sign for England at the ESKA European Championships 2014
In 2019, with all of the experience gained from teaching at Ashington, Gemma and her brother Dylan began covering classes at a small club in Blyth (South Beach Karate Club). They continued to help for several months and eventually started reaching out to new beginners to join the club. They continued to work hard on building the numbers, atmosphere, and friendships in the club even throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns.
In October 2020, they officially took over the club, becoming Senior Instructors.
Gemma and her brother Dylan with Sensei Bob Poynton
In November 2021, Gemma took the biggest step in her karate journey. She was asked by the KUGB to re-open the Cramlington club which had closed down due to Covid after almost 50 years. She re-opened the club by herself, starting from scratch and Gemma so pleased she made the decision to go ahead with it!
She is so grateful to Sensei Jill and Sensei Trish for giving her all the teaching skills and she looks forward to the future of all three clubs.
Gemma teaching at her club in Blyth
Gemma has currently trained with over 30 different Instructors at different KUGB Courses during her Karate carer and wants to continue her training both in and outside of the club, so she has the best experience and knowledge to pass onto her students.
Gemma training with Sensei Caroline McGrath