Sensei Stewart started his karate training in 1985.  He began learning the art of Sankukai-Ryu karate under the watchful eye of Shihan Barry Stranack (The Chief Instructor and Founder of the International Sankukai-Ryu Karate-Do Federation).

 At the age of 12 Sensei Stewart achieved the honourable grade of Shodan (1^st Dan) and with all the basic fundamentals in place, he continued to learn and develop as a karate-ka.  He trained seven days a week striving for perfection in every aspect of karate and in 1987 he entered the I.S.K.F International Championships and won the gold in both kata and kumite.  Elsewhere on the competition circuit, Sensei Stewart was becoming recognised as a formidable opponent.  With the knowledge and experience he was gaining came the hunger to participate in more prestigious events.  It was during his junior success as a student of Shihan Stranack that he attained his Nidan (2^nd Dan).

 An accident in 1991 forced him to cease training until he had completely recovered.  The healing process was very slow and his return to karate was going to be many years away…

 In 1995 he returned under Sensei Matthew Wright, also a former student of Shihan Stranack.  Sensei Stewart began to train with great enthusiasm again as he realised that a lot of time had been lost and, that karate was an enormous part of who he was.  He once again entered the competition circuit and won many championship titles in kata and kumite. 

In 1998 he achieved his Sandan (3^rd Dan) and received the honourable role of Chief Instructor of the Shukokai-Ryu Karate-Do Association.  As a new and growing association, the Shukokai-Ryu Karate-Do Association was affiliated to the Federation of English Karate Organisations (F.E.K.O.).  F.E.K.O. hold regular national squad training sessions for it’s members which are held up and down the country.  Many members attend and this offers them the opportunity to represent F.E.K.O. in prestigious competitions nationally and internationally such as the World Karate Confederation World Championships, the three on three’s, and many more.

 Sensei Stewart was invited to attend these squad training sessions and it was not long before he was being selected to represent F.E.K.O. in every competition.  He put a lot of time and effort in the squad showing dedication and commitment to other members and coaches.  All this paid off because in 2003, as the newly appointed ‘A Squad Captain’, he led a team of seven squad members to the World Karate Confederation World Championships in St Petersburg, Russia.

 Sensei Stewart has been fortunate enough thoughout his karate journey to be taught by well respected, distinguished and remarkable karate-ka.  Shihan Stranack gave him excellent karate foundations on which he is still building and he has attended courses with Shihan Keiji Tomiyama, Hanshi Haruyoshi Yamada, Ticky Donovan OBE, Wayne Otto, Tom Beardsley, Tim Stevens, to name but a few.