Steve Cattle

I do Karate for my own personal improvement and I am prepared to accept that I have to suffer in one direction in order to improve in another.

Steve Cattle

Those who knew and trained with Steve Cattle described him as one of the best karateka to come out of the UK. Standing 5 foot 6 inches, he was affectionately nicknamed ‘Stumpy’ by his friends. However, what he lacked in height he more than made up in sheer tenacity, spirit, and technique. Always having to fight opponents much bigger than him, he was never found lacking in the bravery department. Highly respected he was known for his exceptional timing and immense Karate knowledge.

Stephen John Cattle was born on 15 May 1947 in York, England. He began studying Judo in 1960 as a twelve-year-old, training under Dave Peake, an accomplished judoka who would go on to win international honours representing Great Britain.

Cattle’s Karate journey began in 1962 when he applied for BKF (British Karate Federation) membership. He officially joined Gordon Thompson’s York Kenshinkan dojo on 2nd October 1963. He was aged 16. Thompson had trained with Vernon Bell’s BKF and had also trained with Tetsuji Murakami. He would go on to be a founding member of the Karate Union of Great Britain.

On 23rd February 1964, Hiroo Mochizuki, who was teaching on behalf of the BKF, conducted a grading at the York Dojo. Cattle was promoted to 6th kyu. His next promotion was on 24th January 1965 by Vernon Bell. He was graded to 5th kyu.

In 1965 the JKA sent Taiji Kase, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Keinosuke Enoeda and Hiroshi Shirai on a world tour to help promote the JKA’s version of Shotokan Karate. On their visit to the UK, they gave a number of demonstrations and courses. Cattle attended one of these demos, and like many of the attendees fell in love with the JKA style of Karate.

On 3rd July 1965, Hirokazu Kanazawa made his first visit to the York Dojo. He stayed in York for a week. He was teaching on behalf of the BKF, who had requested a resident instructor from the JKA. Everyone at the dojo were re-graded at the end of the week. Cattle was graded to 5th kyu by Kanazawa.

Cattle continued to practice Judo while also practising Karate. Although small in comparison to some of his opponents, Cattle displayed his characteristic tenacity, in his study of Judo. In 1966 he was selected to represent Britain at the European Student Judo Championships. He became the European Lightweight Champion.

Cattle moved to Liverpool in 1966 to study Theology at the C F Mott Teacher Training College. Part of his reason for studying in Liverpool was to also train with Andy Sherry and Keinosuke Enoeda, who was now residing in the UK. Enoeda was the Chief Instructor at the Red Triangle Club. Cattle established a Karate Club at the college. He taught three classes a week.

Cattle entered his first tournament in 1966, as a brown belt. At the ABKA All-Styles tournament held in London, he lost his very first fight. He learnt a lot from this experience.

In 1967, as a judoka, Cattle was selected to represent Britain at the World Student Games held in Japan. He stayed in Japan for three months, training at Tenri University, a premier Judo university, noted for producing many Judo Olympians. He would later recall that it was the hardest training he ever did. On his return to the UK, he decided to shift his focus to Karate, as the further he moved into Judo the bigger his opponents became.

After his first tournament lost in 1966, Cattle had improved to become a well-rounded competitor in both kata and kumitay. He worked on his timing until it became an integral part of his arsenal, for which he was known. At the 1st British Universities Karate Federation Championship, held at Liverpool University in 1968, he helped C F Mott College to the team kumitay title. He also won the Individual Kumite title. The event was open to all styles of Karate. The following year C F Mott College retained their Team Kumite title. This time he won the Individual Kata title. He would eventually go on to represent the KUGB National team and also the British All-Styles Team.

For the next couple of years, Cattle dedicated himself to his Karate. However, like Taiji Kase, Hirokazu Kanazawa, and Keinosuke Enoeda, his earlier Judo practice helped to influence his Karate practice.

In 1970 Cattle was awarded his 2nd Dan in Judo. That same year he made it onto the KUGB National team. He would remain a member of the squad until 1984.

In 1971 Cattle became SKU kata champion and also the first BKCC All Styles champion. The following year he retained his SKU kata title.

In November 1972, Cattle, now a 3rd Dan, established the Kirkdale and Bootle Karate Club, alongside Sandy Hopkins. The club was an offshoot of the Liverpool Red Triangle Club. He had been approached by the Kirkdale Community Centre, where the club was located, to start up a club. He initially taught at the club 5 nights a week, eventually teaching 3 nights a week to streamline the operation of the club. Several guest instructors, including Hirokazu Kanazawa, Taiji Kase, Satoshi Miyazaki, and Masao Kawasoe, have all been guest instructors at the club.

In 1973 Cattle was selected to represent Britain as a member of the All Styles team at the European Karate Championships held in Valencia, Spain. He reached the final of the –65-kg event, losing to Roger Paschy of France, in a match that went into overtime.

As a member of the Kirkdale kumite team Cattle won two KUGB National titles, first in 1974 and then in 1981. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the Kirkdale kumite team became one of the best competitive teams in the UK, under Cattle’s guidance. They frequently competed and found success in all-styles open tournaments.

As a competitor, some of Cattle’s best performances came in the KUGB National Championships. He faced many of the KUGB’s finest fighters, including the likes of Terry O’Neill, Billy Higgins, and Frank Brennan in finals. His matches against O’Neill are considered to be among the best ever seen. He reached the individual kumite final on five occassions, winning the title in 1974 and 1981.

Cattle finally retired from active competition in 1989. His tournament successes include:

• European Championships, Individual Kumite (-65-kg)- 2nd place (1973)
• BKCC All Styles Championships, Individual Kumite – 1st place (1971)
• SKU Championships, Individual Kata – 1st place (1971, 1972)
• KUGB National Championships, Individual Kumite – 1st place (1974, 1981)
• KUGB National Championships, Individual Kumite – 2nd place (1977, 1982, 1983)
• KUGB National Championships, Individual Kata – 2nd place (1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978 )
• KUGB National Championships, Team Kumite – 2nd place (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986)

In January of 1991, Cattle left the KUGB and JKA to join Taiji Kase’s WSKA (World Shotokan Karate Association). He also established the ESA (English Shotokan Academy), which was affiliated to the WSKA. He had been with the KUGB for twenty-five years. As a 5th Dan, he had been a squad member in the National side, a senior instructor, and also a grading examiner.

Cattle was a keen historian of Karate and very knowledgeable about the martial art. He wrote articles for several martial arts publications. He was not blinded by Karate styles or organisations. He made it a point to know katas and their bunkai, from the various Karate styles, and not just Shotokan. Always looking to improve his knowledge, he had trained with the likes of Teruo Chinen. He had a deep respect for the JKA. However, he was an outspoken critic of them when he felt it was merited. One area in which he held strong views was on the changes made to some Shotokan kata by the JKA.

Cattle suffered from a number of health issues. While teaching in Kenya he contracted malaria. He also had both of his hips replaced. A true measure of the man was that he did not let any of these setbacks hold him back.

On 21 February 1995, Steve Cattle, aged only 47 years, died. He had been training in Luxembourg with Taiji Kase and was on his way back to the UK, via train. He had an epileptic fit onboard the train and died shortly after. He was survived by his wife and three children. At the time of his death, he had reached the rank of 6th Dan.

A measure of how well-respected Cattle was, were the many tributes received following his death, from his peers in the Karate world. Magazines such as Traditional Karate, Shotokan Karate Magazine and Fighting Arts international all published glowing tributes to him. Known for his great spirit, he always gave 100%, inspiring teammates and students alike. Many believed he still had much to offer the Karate world through his never-ending quest for knowledge and self-improvement.