Denis was a latecomer to the art of Karate and was in his 30s when he began training with Sensei Terry Proverbs in 1985. It took Denis over 10 years of hard work and many hours of training to pass his Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. He continued to train regularly and passed his Second Dan when he turned 50. Denis has now been training with Sensei Lomax for 3 years now and at the age of 65 still enjoys training at both Heanor and Ilkeston Shotokan Karate Clubs where he tries to get to 1 or 2 sessions a week.