Becoming youngest karate 6th dan has 'blown my mind'

Alex went to Japan to take his 6th dan shortly after he turned 35

Almost 25 years ago, BBC journalist Alex Hodgson was introduced to karate while being bullied at school. He has just become the youngest person in the world to achieve his 6th dan in JKF Wadokai, after a recent trip to Tokyo, Japan.

By day, I work as a producer for BBC Sounds at BBC Radio Tees, but by night, I dress up in white pyjamas and do lots of kicking and punching.

I practice Wadokai karate and, somehow, I’ve managed to work my way up to 6th dan – the sixth level of black belt.

After travelling to Tokyo to take the grade, I'm currently the youngest person in the world to achieve it, at the age of 35.

I don't know how long I'll hold the title for - it just so happened it was all to do with timing - but, as you can probably imagine, this has totally blown my mind.

When I started karate as a kid growing up in Ingleby Barwick, Stockton, I never imagined the opportunities it would give me in life, or the things I would achieve.

It all began 24 years ago, when I was bullied at school. I had only a handful of friends and little-to-no self-confidence.

My parents had just joined the local gym and spotted there was a karate class and asked if I fancied a go.

I never took it up with the intention of beating up the bullies, it was just about giving myself something to focus on.

I went along one night. I loved it. A week later, I was back with a friend. A few weeks later, I started going on Saturday mornings as well.

After a couple of weeks, my instructor, Leo McDermott, suggested we gave the adult class a go.

Alex started teaching karate when he was 17

From there, I went from strength to strength and the best thing was that I experienced something I’d never felt before - I was treated as an adult.

There was no stigma or prejudice, I was just Alex and it was an amazing feeling.

As my training continued, I quickly learned there was a lot more to it than simply getting a black belt.

It was about the discipline and respect. The milestone of black belt was simply the start of everything, and 21 years ago, I passed my 1st dan.

Alex took up karate originally to give himself something to focus on

It wasn’t long after that I began my journey with the Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) - the sport's national governing body based in Tokyo.

I first trained with them in 2011/12 when our association invited Hideho Takagi Sensei to Teesside and this really lit the flame of training with them even more.

In 2015 I travelled to Japan to train with the best instructors in the world in their own dojos. It was hugely inspiring.

The country was unlike anywhere I’d ever visited and I fell in love. I’ve since been twice more and I want to go back again and again.

• BBC Sounds: World's youngest karate 6th dan returns to Teesside

I started teaching karate when I was 17 with the intention of giving something back to my karate association.

As a start, I began helping out in the same kids' class I started training in. Ever since then, I’ve taught classes and in 2015 I opened my own club in Middlesbrough.

During the hard times, I’ve always found karate was something that could centre me, something that could almost give me a purpose in life.

I was out of work in my 20s, but the thing that kept me getting out of bed was karate, and interacting with my fellow karateka (students) or the kids I was teaching.

The great beauty of karate is that it is a living thing - there is always something else to learn or a different way of thinking about it.

I am a bit blown away by being the youngest person in the world to have a 6th dan in JKF Wadokai - if only that young boy could see me now.