Martial Arts classes in Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset.

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits, there are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” – Bruce Lee.
Welcome back! I hope everybody had a good half term. It’s great to be back and see everyone at class keen to learn some new skills and show off what they have been working on over the week break.
This past week we have been refreshing everything we covered in the first half of term and working on earning the purple fitness stripe. This involved breaking up into mixed groups to practice correct press up, sit up and squat jump form before lining up and running through the amount of reps for their grade, and the results were fantastic! The majority smashed it and went home with the full five stripes on their belts, showing that they are ready to grade. Any that do not have the full five stripes still have plenty of time to earn them before grading in two weeks time. As well as focusing on fitness we have been running through all combinations. Splitting up into pairs using pads to perfect the more difficult techniques. The spinning techniques in particular, back hook kicks and back side kicks are notoriously hard to master but I have been extremely impressed with the drive and determination of our young warriors, working tirelessly to get each individual movement correct and fluid. For our more advanced students, wearing red belt and above, it has meant adding a jump into these kicks, adding a fresh challenge for them to crack. We are always moving forwards in our martial arts classes. We then moved on to applying these techniques in a sparring situation. Adding pressure of having to focus on footwork and defending from your opponents punches, this allowed our students to work on the correct timing for these kicks in a real situation. I try and ensure that we spar every fortnight because I feel it is integral for our students development as martial artists.
With grading day fast approaching I have set all of our students a bit of homework. I would like everyone to be practicing their fitness at home, so a minimum of 10 press ups, sit ups and squat jumps every day. This will be fantastic for their fitness, making the fitness challenges in class easier, but it is also a brilliant way to start the day! Some light exercise gives a quick blast of endorphins, giving everyday a positive start. Couple this with a short self control test before bed and you have a winning combination. Meditation has many health benefits as well has helping you get a decent nights sleep.
This week we will be working on grading prep. All of our students will be assessed in class to see who is ready to be put forward for grading in two weeks time.
See you in class!

www.warrioracademy.co.uk/trial – Martial Arts classes in Wiltshire and Somerset