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Hear from the Students

Courtaney

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Kickboxing is so much more than just fighting, it's a skill, a way of being, a discipline. I would wholeheartedly recommend joining SOUL, even if just for the family it will provide you from day one.

Yes there is power and fitness, but unexpectedly also kindness and acceptance without judgment. Training is often hard, but always achievable and there is always someone close at hand to help expertly guide and instruct.

What does S.O.U.L mean to me?

S.O.U.L is more than just a martial arts club. S.O.U.L is a safe space where you are accepted no matter who you are, your age, gender, knowledge, body shape, fitness or personal beliefs.

S.O.U.L is family.
S.O.U.L is trust.
S.O.U.L will bring out the very best in you, give you strength not only in body but in mind. It will teach you inner perspective, patience, kindness and it will give you confidence. 

If you are looking for a club that gives you more, then look no further than S.O.U.L.

 

Aged 57

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Loella

I love kickboxing because it's like a family and I feel really safe there and everyone is nice and friendly especially Karen.

Karen helps me feel confident especially when I'm grading. I'm excited to go every week and I feel better afterwards.

I love this kickboxing club.

Aged 9

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Julia

Aged 49

Back in 2018, I took my son along to his first class with S.O.U.L and as someone who has always loved going to the gym and fitness classes, I sat there thinking "Let's give this a go." Six years later, what seemed like a crazy thought at the time was absolutely one of my best decisions.

I had my reservations having never done any kind of martial arts and I thought I might be a little old to get started; but you are never too old to try something new.
 

S.O.U.L has been so much more than a class; it 's been life changing, building my confidence and inner strength, enabling me to face anything and everything life has thrown at me and providing me with a supportive and encouraging community. By stepping out of my comfort zone, I found a new zone - a zone where I love to be challenged and stretched... Even if I am a bit achey afterwards!

S.O.U.L truly is Spirit, Opportunity, Unison and Loyalty and I would go to classes every day if I could.

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Student Parent Comment

S.O.U.L Kickboxing caters for all ages and needs!

 

My son was diagnosed with autism aged 5. Life has been a continual rollercoaster for him, with daily challenges throughout his life growing up, struggling to be accepted and even understood in a world in which even a neurological child can find hard.

We first looked into kickboxing after watching Cobra Kai. My son watched it multiple times and often said he would love to do something like that in real life, but the chances of him ever coping with something like this was an unrealistic idea until I found S.O.U.L Kickboxing.

Karen started off with a couple of Zoom sessions because my son was too afraid to leave the house. This was a very daunting new experience, in which he struggled to do this and broke down in tears at some point throughout each session - but Karen was so patient, and where I wouldn't usually push things he really struggled with, I just had a feeling that this could be worth it in the end.

After we got through this with persistent reassurance and patience, he finally joined a class outdoors. For months I would sit in the car for whole sessions, and at times he would come back and forth but as his confidence grew & he felt he was in a safe space I was able to leave for longer periods until I eventually was able to drop him off.

He was learning so much. He had routine, structure, discipline but also fun, fitness, skills and for the first time in his life, he was accepted and treated in a way that enabled him to feel safe and secure.

Don't get me wrong, we've had many a time where he's struggled, cried, panicked, but somehow he's able to get through it all and become what I can only describe as a machine!

At home, he still lives with daily challenges and struggles but when he steps into S.O.U.L Kickboxing, he just becomes a different person and it has been literally life changing. We are now almost at black belt, something I never thought could even be possible and even saying those words out loud blows my mind.

 

I honestly can't thank the team enough for making my son a member of their family, supporting his every need and giving him the confidence and skill I never thought could even be possible.

He's now a teenager and so well mannered, and much more resilient to struggles in life, although still extremely innocent I truly believe it's been the absolute making of him.

SPIRIT

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If you believe it, the mind can achieve it.

OPPORTUNITY

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When opportunity knocks, don't let fear hold you back. Open the door and embrace the opportunity that has come forth.

UNISON

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We are three part beings - Mind, Body and Heart. Three separate but equal and interchangable parts that work in unison or fail.

LOYALTY

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Respect is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust is gained.

Loyalty is returned.
 

When I joined SOUL Kickboxing back in 2020, I was going through a very difficult familial loss. I had stalled with my own weight loss, personal fitness and wellness journey and wasn't making the progress I would have liked to have made as far into it as I was at the time, and I felt myself slipping backwards. I didn't feel happy with where I was, both within my sense of being and all other areas of my life. I felt for the first time in a long time that I was just sort of drifting, with an overall objective in mind but no clear sense of direction or way forward.

​

Karen (Ma'am) and S.O.U.L Kickboxing were exactly what I was looking for when I didn't have the words to express what that was. They gave me a healthy way to focus again and feel able to process my feelings, and from that foundation I was able to set a logical and structured path of progression back towards achieving my goals in a productive and sustainable way. S.O.U.L has given me confidence, community and a new way to express myself; and since joining there has not been a single day where I have regretted that decision, though on occasion I have come close - but only when there have been burpees involved!

 

I feel an enormous sense of pride, not just in the skills which Ma'am and the S.O.U.L family have helped me to develop, or the personal achievements and immense progress I have made under her excellent guidance and tutorship, but just to be associated with S.O.U.L Kickboxing, to wear that sweat-soaked t-shirt, to be able to train with friends and give something back week after week, month after month in the positive, holistic way that we do.

 

I truly believe that, through S.O.U.L Kickboxing, I have been enabled to enter a sort of golden era of my life - I believe in the many years to come that I will always look back to this part of my life and the time I continue to spend at S.O.U.L as being some of the happiest and most fulfilling periods of my life.

​

I think if I could summarise what it is about S.O.U.L that resonates with me, I believe it would be its emphasis on the artistry of martial arts. It's not just about hitting things, it's about nurturing your skills and encouraging the mental and physical discipline that is required to achieve true mastery of what is taught in every class, and in turn your mind, body and spirit.

 

At the time of writing, I have been one of Ma'am's students for over four years  and I have long recognised her approach to martial arts training as being one that first and foremost creates a safe space for people, no matter who they are, where they've come from, what their history is, no matter how old or young, big or small, to train together.

 

Nobody is treated differently. Nobody is judged. Everybody is encouraged to bring their best, and if that best isn't able to be here today, then there is always the faith that it will come when it is ready.

 

That is what I believe truly elevates S.O.U.L Kickboxing as a martial arts programme. I can say from personal experience that it works - when I first joined, I was a lot bigger than I am now and I couldn't finish the warm up or even run two laps around whichever hall we trained in without having to stop, sit down and catch my breath. Not once was I ever on the receiving end of any comments or looks from the instructors or other students, and I have never been reprimanded or made to feel bad or embarrassed if there was ever something I couldn't do - there has only ever been unending patience and encouragement to keep going and to keep trying.

 

There is no ego, there is no machismo, there is no hazing, there is no bullying or Cobra Kai style antagonism and despite being part of a full contact sport where you're expected to learn to beat the snot out of each other, S.O.U.L is filled with some of the kindest, most gentle and accepting people I have ever met - people from all walks of life with all kinds of skills and occupations; people who are trustworthy and effortlessly allow you to always feel safe when training with them... And without wanting to scare anyone outside of our sport (Perhaps this is a thing that only martial arts people understand?) I can say with full confidence that if I am ever to be punched in the face at any point in my life, I would be perfectly happy with it coming from a S.O.U.L member.

Matt

Aged 33

Cam

Aged 21

I have just started under a year ago and have seen huge amounts of progress, not just in my kickboxing but my discipline and the ability to push myself in other aspects of my life as well.


I have been met with loads of friendly faces and people who will all work hard at pushing you to helping you become a better version of yourself within the sport.

Max

Aged 15

Hi my name is Max, and I joined S.O.U.L Kickboxing in lockdown. They quickly became a second family. I have built immense fitness, grown in confidence skills and etiquette.

 

I am supported through challenging times as well as through my training sessions, gradings & tournaments.

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