Questions and Answers

Q. Will I need to be very fit to do this 'stuff' ?

A. No. We're happy for you to come along with any level of fitness (or fatness - it's all relative !). We're also happy that you will get fitter as you practice but at a pace that suits you. Fitness gains come in cardio-vascular improvements, muscular endurance, flexibility and anaerobic activity. We normally start with a warm up (for the Juniors it's normally some sort of game activity but they don't see it as a warm up) and then sometimes through the session a stretch type activity as well. Stuart is a Higher Education Sports Science lecturer and has as one of his subjects 'fitness and training' and so this will be handled in a good way.

Q. My youngster has done things in the past and not stuck at them. How will you make sure this doesn't happen ?

A. One of the first things to remember is to ..... remember ! Remember when you were young what might have put you off activities or exercise or sticking at something ? Hey, guess what things haven't changed that much ! We also need to remember what Pavlov and his dogs taught us - that associations can be made with activity and stimulus. That association can be negative and it can be positive. We always aim for the latter. We won't use exercise as a punishment, "You're late get down and give me 10 press up's", as that just sets up a negative association. We will use fun, fun and some more fun, oh and interest, reward, understanding and encouragement. We reward effort - not always the 'best' person. We give out badges that can be put onto the karate suit, we give out ribbons for belts and coloured belts when progress has been made. We get the youngsters involved. That way we have fun as well ! It's not anarchic and we do have ways of behaving but it's not done in a heavy handed way and it is to encourage our values of respect for others at all times and try your best when you do.

Q. Can you tell me something about your child protection ethos ?

A. Yes, it's simple. We'll talk to you about child protection issues. We'll talk to the youngsters about it - in a way they can relate to and is not scary. We'll talk to anyone and everyone. We'll be as open about this as we are about everything else. In this way we let everyone know that we are child safety aware. The coaches that look after your youngsters will have an enhanced CRB check - for what it's worth. What do we mean by that ? Simple. We don't rely on the CRB check as it's only 'good' on the day of issue ! We are child protection aware all of the time unlike some others. We know what the signs and symptoms are and we talk about it openly. We'll acknowledge 'the elephant in the room' when we see it and we'll do something about it. We invite you to be the same. Effective child protection isn't a set of policies that an organisation implements. It's a way of being that we all have to buy into - you, us AND the youngsters themselves.

Q. Will I need shin pads, gloves and body protectors ?

A. NO ! We will move through a system of practice that will allow you to feel comfortable at each stage. Sometimes this will involve partner work and yes, we do mix up the grades for this but no, none of those higher grades will 'impose' their ability on you. We are all there to help each other and learn from each other. The best way we can do that is to ensure that we can practice together. When the time comes for kumite (sparring) it will be in a controlled fashion and at a pace that you can deal with. You will already be able to deflect and block attacks and counter. You will have freedom of movement - to move out of the way easily ! - and you will be able to learn from your errors without fear of being 'clubbed' by another (see Pavlov above !). Padding etc just provides a false level of security and is about poor practice in our view.

Q. I've got a question that you haven't dealt with.

A. GREAT ! We can't anticipate all questions so just contact us - see the contacts page - and we'll be happy to answer it in an open and honest way. If it's something that we think would help others it'll get added to this area. Happy to help ....