LOCAL Taekwondo group, Leadership Martial Arts (LMA) Calne have been very busy in the six months since they celebrated their six year anniversary.
LMA offer classes for all the family, from the age of five upwards and 2024 has continued to see some incredible achievements, from victories in competitions to the organisation of birthday parties, kids' camps, fetes and school events - LMA continue to be a great asset to our community.
Local schools lucky enough to have received free classes from LMA since February include Cherhill, Fynamore, Derry Hill and St Edmunds. With all year groups welcome to join in, LMA hope to continue offering this fantastic extra-curricular opportunity in the upcoming school year.
An increase in class sizes has led to Friday classes being moved to Beversbrook Sport and Community Facility which could offer the group a bigger venue with scope to use additional facilities at the site. In addition to this, the group offer classes on Sundays at Marden Vale Academy. Both junior and adult classes are available, inclusive of free taster sessions and uniform.
LMA classes are an excellent opportunity to boost confidence and promote fitness, especially amongst younger students. One happy parent was pleased to report that his son was 'extra proud' as he was watched board breaking: "he’s become so much more confident and fitness oriented since going to LMA, it’s a joy to come and watch."
Existing students with LMA have excelled in recent months too, in June the group were victorius at the Best of the Best Sparring competition, winning four of the seven gold medals and three bronze medals. One particularly talented student even came away with 2nd place overall.
In July one student Jack, won LMA's 'Best of the Best' plaque for a high kick, having kicked above an astonishing 30cm over his head height. Other students at the same competition won three gold and two bronze medals in board breaking, and an additional two gold and two silver medals in high kick.
Some of you may recall LMA's presence at the Calne Summer Festival, with a bustling stall offering free temporary tattoos, opportunities to use break boards, and the chance to chat about all that the group has to offer. It was a red letter day for the group, as they also came 1st for walking entries in the carnival.
Recent months have seen the biggest colour graduation in Calne to date, with over 70 students grading.
There have been victories for longtime students and instructors alike, with more likely to come; another black belt has recently joined their ranks, with an additional six students hoping to grade black in October. Mia, the first ever student to join LMA, is ambitiously pursuing her 2nd degree black belt. July also saw Miss Moore and Miss Bråthen (former training assistant instructors) pass their final exams and lesson workbooks, elevating them to officially qualified assistant instructors. Miss Bush, LMA's second in command and now instructor, celebrated a whopping 10 years in April, having joined as a student in the juniors as many years ago.
Overall, LMA provide a wonderful service to our community, promoting fitness and confidence to all ages in a fun and non-judgmental environment. Their achievements have been vast in the last few months, and show no signs of slowing down in the upcoming school year. To top off a busy few months LMA can now announce that they have sponsored the new ‘Calne Football Academy’. The new uniforms will be arriving this week.
If you are interested in finding out more about the group and how to get involved visit their website here: https://leadershipmartialarts.co.uk/
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