The History Behind Martial Art World

Everyone has a past, and none are prouder of theirs than the Instructors here at Martial Art World, for it’s our pasts – our stories – that mould us into the people we are today; helping you to shape your stories and become the best you can possibly be.

Here, Master B., shares with us his story and how he became so passionately involved in Martial Arts and how that impacts on his role:

“My father was an Army Sergeant Major, and was my main inspiration,” explains Master B. “A very strong, positive influence for me in the 34 years we shared together.

When I was bullied at school, rather than sorting it out for me, he taught me boxing, and also took me to see an army friend of his that was teaching Judo to a small group of soldiers. He was a Japanese trained black belt – a rare thing in those days!

I was just 9 years old when I took my first Martial Arts lesson in 1966, and stuck with it until my father’s next posting without a grading; my Instructor had no real interest in belts. Of course, this would be unthinkable for most people today, but I just wanted to learn, and he just wanted to teach.

It was a small class and was so much fun! As a child, I had no concept of the belt system. I just wanted to know that it worked – and, honestly?, it was enough that I was having fun learning whilst working hard.

I wanted to beat the bully, and I eventually had an opportunity to put my new boxing and Judo skills to the test – teaching the bully a well-earned lesson, which is another story!

I learned a lot from those early days. I learned about myself. I learned that if I believed hard enough, reality would be waiting for me just around the corner. It was up to me to make it happen.

Satisfaction was based upon learning and repetition of technique to a degree of personal mastery within the framework of my own ability. I had to keep pushing harder and harder.

These days I strive to ensure that my own students learn something valuable with every lesson and leave each class sweating – with a smile on their faces!

I try to teach that there is a huge difference between martial arts training – personal development – and self-defense training – personal safety.

I instill the understanding that to be your personal best means that you do not compare yourself to the student stood next to you. This type of comparison can lead to a false sense of superiority or indeed a false sense of inferiority.

My advice to anyone taking Martial Arts classes or thinking of taking Martial Arts classes would be: train hard every lesson. Apply yourself. Listen hard to your instructor. Challenge yourself and learn the craft. Be the best version of you that you can be…

But above all, have fun and enjoy the experience!”