Grove Martial Arts

07/09/2026

After sharing Aaron Milan-Vega Sensei’s post last week we sat our older Junior students down to have a discussion about use of force in a school setting.

This is something we periodically do to reinforce why we teach what we teach and to allow the students to ask ethical questions about when it is or isn’t appropriate to use force for their protection.

Last sessions talk was very interesting and I was a bit taken aback by the level of understanding and the intelligence shown when discussing this difficult topic.

Some of the highlights have to be shared:

When talking about school’s procedures for combating bullying and violence, one of the GMA Juniors stated:

“You are supposed to seek the help of a teacher when you are being hit, not hit back to protect yourself. But Sensei what if you find a teacher and the bully keeps hitting you I don’t think most teachers would get involved to pull the bully away as they don’t want to get sued for touching a kid”

“If someone wants to physically hurt another pupil how is a teacher saying please don’t do that going to stop them? Most bullies don’t care”

When asked to list possible consequences for bullying everyone agreed that the punishments were actually more of a “gift” to the bully rather than a deterrent.

- 20 minute detention
- Sent home from school (most don’t want to be there anyway!)
- Verbal telling off - “Sensei they don’t care if they get told off and will do it again”

We then spoke at length about the consequences of having to physically protect yourself. It’s during this part of the class that I was most impressed. Our students were very well informed; they understood that their schools would not support them if they used minimal force to prevent themselves from becoming victims of violence. Despite their actions being supported under Uk law.

They understood that they would likely be punished and treated as if they were a bully. However; reflecting on the punishments that would likely be imposed all agreed it was a price worth paying for not being harmed.

The class were asked to discuss the session with their parents and ask their opinion on the matter.

04/09/2026

More footage from the recent and ongoing scenario training being conducted by the senior Kyu grades.

The first round of scenarios are now complete and the after action review process also done. Now comes a period of up skilling; training that addresses any areas for improvement.

To round the whole process off the scenarios will be re run to assess performance improvements and to identify any further training gaps.

Well done to all who have been involved in the running of this very intensive period of training. Blinding job Sensei Edward Glenn 👊

03/09/2026

40 minutes in and the juniors are still going strong! 💪

Physically demanding training that pushes the students past their limits is vital when building resilience for self-defence.

AND… It is loads of fun! 🤩

The instructor team and I were incredibly impressed with the effort and determination shown by the whole class. The buy in was superb and everyone seemed to spur each other on with their efforts and enthusiasm.

Special mention to Charlie for being the Legend of the session impressive performance working with an adult instructor!

01/09/2026

I love the piece from Richard Hang Hong Sensei, brilliantly written and he hit s the nail on the head.

Finding Your Third Space

I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of a “third space”.

Not home. Not work. Just… somewhere else. Somewhere you can turn up without having to host, perform, explain yourself, or be “on” for everyone. A place where you’re not just a mum, a dad, an employee, a taxi driver for the kids, the person who sorts everything out. You’re just you for an hour.

And I think loads of adults are missing that now, even if they can’t quite put their finger on what feels off. Home used to be home, but for most people it’s also admin, noise, screens, chores, everyone needing something. Work is work, even if you do it from the kitchen table, and it’s still pressure, targets, emails, being “switched on”. Then in between those two places there’s… what exactly? Scrolling. Netflix. Another night in because you’re tired. Another “we should catch up soon” message that never becomes a plan.

We used to have more third spaces without even trying. Pubs, youth clubs, sports clubs that were affordable, community centres that were busy, places you’d bump into the same faces every week. Some of that has drifted, some of it has been priced out, some places have closed, some people are working weird hours, and honestly sometimes it’s just easier to stay in and not bother. But the cost of that adds up, quietly. People feel lonely without saying the word lonely. People feel flat. People feel like they’ve lost themselves a bit.

That’s why a good club can be way more important than people realise. Martial arts, football, rugby, dance, boxing, whatever it is… when it’s done properly it becomes a third space almost by accident. You turn up. You get welcomed like you belong there. You move your body. You focus on something real. You laugh at something stupid someone says in warm-up. You get a nod from someone who’s seen you show up even when you couldn’t be bothered. Then you go back out into the world feeling a bit more like yourself again.

Martial arts is especially good for this because you don’t have to be chatty to connect. You can train alongside people for months, build trust, and it happens through effort, not forced conversation. You share that little struggle of trying to improve, even when you’re tired, even when your week’s been a mess, and that shared effort steadies you.

I found my third space in karate about 30 years ago and it’s become a huge, passionate part of my life. It’s been my safe space. It’s where I’ve been able to let loose and be open amongst friends, where I’ve made connections with hundreds, maybe even thousands of people over the years… some briefly, others deep and long lasting. It’s given me opportunities to travel, expand my horizons, experience things I would’ve completely missed otherwise. And somewhere along the way I’ve been lucky enough to make it my living, which still blows my mind sometimes… that I get to provide a third space for other people when they walk through our doors.

But here’s the bit people miss. A third space doesn’t just “happen” because you rent a hall and run classes. It’s created, then it’s protected. It’s in the little moments. How new people are welcomed. How safe the training feels. Whether people get treated with respect when they’re brand new, whether the standards are honest, whether the culture has integrity, whether people feel supported instead of judged. Whether the place quietly encourages you to commit, improve, and maybe inspire someone else just by showing up. People feel that stuff straight away, even if they never say it out loud.

If you’ve got a third space already, don’t take it for granted. Turn up. Be part of what makes it feel like a place people can breathe. And if you’re looking for one, don’t overthink it… find a good room with good people and give it a few weeks. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real.

- Richard Hang Hong

31/08/2026

(This is Georgia’s first run through the ambush scenario)

Under the watchful eye of Sensei Ed and Sensei Lewis, the intermediate and senior Kyu grades have conducted their grade specific scenario based training.

Concentrating on awareness skills and anti grappling; the scenario also introduced multiple enemies. The scenario was set with the second attacker hidden behind the player.

The students were instrumental in creating a training scenario that pressure tested the skills they have been learning through their Kata and Bunkai.

This initial run through is used to build a base to assess and study performance before the class get together to discuss in detail areas for improvement. Once complete the students will undergo a period of training to address the short falls before re-running the scenario to assess their performance.

29/08/2026

The black belt prep and build up training has begun!

At GMA we aim to get at least 3 months focused training in prior to the 1st Dan assessment. This time allows the instructor to address any gaps in the candidate’s core Karate knowledge, and provides a progressive program of Karate specific fitness and strength training.

Yesterday at the Didcot Dojo we conducted 30mins of sparring before the group set about created practical Kihon sequences. In pairs, using the club handbook as a reference guide, the students played the role of the instructor taking it in turns to deliver the instructions in Japanese to each other. Building their confidence in the terms helped the student focus on the delivery of the techniques.

Interestingly we had a brief discussion about why we still use the Japanese terms and keep some of the cultural elements associated with Karate training.

Firstly it is about providing access to wider training opportunities. Without a basic understanding of the Japanese terms training with other groups or instructors would be more difficult.

Secondly there is something to be said for the physiological aspect of the way commands in Karate are delivered. It forces a particular response and call to action that is difficult to deliver any other way. Similar to the way in which drill commands are issued by a drill instructor in the military. This way of teaching and training is limited but definitely has its place in instilling purpose and focus in students.

Great to have Stu in for his first training session as a newly promoted 1st Dan 👊 thanks for sharing your grading experience with the group too.