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Published on Sunday, 15 May 2011 11:39

Dr Richard Catterick, the founder of Elite Martial Arts, has created the Lionheart programme as a way children and young adults can learn about the martial arts in a safe and fun way.

The classes have been devised to not only give each pupil a great grounding in self defence, but also to teach them life skills such as honesty and self confidence as well as respect for themselves and others.

The classes involve not only the pupils working on their own skills, but also working as a team. This teaches children about cooperation and interpersonal skills.

A typical class for the Little Lions is 30 minutes, and for Juniors and above increasing to between 45 minutes and 1 hour. This optimal time corresponds with the duration of school lessons and keeps attention and learning levels high.

A class will consist of the following elements:

1) A comprehensive warm-up: During this the children will learn about the body and its mechanics in the form of structured exercise and fun games.

2) Training in Self Defence techniques: This includes learning to defend against various strikes and grabs and learning to throw an opponent and to fall safely.

3) Syllabus training: The pupils work on specific skills as they work towards one of the regular grading tests. This helps them to progress to the next level of training.

4) Group discussions: Topics related to the subject at hand are discussed and debated. Examples include bullying, respect, honesty and integrity, to name a few.

5) Games and patterns: As we all learn best while we are having fun, we use various games and patterns (kata) to develop the children's minds and bodies.

Occasionally we have classes in which we cover the ABC's of anti bullying and stranger danger.

Our programme has been formed in conjunction with Sport England and the national governing body, the BJJAGB (www.bjjagb.com). This was due to many unaccredited and uncertified individuals setting themselves up as martial arts teachers only to make money out of parents who knew nothing of real martial arts.

The martial arts which are accredited by Sport England (formerly the British Sports Council) are listed so please visit the Sport England site and follow the links to the national governing bodies sites. All teachers and clubs should be there. Press the "get active" tab on the left and then click "find a sport". All the official governing body websites are then linked from the named sports.

If your child is training with a non Sport England accredited school you have to ask the question, why?? If a football team is not part of the FA, it is not allowed in the league for the same reasons.

Please remember a black belt is not a license to teach and having a flashy poster or website does not make an individual into a competent or safe teacher. Only by attending many instructor seminars run by a bona fide Sport England National Governing body ensures that your child is getting the best possible instruction.