Beat Bullying Week

Team Taurus

I was lucky enough to be in the audience of Chris Bradford’s book launch at the Abingdon School last Saturday and wanted to contact you regarding the amazing performance that Team Taurus gave.
 
My two Godsons, Daniel and Ben Murray, have been showing us their increasing skills over the last two years when we have been to visit them in Kidlington (I live in Cornwall) but this was the first time we had been able to see them as part of Team Taurus.  I was absolutely blown away by the whole team and the amount of pride that I felt for the whole team actually reduced me to tears.

Nicola Saunter

Sensei Jake

I just wanted to say how impressed I was with Sensei
Jake when we attended his class last week. James was very unsure about joining in
the second class and Sensei Jake handled it brilliantly as he could see that James
was genuinely upset...
Although he was still a little unsure Jake persuaded him to join in with Pinan Nidan and soon
got him smiling and really enjoying himself while focusing on all the fine detail of the kata.
Sensei Jake is a natural teacher and you are very lucky to have him. I see a lot of Sensei Rob
and yourself in him, which is hardly surprising considering the number of years you trained him.
You can both be very proud.

Mrs F Lodge

A big thank you for letting Lucas achieve his blue stripe today - it
really means the world to him (and I'll make sure he practises his shuffles
and his turns ;-)). I really appreciate everything that you and Sensei Kate
are doing for the boys. I have just been so impressed with your fantastic
teaching skills, your enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication. And it
really is bearing fruit. Samuel has had a brilliant school report. His
focus, his concentration skills, his whole attitude has really come on and
Samuel's teacher actually commented on the link between his taking up Karate
and an improved attitude. Well, and how you manage to handle Lucas is a real
joy to watch! They both love coming to your sessions and I enjoy watching
everything that goes on (my Japanese has really come along and my shuffles
are also improving steadily :-))

Klaudia Schwenk

Team Ninja is just great.  Our son is always keen to get there, and his concentration and coordination has improved a great deal as a result of the classes. He is also now able to humiliate me with his Japanese counting skills.
William Shaw (Professor of Mathematics, King's College London)

.....I came to take a few shots for a magazine and within minutes I was captivated. Often without words the children are taught to act with consideration, concentration and are imbued with a sense of fun. I stayed for hours soaking up the magic and that's what Sensei Rob and Mary are, MAGIC. You come across them once in a lifetime and their enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism stay forever. I left totally captivated and wanting to return......

KT Bruce, school teacher and photographer

Dear Mary,

We wanted to thank you and OSMA for the amazing work you all do. Luca started in October as you described him today as a very shy boy. After six months he is now much more confident, interested in participating in every single activity on offer and enthusiastic about his martial arts. He is willing to learn and he has shown a much more positive attitude both at home and at school. What more can we ask??

Your teaching is inspirational to the children and certainly to me as a teacher: learning through fun and discipline, at a level they can all relate to, is something you should be very proud of. Luca often refers to what you say to him in class, using it in his daily life and often even manages to do things 'first time' as Sensei Mary says that it is a good thing to do!!!

The structures of the classes, the constant support and encouragement you offer through belt stripes and badges, and the enthusiasm you show in teaching makes the whole experience really worthwhile. The inspirational experience of the gradings also provides children with confidence and sense of achievement which is fantastic to be part of.

Thanks again for all that you have done with Luca.

Daniela and Marc

Just to say a big thank you for the skipping workshop this p.m. It was amazing to watch and Robert is very inspired by it - he would have skipped his way through our evening meal if we'd have let him!

Kate and Robert MacFarlane

Joseph had his first ever skiing lesson over the Christmas holidays. Rob always talks about how the martial art training helps with learning new skills. It was great to see how Joseph was focussing on the instructor really intensely, using his active listening skills. On his first run the instructor gave Joseph some further instructions on things to improve (not crossing the ski tips, flattening his skis etc). Second run down and Joseph incorporates all the improvements and the instructor looks shocked! Although I am biased (at least I admit it) Joseph was head and shoulders ahead of everyone else in the group (8 children all about his age) in terms of focus, listening, interaction, following instructions, co-ordination and discipline. Mary, you and Rob must take a lot of the credit for this for the training you guys have given him over the last 3 years. It was wonderful to see.

David Clapton

Just to say a HUGE THANK YOU for an excellent grading session yesterday.

Interestingly, it is only when things run so smoothly that you realise the amount of organisation that took place beforehand. Your positive energy into, and commitment to nurturing your trainees are much appreciated.

Both Des and myself think that enrolling Yasmina into OSMA has been the best investment we have made into her future.

You are both such an inspiration to our children and to us as parents as well.

Valli Yanni

Just wanted to say a thanks to OSMA for the additional life skills that are included in the classes and pass on some feedback so you can see how much what you teach is taken and used outside your classes. We have recently received Joseph’s progress report from school and there are glowing references to his dedication to and methods of learning, his teacher recently verbally told me that he shares a lot of your memory methods with the class (repetition, repetition, repetition!) There were also great reports on his discipline, self control and playground manners, we work hard at home with all of this but I do feel that a lot of this is supported by the learning in your classes and easy to use/understand methods, which means it’s not just us telling him “to and why” but he is learning skills that show him “how to and why”. His physical education report was glowing as well and of course a lot of this advanced understanding of his body and the importance of exercise comes from what you teach them – the teachers were very impressed with his flexibility, skipping, ball control and knowledge of his muscles and bones.  – Louise & Mark McLean

I really enjoyed my time with you. Your children demonstrated ultimate concentration, dedication and enthusiasm.

I have been in this country for three years now working with schools and British Gymnastics Clubs across Abingdon, Wantage and Faringdon.

I have yet to see the commitment and dedication showed by your students and instructors in any of the clubs I have worked in.

It was amazing to see how conditioned these children were and how the variety of training assists with this.

WELL Done for all the energy and positive attitude you have instilled in these young children.

Keep up the good work.

Kim Paul, International Gymnastics Coach

I'm writing to say how much Lucy and Nicky are enjoying the classes. They are talking frequently about what they've learned and are having little practise sessions at home several times a day. In addition, they appreciate greatly Sensei Rob's more academic instructions, and we've been having interesting and useful discussions on the way home in the car after every class. And they can both do their Japanese numbers!
 
Esther Grabe-Watson

Dear Mary,

Our warmest thanks to you and to Sensei Rob, Sensei Jake and Sensei Kate for the superb organization of the grading today. It was both supremely efficient and warmly humane.

We are also very grateful to you all and to Miss Marie for the work and wisdom you have put into helping our children achieve red-belt level in just a few weeks.

Very best wishes,

Esther and Ian

Daniel (after 2 ski holidays) tackles any red run he is faced with, with a confidence I believe you would be proud of, and I believe this is down to his Karate training and discipline! Thank you! so so much!!!!

Sandra Hutton

Excerpts from gavinallinson.com
...I booked Jack in for 2 trial classes at Oxford School Of Martial Arts. I was totally impressed with how organised they were. I’d taken Jack to just about every kids activity in Oxford, Tumble Tots, Energisers, Oxsrad, Busy Bees, Monkey Music, Splat, Baby Swimming, Ducklings so  I was well versed with what is on offer as far as  children’s activities in Oxford was concerned. What impressed me the most was the attention to detail and the organisation.  In Jack’s first lesson Sensei Rob King spent about 5 minutes teaching the group of 4-7 year olds how to remember different parts of the body...I think the class happened to be learning about what to say if someone bigger than you grabs you, as in a stranger trying to abduct you... In the classes there was lots of running around and I noticed that there was a well defined system that rewarded the students with a stripe as they mastered a new skill. What’s more Jack seemed to love it and was excited about going. It was a no brainer to make the decision to join and everything went smoothly until it was time for Jack to take his first grading...it looked pretty exciting to me so I decided to check things out and sign up for 2 trial lessons myself. I was excited to see that the adult lessons were really fast-paced and exciting - we practiced skills from other martial arts forms like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which I really enjoyed, we did elements of Body Pump for conditioning and the sparring was exciting, I soon realised how slow I was and how good some of the higher belts were. I’ve been to some other clubs in Oxford and talked to members of some as well and I’m really pleased that we choose to start with Oxford School of Martial Arts and if you’re thinking about karate in Oxford then I suggest you look them up first.

Ryan has been enjoying the snow and has found that he can snow board!!!  His balance has really improved and it is all down to his karate training! His black belt training has made him determinted and confident and he is so proud with himself that he can do it!!  Thanks.
Jannine Hale
 

Greg and I just wanted to say thank you to Rob for the way he dealt with Luke yesterday. Luke came home with the biggest smile I have seen on his face in a long time and an even greater determination to one day become a black belt. It’s the little things that you do that go a long way to bolstering a child’s confidence and with a child like Luke whose confidence is knocked very easily on a day to day basis in the school playground, Rob managed to send my son to bed with the knowledge that it is not just his parents who tell him he can be good at things.  A very big heartfelt thank you.
Greg & Tracy 

Idris and Ryan are completely transformed children since they began their training with you. This confidence is apparent in all aspects of their education and general well being. They are confident and enthusiastic in everything they undertake. The original problems that we experienced with Idris have all but disappeared since the New Year. He is happy to try new activities, and new experiences no longer faze him as they once did, in the not too distant past. This has been commented on during parent teacher consultations, and from friends', whose houses he happily goes to, in order to play with his friends. Birthday parties were a huge deal to him, whereby he would not participate unless I was beside him. Now that is a thing of the past, I can leave him happily playing while I go and have a chat or a coffee with other parents. His eating habits have improved immensely since the pep talk you gave them about trying foods they did not necessarily like. At every dinner, he has asked for a helping of meat, which he has eaten, in spite of having a definite dislike towards it since the age of  three (Naheed Tanvir)

I would like to say thank you very much not only for the sessions, but the life lessons he has learnt from age 4 1/2 with you, the synchronisation of programmes with his school and stagecoach when he was having behavioural problems, transportation to and from classes, the extra tuition (Jake and Mary for his last grading) and the flexibility you have shown over the last 8 years.
 
I remember the first day we walked into the Summertown venue – how approachable Rob was and how at ease you made us both feel.
 
Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards the OSMA team in general for helping to raise my boy (or rather young man).

Just wanted to send you a note of appreciation for all the fantastic work that is done in the Oxford School of Martial Arts. Our son, Daniel, has benefited so much from his exposure to the inspirational teaching and example that the school offers. Over the last six years, studying karate has given him much more than fitness and strength. Your teaching and influence continue to shape his thoughts on many of the issues that he faces. He regularly says "I wonder what Sensei Rob would think" when considering what to do. Such a positive influence in today's world is a huge help to any parent - Katharine Casey

Dear Rob, Mary and Jake,
In the eight years that Kate has been with OSMA , we have seen her develop into such an impressive person. She has developed such strength both physically and mentally, which has manifested itself in her school performance, both academically and in sports. Her recent success at GCSE  may not have been achieved without the drive and determination which she has learnt in her training sessions , where she has been regularly challenged to her limit.
Also, she has developed such self confidence and self belief that there are few situations which faze her and the leadership skills she has learnt , particularly in teaching her classes, I am sure she will call on throughout her life.
We would like to thank all those at OSMA , who have supported Kate over the years.
Kind regards,
Richard and Linda

Team Taurus

Dear Sensei Rob, Sensei Mary, Sensei Jake and Team Taurus,
 
What a fantastic display you all put on.  The Team were really focused and considering the older members of the team were busy competing elsewhere, they did them and yourselves proud.  There was a really buoyant feeling in the theatre and when all the audience started clapping it really spurred them on.  We were particularly impressed with Lilit and Daniel’s skipping, Charlotte’s balance, Freddie and Henry’s nun chucks and Jack’s bravery!
 
Many thanks
Sarah, Ben + Caitlyn.

I thought I would drop you a line because I am so pleased with the changes in Mitch since joining Martial Arts, it has given him so much confidence which he never really had a lot of before, I have noticed that he now seems to stand tall with his shoulders back! - I have also noticed over the last couple of months a difference in his football, he seems to have more stamina than he used to, and he now always seems to have a positive attitude in everything that he does!
 
Mitch thoroughly enjoys Martial Arts and takes it very seriously, he trains most nights because he enjoys it so much!
 
I would like to thank the Team so much for all what you do, you certainly have given Mitch so much confidence.
 
Regards
 
Helen