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!

It was superb. Children and parents alike were thrilled and I am amazed at the level of control Claire kept over 20 sugar crazed six year olds.

I also think that there are now 20 girls that want to marry either Kieran or Matti when they grow up!!

All the children were quick to respond to the lock down and claps, bowing politely and obeying Claire. All the parents were very impressed - I am sure that it was not them just being polite to us. Some were apprehensive beforehand about the children throwing kicks and punches but they soon saw that it was more of a philosophical lesson with a talk and many games. Learning to think, work in teams and respect others (plus seeing the lads do their showboating - I am sure every parent would love their children to have the flexibility, courage and power to do standing flips).

Some of the children started off around the edges but towards the end they could not be moved away from Claire. During the meal they were paying attention to Claire, Kieran and Matti, rather than the chocolate on their plates - never seen that before - and they were itching to get out on the floor again.

Great success - the T-Shirts went down very well too.

Valpy Fitzgerald

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

What a great event on Sunday. Joseph and I had huge fun and excitement.

Congratulations to all those involved in making Sunday work so well (I know how much effort something like this can be!).

It was amazing to see the excitement and energy levels maintained by everyone over the full workshop.

Congratulations once again.

David

I would like to say a huge thank you! You have really brought out the best in Vicky! She has come on so much since she started Karate at your school that I would (and have) recommend you to other parents!

We can also report higher grades at school. Vicky recently came home with an A and a B grade. It does not get much better than that!

It is the change in Vicky that we have noticed most. She started to stop and think more before acting and paying a lot more attention to detail.

Many many thanks!

Isabelle Jordan

"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 the 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