Welcome Letter

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Welcome to our club, I hope you enjoy your training and are looking forward to learning with us.

 

Class(es)

We hold classes in Basingstoke on Wednesday evenings and in Swanage on Saturday mornings. Sensei Ian recently moved from Basingstoke to Swanage and teaches both of these classes, commuting between both venues each week, so please can you always let him know if you are ever unable to make it to any of your classes as soon as possible with a quick text message to 07888 660225 so he doesn't have a wasted journey or pack unnecessary amounts of equipment? Thank you.

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Introducing others

It is said that the best compliment you can give your club is to recommend them to others and I am always very grateful to anyone who does this. If anyone you know would like to try one of our children's, family, teen or adult classes please pass on our details to them and if they join you will both get a FREE PRIVATE CLASS where we can help you and your friend/family member with anything you both like (age-appropriate) eg belt gradings, improving any techniques you are struggling with, self-defence, fitness or even just fun stuff like jumping kicks! (You are also welcome to book private classes anytime throughout your membership with us, just message me to request this).

 

Future monthly payments

Your next payment will be debited from your account 4 weeks after joining (If you joined mid-month it will cover the remainder of next month) followed by future monthly payments at the end of each month.

Please note, your licence and insurance will be automatically debited for a further 12 months cover when it expires, unfortunately, we do not have a facility to send reminders of this so far in advance so please make your own note of it if you want to.

 

Terms and conditions of membership

The current terms and conditions, which are a condition of membership, may get updated from time to time and can be found HERE

 

Dates for your diary

Closures

Please note our classes run for 48 weeks of the year and your fees are calculated over this period which means I take 4 weeks off a year per club location without students having to adjust or pause their monthly payments.

Swanage Club current closures:

• Saturday 30th of April

• Saturday 11th of June - We will be in Basingstoke for the Thai Festival (See notable events below)

• Saturday 20th of August

Basingstoke Club current closures

• Wednesday 3rd of July - We will be in Swanage for the carnival week (See notable events below)

 

Notable dates and events so far (please note all events require all attendees to help the club wherever needed e.g., but not limited to, taking a turn in manning our stall so everyone gets a turn to enjoy looking round etc and all students must attend in club uniform). If you would like to attend any of the events please let Sensei Ian know as soon as possible as numbers are sometimes limited.

• 11th and 12th of June 2022 - Thai Festival: Our club in Basingstoke has again been asked to provide the Thai boxing demonstrations and workshops throughout the weekend at memorial park in Basingstoke. All students from both Basingstoke and Swanage clubs are welcome to attend/take part. Please wear Basingstoke club uniform (attending Swanage students may order a Hampshire & Dorset Martial Arts Demo Squad club t-shirt at the subsidised price of just £15). NB all students who book early enough and their close family members will get free tickets and free Thai food during the weekend (we usually get a slab of Thai beer for the adults at the end as well)!

• Sunday 31st of July 2022 12:30 pm to 1pm - Swanage Carnival demonstration on Sandpit Field All students from both Basingstoke and Swanage clubs are welcome to attend/take part. Please wear Swanage club uniform (attending Basingstoke students may order a Hampshire & Dorset Martial Arts Demo Squad club t-shirt at the subsidised price of just £15. Any Basingstoke students who would like to come for the weekend (or even the full week) are also very welcome to attend our Saturday morning class at Swanage Methodist Church for free and we can also arrange to meet up throughout the week on a social basis and show you around Swanage if you like.

 

Your first uniform gradings and belts

Most clubs expect students to order a uniform and their protective sparring gear straight away when they join but we are not like most clubs and let you stagger payments for these essential items throughout the first year of your membership if you want to. Therefore we don't ask you to order a club uniform until you take your first belt grading with us (which will be approximately 2 to 3 months after joining and every 3 to 4 months thereafter) although you are welcome to order it earlier if you wish. To do so, we will need some measurements from you. Karate students will need to get a club karate suit from us, Senior class students can order one as well or just a club t-shirt if they prefer).

Please note these are made to order for us with our club logo added, so if we don’t have your size in stock, please allow a few weeks for it to be made and shipped (please bear this in mind if you want a uniform in time to grade and order well in advance).

 

When you order your uniform, please email me with the following measurements and make payment to the club account (please message me if you need the account details again). The prices are currently:

1. Karate suits £40 - please email us your height to the nearest 10cm

2. T-shirt £20 - please email us your t-shirt size

 

Gradings

Karate students will get their first (white) belt with their club uniform and all club students will be continually assessed for their first year of belts after which gradings and grading practices will then be held approximately every 3 to 4 months. When your Instructor is happy for you to do so, you can then order your next belt, register your new grade and you will then need to order any required safety sparring gear (if you haven’t already done so) to progress to the next level. We currently have a special offer for new members who would prefer to order all of their safety sparring gear straight away, to buy all your sparring gear in your first month for just £99.99. This consists of sparring gloves and a gumshield (which are the minimum requirement for your first grading), shin guards (for your second grading) and a head-guard (for your 3rd grading), if you would like to take up this offer or want any of these items individually, please let me know.

 

If you are at all unsure or wish to also order (or get more details about) any other items such as a groin guard for males or chest guard for females (both items are highly recommended for your protection). We also have a club clothing range so if you want t-shirts, club hoodies, baseball or beanie hats ask for more information. You may also want a sports bag for carrying your kit in and for practicing what you learn at home there are other things you may want like strike pads, kick bags, Kali sticks, training knives(adults only) etc so if there is anything you want to know more about don't hesitate to contact (Sensei) Ian. They make great gifts for you or the budding martial artist in your life and I can get them to you without the recipient knowing if you want to surprise them for gifts and special occasions.

  

Staying in contact with us

To stay updated on all the latest club news and events:

1. If you are on Facebook, please visit and like https://www.facebook.com/SwanageSelfDefence then friend request me here www.facebook.com/ianrand1 and message me asking to be added to our private members-only Facebook group , where you will also find lots of useful information to help your training (eg what you need to learn to pass belts etc) as well as being able to enjoy the social aspect of our club as most members are on here to chat to.

2. You can also follow us on Instagram at @HampshireAndDorset_martialarts or Twitter at https://twitter.com/hsp_martialarts

If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact us via the details below and I will get back to you as soon as possible:

1. You can email us on swanagesma@gmail.com

2. Or give us a call/text on 07888 660225 

 

A final Thought - Your first and most important lesson.

 

The most important thing in self-defence is about being aware and prepared for dangers and problems that you may face before they occur, rather than having to deal with them when you least expect them,  so this is your first and most important lesson!

 

At the start of your martial arts journey, everything is fresh and exciting but there will be days when it doesn't always feel that way and that is when you need to remind yourself why you or your child(ren) started, what you wanted to achieve and then JUST GO TRAINING. When the weather is miserable, the nights are dark and the house is cosy and warm, if you have a small injury or feeling a little bit under the weather it is easy and understandable to want to give in to yourself and allow yourself a day off (we all feel it), but then when the next class comes and you feel the same way, most people think 'oh well, it won't matter if I miss just 1 more class, it's only 2 classes and I'll be back next week', then it may be the same the following week and continually giving in to yourself or your children's wishes to take it easy and miss a class or 2 will eventually mean you or they will quit!

 

“Remember that life’s greatest lessons are usually learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes.” Anonymous

 

That is why I ask this one thing of you if you or your child ever start to think about quitting please speak to me straight away before making a potentially life-changing decision.

 

Parents, please remember children often have low attention spans and get

bored easily so, as they progress and training may seem less exciting,

requiring more concentration and commitment to progress, they may say they

don't enjoy it anymore and want to quit. Please work with us on this, in the

same way, children have to go to school whether they want to or not. On

that note, parents and carers often tell us they want their children to be taught

in a structured and disciplined way but, in order to do that we occasionally

have to tell them off and give them a time out. When this happens at their

school, the children often don't want to go back but they have to by law,

when it happens at martial arts the child will sometimes say they want to quit

(they may even say it is for other reasons or make something up that is not the

real reason). If you let them quit without talking to us first, they learn that they

can always have and do whatever they like in life without any consequences

and can walk away from their actions, THAT IS NOT THE WAY OF A

MARTIAL ARTIST or good citizen generally, and may well eventually lead

them into trouble throughout their lives, so please help us to help you and

your children by just sending them to training, even when they don't want to

come, and remember our adage, that THERE IS NO GROWTH IN COMFORT! Then please call me before making a potentially life-changing decision. Commitment in Martial arts is a way of life and comes with a lifetime guarantee - the day you or your child(ren) quit is the day I guarantee you or they will regret at some time in your/their life! Avoid that by never quitting and you/they will reap so many benefits throughout your/their life such as improved self-confidence, self-respect, a healthy body and a strong determined mind, super-fast reactions that will help you/they to stay safe in many more ways than you could ever imagine. If you are ever in doubt JUST GO TRAINING and speak to me, I promise I will always help you and will never quit on you, as I have been where you or they are now and can help with all of the pitfalls, setbacks, lows and highs of becoming and being the true martial artist you and your child(ren) deserve to be!

 

“There is no growth in comfort" Geoff Thompson, British Combat Association Chief Instructor

 

Introduce a friend or family member prize incentive

As mentioned earlier, If you know of anyone who would be interested in trying a children's, teen's, adults' or family class with us please help us by passing on our details to them (if you need a poster to display at work/school etc please let me know). If you tell them to mention you introduced them and they join, YOU WILL BOTH FREE PRIVATE CLASS where we can help you with anything you like (You are also welcome to book private classes with me anytime throughout your membership with us, just message me to request this).

 

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to message me.

 

Once again, a HUGE WELCOME TO OUR SSMA FAMILY!

 

See you at training!

Kind Regards, (Sensei) Ian.