Exeter Martial Arts is  leading the charge in sports safeguarding, having successfully been recertified with the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts “mark”. Developed in consultation with Sport England, representatives from martial arts governing bodies, and leading safeguarding experts, the Code is funded by the National Lottery and was launched by the Sports Minister in 2018.  Achieving the Safeguarding Code, demonstrates our commitment to upholding the duty-of-care we have to the community and young people and recognise us as a martial arts provider that has reached and effectively maintained and high-level safeguarding standards. The Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts has been created so that parents and carers can clearly identify a martial arts provider that has demonstrated that they have reached and maintained good safeguarding standards and can make informed decisions when selecting a club for their child. Sue Harrison, Stakeholder Marketing at the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts said “We are delighted to see Exeter Martial Arts  have successfully attained the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts.” “When making choices about martial arts schools, parents and carers can easily determine, and be reassured that clubs in their local area are committed to safeguarding and upholding safe practices for their children if they appear on our register.”         ​    

Our style of martial arts Seishin Mizu Ryu came into being in the mid 1990s and we are super proud to say this year is our 25th Anniversary of it first being introduced. Seishin was formed by Dr Richard Catterick during his martial arts journey. Inspired after reading  Bruce Lee's seminal book the Tao of Jeet Kune do which documents his creation of his own martial movement, and with the support of his club members decided to do the same with his base being the holistic art of jiu jItsu. After almost a decade of training/teaching and studying in Jiu Jitsu plus a variety of other martial arts, including ninjitsu, tai chi, wing chun kung fu, shorinji kempo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, kenjutsu and kobujutsu to name a few. He created the Seishin Mizu Ryu school which today contains several different martial disciplines within it. Seishin Mizu Ryu (SMR), translates from the Japanese as ‘water mind school’, it is a modern martial art style based on old principles which incorporates both empty hand and weapons techniques. The ‘water mind’ is the core principle that directs the styles' evolutionary and reactionary flows. The style has grown organically with his decades of training all encompassed within the Seishin Mizu Ryu brand SMR, incorporates Sensei Catterick's version of jiu jitsu (empty hand grappling), kickboxing (empty hand striking) and traditional weapons which he has developed through dedicating his last 34years to the martial arts. He is a multi-Style black belt and a full-time martial artist, national referee and level 4 sport England coach. On top of all this he has three degrees including a PhD in Oncology and a background in clinical research.  His academic learning mindset has helped his research and development of his martial art and this coupled with a high attention to detail he has had through his adult life promotes a great learning environment for his many students and instructors. Seishin Mizu Ryu celebrates its 25th anniversary in autumn 2023        ​    

Just a quick update to let you know we have another instructor joining our team.  Damien has been a long time student at EMA and is a 2nd Dan black belt in jiu  jitsu and used to teach our Tai Chi class. He also has experience in BJJ and kickboxing too.  Damien is currently a University of Exeter lecturer in modern languages but is reducing his teaching time at university to come on board and teach at EMA and also pursue his other passion music. He will be taking over as lead instructor in some of our junior and cadet classes in the autumn as well as teaching a weekly adult jiu jitsu class      ​    

We Just wanted to introduce our newest full time member of staff, Steven Feeney. If you are a regular kickboxer you will know him well but for everyone else, he has been studying martial arts for 12+years notably capoeira, muay thai boxing and kickboxing. He was part of our leadership team last year and really enjoyed the teaching and training lifestyle and moved over to full time at EMA. He will also have admin responsibilities so if you want to join us or are already a member and want to upgrade to train more, he is your man. He is also a published short story and poetry writer and enjoys playing  D&D in his spare time. Please say hi if you see him in the gym/dojo.      ​    

We and the whole of the Seishin Mizu Ryu Jiu Jitsu style are so very proud to have him as our chief instructor. He has devoted his life to the study and transmission of all the martial arts he teaches but his core is Jiu Jitsu which he stated training in back in the 1980’sAs one of the youngest people to reach this level from the national governing body for Jiu Jitsu he continues to inspire us all with his dedication, hard work and patience.Thank you for being our teacher and helping so many people on their own journeys      ​    

Big Welcome to the growing EMA team to our two new apprentices Tobias and Max. Max has just finished his course at Exeter college. Tobias has just obtained his personal trainer qualification and now teaches our Wednesday lunchtime  padblast class and will be taking on some 1:1 clients soon. Both along with our other apprentice Owen regularly train at EMA and all are looking forward to enhancing their training through working at EMA. Keep up the good work boys and if you are in do say hi if they are on the desk :)     ​    

Societies at the University of Leicester give students an opportunity to make life-long friends, learn a new skill, build on their teamwork with other students and get involved in university activities like Varsity and Freshers that take place yearly.  With a lengthy list of clubs and groups currently active at the University, from football and rugby to the Anime society and Enactus, it is no surprise that many of them have a long history since their creation. One such society, the Jiu-Jitsu society, celebrated 30 years in 2021 since it was formed. We spoke to Isaac Bitelli, current Captain of the University of Leicester Jiu-Jitsu club and their 1992 club Captain, Soke Dr Richard Catterick about their founding, their achievements and how they feel celebrating 30 years of Jiu-Jitsu at the University, during the University’s Centenary year. “It’s crazy to think the club has now been running for 30 years.” - Soke Dr Richard Catterick Founded in September of 1991, the society ran as an unofficial club at the University of Leicester, later becoming official in the Autumn of 1992. The first club Captain was Joanne Harvey, with Kevin Sharkey as the club’s Secretary and a total of 8 to 10 members. Soke comments: “It’s crazy to think the club has now been running for 30 years. It has become an institution in Leicester that produces quality martial artists and all-round great people. I am proud to have been part of its history and look forward to help celebrate the 50th in twenty years’ time.” Isaac added: “I am proud that I can not only be part of, but also shaping something that has been around many years before I was born and will hopefully be around many years after I am dead. Legacy is a key value imbedded into the University of Leicester and the Jiu-Jitsu society is certainly part of that, and so it is fortuitous that such a big milestone of the club co-insides with one of the University.” A brief history of Jiu-JitsuJiu-Jitsu was founded originally in Japan. Jiu-Jitsu is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also exists and is a martial art and combat sport based on ground fighting and submission holds. It focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, controlling one's opponent, gaining a dominant position, and using several techniques to force them into submission via joint locks or chokeholds. The style of Jiu-Jitsu practiced at the University, however, is its own, which was founded here at Leicester by the 1992 club Captain, Soke Dr Richard Catterick. Isaac describes how their style differs from the traditional style: “It is in the nature of all things to change, to adapt. To overcome the challenges the future brings. Jiu-Jitsu is no different. We are no longer just for safety on the battlefield but also safety on the street, no longer just for the privileged few but for everyone, no longer for lords to make war, but for people to make peace. Our founder practised a variety of different styles, gaining black belts in many of them. He has taken what he learnt and, with some new ideas of his own, produced his own style of Jiu-Jitsu". Overcoming the pandemicLockdown brought about a new set of challenges for many societies at the University, particularly around membership of new students. With the pandemic ongoing, Isaac looks back on their perseverance to overcome a hurdle that many faced: “We kept going through lockdown by live-streaming lessons. Even though we persevered, we still struggled like everyone else, ending the year with no members (other than current committee). We went into this year worrying we wouldn’t be able to continue, and the club would have to shut down. Through hard work however, we turned this around. We currently have 22 members. All except 3 are brand new members and many of them have recently passed their first Jiu-Jitsu grading. Before Christmas, we were the biggest martial arts club on campus (unless the other clubs have significantly grown since then, we still are), and we expect to continue to grow as we set up opportunities for competitions and continue to provide a safe environment for people to learn how to defend themselves. ”Issac continued: “Jiu Jitsu, to me, represents the chance to be better, not just physically but emotionally as well. It has helped me develop perseverance, confidence, and discipline, with which I have overcome many obstacles. It isn’t for everyone, but it is something I feel everyone should try, because if it is for you, you’ll be glad you did." If you’d like to get involved, the Jiu-Jitsu society provide free taster sessions. Be sure to contact first by emailing [email protected]. For sessions, make sure you are in sportswear, and take along with you a water bottle. Training takes place at the Danielle Brown Sports centre on Tuesdays 7:00pm - 8:30pm and Thursdays 7.30pm - 9:00pm.  For more information on the Jiu-Jitsu society, contact details can be located on the University of Leicester’s Students’ Union website, and on Instagram and Facebook.  ​                

A few weeks ago, I shared this post on our social media talking about the how we believe martial arts is a mandatory life skill the same as swimming for all kids. In everyone’s lifetime at some point they are going to face the threat of physical violence and being able to cope / overcome a bully just in the same way as being able to enter water without fear or dread is so important. Here is the post in case you missed it.  The post was aimed at parents and children but the great thing about social media and martial arts is that it can be shared and its value is applicable to all. A few days after I posted it, I had message from one of my adult students he has been training for just under 50 classes."Last weekend I was involved in some road rage. A guy sped up and pulled up in front of me, blocked me in, got out and shouted through my window and threatened to pull me out. For first time in my life, I was able to keep calm in a possibly violent situation. I looked him in the eyes and spoke steadily and politely and he just backed off. I'm not saying I could have defended myself, but it was great to think clearly under pressure and possible attack. Martial arts give you confidence but more it grounds you. " This was so great to read. A lot of people think martial arts are only about being able to react physically to a threat. This is only part of the story.  The confidence and self-assuredness it gives also helps you be able to talk people down, stopping potential violence knowing that if things to get physical you have the tools to look after yourself. Hope you have a great rest of day 😊​

Just wanted to share with you all, how proud of this young man we are at EMA. Henry is a Hong Kong native who came to Exeter to Study Mechanical Engineering at the University in the autumn joining us in November. At that time, he weighed 96kg and was pretty unfit by his own account. Henry dived straight into the EMA culture training on our unlimited package, with the benefit of student discount. Now some 4 months later he has shed 20kg and now weighs an amazing 76kg. He trains in Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, BJJ, Boxing and Japanese sword and in that 4-month period he has achieved his first gradings/belt tests in Jiu Jitsu, Sword and Kickboxing.  Plus, last weekend he had his first boxing match also raising money for Cancer research in our partnership with UWCB (Ultra white-collar boxing). The guy is a complete inspiration and is testament to what you can achieve if you surround yourself with the right team. Looking forward to seeing his progression.