The Motivated Martial Artists

On this week’s podcast, the Motivated Martial artists – Jackson White & Gavin Cook talk to 9th Degree Black Belt Master Clive Harrison.Master Clive Harrison has over 50 years combined experience in the art, helping hundreds of students achieve their goal of Black belt and beyond. But where did he start? Master Harrison started martial arts in his 20s inspired by Bruce Lee he joined a local Kung Fu school he trained here for 5 years and then progressed into Traditional Wodoru Karate before joining one of the first UK Taekwondo schools run by Grand Master Don Adkins.Over the years clive  has helped over 400 students to achieve their Black Belt and above. Together with his wife Rachael, herself a 3rd Degree Black belt and World Champion, they are dedicated to helping students achieve their personal goals and fulfil their ambitions within Tae Kwon Do, whether it is to train to Black Belt or above, be successful at competition, become an Instructor or to improve themselves as a person by developing a strong character and positive attitude while increasing their confidence, self-discipline, flexibility and stamina.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

On this week’s podcast the Motivated Martial artists – Jackson White & Gavin Cook talk to martial arts expert Tod WurrBorn and raised in Norfolk, United Kingdom, Tod Wurr has over 30 years experience studying, training in and teaching Martial Arts. His desire to breakdown techniques to better understand power, self-defense and develop the ability to modify what he had learnt took him all over the United States in search of a way to continually improve and challenge himself. Tod has spent decades analyzing the techniques and moves used in karate, boxing, taekwondo, judo, cage fighting and much more to understand those most effective.He became one of the youngest martial artists to achieve a blackbelt in Taekwon-Do at the age of 16 and went on to compete at international level before setting up his own martial arts academy in 1991.In 2015 Tod was awarded the honor of seventh degree by Taekwon do association of Great Britain making him a globally recognised World Master.Tod has impeccable credentials when it comes to developing power and technique and is well placed to assess, evaluate and improve fighters’ abilities in these areas. His knowledge of body mechanics and the application of Newtonian physics reflect perfectly the Principles of Power, which underlie the application of each and every technique.Tod has led many martial artists to success, many of which have become World Champions. His work with MMA Blackzilians and his on-going development of international fighters also draws on his abilities to prepare fighters mentally.As a qualified clinical hypnotist, Tod is able to employ hypnosis and other auto-suggestion techniques to offer psychological development alongside physical development. It is essential that fighters are mentally prepared for competition, and just as peak performance is calculated and controlled in the physical sense, so it needs to be in the emotional sense.What stands Tod apart from other martial artists is his ability to adapt himself to any situation or opponent. He teaches his students skills that can enable a 120lb girl to effectively defend herself against a 250lb man. He challenges their mind by encouraging a thought process designed to really understand the principles of power and how to use their own build, size and mass to their own advantage whether that be in competition or real life.To the fighters, Tod is the key that unlocks the Champion, combining all the advantages of the 21st century with thought, wisdom and understanding.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

On this week’s podcast the Motivated Martial artists – Jackson White & Gavin Cook talk to Emelia May Taekwon-Do, Infinite Tai Chi, Chi Kung & Meditation Teacher & Complimentary Therapist.22 years experience in the field of Health & Wellness,working as a Complimentary Therapist & the past 10 years spent training & teaching Martial Arts.​Beginning as an Energy worker & Massage therapist, with the intention to ease pain and discomfort in the physical body and to understand the pathways to health on all levels an interest in complimentary medicine grew.  In studying various disciplines, the common denominator to increasing well-being appeared to be in viewing how the energy systems are working and to assist strengthening any weakness’ so they work as a whole.In observing how Taekwon-Do training, provides a unique ability as a martial art to promote health through increased confidence, strength, skill and focus, a profound and deep passion grew. To further increase knowledge, the understanding and skill set already gained I studied under Master Jason Chan and became a teacher of the Infinite Arts: Tai Chi, Chi Kung & Meditation. Martial Arts acknowledge the powerful role of the mind, and idea of the 'self' in order to break through limitations and fulfill true potentials.                                           The years spent studying these chosen fields have created a unique skill set and many understandings to share.QualificationsITF style - 3rd Degree Black BeltWT- Level II British Taekwondo CoachInfinite Tai Chi & Chi Kung Teacher Infinite Meditation & Guided Visualisation Teacher Energy worker ~ balancing the systems of the body & mind      (Reiki Master, Advanced Colour Therapist, Aromatherapy, Massage Therapist)Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

On this week’s podcast the Motivated Martial artists – Jackson White & Gavin Cook talk to young and upcoming TAGB fighter Kieran SullivanKieran was born in Newport and started Karate when he was 4 years old he did this for a few years before finding a local TaeKwonDo club and joining with his older brother. He fell in love with the sport with lots of support from his parents training 5 days a week Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Keiren is now in university at nottingham and continues to train in taekwondo as a black belt and keen fighter.Keiren recently burst onto the fighting scene, but his journey hasn't been easy, one of his biggest setbacks was the year of the world championships in Roana Kerien began having seizures, at first doctors thought was just epilepsy, but as the seizures became progressively worse the doctors realised it was a brain tumor that he had to get removed. This stopped his competitive career for 10 months but he still continued training desperate to get back into sparring and fighting as well as joining his local gym and trying to get physically fit and keep him active.Keiren is motivated by being the best and always improving. Tune in this week to hear his inspiring stories.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

On this week’s podcast the Motivated Martial artists – Jackson White & Gavin Cook talk to martial arts legends Bill ‘SUPERFOOT’ Wallace and Kenny Herrera chatting about everything from grading with Chuck Norris to teaching Elvis Presley martial arts and making films with everyone from Jackie Chan to John Belushi. Bill Wallace-Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana, and trained in wrestling during his high school years. He began his study of Judo in 1966 and was forced to discontinue his Judo related activities because of an injury he suffered to his right knee during practice. He then began to study Shōrin-ryū Karate while serving in the U.S. Air Force. After entering the point fighting tournament scene and achieving success there, he switched to full-contact competition. With the coaching help of veteran fighter Jim 'Ronin' Harrison, Wallace won 23 consecutive professional fights between 1974 and 1980, becoming the Professional Karate Association middleweight world full-contact karate champion and retiring undefeated. He was known for his fast left leg kicks, especially his roundhouse kick and his hook kick, which was clocked at about 60 mph. As well as Martial arts champion Bill also has many other accolades, from being  Elvis Presley's martial arts trainer to an actor, acting, most notably in A Force of One starring Chuck Norris. Wallace was the play-by-play commentator for the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event UFC 1 in 1993 alongside fellow kickboxer Kathy Long and NFL Hall of famer Jim Brown where in which he burped as he said "Hello, I'm Bill Wallace, and welcome to McNichols Arena" in what has become a much beloved blooper from that event. Wallace administers an organization of karate schools under his "Superfoot" system. He was elected to Black Belt Magazine's Hall of Fame in 1973 as "Tournament Karate Fighter of the Year" and again in 1978 as "Man of the Year." His film credits include A Force of One with Chuck Norris; Killpoint, with Cameron Mitchell; Continental Divide and Neighbors, with John Belushi; The Protector, with Jackie Chan; Los Bravos with Hector Echavarria; A Prayer for the Dying, with Mickey Rourke; Ninja Turf; and Sword of Heaven Kenny Herrera-Raised in Southern California Kenny was obsessed with Ringo Star and wanted to become a drummer, he started playing in bands around his local area and when girls would wink at him their boyfriends would try to beat him up he realised he needed to learn some self defence. He joined the YMCA and found a local martial arts club with Chuck Norris and Sherman Oaks after Chuck just brought the club off Joe Lewis. Chuck convinced Kenny to start fighting at competitions and this is where he met his wife after seeing her sparing he fell in love with her ended up taking her on the road with him playing music while also keeping up his training.Kenny then came back home to California and joined Chuck again at the martial arts school. One weekend he went to a black belt seminar with Chuck hosted by Bill Wallace. He was blown away by Bills technique and became great friends with him traveling round together doing seminars up and down America and all over the world!Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

 This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to 15 time world champion Colin Boxshall.Colin started martial arts in his late teens at a Wadō-ryū karate club with his older brother and trained there until he was a first dan. He then moved to a kickboxing club after leaving karate as he got older. He found a passion for point sparring while training in kickboxing but felt like he could do more. One of his friends James Welsh then invited him to TaeKwonDo club ran by Kenny Walton and after learning the hard way how much taekwondo sparring differed from any other martial arts he tried he fell in love with it and continues practicing TaeKwondo and kickboxing to this day 30 years later.Colin is soon to be a 3rd dan in TaeKwonDo and 3rd dan in Kickboxing and although he can no longer spar due to a life changing chain of strokes due to blood clots and brain damage he still manages to train and runs a TAGB TaeKwonDo club in grimsby with around 30 students including World champion Liliana, 11, who over the lockdown raised money for NHS by doing four miles of taekwondo kicks in her garden.Tune in this week to hear inspirational stories from a true martial arts renaissance man.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to Owner / Head Instructor of Ninja Tots and Kids, Victoria Foote.Victoria is a 4th degree black belt and started doing Martial Arts when she was just 17 years old joining a local class with her friend and falling for the art she carried on with taekwondo all the way through to university even starting up a taekwondo class at her university that still stands to this day.  Victoria achieved her black belt when she was 21 and has competed around the world including the Olympic Trials.Victoria decided to take on being a taekwondo instructor full time after attending a martial arts seminar by Melody Shuman about the original concept for SKILLZ™ (Little Ninjas). The seminar blew her mind and Victoria decided to be one of the first in the UK to teach with the Little Ninja Program. Victoria fell in love with teaching children and the benefits of teaching kids and paired with degree and studies of Child Development she started Ninja Tots and Kids using the age-specific Martial Arts training programs known as SKILLZ™MAKE SURE TO TUNE IN TO THIS ONE Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to Former 3x TaeKwonDo World Champion Debbie Hill Debbie's first love in sport is Tae Kwon do which she is has been doing for over 29 years and she is a 6th dan Black belt. She has been teaching since 1996 in Wincanton and Gillingham. She was also in the British Tae Kwon Do team from 1996-2004. She has been fortunate enough to have competed all over the world from Holland, Poland and Russia to America and Australia, winning many titles including British, European and 3 consecutive individual world championship titles and a world team title. Retired from serious competition now, she is more focused on coaching her students.As a qualified fitness instructor, with over 28 years of experience in the fitness, leisure and sport industry, plus her years of teaching Tae Kwon do, makes her well placed to pass on her knowledge in a fun, safe and effective way. Debbie works in sports development and believes sport/ activity is for everyone.Tune in this week to hear some truly gripping stories from Debbie kicking off The Motivated Martial Artists Podcast Season 3 in style!Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to world gold medalist and 2x hall of famer David Breed.David Breed 7th Dan Blackbelt Chief Instructor & Founder Evade blackbelt schools.He gained his first black belt before he was 16, and followed this with winning various competitions in mixed disciplines across the UK including Taekwondo, Thai boxing, Freestyle Karate and Kickboxing. Being selected for the national team led to him competing all over the world and being offered the chance to fight for the infamous ‘Warriors’ Fight Team. After which he started to compete in Kick Jujitsu, a fast paced blend of Kickboxing striking and Jiu Jitsu groundwork.Trained & produced numerous World, European and British champions and over 200 blackbelts. He has been training and teaching martial arts now for over 39 years. In this time he has travelled the world to compete against and train with the very best.The academies he has founded over the years have produced many world champions and black belts, establishing themselves as some of the UK’s premium studios with international acclaim.A highly respected and much sought after coach, David can often be found coaching at his personal gym in Manchester, UK.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to life time TAGB instructor, Master Graham Churchill.Graham started martial arts at 19 attending a class after seeing some green belts performing Won-Hyo at his local gym he fell in love with taekwondo enjoying the challenge and the structure as well as  seeing the black belts performing inspirational moves. This drove Graham to keep coming back and become addicted to Taekwondo and he has never looked back.After years of training and inconsistent work on the pits Graham decided to start making a living out of teaching tae kwon do, he opened his first club in 1990. Born and bred in Wheatley, Doncaster, Graham still runs classes twice a week despite suffering from cancer in 2018. Thankfully he recovered and says that he is delighted to be back putting on classes and helping people accomplish their goals.Over his 30 years teaching Graham has worked out that he has trained over 300 students both junior and adult to black belt - and the 300th was a special landmark in particular as it was his 11 year old son! The ages of black belt members range drastically, with the youngest at nine and the most veteran attendee aged 68. Graham, now 56, has an illustrious career behind him and has competed at the World Championships whilst representing Great Britain. He is now happy with his role of producing the champions of tomorrow.To find out more and to have a free trial at Sheffield TKD, visit https://www.sheffieldtkd.comSupport the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to WAKO Blue Blood Martial Artist Sarah Macrae.Sarah started martial arts at Ralph Minotts gym joining alongside her uncle who previously trained there, Sarah found taekwondo to be an escape from her turbulent home life the encouragement from her coaches and buzz words like well done and that's fantastic things she would never usually hear at home helped her find confidence, success and independence in herself while also allowing her to find a passion for martial arts.Since then Sarah has progressed in martial arts training in ITF, TAGB, WTF and now training in WAKO taekwondo with team blue blood.Sarah believes martial arts has changed her life in all aspects. She now wants to give back to her community back in the gym she first trained in with Ralph, Sarah volunteers and mentors at the Royal foundation youth club mentoring young girls who has a similar upbringing to Sarah and also helping young athletes with sponsorships and funding to progress their careers and to guide these young women to lead healthy and successful lives.Tune in this week to hear Sarah's story living a successful life and giving back to her community.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to 7th Dan Master Chris Beanland.Chris is a 7th Dan black belt in Taekwondo he took up the sport 39 years ago but before Taekwondo chris tried many martial arts throughout his early life. As a kid Chris tried out Judo, kickboxing, karate and more before deciding on taekwondo in his late teens and early 20s training at bradford university. Chris originally joined with a friend but they only lasted until green belt, unlike chris who fell in love with the sport and still trains to this day.Tune in this week to hear some inspirational stories from Master Chris Beanland Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to Budo Ju-Jitsu Self Defence Academy's John Scandone.John grew up in surrey, taking up martial arts after watching the classic martial arts films and shows like Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon and David Carradine's kung fu tv series. John would try to mimic everything he saw on tv and brought martial art books and magazines to try to learn everything he could from home. In John's early teens he decided to look for a martial arts school to join and after finding a karate school with a local italian instructor, he his friends and brothers joined. The instructor took a liking to John because he is also italian, looking after him and his friends the instructor gave them hand me down Gi's and taught them for a number of lessons. This is where John found his initial love for martial arts. After Quitting karate later on in his teens, becoming more interested in football and girls, John did not revisit it until a number of years later. After moving to Wales John's semi-professional football career came to an end and he wanted to look for something new he thought about revising Karate or taking up Muay Thai but in the end he decided on Goshin Ju-Jitsu after seeing a small poster in the local leisure center. In Johns first session he was thrown in the deep end and found that he could swim, he loved it an stuck with it for some years after.After training for some years in Ju-Jitsu Johns instructor Billy Doak sadly passed away in 2009 and years later John started Budo Ju-Jitsu Self Defence Academy Newport & Brynmawr based on the teachings of Shihan Billy Doak.Budo Ju-Jitsu Self Defence Academy is a Freestyle Japanese Ju Jitsu taught with traditional values and modern ethics, practical techniques and an open mind teaching takedowns, grappling and submissions. Their classes are open to teens and adults of all abilities in the Newport & Brynmawr area. John still teaches in Newport & Brynmawr inspiring many to find a love for martial arts. Tune in this week to hear more about Ju-Jitsu through John Scandone experiences and expertise Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to Taekwondo four-time Olympian and Britain’s first ever Olympic medallist, Sarah Stephenson MBE.Sarah started her training at the Doncaster All Stars Taekwondo club at the age of 7 years old joining her brother who had been a regular at the club for years. At first Sarah was quiet and shy initially struggling to keep up with the other 'stars' of the class, BUT Sarah stuck through it trusting and taking advice from her coach and her family until after some time she started to see  major improvements and found a love for the sport. Sarah started to make a name for herself in 1998, by becoming Junior World Champion at the tender age of 15, followed by Junior European Champion in 1999.  Sarah then qualified for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. As a teen she nearly took an Olympic medal in 2000,  finishing 4th.  Sarah became World Champion in 2001, the first British World Champion ever.Sarah competed at 4 Olympic Games from Sydney to London, and in Beijing in 2008 became the first ever British Taekwondo medallist, winning the bronze medal. She is a 3 times world Champion and 4 times European Champion. Sarah was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to taekwondo and was selected by her fellow athletes to read the Athlete oath at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.Not only has Sarah shown a consistent ability to compete at the top for a number of years, but has inspired many on and off the mat. She retired from competition in 2013 through injury and became a Team GB coach Having served as the Athlete representative on the World Taekwondo Executive Council from 2013-2016, Sarah is now the British Taekwondo President and plays a Team Manager role for the Cadets having been a GB Coach from 2013-2015.Sarah set up her own academy aiming to educate and train young, aspiring athletes across a range of sports. Just a further example of why Sarah is a true ambassador to Great British sport. Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to 6th dan Taekwondo practitioner Nina Bud.Nina started Taekwondo in the 80s at 7 years old at a local Judo club she did this for 2 or 3 years before the club was shut down. Nina then picked up martial arts again at 16 years old after her and her friends were mugged in Bristol town. The traumatic event inspired Nina to join a martial arts club to learn how to protect herself and her friends. After training in martial arts for a while Nina realised it was becoming more than just a way to protect herself, she found a passion for martial arts and soon it would become a massive part of her life.Nina's fighting career started in her colour belts, enduring many injuries but still turning up to class. One moment like this she recalls is when she sprained her ankle sparing but still turned up to class on crutches and sat at the back taking in as much as she could making sure she  didn't miss anything. This dedication has stayed with her throughout her martial arts careen and her life. Nina has always enjoyed sparring enjoying the kicking and the technical aspects of fighting. Nina doesn't care about winning or losing she cares about doing herself justice and making her self proud.Nina has been an instructor for many years starting her first club when she moved to Essex being supported by the South West TAGB. She started teaching Taekwondo part time alongside her night shift job at Tescos. She promoted her club in schools and Flyer dropping to build up a small school, soon after Nina took on a friends old club and her classes continued to grow allowing her to quit her job and pursue her passion for teaching martial arts full time.Nina believes in developing children through martial arts and the Skillz program teaching them life and social skills they will keep with them forever building confidence as well as allowing children to protect themselves.Tune in this week  to hear more stories from a very inspiring lady!Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to Oliver SykesOliver Sykes has been training martial arts for 20 years starting officially at the age of 3 years old doing  Silat, an indonesian martial art based on conditioning and trying to mimic the form of animals it is similar to brazilian jujitsu and judo. And then after grading in Silat he moved on to kick boxing and karate where he found his love for sparing and a lot of the early skills he learned he still practices today and it has helped him develop many skills like his iconic back kick.Oliver is the son of Bob Sykes and has been coached under Bob since his first experiences of martial arts, following in his father’s footsteps Oliver has gone on to compete in every kickboxing association winning 6 British freestyle karate championships, European freestyle championships and won the title for being a world champion kickboxer. In 2013 Oliver Sykes won Clash of the Titans. Oliver is still a avid fighter, fighting in MMA fights on the likes of MMA uncaged training eagerly for each fight.As well as training hard Oliver teaches teenager and adult kickboxing classes at colne valley black belt academy.Tune in this week to hear some inspirational storiesSupport the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to World Master 7th Dan and  instructor at Hereford Tae Kwon Do club  David Sheppard. David has been training since 1982, teaching for 35 years and has been running  his own club since 1997. David started Tae Kwon Do at the age of 12 for the same reason as many others, he was getting bullied at school, his parents saw a small advert in the local paper and took him to a demonstration. David then started training in the very next class. The first year of training he, was like most kids, went along twice a week and saw his skills slowly develop over timeAfter the first year things changed drastically, other clubs opened and David was able to train 9 Taekwondo sessions a week. At first when David entered competitions he struggled, he didn’t win any fights for almost three years but still worked really hard because he enjoyed what he was doing David says it took him a lot of hard work and dedication before he even won a fight. But the first competition he won was at the english championships as a red tag  that day he won seven fights beating everyone in his category and won the competition fighting Dave Oliver's son (Russel) and Richard Stevens.This win spurred David on when he was at the brink of quitting TaeKwonDo and made him work even harder working with  different instructors and spending lots of time and effort improving his martial art skills and knowledge. David has represented both Great Britain and Wales on numerous occasions, being captain of both, has has gained 9 world titles (European individual and team titles) as well as 20 plus national titles plus many more in all aspects, sparring, patterns and destruction. David was voted International fighter of the year on two occasions as well as being voted Sports personality of the year for Newport.David has been teaching at Hereford TaeKwonDo club for over 18 years and has had the pleasure to meet and teach many extraordinary people David said "Each and every one of them has brought something to the club, whether it is a personal experience or skills from past training, some have been challenging, some have been easy but I have found enjoyment and satisfaction from watching them improve and overcome their own personal challenges and achieve the goals set either through Tae kwon Do or by themselves".David believes it is very important to keep an open mind and he  always actively looks to learn and gain more knowledge and experience to pass on to his students.David believes the main reason for his success is hard work, dedication, determination and most of all, enjoying every single second of the things he loves. Tune in this week to hear some inspirational stories from a very wise and motivational martial arts master.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to 5th dan and world champion Nicola TurecekNicola started her martial arts journey at 5 years old after being told by a doctor to take up a sport that involves bare feet because of issues with her feets growth. Initially she started ballet but after hating it her father decided to take her to a Taekwondo school with Lyn Evans where she fell in love with martial arts.Nicola is a Taekwondo world champion winning many competitions including winning the 2010 Taekwondo world championship in patterns against 98 other women. Nicola has also traveled a lot around the world to compete in world championship tournaments, one of her most memorable moments in sparing was in 2008 in Sardinia winning a gold in the continuous sparring and a silver in point stop. Another memorable moment for her was in poland winning a patterns gold medal and a point sparring gold medal both with huge competitor categories.Nicola has been an instructor at many clubs throughout the years amassing a large plethora of knowledge and teaching skills. Nicola now owns her own chain of clubs called Nicola Turecek Taekwondo where she teaches traditional Tae Kwon-Do, Self Defence and Korean Kickboxing to all ages from Children to Adults across the majority of the South Wales area.Tune in this week to hear some motivational stories from a very successful and inspirational lady! Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to combat Ju-Jitsu/Self Defence instructor and Kaizen Martial arts expo founder Lucci Del-Gaudio.Lucci comes from a Martial arts family having 5 older brothers (who are all Ju-Jitsu black belts).  His first exposure to martial arts was watching a Bruce Lee Enter the Dragon. His mum wouldn't let him stay up to watch it as it was a school night but his martial arts avid brothers persuaded her to allow Lucci to watch it.The next day at school every kid who watched enter the dragon the night before were beating each other up in the playground pretending to be Bruce Lee. Lucci's friend asked him if he wanted to go to join a karate class with him. Lucci joined and trained at the famous Zanshin Hombu with Simon Oliver Sensei. Which is still going strong today.  He stayed at Zanshin hombu until purple belt and then decide to Join his siblings in training in Ju-Jitsu. He trained under his eldest brother and  was totally hooked beginning his martial arts career that still spans to today.Lucci has won lots of awards within the martial arts community, from the Hall of Fame to the British martial arts awards. He was recently nominated for the regional BBC sports personality of the year.  Some of his awards he is proudest of is  Achieving his Ju-jitsu Dan grades, Founding Kaizen Martial arts expo and raising almost 8 thousand pounds for kids with Cancer. Lucci's plans for the future are, to work with his Son Mario to develop him as a Martial artist and help to guide his future like Lucci's big brother did for him. Getting Kaizen to stadium level and  working on some books and still growing his classes as well as enjoying his training and spending quality time with his family.Lucci wants to help to change people's lives saying "it's what we do. Knowing i have helped kids overcome things, like bullying is always a great achievement in my eyes."Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)

This week the Motivated Martial Artists Jackson White and Gavin Cook talk to Grandmaster Trevor Nicholls 8th Degree ITF Master and Vice present of International Taekwondo Association And the president of UK ITFMaster Trevor Nicholls has been training in martial arts for many years and like many he started training in Judo first, and then Karate after being inspired by 'The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires' and (of course) Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon this is where he found his initial love for martial arts. It wasn’t until Master Raymond Choi came into the karate hall where Trevor was training and taught Taekwondo where Trevor realised Taekwondo was the art, he wanted to peruse.Master Nicholls' initially owned a school called  Nicholls Taekwon-Do Institute it was in  Rayners Lane and had 50 students this is where Nicholls realised he would make a living out of the art he loved. In January 1983, Master Trevor Nicholls, Fourth Degree ITF Black Belt, an Instructor of high repute within the UKTA, took the decision to become independent and founded Imperial Taekwon-Do Association to promote the advancement of orthodox Taekwon-Do as developed by General Choi Hong Hi IXth Dan (Founder). Imperial Taekwon-Do Association quickly grew, attracting Black Belts and groups who were attracted by the ethos and training standards.As the organisation grew, and to be more inclusive of new joiners, Imperial became UK ITF™, incorporated in October 2010.  UK ITF continues to be very successful with Teams having successfully represented UK ITF in many countries around the world.Master Nicholls has been involved in many magazines and books throughout his journey featuring on many front covers of  'Taekwondo & Korean Martial Arts Magazine' and books such as 'Taekwon-Do Patterns: From Beginner to Black Belt'.Tune in this week to hear some inspirational stories from Grandmaster Trevor Nicholls himself. Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/The-Motivated-Martial-Artists-Podcast-111559296845377/)