TAE KWON DO - Autism & Achievement - Miss N Baker

Mr Swifts Outstanding Contribution to the Community - Wyre Forest District Council

Coping with life's little challenges - Aspergers Syndrome (Autism) - Mr and Mrs A. Hanson

Weight loss & live life - Mr C. Trevitt

TAE KWON DO - AUTISM & BIG ACHIEVEMENTS

    My son Josh has been training with Verve taekwondo now for 3 years and what a difference it has made! Josh has high functioning Autism and used to be quite a shy child who hated trying anything new, but a friend in his class at school introduced him to taekwondo and since then we haven't looked back.

    Josh has achieved so much since starting and is now a red belt, which he has worked hard for. He struggles with his balance sometimes, which most children with Autism do, but still has a good go! He has taken part in competitions and seminars and won medals and certificates! From when Josh was first diagnosed I never wanted him to be treated any differently and Mr Swift has always treated Josh the same and gently encouraged him to go a little beyond his boundaries without ever pushing him, as he does for every child in his club. I believe Mr Swift knows each child, his or her abilities and works with them to be the best that they can be.

'All the instructors are fantastic and also ensure the kids have fun as well!'

    Josh is a different child than he was a few years ago and I know that Taekwondo has had a huge influence, giving him confidence, fitness and the ability to believe in himself. He thrives on the structure, routine and discipline of the classes and loves his training which is usually 2-3 hours per week with practice at home too!

Joining Verve was the best thing we ever did!

Miss N Baker.

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION to the COMMUNITY

    Mr Swift works tirelessly on the classes and programmes he delivers and was recently recognised for his work and efforts with an award presented by the Wyre Forest District Council for his 'Outstanding Contribution to the Community'. The following testimony was taken from the speech made during the WDFC Sports Awards presentation evening!

    "John, along with his wife and son, run Verve Taekwondo. He has over 500 students who are supported by a network of over 60 well established black belts. He runs sessions 6 days per week, with 1-2-1's on the 7th! In addition, there are gradings, competitions, workshops, seminars and a series of other courses. The club boasts and in-house instructor development programme which has a number of proactive tiers focused on junior leaders, team leaders, assistant instructors, club instructor and club ownership programmes.

    "John has worked extremely hard to build international friends in the world of Taekwondo, and has successfully promoted the Wyre Forest onto the international scene when Wyre Forest Glades Leisure Centre played host to an International Team Taekwondo event that attracted 500 competitors and just over 700 spectators, including an American team of 80 athletes!"

    "In addition to his international work John also fund raises for several charities including Acorns Trust, Macmillans Trust, Breast Cancer Campaign and the local county air ambulance. His club also operates day camps during the summer holidays and works closely within our local schools."

    "John is the ultimate role model with all club members looking to emulate his achievements. John sets very high morale standards and runs each training session with a professional structural theme to ensure that his students not only learn the art of Taekwondo but the all important life skills needed to deal with daily challenges in an ever changing and challenging society."

"Anyone can be an instructor but it takes a true professional to create a club with an inclusive ethos that welcomes everyone!"

Words spoken by Councillor Tracey Onslow of the Wyre Forest District Council

 

COPING WITH LIFE'S LITTLE CHALLENGES

    Our Daughter Steff Hanson is a student at Verve Martial Arts. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have found an instructor with such genuine care and dedication towards his students. Mr Swift encourages and inspires every one of his students to reach their potential, recognising their strengths and working on their weaknesses, treating them all as individuals and not as just another student. The aspect of Mr Swift’s classes that we feel is invaluable, is the way he sits the younger students down at the beginning of a session and chats to them, not only about how to progress with their Taekwondo, but how to cope with everyday issues such as peer pressure, bullying, as well as useful strategies with how to control their fears and anxieties before an exam etc. So as well as teaching the students Martial Arts, he also teaches his students valuable life skills. The success of Mr Swift’s students is testament to his tireless determination for them to succeed, providing many opportunities for students to participate in competitions with other Clubs and inviting other senior instructors along to his classes to give his students the experience of learning valuable skills from instructors other than himself.

    We would like to explain the circumstances as to how we came to take our child to Verve.
Steff is 14 years of age and has a form of Autism called Aspergers Syndrome and although she attends a mainstream school with a high level of support, Steff did used to be a regular target for bullies which as a result, had a devastating effect on her confidence and self esteem- as with all autistics, she struggled with her balance and co-ordination. Steff expressed an interest in Martial Arts, we thought this would be what she needed, and so we initially enrolled her with an instructor who gave weekly classes at her school. This turned out to be a disaster, her instructor was unsupportive, the classes were poorly run and Steff would come out of each session having gained nothing other than cuts and bruises. Her confidence and self esteem were at an all time low, but she was still keen to learn Martial Arts. We knew it would be difficult to find an Instructor of a good enough standard and more importantly, sympathetic of our child’s needs, but we had to try.

    We contacted Mr Swift after reading an article in our local paper about a group of students at Verve celebrating recent achievements. We were invited to observe one of his classes and were so impressed with Mr Swift’s professionalism, expertise and structure of his class that we enrolled Steff that same evening! We explained about our child’s Autism and both Mr and Mrs Swift confidently reassured us that Steff would be well supported by the club. That was over two years ago and as a result of the consistent guidance, encouragement and perseverance of Mr Swift and his instructors, Steff’s balance and co-ordination have improved considerably, her Taekwondo skills are brilliant, she has taken part in competitions and has also joined Mr Swift’s kickboxing classes, things she would have never have had the confidence to do. Anyone can be an instructor, but it takes a true professional to create a club with an inclusive ethos that welcomes everyone , We were determined that we would not allow our Daughters disability to hinder her aspirations to succeed in sport and Mr Swift shared our determination, and for that we will always be truly grateful .

Mr and Mrs A. Hanson

WEIGHT LOSS & LIVE LIFE

    I started Taekwondo to spend time with my partner doing a hobby together whilst we both improved on our fitness. Within a couple of months I got the 'buzz' and with the advice and guidance from Mr Swift and his team of instructors I started to do extra training at home and within 18 months of hard work and a change of diet I lost 5 stone and was under 14 stone for the first time in 10 years!

    Joining Verve Taekwondo has literally changed my life. From being an overweight and tired 27 year old who enjoyed a takeaway (or two) who is now a fit, healthy 30 year old hoping to grade for my black belt in 2011. I can’t recommend Mr Swift and Verve Taekwondo enough.

If you want to do a Martial Art, get fit and have fun this is the place to come!!!

Mr C. Trevitt

            

 

Left - Carl Trevitt photographed at the start of 2008 just achieved his second belt!

 

 

 

Right - Carl Trevitt in 2010 with one of his highlights being selected for the I.T.S. England Taekwondo Team

 

 

 

WOMEN IN THE MARTIAL ARTS

    I had never been enthusiastic about exercise. As a young woman I spent most of my time socialising with friends and shopping. As suspected the majority of my physical activity derived from busting moves on the dance floor or shopping until I dropped!

    My brother teaches Martial Arts and when my sister-in-law became pregnant I began to help with registers & administration within the classes. Before long I was at classes more often and it made sense whilst I was there to drop in at the back of the session and get some exercise.
    I was the most harmless girl you could imagine and considerably overweight, and to practice a Martial Art seemed so foreign to me.

'I can honestly say that doing a martial art, and more specifically joining up with Verve, is one of the best decisions I have ever made.'

    I was overwhelmed by how everyone training welcomed me into the group; they are all so supportive, regardless of belt colour or physical ability.

    Mr Swift promotes a fun/family based environment within his clubs and I cannot speak a truer word. The motivation, sense of achievement, key life skills along with exercising for fun beats a gym membership with no contest!

    Nearly 3 years later, I have discovered a new me. I have gained self-confidence, learned balance, focus and skills in combat and self defence, something I would recommend to any female out there! Should a dangerous situation arise I now have confidence myself to be able to deal with whatever I may come across. Not only has my fitness massively improved and I have lost weight but I have made a whole new circle of friends and I feel great!
    I am enjoying every moment of my journey in Martial Arts, a big thank you to my chief instructor for which all of this has been possible.

Miss L. Swift

'BLACK BELT' - REWARDING PERSEVERANCE

    It's nearly 4 years now , since Will embarked on his Taekwondo journey. At first I thought it would be a brief visit to the world of Martial Arts - how wrong could I be!!!

    Will initially wanted to go because his best friend attended. He managed to attain his belts every 3 months up to blue belt, but then he stalled for a while, and his sister stopped attending. This seemed to be the catalyst for him to push on, and ever since he has shown such determination and focus, way beyond his 9 years.

 'His enthusiasm for training is never in question, even when he is feeling a bit off colour.'

    His latest grading for black stripe (one before black) almost seemed like a "rights of passage". After 2.25 hours of an intense physical and mental examination, he was still going strong. Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit immediately sprang to mind. He loves all his sports, but Verve Taekwondo has more than anything given him so much in terms of self respect and the ability to achieve.

    Parents are usually an inspiration to their children, however I can honestly say that it is the other way round in Will's case.

Mr T. Derrer

VERVE MARTIAL ARTS - CONFIDENCE BUILDING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

    I have two boys who both take part in Tae Kwon Do lessons with Verve Martial Arts. Verve Martial Arts was recommended to us by a family friend. The club is very family orientated; at some of the sessions you will see different generations of some families in the same class.

    My eldest son was shy and lacked in confidence which is the reason we enrolled him. From day one Mr and Mrs Swift worked really hard with Peter to ensure that he fitted in with the class and fully understood what was expected of him. At times Peter found this quite challenging but either Mr or Mrs Swift talked him through it and gave him confidence to continue.

    Peter is now a completely different boy and has worked his way up through the grades to become a 1st Dan Black Belt. I find it quite difficult to believe at times that this boy who is now twelve was so reserved. Peters now helps out with the junior sessions and takes part in the adult sessions.

'Peter’s confidence has also improved at school we put this down to the Tae Kwon Do.'

    My youngest son Tristan started Tae Kwon Do two years later than Peter; he really enjoys sport and wanted to try something different. Tristan really enjoyed the Tae Kwon Do lessons but was really nervous when it came to grading as he didn’t want to perform in front of everyone. This is now a thing of the past; Tristan is now able to get up and perform his pattern in confidence not only at grading’s but also at club competitions.

    Both our boys have benefited from attending Verve Martial Arts club in many ways; they have both won medals and certificates.

Mrs L. Bell

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