Chris Bates

My earlier years of sport begin in Athletics for 13 years, competed in school, club and county championships successfully during this period. I developed into a coach, training sprinters and throw events. I was teaching 10-17 year olds for 2 years and then was asked to teach a group of 11-18 year old boys at Harrow Public School. I was very excited to be offered this position and enjoyed every bit of this challenge. I did however find that my love for athletics eventually past, therefore the search for a new sport began.

At this time, my cousin was competing at a world level in Muay Thai, Matrix had just come out and I thought Martial Arts had to be my new fitness and enjoyment challenge! I discovered Fighting Fit!

I started kickboxing in 2002 in the Epsom branch. I gradually worked up the grades in Kickboxing, I increased the number of sessions I trained, learned more and achieved more. I gained my black belt in December 2005 after a year of very intense training.

After a year out traveling the world I came back raring to get back training again. The last 5 weeks of my travels I spent in Fairtex Thailand Camp, intensely training and getting fit again. I have since travelled back to Thailand to train with Shaolin Monks to learn new techniques and weapons.

Since my returns from my travels in May 2007 I have trained intensely to achieve my 2nd Degree Kickboxing in December 2008 and my 1st Black Belt in December 2009. Each time I have gone through the training and the grading, I have known the harder I have desired to reach my own personal targets I have had to sacrifice many other parts of my life for the most rewarding achievements.

I became an Instructor because I wanted to give back to the club and new students the knowledge I have gained from my training. It is extremely rewarding seeing students improve and develop. The gradings are very rewarding as an instructor to see students you have taught from day one to achieve new levels and skills.

I especially enjoy teaching sparring as I found this has always been a huge battle for me. I still continue to train hard at my sparring, partly to keep my confidence and skills high and to keep improving. I am slowly reaching the level I am happy with. However this target is always moving the more I learn and am able to put into practice.

Students should begin Martial Arts to achieve whatever they wish to achieve! If its fitness, losing weight and toning up, this is definitely one of the best sports around to achieve this. It’s an all round body work out. Some people get into training to feel more confident, and with the many various self defence styles we teach and practice regularly, people should feel more confident within themselves. From gaining this confidence you gain more confidence in your whole life. I have gained a stronger mental awareness, focus and confidence.

I have not trained at many other clubs because I know the instructors at Fighting Fit have a very broad knowledge and bring this together with many, many years of experience of many martial arts.

Since starting training my confidence has improved and Martial Arts has helped me with work and my life by coping with any difficulties I have come across and tackled them with confidence and a positive attitude. The knowledge of self defence, sparring and technique skills has built me as a person and with my abilities. I am not necessarily an ambitious person when it comes to work, but with my training, I feel that this has given me a strong direction in my life and achieve targets I would have never achieved in any other sport or areas of my life.
Now a Black belt, my Martial Arts training begins…