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| THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND MARTIAL ARTS FESTIVAL FOR DISABLED PEOPLE |
Its original aims:
It was created to provide an opportunity for disabled people to attend a try-it-out day of widely differing martial arts. This was because there had not previously been any developmental work undertaken in disability martial arts, other than in judo.
For those that wanted it they could then be put in touch with a local club they could join to train on a regular basis.
What has happened since:
It has become a much bigger event than ever possibly imagined. Our 1998 Festival was attended by over 300 participants with approximately 80 instructors teaching across 10 differing martial arts styles!
It has also provided a platform for instructors of all grades and all styles to experience working with disabled people so that they can then take that back to their own clubs and develop these skills for themselves. For this reason each year we have brought in 'new blood'.
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FESTIVAL HISTORY
From 1992 onwards:
I began by teaching a group of young visually impaired students at a nearby College and School and felt that there wasn't enough being done to cater for their needs i.e. by joining another Club near where they lived and thus the idea of the Festival Programme was borne.
1996:
The year it all began as 'Kent Martial Arts Festival for Disabled People' aimed at just recruiting for this County. We had some 160 people attend - not bad for a first time event! On offer was karate, judo, jujitsu and a Korean martial art called choi kwang do.
1997:
Geared up with an even bigger army of instructors and volunteers, the Festival, now operating under its present name ('The South of England Martial Arts Festival for Disabled People') participants (over 250 of them!) came from further afield - London, Essex and we also were able to welcome our first international representative from Sweden. Ten arenas were on the go with martial arts now also including tai ki and kung fu.
1997:
Also saw the launch of:
The National Disability Martial Arts Register aimed at maintaining a list of instructors who were either already teaching martial arts to disabled people and/or disabled martial artists themselves. Inevitably since the Festival Programme began this list has grown considerably including overseas in a few cases! The National Disability Martial Arts Tour aimed at taking the Festival to different parts of the country. With the benefit of hindsight this was very much left to other instructors to organise their own event. Thus today we have seen a Festival in North London and, a regular annual one like this Festival, in Loughborough, Leicestershire. All these events have had incredible success and achieved what they aimed to do: to recruit people with disabilities in to martial arts.
1998:
Festival turned out to be our biggest yet - over 300 people attended and there were also around 80 instructors and volunteers giving of their time too.
1999:
The event was smaller by comparison (whilst I was looking for new employment) - around 180 came.
The next Festival did not take place (whilst I retrained for a new vocation) until 2001 - our smallest Festival yet with around 155 people attending but nevertheless still a thoroughly enjoyable day for all concerned. This was also the first time that we were able to stage some demo's which were very well received indeed - please see my most recent article for comments and feedback from those present.
The next Festival is planned tentatively for early December 2003. However it will be a little bit different in that it will be a two-day event:
Day One: This will be a Conference Day at which we will see how it is best possible to move disability martial arts on to a higher level, not just from encouraging more and more disabled people in to the Programme but also attracting (a) even more instructors to teach people with disabilities and (b) involving more and more professionals within the field of disability sport to actively promote this Programme within their own geographical area. It is hoped that people from as many countries as possible will be able to come too.
Day Two: Will continue to be the Festival Day itself and, once again, it is hoped to bring an even wider variety of styles along to it, thus bringing it back up to the 1997/8 levels or, if possible, even more!
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