
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2024! We hope everyone had a great festive season and new year. 2024 marks our 10th anniversary and we can't wait to see what the year brings.
Important Dates
Exams in Sports Hall: Saturday 10th February - Wednesday 28th February
(Will be using smaller halls and advance booking will be required, details to follow)
10th Anniversary Weekend: Saturday 2nd March
10th Anniversary Limited Edition T-Shirts - ORDER NOW!
As part of our 10th anniversary celebrations we are releasing a special edition uniform T-shirt which will only be available to purchase this year. The T-shirt features our special 10th anniversary logo on the chest, a large logo on the back and another 10 year logo on the right sleeve.

We are taking orders for these limited edition t-shirts now until February 10th so that we receive them ahead of our anniversary event on March 2nd. The t-shirts are 100% polyester just like our premium t-shirts and have wicking properties to draw moisture away from the skin. The T-shirts are available in student, leadership and assistant instructor colours and cost £22 for kid sizes and £25 for adults.
To order your T-shirt please complete the below order form:
After this initial order the T-shirts will be available to purchase in the Club Store through out 2024 but they will be more expensive and will not contain the design on the right sleeve.
Please note: These T-shirts are made to order, as a result we cannot offer refunds or exchanges so please ensure your order the correct size.


Messages from Brakenhale School
Please see the below reminders from Brakenhale school regarding car parking and smoking/vaping on site. I do not believe this is any of our members/parents but please ensure we are respecting the rules.
"We are finding a lot of cigarette butts around the site. Please could you remind all staff/parents/members that it is against the law to smoke on school premises - this includes the car parking areas.Â
Smokers must go outside the car park gates onto the street to do so. This includes vaping."
"Please don't park in front of the orange barriers to the left of the sports hall, this blocks emergency access to the football pitch. Please only park in designated bays. If we needed to get an ambulance in this would really affect the person in need of help."
Thank you in advance.
FINAL WARNING: Winter Uniform
As a final reminder please familiarise yourself with the winter uniform options below, we will be taking a zero tolerance approach to students wearing non-uniform tops and incorrect footwear going forwards. Any student not wearing the correct uniform or footwear will be asked to remove them or leave the class.
Family/Friends Trial Classes
Please can we ask that if you are bringing a friend or family member down for a trial class you ensure they have booked a trial class spot on the Berkshire Martial Arts website. This is to make sure we are aware of everyone coming down, have their full details and that we aren't over subscribed for trial sessions in a particular class.
Membership Change Reminders
We've sent email to all students currently paying monthly for an unlimited classes membership to find out their preferred choice of membership in February when prices increase. If you haven't done so already then please complete the form in the email by January 14th.
10 Year Anniversary
2024 marks 10 years since we opened our doors! We have plenty planned for next year to celebrate this amazing anniversary, including:
A special commemorative gift for all students
Limited edition 10th anniversary uniform
Keep you diary free for special classes on our anniversary weekend of Saturday 2nd March 2024
More details to come!
Winter Uniform Options
As the weather gets colder we thought we'd issue some reminders on what options are available to help keep you warm whilst training.
Sweatshirts
If you need to wear an extra layer when training in the winter then the only option currently available are the official Berkshire Martial Arts sweatshirts. No other hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets etc can be worn. BMA sweatshirts can be purchased at https://berkshire-martial-arts.myshopify.com/collections/sweatshirts

Footwear
Don't fancy going barefoot on the cold floor? Any shoes worn in class MUST be martial arts specific as they have thinner, more flexible soles and specific "pivot points" on the soles to allow for proper kicking and movement, regular trainers should not be worn in class.
Footwear does not have to be purchased through the club but if buying your own we recommend checking with us first to make sure it's suitable before purchasing.
The club store offers some standard martial arts style trainers, and for a more affordable option, we have also just introduced some Blitz Superflex Sports shoes. Check out the different footwear options at https://berkshire-martial-arts.myshopify.com/collections/shoes


Women's Self Defence Class
The next women's self defence classes are:
- 9am, Sunday 28th January, Brakenhale School. Currently 6 places remaining. Click here to book!
- 9am, Sunday 25th February, Brakenhale School. Currently 12 places remaining. Click here to book!Â
These classes are open to all women regardless of whether or not they are a Berkshire Martial Arts student.
What's on?
If you have any upcoming events or activities you'd like to make Berkshire Martial Arts students aware of please email the details over to jason@berkshiremartialarts.co.uk and we will add it to the next newsletter.
New Belt Ranks!
Congratulations to all the below students who successfully passed their latest grading and received their new belt ranks
Top Attendance!
Well done to the below students with the highest attendance last month.
Juniors - Under 13 years old
Seniors - Over 13 years old
Korean Terminology
The words for this months’ Korean terminology challenge can be found below. Little Ninja students need to learn these words in Korean and repeat them correctly to a Chief Instructor to receive a terminology stamp. Only one stamp per month. If you do not have a terminology sheet one can be found in the "documents & forms" section of the student portal. This month’s words are:
- Head Strike
- Loud Yell
- Combination
This Month's Grading
This month's colour belt grading will be held on Sunday 28th January at Brakenhale School. Exact details and timings of the grading day will be communicated the weekend before the grading but the day will run to the approximate schedule below:
9am to 10am - Women's Self Defence Class
10am - 11am - Black belt Academy Class
11am - 1pm Colour Belt/Tag Gradings
All names below are eligible to grade this month and should have received an email confirming their eligibility. Please check your spam/junk folders if you have not received your email. To secure your place in the grading we must receive a completed grading registration form by Friday 19th January.
Grading Names
Comments