Matt Fiddes Gladstone

Congratulations to everyone who graded yesterday. It was a huge event! I am very proud of all of our students. Here are a few highlights:
🌟We had a total of 87 students registered for grading, comprising 30MM’s, 45 juniors/teens and 12 Adults.
🌟 One of our awesome Mighty Matt’s successfully graded for his Mighty Black belt!🥷 that is a rare feat!
🌟 We had three panel graders. I am very proud to say they all passed. Gio is now red belt. Abi and Lucas are now deputy black belts.
🌟 We had 10 leadership and 13 SWAT nominations! 🤩.
🌟 we had a large group of students achieve milestones: 8 students achieved two years, 3 achieved three years, 4 achieved four years, 1 achieved five years and for the first time in our history, 2 students achieved ten years! Congratulations to Nathan and Kallem on achieving this amazing milestone!👏👏👏
🌟 We also have two new lead instructors. Congratulations to Adam and Shane and welcome to the MF Gladstone instructors team.

Our sincerest thanks to Master Weir and Mrs Weir for examining our students. We appreciate your time and effort and for making this day so special for us!❤️

Thanks to our instructors for assisting on the day, it wouldn’t have been possible without you.

Thanks to our wonderful cohort of parent volunteers for running our bbq. All proceeds from the bbq go towards fundraising to upgrade our dojo.

Thanks also to all of our parents. Your dedication to the growth and development of your children and sacrifice in bringing them to training every week and giving up your Sunday is amazing 😍

The August issue of the MF Newsletter has landed in your inbox! 📩🥋
Inside this month’s edition:
✨ Anti-Bullying Week
✨ Ask a Black Belt - How often should I practise at home?
✨ Pro Tip - The Power of the Hips
✨ Instructor Profile of the Month

Be sure to have a read and stay connected with everything happening in our MF community!

AUS 🔗 https://mattfiddes.com.au/mf-newsletter
NZ 🔗 https://mattfiddes.co.nz/mf-newsletter

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As the winter sports season begins to wind down, many families are looking ahead to what comes next. Whether you’ve spent the last few months on the rugby field, soccer pitch, netball court, or AFL oval, now is the perfect time to think about how to maintain and build on all that hard work.

The great news is that martial arts and traditional sports work incredibly well together! 🤝

✅ Building Better Athletes
Martial arts develops many of the skills that help young athletes succeed in their chosen sport, including:

💥Balance and Coordination – Essential for kicking, running, changing direction, and overall body control.

💥Agility and Speed – Martial arts training improves reaction time, footwork, and movement efficiency.

💥Strength and Conditioning – Classes build functional strength, flexibility, and core stability that transfers directly to other sports.

💥Focus and Discipline – Learning techniques, patterns, and self-control helps athletes stay focused under pressure.

💥Confidence and Resilience – Martial arts teaches students how to overcome challenges, learn from setbacks, and keep pushing forward.

✅ Staying Active During the Off-Season
One of the biggest challenges young athletes face is losing fitness and momentum during the off-season. Martial arts provides a fun and engaging way to stay active, maintain conditioning, and continue developing both physically and mentally.
Rather than starting from scratch when next season begins, students who continue training often return stronger, fitter, and more confident.

✅ More Than Just Sport
While martial arts can improve sporting performance, the benefits extend far beyond the field. Students learn valuable life skills such as respect, leadership, goal setting, perseverance, and self-discipline—qualities that help them succeed at school, at home, and in their communities.

As one season ends, another opportunity begins. Whether your child plays rugby, soccer, netball, AFL, or any other sport, martial arts is the perfect way to keep them active, motivated, and growing all year round.

Train for sport. Train for life. Train with confidence.