Grove Martial Arts

Grove Martial Arts Grove Martial Arts is a local karate club, run by and for its members.
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A big thank you to Dawn Consterdine and Iain Abernethy for my BCKA 5th Dan certificate. Thanks also to Mary Abernethy fo...
15/09/2026

A big thank you to Dawn Consterdine and Iain Abernethy for my BCKA 5th Dan certificate. Thanks also to Mary Abernethy for delivering it to me at our training session in the woods Dojo; a nice place to receive it 🙏

Sensei Ed covering Seiunchin Kata Bunkai concepts at the Grove Dojo yesterday.We had a very interesting and mixed conten...
11/09/2026

Sensei Ed covering Seiunchin Kata Bunkai concepts at the Grove Dojo yesterday.

We had a very interesting and mixed content session yesterday. The first half of the class, in small groups, we discussed the important role of being a training partner; what being a good partner looked like and how we could improve the training experience for each other.

The points made by the students were worth sharing:

Q: What makes a good training partner?

A: Humour and having fun with the drills and training where appropriate.
A: Someone who understands that not everyone will be good at everything so will help you if you can’t understand a drill and not expect you to just know the material.
A: A good partner has to put some effort into the training and give you some feedback.

Q: What would prevent you from choosing someone as a training partner?

A: Poor hygiene.
A: Someone who is too competitive.
A: Poor control or someone who is unaware that they have a lack of control.
A: If a similar grade student tries to “teach” me even though they know as much as I do.

Q: What does constructive feedback from a training partner look like?

A: Choosing a single work on point to take away and focus on really helps you build skill and not be too overwhelmed by everything that needs to be improved upon at one time.
A: It really helps to be told the bits of a drill you do well, it’s quite difficult to sometimes see those bits you do well so having an outsider point it out to you can be really valuable.

We briefly spoke about the value that can come from students who have other training backgrounds outside of Karate. Ensuring that the experience is relevant to the training being presented is vital.

Trying to re teaching material that has just been explained can also be a real problem in the Dojo and a barrier to progression.

“I think what Sensei is trying to say is…” 🤦‍♂️

Hopefully everyone came away with some tips on how to improve as an Uke / partner. Peer to peer feedback is important to student development but it must be constructive and relevant

10/09/2026

It’s great to have the space to put some sprints into our drills.

We are very lucky to have such a large training facility in Didcot. Coupled with easy transport access to the venue by bus and by car being a short drive from the A34. We have loads of secure parking and several EV charging points. This location is perfect for our training in south Oxfordshire.

All GMA students are welcome to train at both venues; that’s 5 hours of training every week for 49 weeks of the year!

If you haven’t trained at the Didcot Dojo before pop over for a session we’d love to see you there.

09/09/2026

Not too bad for a small town with many martial arts options available! We are proud of how established our club is and always pleased to have new members alongside those who have been with us for years.

We are fortunate to be the only group in the area focused solely on self defence so tend to attract those students looking to acquire a genuine self-defence capability rather than those who want to compete in sport based competition.

Our classes generally don't focus on fitness; this comes as a byproduct of the type of training we conduct and is specific to the demands of self-defence.

If you are looking to burn some calories, instead of a fitness class or sport based martial art, come and take a look at practical Karate with us, and learn to look after yourself at the same time.

After sharing Aaron Milan-Vega Sensei’s post last week we sat our older Junior students down to have a discussion about ...
07/09/2026

After sharing Aaron Milan-Vega Sensei’s post last week we sat our older Junior students down to have a discussion about use of force in a school setting.

This is something we periodically do to reinforce why we teach what we teach and to allow the students to ask ethical questions about when it is or isn’t appropriate to use force for their protection.

Last sessions talk was very interesting and I was a bit taken aback by the level of understanding and the intelligence shown when discussing this difficult topic.

Some of the highlights have to be shared:

When talking about school’s procedures for combating bullying and violence, one of the GMA Juniors stated:

“You are supposed to seek the help of a teacher when you are being hit, not hit back to protect yourself. But Sensei what if you find a teacher and the bully keeps hitting you I don’t think most teachers would get involved to pull the bully away as they don’t want to get sued for touching a kid”

“If someone wants to physically hurt another pupil how is a teacher saying please don’t do that going to stop them? Most bullies don’t care”

When asked to list possible consequences for bullying everyone agreed that the punishments were actually more of a “gift” to the bully rather than a deterrent.

- 20 minute detention
- Sent home from school (most don’t want to be there anyway!)
- Verbal telling off - “Sensei they don’t care if they get told off and will do it again”

We then spoke at length about the consequences of having to physically protect yourself. It’s during this part of the class that I was most impressed. Our students were very well informed; they understood that their schools would not support them if they used minimal force to prevent themselves from becoming victims of violence. Despite their actions being supported under Uk law.

They understood that they would likely be punished and treated as if they were a bully. However; reflecting on the punishments that would likely be imposed all agreed it was a price worth paying for not being harmed.

The class were asked to discuss the session with their parents and ask their opinion on the matter.

04/09/2026

More footage from the recent and ongoing scenario training being conducted by the senior Kyu grades.

The first round of scenarios are now complete and the after action review process also done. Now comes a period of up skilling; training that addresses any areas for improvement.

To round the whole process off the scenarios will be re run to assess performance improvements and to identify any further training gaps.

Well done to all who have been involved in the running of this very intensive period of training. Blinding job Sensei Edward Glenn đź‘Š

03/09/2026

40 minutes in and the juniors are still going strong! đź’Ş

Physically demanding training that pushes the students past their limits is vital when building resilience for self-defence.

AND… It is loads of fun! 🤩

The instructor team and I were incredibly impressed with the effort and determination shown by the whole class. The buy in was superb and everyone seemed to spur each other on with their efforts and enthusiasm.

Special mention to Charlie for being the Legend of the session impressive performance working with an adult instructor!

Address

Old Mill Hall, School Lane
Wantage
OX127LB

Opening Hours

Monday 5pm - 5:45pm
6:30pm - 8pm
Tuesday 7pm - 8pm
Thursday 5pm - 5:45pm
6:30pm - 8pm
Friday 6pm - 6:45pm
7pm - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 9:45am
9:45am - 10:30am

Telephone

+447720634706

Website

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