ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR - GARY ROOT
Hello- it’s great to meet you ! So, here’s where you get to find out more about me, as an instructor! I hope by learning more about me, you’ll feel motivated and inspired to join our amazing club…
Where did I begin? I started as a Martial Arts Parent. When my son Harry, aged 8, said he wanted to try martial arts, we found East Midlands Martial Arts. This was where my journey towards being an instructor began.
As parents, we want to support our children in trying new experiences. Harry thoroughly enjoyed training, while being totally in awe of his instructor. This for me was a pivotal point. I admired the technique, approach and enthusiasm of the instructors at the Club. This inspired me to join as an adult student, all the while focusing on Harry’s journey. A key milestone for me.
Fast forward to 2015, after years of dedication, commitment and self-motivation, Harry and I were invited to take our 1st Dan Black Belt grading. It was immensely challenging but proved to be an extremely proud day, as we both passed together. It is an incredible father and son moment in my life. Why did I become an instructor?
In 2018 I attained my 2nd Dan grade level, and I wanted to focus more on coaching, and supporting, others. In my working life, I was a trainer and mentor. I find this helps me enormously, using my transferable skills to teach martial arts.
When meeting a new student, I enjoy getting to know; who they are, how they learn, what motivates them, and what they want from their martial arts adventure. I strongly believe in building trust and developing a rapport with both students, and their parents. I have an open approach, building confidence, instilling belief and ensuring the learning environment is safely managed.
This is so relevant in a world of global pandemic, impacting on physical and mental health. I have an amazing , talented instructor team around me. We are here to provide invaluable life skills for our students.
My motto is; Love what you do – Do what you love.
MEET THE TEAM
Andy and Finn Moore
Hi, that's me, Finn, on the right of picture and my dad, Andy, on the left, with some of the team.
We started our journey in 2010. I was 6 years old and my dad was on the side, watching me take part in the Punchin Pandas class. Skip forward 2 years and I have moved up into Junior Dragons after successfully completing my gradings. My dad decides he really wants to join and be more involved. We have now trained together for 10 years and have been by each other’s side throughout. We participated in the black belt test in 2019, which took hard incredible hard work and dedication, but passing it proved to us that you can do anything that you put your mind too.
During this time we became qualified instructors and feel we help transform students’ lives through the power of sport. We are now part of the Ashby and Coalville Academy team and you can also join our team!!!
Our father and son martial arts journey is still going strong. To us, martial arts is the place where we can put everything else behind us and focus on something we love doing together.