After many years of promising myself a new lease of life through fitness I came across the hopwood fight centre.
I can only give positive comments in relation to my 10 week personal training journey with such an outstanding club.
I truly feel that Sharon & the team have changed my life & transported me from sedentary to streetwise in the knowledge I have gained through boxing & martial art skills, which in turn has given me a great boost in self confidence.
Oh..!!.. & also….i have increased fitness beyond my own beliefs & decreased feelings of anxiety as a result of coaching that really is 2nd to none.
I can’t recommend hopwood fitness centre enough to anyone that wishes to obtain all the above & more from such a warm & friendly team.
Hopwood’s self defence courses are nothing short of excellent. I have had many positive comments from my staff stating how much more confident they feel at dealing with potentially violent situations.
All the delegates found the session of considerable use. The delivery was excellent and kept people’s attention throughout.
We had a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable day! We all feel much more confident of being able to cope in a violent situation; the techniques taught are extremely practical and the instruction is excellent.
My son has been a part of this fantastic family run club for nearly 8 years! Sharon, Andy and more recently Conner have inspired him with their knowledge, enthusiasm and patience! They’ve shown him that hard work and commitment give you essential skills. Not just in self defence and martial arts but in resilience, team work, manners and respect. Without their input, skill and perseverance I’m sure My son wouldn’t be the person he is today.
Rohan has been a member of Hopwood for a number years and thoroughly enjoys each session. Andy and Sharon have given him the skills to protect himself but also have given him increased self confidence and a belief in himself. I can’t thank them enough.
Our son joined hopwood fight centre around 3 months ago, and absolutely loves it! He has 1-1 sessions with Connor, he also participates in the group sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and cannot wait to get there. He is not only learning to defend himself, but his fitness and confidence are at an all time high.
Andy, Sharon and Connor have a friendly, family business and make you feel so welcome and comfortable. We cannot recommend them highly enough.
My daughter suffers with a lack of confidence and started here in the summer she loves it and her confidence is slowly growing and it’s keeping her fit.
Martial artists are all about discipline, respect and control’ The current heavy weight MMA champion is a fire fighter. The contrasts between day jobs and competing are wonderful highlighting the professional discipline behind the sport. This is not a sport for thugs but controlled aggression rather like rugby. ‘It is a noble sport.’
I will be nervous about my first fight but I will overcome my nerves and I am going to put on a good performance. I have had fun, learnt a lot, been pushed and motivated and made some really good mates.
My fitness has gone through the roof since joining the 12-week program.
A testimonial for the Intensive Training Program
After years of driving past and not being brave enough to go in I finally did it. I went to Sharon and Andy in November to get fit and lose a few pounds!!
Four months later I started the intensive black belt course. I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I have ever done. I’m fitter and healthier than I have been in a very long time.
I would whole heartedly recommend that you try this. My greatest testimony to Sharon and Andy is that I am yet to walk out of the dojo NOT smiling.
For three years I walked past the door to the club trying to work up enough courage to step inside and inquire about training. That was my first step in an amazing journey to be where I am now. I just wish I’d done it sooner! Sharon and Andy are always very welcoming and within a very short space of time I felt completely at ease. In fact all the students within the Academy are all approachable and friendly.
Personally, I have learned a great deal about myself finding a determination to succeed I never knew I possessed! I am currently a 1st Dan Blackbelt definitely aided by the wealth of patience, encouragement and excellent teaching techniques of all Instructors. I am very much looking forward to my next year of grading a lot of hard work but truly worth it. I still can’t believe I have a Blackbelt. It’s my happy place and I welcome you into it!
Training in The Hopwood System has massively increased my fitness, flexibility and self-confidence and I have also gained what I consider to be an essential life skill in this day and age; self defence techniques that actually work for a petite lady against a stronger attacker.
Thanks for the excellent training, it is realistic and the methods pertinent to todays situations. I have been taught and practised various forms of self defence over the last 25 years, your breakaway techniques are the best I’ve seen and I liked the use of vocalisation strategies to disarm or distract the opponent.
I am an operational uniformed police officer and the annual Home Office approved defensive tactics package is woefully inadequate for todays society. My feelings are those of many officers that I work with. Our emphasis is on restraining, yet for many we come up against, it is street fighting skills and practise that is required.
Thanks again for the quality and realistic training.
There is obviously a great deal of scientific research behind the techniques used and the appliance of Bio-mechanics in the exercises; training with Andy Hopwood has been invaluable to me.
At 52 I started training at Fighting Fit with the intent to get fit, lose weight and start a healthier lifestyle; once into the course it became apparent that the academy offered more than that, over the last 18 months my fitness has dramatically improved, my weight has changed, muscle has rapidly replaced fat, my cardiovascular system has been reborn. Added to that a confidence from the self defence techniques and the team spirit with my contemparies has provided an all round physical and mental overhaul for a man old enough to be putting his feet up but I’ve never been happier.
I quit smoking after 20 years and realised I desperately needed to get fit. To motivate myself to do any training though was close to impossible so I sought the help of BFFA. They designed a tailor made exercise program and I began to feel much stronger and fitter and I also began to feel better about myself. Through a lot of care and tireless encouragement I know I will continue to get fitter and stronger. It used to be a struggle to walk up a flight of stairs; but now I look forward to my training sessions. I can’t thank them enough.
I started training with the Hopwoods with the intent to get fit, lose weight and start a healthier lifestyle; but the style of the training offers so more than that, over the last 18 months my fitness has dramatically improved, my body shape has changed dramatically and my cardiovascular system is better than ever!
Andy Hopwood has created a syllabus which is both practical and relatively easy to learn. His deep understanding of how to turn an attacker into an unsuccessful assailant is at the cutting edge of development. The structure of the system is second to none, so if you are looking to stay safe, give the Hopwood’s a call. It may just be the best call you ever made!
After getting nowhere at a regular gym due to lack of self motivation over a number of years, it has been a life changing experience finding the Hopwood Combat System. Not only has it dramatically increased my fitness, but it has also taught me very useful self-defence skills. Additionally, having suffered from reoccurring lower back pains for many years, the core strength techniques have meant that I have not felt the back pain since joining.
I really look forward to my weekly one to one personal training sessions with Sharon – every week we do something different. Combining combat training with the workout has really helped increase my fitness level, and its great for toning muscles without building bulk.
I truly believe that every one of us should have some form of self protection training. We spend hundreds of pounds a year protecting our homes and cars from theft or attack what could be better than spending a bit of time on our personal safety whilst having a lot of fun in the process? I thoroughly enjoy training with Andy and Sharon I wish that Id started years ago!
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to join a martial arts class and achieve black belt status but was always put off by the macho attitudes of some schools and the thought of having to learn Chinese names of the different moves. There’s none of that at the Hopwood Free Fighting Academy – it is a breath of fresh air.
There’s no intimidation, no elitism, and all are welcome. I never imagined that I would stay the distance – in the past I’d had knee-trouble, back-trouble, wasn’t fit enough etc. The carefully designed exercises and circuits taught at the Academy ensure that your core strength is developed without overloading joints or straining muscles.
When you join you will get all of the fitness benefits, self-confidence and self-defence skills but you are also becoming part of a big family and you will make many new good friends.
Don’t go near this place… Unless you want to improve your fitness, flexibility, well being, confidence in pressure situations, and generally have a good time!