At GANBAROU! you will find a thorough and ambitious approach to martial arts. We strive for excellence, encouraging our students to aim high. Through rigorous training you will stretch the boundaries of your individual ability, forging within you the determination to walk the winding road towards your true potential.

Whatever it is that brings you to us, we aim to provide you with an environment that encourages you to test yourself in the company of others who are doing the same.

We are an ambitious club, and aim to get the best from our students: to develop self-control; discipline; compassion; and maturity. We know that through rigorous training our students can develop the qualities that will allow them to be of great value to those around them and to society at large.

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How are our students assessed?

Unlike many other clubs we do not follow the belt grading system. At GANBAROU! you will not be required to attend gradings and will not be given a coloured belt to show you how you are doing. We value continual assessment over exam-style gradings. We encourage our students to take an interest in their own progress and will attempt to empower them with the ability to rely on their own judgement. We hope that they will eventually become their own authority, developing the maturity to guide their own progress.

We have developed our own feedback system that is better suited to our aims.

We have a system of feedback in place, but it does not involve gradings or belts.

You will evolve through levels of progress. You will be assigned progress sheets in accordance with these levels. These detail the techniques you will be learning and show how well your instructor thinks you are mastering these techniques.

Your instructor will keep your sheet and will bring it to lessons when appropriate. At any time you will be able to request to see your progress sheets. Your instructor will also give you regular feedback on how you are doing. When you are deemed able you will be encouraged to judge your own progress. However, it is always the duty and priviledge of the instructor to fill in progress sheets.

It is hoped that eventually you will no longer need to rely on these sheets in order to picture your progress. At this point you will be the captain of your own ship.

This is the point we aim to get all of our students to; ready to fly the nest and become masters of their own progress and destiny.

If you have any questions about our system then please get in touch.