Want your child to join a club and class dedicated to fun, fitness and wellbeing? Then look no further as on Sunday 22nd May we are holding our FREE Ninja Open Day in Milton Keynes! 

 

It is running from 10:30am-12:30pm for children aged 4-8 and lets them try our fun, physical and fantastic children’s gymnastic and Muay Thai classes! Drinks and snacks will also be provided so it’s a win-win for you and your child. 

 

Our classes are designed to help teach children a sport and learn valuable life skills whilst also having fun and making friends, all integral parts of a child’s development. Our instructors ensure that each child is having fun, feels comfortable and not only committing to the sport but also committing to themselves. 

 

Click HERE to book your child’s free place at our fun open day! We look forward to seeing you there and creating some fun memories.

Did you know that there are 6.5 million carers in the UK? 800,000 of them are young carers aged 5-17 years old. Whilst navigating their own life, growing up, attending school and trying to be a kid, they are also caring for another person full time. It is a full-time job that is placed upon young shoulders who sometimes are not offered the rest bite and help they require and need.  

 

Which is why we are excited to announce that we have teamed up with MK Carers to offer young carers free Muay Thai classes at our Safari Health Hub located in Bletchley! 

 

Here at Safari MMA, we are dedicated to helping the disengaged groups, the groups of people who are overlooked and often forgotten about. We want to equip them and support them in as many ways as we can and one of the ways we do this is through martial arts. 

 

We are currently running our Male Young Carers class on Wednesdays at 6-7pm and Female Young Carers class on Friday’s at 4:30-5:30pm.  

 

Our classes are designed to help carers take the mental escape from always being on, available and putting others needs first. These classes help carers to put their physical wellbeing first by enjoying the physical benefits of Muay Thai whilst also putting their mental wellness first and escaping the endless thoughts that flood their brain by concentrating and focusing on the moves and technique required in MMA.  

 

If you know any young carers who would benefit from this opportunity, please contact MK Carers or us! We look forward to seeing you.

 

 

We are super excited to say that we are offering 10 free places to children across Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire to come and let their inner Ninja be wild!  On this 4 week course they will get to train as real little Ninja’s learning Martial Arts at our brand new Safari Health Hub in Bletchley.

This course is perfect for children who need to burn some excess energy, could do with improving self discipline and focus and to increase listening skills.  At the same time they will be working on strength, coordination, balance, whilst having LOTS of fun learning Muay Thai and Martial Arts.

To register your child just chose from the following course which suits them best:

Ninja Muay Thai Kids – Monday’s 5pm (5 spaces left) Book Now
Ninja Warrior Youth Boys – Monday’s 6pm (4 spaces left) Book Now
Ninja Tots – Tuesday’s 10am (7 spaces left) Book Now 
Ninja Warrior Girls Youth – Tuesday 5pm (Fully booked) please register to get on the waiting list

This project has been brought to you in partnership with Leap.

 

 

We are looking for 14 Children and Youth in the Milton Keynes area to take part in a FREE 14 week Ninja Course, where they’ll even get to enter in for their first White Belt achievement in Muay Thai Kickboxing.

We are working to try and help both families and children to stay active and feel part of a group during these challenging times, and have teamed up with Leap to offer these sessions for free.

The sessions are a great way to keep children focused, to work on self-discipline, and keep both mentally and physically healthy whilst learning an exciting new sport.

These places will go fast, and we cannot hold spaces.
We also have 2 other groups available for boy’s youth and adolescent men, training in Muay Thai, which will also be free if you know anyone interested.  All details are below, with links to book.

Please book the place in your child’s name with their details, but be sure to include your details for the emergency contact.  (We are constantly opening new places up and just filled a girls youth group in case you’re wondering why this one is for boys only, the children’s group is for both girls and boys!)

This sessions takes place once a week.

Children aged 4-8
Mondays 1st March 5pm
To book click this link
VT Children Muay Thai Program 2

 

Boys Youth aged 9-14
Mondays from 1st March 6pm
To book click this link
VT Youth Muay Thai Program 2

 

Adolescent Men 15-19
Tuesday from 2nd March 6pm
To book click this link

VT Youth/Men Muay Thai Program 2

There is a chance for you to help by visiting our GoFundMe Campaign and sharing it with friends and family

GoFundMe – View Campaign to help

100% Donation Policy

Link to share: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/safari-mma-faces-collapse-sports-club/

It is no understatement to say that Safari MMA has literally saved lives, and this very platform which has taken 10 years of dedicated work to engage communities across the UK who ordinarily wouldn’t participate in sport, is on the brink of collapse.  Before the first lockdown Safari MMA was spread across 11 locations in major cities in the UK.

Safari MMA is in critical need of financial support, with no idea of when lockdowns will lift, and when classes will be able to return without social distancing in place.  The forecast for the next financial year, without support or a full lift of social distancing, is set for the company to collapse with a forecasted loss of £49,292 for 2021-2022, a debt that would cost not only jobs, but hundreds of members to lose the one thing that has kept them going for so many years.

Why Safari MMA needs your support?

The team’s main goal is to engage the disengaged groups in the community in sport, primarily, but not exclusively through Martial Arts, with specialist focus on trying to engage women and youth who ordinarily wouldn’t consider getting involved in sport, or more importantly have cultural barriers where sport is seen inappropriate for women to be involved in.  Khadijah Safari has spent the past 10 years breaking down barriers by working within these communities herself, as a woman of religious belief she’s been able to successfully educate and lead a change in community’s understanding of sport and has brought about a shift in the way the sport is viewed by the BAME community and also women of religious belief.  The work has since far extended part this to bring focus on out-reach work, helping with mental health prevention, socio-economic groups, victims of domestic violence, concern for youth, crime prevention and self belief in children.  Safari MMA has been running online live sessions during this period at a cost, just to keep people active, however the period of needing to open when lockdowns lift will come at a further cost, as social distancing will mean that running costs are higher, with less members being able to attend class, meaning that classes run at an expense.  If we can get support during this transition period then we can come out healthy on the other side.

Who you’d be helping?   

For the majority of members at Safari MMA, there is no alternative.  This is their only means to access sport in an environment that considers their needs, where they feel mentally safe and can unite and feel equal in society.  To keep Safari MMA running would mean keeping the one place open, for many that gets them through their week, and more often than not is their therapy.  You’d not only keep the company running but you’d also be assisting those members and potential members who due to current circumstances are not able to afford to train, from children through to adults, many of whom are extremely vulnerable.

Your contribution matters

As we see sports clubs crumbling by the day as a result of this pandemic, we will fight and do all that we can to keep Safari MMA open, and your contribution could bring reward for you for many years to come, as you’ll never know how much you really could have changed someone’s life for the better.

And if you can’t afford to contribute?  Please just share with friends and family, your time is appreciated.

Have you heard about easyfundraising?
Here at Safari MMA we know that for some, times are tough financially right now, however we don’t want this to stop anyone from being able to train, which is why we have set up Safari Sport Support. We care about the lives we are changing and we would like to invite you to help us make a difference too. Before you know it, you will be changing lives by just doing your everyday shopping at some for your favourite retailers! It costs you nothing, but the impact this could have on someone will be life changing.

Its free and simple to join easyfundraising!

Click here and it will take you straight to Safari Sport Support homepage.
Every time you shop online, go to the easyfundraising app or website first, pick the retailer you want and start shopping
After you’ve checked out, that retailer will make a donation to us for no extra cost whatsoever!

 

These are the easiest ways for you to raise a donation.

Shopping on your mobile? No problem, for mobile phones and tablets there is the handy easyfundraising App, perfect if you like to shop on the go and available completely free of charge from your App store. Now you can not only shop using it but you can check out your own donation total and see how your cause is getting on too. More information can be found here.
Shopping from your computer? Install the Donation Reminder – this means a box will appear if you are shopping with a retailer who participates with easy fundraising and you don’t even need to visit the easyfundraising site! All you need to do is click Activate Donations and any eligible purchase will be recorded for you. Take a look at the Donation Reminder here. It’s supported by Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari but can’t work on mobile phones or tablets.
Visit easyfundraising.org.uk – simply search for the retailer you want to shop with and click  onto them using the green ‘Go Shopping’ button. You’ll be taken straight to the retailers website and your experience will be identical as if you had gone there directly but easyfundraising will be able to track your purchase to ensure a donation for your good cause. More information can be found here.

A note about Amazon and eBay
If you’re shopping with Amazon and eBay always make sure your basket is empty before you start shopping and remember to go through the easyfundraising website or app to get to their websites. If you have the Donation Reminder it will be able to tell you when a donation is available at these two great sites.
How to collect donations at Amazon and eBay:
1. Start at easyfundraising Before you add anything to your basket, go to the easyfundraising webite or app and search for Amazon or eBay.
2. Go shopping easyfundraising will take you to their website – everything is exactly the same, even the price!

Safari Sport Support has the powerful ability to help people transform their lives and it takes a moment for us to help do this. From all at Safari MMA thank you, we couldn’t do it without you!

 

Good news! We have been really busy behind the scenes liaising with all the relevant authorities regarding the reopening all of our locations. We have been informed that as of the 25th of July Gym’s are reopening and it won’t be long until we are finally able to open our doors and welcome you through them too, and in the mean time make sure that you book on to one of our small group park sessions, which are doted across London and Milton Keynes.

We really want to thank you for all your support, patience and understanding over the last few months.

We want you to know that the safety of our students is our biggest priority and so we are putting into place a number of measures to make sure our locations are all providing a safe environment to train in. We will have more information over the due course, we will keep you all updates on Social Media, WhatsApp, our website and emails so keep checking in!

For more information here is the official governments updates.

 

Here at Safari MMA, we want to use our platform to empower and strengthen others, by providing a space filled with tools for women to build for ourselves. To equip you with knowledge, of self, so that you can better combat problems that arise. We aim to create a space for men and women to learn more, in every area of life, to become skilled in physical activity, mental agility, emotional intelligence, but also in practical tools to better help you on your journey with your career path of choice, and so much more. We are not just an MMA club, we wish for the best versions of our students to surface, as a result of our work.

With this in mind, we are providing Gymnastic *social distancing*  class for Women and girls on Sunday 12th July. This will be held in Milton Keynes. The teen girls session will be held at 10 AM, and the Women’s session at 11AM. The classes will be held by Kati Simpson, former elite Gymnast of 18 years, British Championship competitor, Commonwealth, Scottish Team Squad member and currently coaching Elite Gymnasts at an international level.  Look out for more amazing classes like this one, designed to boost confidence, increase your serotonin level, and motivate us through this gloomy monotonous no-gym time.

To Our Community,

We are nearing the ‘post Quarantine age’ globally, but more so here In the UK, as the lockdown loosens, and we find ourselves coming to terms with life outside, the body may find overexposure to all the stimulus, a bit of a shock to the system. It is so important to keep on working out keeping the mind positively busy so that the transition to life outside, will be one of ease, and what better way to transition then to try Muay Thai Kickboxing, even if it is for the first time. Keeping something consistent to focus on for two weeks, will allow you to feel empowered, focused, and disciplined.

Safari MMA is here, to alleviate that worry off of your shoulders, offering 12 women in any part of the UK the opportunity to train with us for 2 weeks FOR FREE. We want to give back, and what better way than to give you time with some of our most skilled trainers, to interact, seek advice, and learn from. No Gym membership required, no scam, no strings, just straight training. You decide thereafter, how you’re feeling, our guess, is that with how good it will feel, you will want to keep training with us. But we will leave that to you! We hope you enjoy this gift,  our community has built us up in so many ways, look out for more surprises we have planned over the next few months!

 

Team Safari x

Thai boxing is the national sport and cultural martial art of Thailand. A lot of us, by now, are familiar with the sport, due to its popularity, it has popped up across the social media landscape, over the span of the last decade with mainstream athletes, and fighters training publicly. But the Martial Art we see today, wasn’t always what it appears to be. Muay Thai, was developed over several hundred years ago, the close combat nature of it, utilized the entire body as a weapon in war, hence why it is called the ‘the art of eight limbs’ due to the direct contact between each body part. Several scholars say the true nature of Muay Thai’s history was lost when the Burmese ransacked Ayudhaya, Siam’s capital city in Thailand, during the 14th century.

The way the body is used in Muay Thai, explains the ritualistic nature, you will see trailing into fights that occur in present-day clubs.

To scan the entire body, the hand becomes the ‘sword and dagger’, the shin and forearms are conditioned till they are hard, to act as armour. The elbows to be used on opponents like a heavy hammer if pivoted correctly, the legs and knees, likened to an axe and staff.

The relationship between each body part in combat is so closely interwoven and at one, that the fighter uses each, any, and every part as a way into any opening to defeat the opponent. It is both poetic and deadly.

The great history of Muay Thai dates back to the first army in which employed the combat, the 1238 Sukhothai Era, (the Buddhist years). This is where the first Thai army was formed in order to protect the capital within the city and its surrounding villages, against neighbouring kingdoms and tribes. Soldiers were taught how to use weapons, but also, how to use their bodies as weapons as they used every limb to fight, this was where Muay Thai was born alongside Krabi Krabong. As a result, Muay Thai became heavily interwoven into the fabric of the culture for the early Siamese people, because of being under constant threat of war. The first Muay Thai camps were formed as training centres, where men would train to fight, but also use it as a means to focus, gain discipline, and ongoing exercise. Soon, monks were instructed to teach the combative training, and the wisdom tied to it in Buddhist Temples, so that every generation would be equipped with the power of this knowledge.

This was never an elitist sport, because, anyone could use their body as a weapon if trained correctly. As more of the poor had access to Muay Thai, it then became a requirement for the elite, high class, and royalty to be well trained in the combat, as they believed this would lead to powerful future leaders, with the philosophy that a great who would be able to protect their country if it came to it.

Several generations later, this deeply poetic, philosophy and combative practice, has become a national sport, and form of self-defence for many across the world.  In the early days of Thai training in Thailand, fighters didn’t always have boxing bags and resources readily available, therefore they had to get creative, using banana and coconut trees, rivers, streams, and manual labour as skills to get better at the sport.

A well- known training method was kicking and kneeing Banana trees, because of their soft porous nature.

There was something deliciously poetic, and meaningful about the roots of this addictive sport. There is a timelessness to the beauty of not needing anything, or anyone but yourself in combat, equipment, or weapons. Although we don’t endorse violence, we do encourage our students to use their body, as a powerful tool, to sharpen, and discipline the mind. Knowing that when it comes to fight or flight, when you are in the throes of fear, when we have been faced with a global problem that has forced us all indoors, feeling immobile, that all you need is yourself to get you out. We train you, so that you may learn how to use the tools you already have to battle your own wars. Knowledge is power.