Our Class Programmes
Our programmes are designed to support students through each stage of their development, with training appropriate to their age, ability, experience and belt grade.
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Students progress from developing fundamental movement and learning skills in our younger programme, through structured technical development, and towards greater independence, leadership and advanced martial arts training as they grow.
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Our aim is to provide a safe, positive and supportive learning environment where every student can progress at their own pace, be challenged appropriately and enjoy their martial arts journey.
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Ages 4–6 | Foundation Martial Arts
Building the foundations of movement, confidence, focus and self-discipline.
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Ages 7–11 | Junior Martial Arts
Developing martial arts skills, self-defence, coordination, resilience and responsibility.
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Ages 12+ | Teen & Adult Martial Arts
Progressing technical ability, fitness, self-defence, independence and leadership.
Ages 4–7 | Foundation Martial Arts
Our Foundation Programme introduces younger children to martial arts through structured, age-appropriate training, building strong foundations in movement, confidence, focus and self-discipline.
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Students develop fundamental balance, coordination, strength and physical control, while beginning to learn core martial arts skills including kicks, blocks, strikes, Hyungs (forms), introductory sparring skills and self-defence. Skills are introduced gradually through a progressive approach suited to each child's stage of physical, technical and emotional development.
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Alongside their physical training, students develop important learning behaviours including listening, following instructions, staying on task, taking turns and working positively with others, while classes encourage confidence, self-discipline, respect and courtesy.
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Self-defence at this age is deliberately simple and appropriate to a young child's development. Through Levels 1–3, children begin learning awareness, using a confident voice, “Stop” techniques, moving away and simple push-away skills to help them create space and seek help from a trusted adult.
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The emphasis is not on fighting, but on giving younger children a simple sequence they can understand and remember: Recognise a problem → Say Stop → Create Distance → Move Away → Get Help.
As students develop, their martial arts skills, physical ability and understanding are progressively built upon, preparing them for the next stage of their training.
Ages 7–12 | Junior Martial Arts
Our Junior Programme develops structured training in Tang Soo Do, Hapkido, Ho Sin Sul and practical self-defence, with techniques introduced progressively according to each student's age, experience and belt grade.
Students develop core strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, fitness and physical control while learning and developing strikes, kicks, blocks, Hyungs (forms), partner work and controlled sparring. As students progress, training gradually increases the speed, control and complexity of their martial arts skills, while continuing to develop confidence, resilience, self-discipline and responsibility.
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Self-defence education also progresses beyond the Foundation Programme's emphasis on recognising a problem and moving away. Students learn age-appropriate methods of breaking contact, releasing from holds, redirecting or controlling an attack and creating distance, together with basic defensive strikes where appropriate.
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The purpose remains consistent: stop the immediate threat, create an opportunity to disengage, and move to safety or seek help. Training continually reinforces that physical techniques are not the first choice when a situation can safely be avoided.
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Intermediate Grades | Developing Defensive Judgement
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As students progress into the Intermediate Green Belt grades and above, their defensive training becomes more technically developed. Students may begin working with more realistic lines of attack, including lunge-punch defence, alongside more advanced Hapkido and Ho Sin Sul principles, releases, redirection, control techniques and carefully taught striking targets.
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At this stage, knowing when not to use a technique becomes as important as knowing how to perform it.
Students are taught that the objective of self-defence is to stop an attack sufficiently to protect themselves and create an opportunity to escape—not to continue using force once the immediate danger has passed.
Greater technical ability therefore comes with an increasing expectation of judgement, restraint, responsibility and self-control.
Ages 12+ | Teen & Adult Martial Arts
Our Teen & Adult Programme provides progressive training in Tang Soo Do, Hapkido, Ho Sin Sul and practical self-defence, combining traditional martial arts with physical conditioning and increasingly advanced technical development.
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Students progress their technical ability, fitness and practical self-defence through increasingly challenging training. They continue to develop the same core martial arts skills established at earlier stages—including kicks, strikes, blocks, Hyungs (forms), sparring and self-defence—while increasing strength, speed, power, control, coordination and technical complexity.
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As students mature, the way these skills are taught and the physical and technical expectations placed upon them also develop. Training encourages greater independence and responsibility for their own development, alongside the confidence, self-discipline, resilience and leadership expected as they progress through the martial arts.
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Self-defence training explores increasingly complex situations and responses while maintaining awareness and avoidance as the first priority. Students learn to recognise potential danger, create distance and choose an appropriate response rather than automatically resorting to physical force.
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Students develop the skills to protect themselves, interrupt or stop an attack, create distance, disengage and escape, together with the judgement and self-control to understand that greater defensive ability brings greater responsibility.
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Dagger Defence | Tactical Rapid Defence
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From secondary school age, appropriatly aged and graded students are progressively introduced to our Dagger Defence – Tactical Rapid Defence training. The first principle is not to attempt a disarm, but to recognise potential danger and the likely line of attack, evade where possible, create distance and escape.
As students progress in age, maturity, experience and grade, training may develop to include controlled defensive responses and disarmament principles within carefully supervised practice. Students are continually reminded that dealing with a weapon carries a significantly greater level of danger and that avoidance, escape and seeking help remain the priority whenever possible.
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More advanced self-defence training develops students' understanding of distance, timing, movement, redirection, control and appropriate defensive striking. The purpose remains to stop an immediate attack sufficiently to protect themselves and create an opportunity to disengage and escape, rather than unnecessarily continuing a confrontation.
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Training therefore develops more than physical ability. Increasing emphasis is placed on self-discipline, resilience, responsibility, leadership, restraint and independent decision-making, while maintaining the respect, control and safety expected throughout SHMA.
Our defensive attitude remains consistent at every level:
Awareness → Avoidance → Create Distance → Defend if Necessary → Disengage → Escape & Seek Help.
Fitness, Movement & Physical Development
Alongside traditional martial arts training, we incorporate games, active warm-ups and varied physical activities to keep students engaged, motivated and enjoying their physical development.
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Sessions may include group circuit training, dice-based fitness challenges and age-appropriate bodyweight exercises such as wall squats, lunges, planks, sit-ups, jumping jacks, press-ups and much more.
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We also use a variety of training equipment to make physical development challenging, varied and enjoyable. Hurdles and agility ladders may be incorporated into movement drills, while bear crawls and other bodyweight exercises help develop shoulder strength, coordination and whole-body control. Squeaky balls and other simple training aids can also be used creatively with press-ups, squats and physical challenges, helping younger students remain engaged while still working towards a clear physical objective.
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These activities introduce students to the fundamentals of bodyweight fitness and calisthenics, developing strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, coordination, agility, mobility and core stability. This provides an important physical foundation for martial arts and helps students develop the conditioning and body control required for stronger techniques, increased kicking height, jumping and aerial kicks, speed, explosive movement, rotation, stability and recovery.
For younger students especially, games and challenges allow physical development to take place in a way that is active, engaging and rewarding. As students grow in age, ability and experience, these activities progressively develop into more structured physical conditioning appropriate to their martial arts level.
At the end of many classes, students also take part in a group physical challenge. These may include shoulder touches, sit-ups, squats, planks, press-ups or other short challenges. Working together encourages students to keep going, support one another and challenge their own ability, while reinforcing perseverance, resilience, teamwork and the understanding that improvement comes through consistent effort.
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The purpose is not simply to make students fitter. Physical development helps build the strength, movement quality, coordination and body control that support better martial arts technique and continued progression, while keeping training varied, challenging and enjoyable.
