The following are some testimonials from students and parents

In July 2005 I made a decision to start learning a martial art as I wanted to ensure that I could look after myself, especially as the ongoing British drinking culture is promoting more erratic and unstable actions from people on nights out.

I joined Pontefract Tae Kwon Do as the very first student, and nearly 4 years later I am now a black-belt 1st Dan having successfully passed my grading in April.

I find that the instructor, Matt Friar, uses a very good blend of traditional and physical teaching methods to not only teach the adaptation of all moves but also allowing students to put techniques into practice and ‘get their hands dirty’. Now, as a black-belt, my focus has turned to consolidating what I have learned and starting the journey of honing all the basic skills to become more proficient and also teach others how to defend themselves.

I feel that the last 4 years have been thoroughly enjoyable and look forward to spending many more years developing my talent and learning the art.

Paul Freeman, IT Training Manager

I have been interested in martial arts for a number of years. I began my training almost 10 years ago in Leicester where I progressed up to green tag. I have been training at Pontefract since 2005 and have progressed to achieving my black belt  April 2009 .

I started off as being the highest belt in the class which at times was difficult as there were no other students that I could look up to for support. Therefore, I have relied heavily on support from my instructor Matt Friar.

Matt started off as being my instructor and has now become a good friend. His method of teaching affords the opportunity to combine general physical fitness with self-defence and traditional Tae Kwon Do patterns and training exercises. Within the club, students are encouraged to progress at their own speed.

One to one attention is given when required which ensures that when gradings approach, students are prepared and confident that a pass will be achieved. Tae Kwon Do for me has moved on from being a hobby to a major part of my life.

The skills I have honed as a student have been transferred into the rest of my life. I am confident that Tae Kwon Do will continue to be a part of my life for years to come. Through my training my confidence has grown considerably.  In the culture I work within being able to defend myself and be confident in my own ability is a major asset.

Sarah Hubbard, Social Worker

In the three years I have been attending classes at the Pontefract/Selby Tae Kwon Do club, I have developed confidence, learnt how to defend myself and discovered a more interesting side to exercise and fitness; however, I could not have achieved any of this without the help and motivation of my instructor Matt Friar.

Matt has an exceptional amount of knowledge of traditional Tae Kwon Do and its skills and with his high level of instruction and teaching, passes this successfully onto his students.

Since starting Tae Kwon Do, I have noticed many physical developments within myself, such as stamina, speed, flexibility, balance and strength. Yet there has been some mental changes also, mainly a stronger sense of self-discipline, respect and confidence.

Tae Kwon Do has become a major part of my life in the past years and I will enjoy learning many more techniques and skills in the years to come at Matt’s clubs with his help and patience.

Anna Thompson, Student

Having not done any sporting activities for 7 years after playing rugby and cricket, I decided to look at different types of physical activity to somehow get fitter.

I decided to try Tae Kwon Do as an option purely just to keep fit.  Once I started my training and having spoken to my instructor Matt Friar and other studentsthat just training for fitness would probably lead to sometimes being bored, as Matt and some higher grade students explained that by not participating in gradings etc, you have no goals or achievements to aim for. I took their comments on board and I have not looked back since.

Matt as an instructor has vast amount of knowledge regarding fitness, Tae Kwon Do and self defence He has taught me to be more self disciplined and be more confident in my everyday life.

Matt puts a vast amount of time and effort in to his teaching; something I am sure we all appreciate after all without his knowledge and experience our standards would suffer.

The things I enjoy about training are that sessions are not repetitive; they have such a good variety of traditional work, fitness work and flexibility work.

Also the location and times are perfect at Selby for me as I have introduced my granddaughter to Tae Kwon Do who can train at the same time as me without inconvenience to my time scales. I look forward to the future training with Matt and the other students, and hopefully earn my black belt with Matt’s knowledge and patience before I reach 50.

Steve Milton, Director PRM ltd