I have a lot of positive things to say about Pheonix Martial Arts and their Leeds instructor, Mr. Mensah. For those that don’t have the time to read everything I have to say, I have written a second TLDR review (found in the attached images)!
First and foremost, I can honestly say that kickboxing has been the BEST new thing that I have tried as an adult for many years, and I would recommend anyone to try it.
Though I love a range of different sports and staying active, I have had a poor relationship with sport and exercise for a number of years now. This was primarily down to an internal conflict with many facets, and this reflected and manifested itself in my physical fitness which was declining. Where previously I had been an energetic, springy young man, I was becoming lazy and sedentary, mainly thanks to this mental battle.
My partner loves to stay active and she helped me to fall in love with exercising again. When my partner and I moved to Leeds in July 2023, she sought new sporting opportunities and found these in Pheonix Martial Arts. She had always wanted to try kickboxing and I was delighted to find that she was thoroughly enjoying herself at her new club. I myself had been seeking a personal trainer for a little while and my partner put me in touch with the instructor of the academy, Mr Mensah, who also works as a personal trainer. After meeting with him I felt confident that he could help me to achieve my fitness goals.
Mr. Mensah took the initiative to gradually introduced me to kickboxing during our personal training sessions, adding little motifs and highlights of the sport to our workouts. I had never tried any martial arts before and I found very quickly that I LOVED IT. Within my first pad session I was grinning from ear to ear; I was hooked (pun intended). I had got a taste for this discipline and had to explore it more, so I too joined my partner as a regularly attending member of the kickboxing sessions at Pheonix Martial Arts.
Now kickboxing is a great sport and very enjoyable in its own right, but I would be remiss if I did not give credit for me having enjoyed it so much to the brilliant instructor I had, Mr. Mensah. Mr. Mensah brings an infectious joy to the sport and approaches his coaching with a kind and non-judgemental attitude. He is understanding of people’s limitations and tailors his tutoring to each individual based on their own needs. This allows him to provide powerful motivation to everyone he coaches, encouraging them to push further and harder during their workouts, all whilst maintaining a positive environment. Mr. Mensah’s mother also works at the academy in Leeds and their family dynamic brings a warm and inviting feel to the club. The two of them are down to earth, friendly and approachable and they have NEVER made me feel unwelcome or like I do not belong on the mats with everyone else, despite me having never even tried a martial art before and being a complete novice when I started. A large part of why I started kickboxing, enjoyed kickboxing so much and continued to pursue it as a sport is thanks to Mr. Mensah. My fitness has improved greatly since I started; where previously I could only complete ten push-ups in a minute, after just a couple of months I was hitting thirty to forty and my 5-kilometre running time was back down to sub 23 minutes. I had started doing burpees for FUN (a little bit anyway)! I felt stronger and healthier, but this development in my fitness was not the most important change I had undergone. More than he knows, Mr. Mensah helped to mould my attitude and change my outlook on sports and exercise, so that I look more positively on them once again; this is the most important thing he has given me. I once again feel as though I have the confidence to be my best and to chase my sporting goals.
I am unfortunately moving away from Leeds now for work and will be unable to continue kickboxing with Phoenix Martial Arts, however Mr. Mensah has inspired me to continue to work on my fitness and pursue further opportunities in martial arts going forward.
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Posted 2 years ago
