A medal-winning martial arts instructor who found solace in taekwondo after years of bullying is now supporting children going through similar experiences.
Sally Gleaves, who runs Worcestershire Martial Arts in Worcester, recently won a bronze medal at the European Taekwondo Championships.
Ms Gleaves, who started learning karate when she was nine, has been aiding local children who are being bullied with taekwondo classes at her martial arts club.
She described taekwondo as a “safe space” and said it had helped her through most of the “challenging times” in her life.
“I got involved in martial arts when I was nine, because my mum wanted me to learn how to deal with bullying and have some better self-esteem and confidence,” she said.
“I’ve never stopped doing it, so about 30 years later I’m here now with my own taekwondo school.”
Ms Gleaves said taekwondo had helped her learn how to manage emotionally when she was targeted by bullies throughout school and college.
She said a lot of primary school children and teenagers were now taking her classes because they were being bullied.
The sessions helped them gain more confidence and offered a “family of people” to support them, she added.
“When they come when they’ve had a bad day… they’re always like, ‘oh i’m glad I came here tonight and everyone’s lovely and it’s just made me feel better’,” she said.
“There’s so much more to doing a martial art than just the physical and mental health outcomes.”
“When I’m having a down day and I come to this class and I see their progress… I don’t need to hear from them [the students] how I’ve made them feel because they show it for me,” she added.
Ms Gleaves won bronze at the European competition last month and will next represent England at the ITF World Championships in October.
