Martial arts success leads the way to wellness

A researcher at the University of Derby has identified a potential British martial arts champion.

Ten-year-old Scarlett Lewis won a silver and two bronzes in the Revolution Championships Yorkshire Open as part of a team from Derbyshire, led by University martial arts experts and Senior Lecturer in Wellness Management, Charles Spring.

She competed in the fighting and kata section – which involves highly disciplined movement or “forms” to demonstrate the correct use of Karate techniques. The Ronin Budo team won two silvers, three bronze medals as well as two golds. Charles competed himself and Robert Haigh made up the team with Chris Fletcher helping out with coaching.

“Scarlett came to me through my research into applying an experiential learning model,” said Charles, who runs Belper and Milford Ronin Budo Karate and Kickboxing Club.

“She is just brilliant – a future British Champion.”

Charles was researching how to build martial arts from around the world into the educational curriculum for the new Wellness Management Degree, which the University has started in order to train the professionals of the future in the growing wellness industry. It combines corporate and community wellbeing initiatives with aspects of the tourism and spa industries.

“Martial arts is physical activity which can be a sport as well as just good exercise. It incorporates mind, body and spirit and can be studied for life,” said Charles, who has been involved in martial arts for 44 years. “It really does fit fully into the concept of wellness.”