Elgin martial arts academy masters online switch
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
AN ELGIN-BASED martial arts academy is offering its students online instruction during the coronavirus clampdown.
Sansum Blackbelt Academy, which has operated from Moray Sports Centre after a move from the Eight Acres Hotel this year, has now switched to an online tuition programme during the suspension of face-to-face classes.
The move comes at a time of fast growth for the academy, which had doubled its class sizes to take advantage of the extra space on offer at its new base.
The academy has been run by instructor couple Lee and Kate Sansum since 1999. Lee, an Eighth Dan martial artist who has earned the sport title "grand master", said: "The move had given us a new lease of life."
The academy has a team of instructors teaching different forms of kick-boxing and Tae Kwon Do, with a focus now on karate due to the fact it is a non-contact martial art.
Kate said: "We had just held our first grading at the sport centre where everybody receives their next belt, in their progression to black belt."
She said they started to prepare an online forum for lessons when it became clear within health industry circles in recent weeks that coronavirus could have a major impact. Kate said: "I already had the infrastructure in place through my online Kate's Club. So we came up with a way to offer our youngsters the martial arts experience online as a coronavirus back-up.
"This way, we can still interact with our students – our Little Dragons for three to five-year-olds, Little Ninjas for five to seven-year-olds, Terriers from seven years up, and Cadets for teenagers and adults.
"We can keep them interacting with their instructors and each other, as there will be a live feed going on underneath, and we'll give them homework and things like press-up challenges.
"It's a way to keep our students active."
Lee added: "It's one way we can still provide a service to our customers."
Kate said the online move has been well supported so far, adding: "We have asked students to continue paying fees and support the online club – but we are giving vouchers worth the same amount back to them to use in the club when we return."
See the Sansum Blackbelt Elgin Facebook page for more details.
