Graham Wardle is the co-founder and Chief Instructor at Valley Martial Arts. Before opening Valley Martial Arts in January 2014, he spent 10 years of his life training at the highly respected Castle Martial Arts Academy in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, one of the top Academy’s in the country, where he achieved the rank of 3rd degree Black belt.
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It didn’t take long for Graham to realise that Martial Arts was so much more than just fitness and self-defence. Not only had his own fitness and Martial Arts ability increased to levels he had no idea he was capable of, but his confidence and self-belief had sky rocketed. He also noticed the incredibly positive impact it was having on so many different people, from children as young as 5 years old to men and women in their sixties and seventies.
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In late 2006 the opportunity came along to study for a CIT qualification (Certified Instructor Training). A 2 year intensive Instructor training programme teaching all the aspects of not only Martial Arts training and instructing, but also how to get the best out of the students and how to help the students get the best out of themselves.
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In January 2009 he was taken on by Castle Martial Arts as an Instructor and began dedicating himself to his craft full time. In December 2011 he was promoted to Chief Instructor. It was in this role where Graham became excellent in helping his students gain confidence and self-belief as well as becoming fit, strong, healthy and physically robust top level Martial Artists.
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When Graham opened Valley Martial Arts in 2014 he placed a great emphasis on helping his students and their families learn together in a warm and encouraging atmosphere. His passion for martial arts is a strong now as it was when he started and Valley Martial Arts is already the premier martial arts school in Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley.