Sensei Volodymyr Havdyda

Black Belt

I arrived in the UK in late 2008 and struggled a lot with the language barrier for the first couple years. Having tried a variety of sports including football, tennis and karate, I was never satisfied with what they had to offer - but I knew with karate that I was heading in the right direction. And then I discovered the sport of kickboxing, which surpassed karate for so many reasons.

Since leaving karate in 2014, I have never regretted my decision. My kickboxing experience has been phenomenal, especially with Meiji Kickboxing, which gave me the opportunity to compete at both National and World Championship level.

It has become part of my life, helping me deal with all its challenges, and the club is like my second family!