Carisma

Love kicking in the head, love CARISMA!

I joined CARISMA in 2011. I've been a member of several other martial arts clubs in other countries, and CARISMA has been one of the best.

First, it's a club where women can feel comfortable and challenged at the same time. The focus is on helping each other improve, there's no machismo or patronising here. I've never been made to feel that I won't succeed at something because I'm female, or that the better fighters are all male, or that the guys by default know more about kickboxing. I can honestly say I haven't experienced sexism here.

Second, there are people of all ages and abilities training. There is no push to train so hard that injury occurs, but rather to train just beyond a person's comfort zone to see what is possible.

Finally, this is a club that welcomes new members, from total beginners to very experienced. There are social events outside training sessions which are not cliquey. You won't find a cult of personality, but I have lot of respect for the instructors. My physical strength and endurance has increased since joining. The sparring sessions and friendly tournaments have been great for confidence building--even when I lose.

CARISMA is a great club with excellent professional instructors who not only know what they are doing but can teach students from total beginners to black belts, giving everyone useful advice and sufficient training. CARISMA is also known for its friendly members, which creates an amazing atmosphere.

Personally, I have trained with CARISMA for a year now and have become much stronger both physically and emotionally, and having participated in competitive fights, my interest for kickboxing is only growing, thank you CARISMA and Massimo Gaetani, you are an amazing instructor!

I joined CARISMA in 2010 and I give the club my highest recommendation. Whether your aim is to compete in kickboxing competitions, improve your fitness, gain some self-defence skills or simply to meet a highly international bunch of energetic and interesting people with a fun social life outside of the gym, CARISMA offers all of the above. Massimo and the other club instructors are not only highly skilled in kickboxing and in instructing, but are friendly and keen to help all ability levels, from complete beginner to experienced fighter. I'm older than most students at the club and slower on my feet, but I've always experienced a supportive atmosphere and a willingness to help. There's none of the ego and arrogance here that can be found in some martial arts clubs.