Using Martial Arts To Change Lives

We Use Martial Arts
To Change Lives

We believe in the innate ability of martial arts to act as a catalyst for change in some of the UK's most deprived communities.

Our Foundation

The Fighting Chance Foundation uses structured multi-discipline martial arts to engage and effect change on a national scale among some of the UK's most vulnerable communities. We work with a number of targeted groups, including children living in poverty, those at risk of knife crime, women and girls at risk of violence, those suffering from disability discrimination, and men at risk of male suicide, among others.

We believe in the innate ability for people to go within and realise their full potential. Many of those who use our services will have faced severe challenges from the likes of sexual or physical violence, substance abuse or lived experience of poverty. We use martial arts as a tool for personal development, helping individuals to discover their limitless potential whilst working under the watchful eye of a trained, qualified mentor.

 

Why Martial Arts?

1 Year = 365 Opportunities

This is just one of the common expressions spoken throughout the martial arts world and it summarises the life-changing potential locked in combat sport. Resilience. Self-Discipline. Determination. Grit. Self-Awareness. Fitness. Social Development. Trust; just some of the many qualities instilled in those who train, and we see this as the perfect tool to effect social change using martial arts as that catalyst for transformation.

Whilst all sports are great at helping to reduce anxiety and encourage positive life outcomes, we don't believe anything can engage some of our core audiences as effectively and affordably as martial arts. Easy to deploy in highly deprived communities and excellent at tackling challenging behaviour and positioning positive role-models, we believe there's nothing like Martial Arts.

"Martial Arts Saved Me"

"I had been the victim of abuse since early childhood and genuinely felt as if I wasn't grounded in my own physical body. Martial Arts brought 'me' back, and taught me that I'm capable of so much more than the confines of my life circumstance. It brought me back from the edge, and instilled a fierce belief in who I am and what I can achieve."

Survivor Of Sexual Abuse. [Anonymous To Protect Identity]

"It's The First Place I Truly Fitted In, And The Only Place That Told Me I Could Move Mountains."

“I used to always find myself involved with the 'wrong' social groups, making poor decisions. It wasn't until Jiu-Jitsu saved me that I realised there was a safe space, come week-in and week-out, in which I wasn't just accepted for who I was, but I was celebrated for that.”

Aimee Wilkinson (2019, Wiltshire BJJ)

See How Martial Arts Can Change Lives

"It Might Not Always Be Pretty, But It's Bloody Effective At Unlocking The Best In You On A Shoe-String Budget."

Giovanni Soffietto.

SEE OUR CASE STUDIES

Our 4 Step Process

1.

We Vet Clubs To The Highest Standards

The starting point is always a comprehensive vetting process on already up-and-running clubs and dojos from all backgrounds and disciplines, right up and down the UK. This helps us to build an effective network of trusted clubs to deliver our programmes.

2.

We Work To Identify & Build Structured Programmes

Using expert resources and partnerships we construct meaningful, organised national programmes that are focused on a key area of our work - such as childhood poverty or knife crime, and 'package' this up in a way that is deliverable within clubs.

3.

We Measure The Impact

We work closely with Fighting Chance Foundation clubs to provide assistance and support making a real difference at a grassroots level. We then monitor and feedback on the impact made and how we can improve it further.

4.

We Increase Scale

As soon as we have an established programme in place with metrics that support its good work, we build up the programme's reach at scale across our network clubs to effect real social change at a rapid pace on a national level.

"Remember that feeling, and how it makes you feel. That fire makes you dangerous - use it."

GIOVANNI SOFFIETTO - Fighting Chance Foundation Founder & Lived-Experience Of Poverty

SEE OUR INSPIRATIONAL STORY