\n The sessions, held every Wednesday throughout August at Nicholson Martial Arts Academy on New Street, are open to all abilities, with separate classes for children aged eight to 13 and teenagers aged 14 to 17.\n<\/p>\n
\n Former world kickboxing champion Ricky Nicholson is hosting free community kickboxing sessions throughout August at Nicholson Martial Arts Academy in Mold. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n They form part of a wider community programme launched by the 53-year-old, whose academy also offers monthly free women\u2019s self-awareness and self-protection workshops.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ricky, from Bagillt, has spent more than 40 years in martial arts after taking up Taekwondo at the age of 12 following experiences of bullying.\n<\/p>\n
\n Former world kickboxing champion Ricky Nicholson is the head coach at Nicholson Martial Arts Academy in Mold. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n He later trained under kickboxing coach Russ Williams, winning Welsh, British, European and Commonwealth titles before turning professional. Competing around the world in countries including Japan, Hawaii, Switzerland and the United States, he became a professional world kickboxing champion in 2000.\n<\/p>\n
\n Now coaching full time, Ricky said his ambition is not simply to produce champions but to help more people enjoy the physical and mental benefits of martial arts.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ricky Nicholson training his students at Nicholson Martial Arts Academy in Mold. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cMy motivation is getting people into martial arts. I don\u2019t care whether they\u2019ve got aspirations to become champions or not.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI want them getting into the sport because it\u2019s a great way of learning self-defence, keeping fit, becoming focused and gaining important life skills.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The academy, which opened in Mold earlier this year after Ricky spent several years searching for suitable premises, now offers kickboxing for children and adults, women-only kickboxercise classes, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu through 36 Chambers BJJ and Flintshire Boxing Club, which has revived the legacy of the late Mold coach Gerry Greeves under head coach Ian Aldrich.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ricky Nicholson hopes the free sessions will encourage more young people to stay active, build confidence and learn new skills over the summer holidays. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n Ricky said introducing women-only kickboxercise sessions came after years of being asked for a female-only environment.\n<\/p>\n
\n Alongside regular classes, the academy also runs free women\u2019s self-awareness and self-protection workshops as part of its community programme. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cSometimes women feel intimidated. I wanted to break down that barrier and give them somewhere they feel comfortable. It\u2019s become a really supportive community where women of all ages come together, build confidence and get fit.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n New strength and conditioning classes are also planned, with yoga and Pilates expected to be introduced in the coming months.\n<\/p>\n
\n Alongside its regular timetable, the academy is placing a strong emphasis on community outreach.\n<\/p>\n
\n Throughout August, free kickboxing sessions will run every Wednesday morning, while the women\u2019s workshops focus on recognising potential risks, improving awareness and building confidence alongside practical self-protection skills.\n<\/p>\n
\n Former world kickboxing champion Ricky Nicholson is hosting free community kickboxing sessions throughout August at Nicholson Martial Arts Academy in Mold. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n Ricky said: \u201cThere are always people in the community who can\u2019t necessarily afford to come to classes.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cYes, it\u2019s a business, but I think it\u2019s only fair to give something back and give people the opportunity to experience martial arts who otherwise might not be able to.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Ricky said he also hopes the academy can become a welcoming space for people who may have never considered martial arts before, regardless of whether they want to compete.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cI want people leaving here with a sense of achievement, a sense of belonging and being part of a community. If someone wants to become a champion, I\u2019ll support them 100%, but that\u2019s not what it\u2019s all about.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The academy\u2019s free summer sessions are open to all abilities, with separate classes for children aged eight to 13 and teenagers aged 14 to 17. (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n He also hopes the academy can help encourage more young people away from screens and into exercise.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMartial arts is brilliant for confidence, brilliant for self-defence and it benefits both your mental and physical health,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Regular classes run Monday to Saturday, with junior kickboxing sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays, women\u2019s kickboxercise on Monday evenings and boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes throughout the week.\n<\/p>\n
\n Everyone\u2019s first lesson is free, and places for the August community sessions must be booked in advance.\n<\/p>\n
\n For further details visit Nicholson Martial Arts Academy on Facebook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The sessions, held every Wednesday throughout August at Nicholson Martial Arts Academy on New Street, are open to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":723348,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-723347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}