5 years ago, Erika was living on the beautiful Italian island of Sicily, preparing for what she anticipated was a 3-month whirlwind adventure, travelling the length and breadth of the British Isles. It wasn’t long before, up on her list of destinations was our very own London Town. It was that day that Erika fell in love with our beautiful city. In fact, she loved it so much she decided that she wouldn’t bother to leave. 5 years on and she still hasn’t.

To help her gain some practical work experience to support her education, she looked for a fast-growing, successful company to give her the chance to put her learning into practice. Obviously, Xen-Do was her next logical step, even if we do say so ourselves.

“Entering the dojo for the first time can be scary, but I can guarantee you won’t regret it” says Erika.

Sitting behind the desk dealing with admin, Erika couldn’t hide her desire to join the group classes, but she was too shy to ask. One day Sensei Richard invited her to try the lesson and she has been addicted to Kickboxing ever since!

Erika said: “Realising that Kickboxing is for everyone regardless age or fitness level makes me feel comfortable. The Sensies push you to the limit and the energy level during the classes is so high that I struggle to stay behind the desk. I need to train, it makes me feel good!”

Erika has recently gained her yellow belt and she is already working toward her orange-white belt. Since she started to train at Xen-Do Martial Arts, Erika has mastered a few self-defence techniques which have made her feel more confident walking down the streets of London and have also improved her fitness levels as well.

Now Erika is no longer shy, she joins the classes every time she can, and she is already dreaming about her Black Belt!