Matt Fiddes Martial Arts NZ - Hutt Valley/Paremata

03/09/2026

FREE Confidence & Personal Safety Workshops for Local Schools

We believe every young person deserves the skills to feel confident, safe and capable.

That’s why Matt Fiddes Martial Arts – Hutt Valley/Paremata is offering local schools TWO FREE 50-minute Confidence & Personal Safety Skills workshops.

Our fun, active and engaging sessions can support your school's PE, wellbeing and health programmes while teaching practical skills for everyday life.

Students will learn:

✅ How to recognise and avoid potentially dangerous situations
✅ Situational awareness and confident body language
✅ Empathy, emotions and managing stress
✅ What the law says about assault and self-defence
✅ Practical, age-appropriate self-defence skills
✅ How to stay calm, think clearly and make safe choices

🥋 Fun. Active. Practical. Empowering.

All sessions are delivered by qualified instructors in a safe and supportive environment. We provide the equipment and can tailor workshops to support your school's priorities — whether that's bullying prevention, teamwork, wellbeing, confidence or physical activity.

💬 What schools are saying:

"An incredible program that taught our kids genuine safety awareness and practical boundaries. The team kept every single student completely engaged and active from start to finish."
— Erin Healey, Birchville School

"The instructors established a great rapport with the class, and the progression of activities was super engaging, leaving the students buzzing and asking for more."
— Mario Gude, Pastoral Dean, Raphael House School

"The sessions were very well suited to the girls’ age and stage, with clear, simple instructions that were easy for them to understand and follow. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and were actively engaged throughout, while developing practical self-defence skills in a fun and supportive environment.”
— Rebecca Clenworth – Year 4 Teacher – Queen Margarets College

"The sessions were practical and engaging for our kids. The delivery was relevant to the risks that they may encounter. The instructors were positive and encouraging to our kids. There was good balance of theory and practical learning. Our kids loved it".
— Lee Ewington, Principle, Dyer Street School

02/09/2026

25/08/2026

🥋 THE HARDEST BELT TO EARN IS THE WHITE BELT.

Because earning it starts with one simple decision:

To take that first step and do something positive for yourself.

At Matt Fiddes Martial Arts, we provide structured training that keeps you motivated, helps you track your progress, and gives you something meaningful to work towards.

And it’s about much more than kicks and punches.

Our training develops:
💪 Strength, stability & fitness
🤸 Flexibility & movement
🧠 Focus & self-control
🔥 Confidence & resilience
❤️ Mental wellbeing
🥋 Practical self-defence skills

Our Mixed Martial Arts programme combines elements of Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Judo and self-defence, giving you varied, practical and challenging training.

NEW TO MARTIAL ARTS? YOU'RE WELCOME.

You don't need to be fit, flexible or experienced to start.

Our classes cater for complete beginners through to experienced martial artists, with everyone training at a level that challenges them and helps them improve.

Our lead instructor is also a certified Personal Trainer, so your physical development is an important part of the programme — not an afterthought.

And one of the best things about martial arts is the community.

You train alongside people who are committed to improving themselves and supporting each other. Whether you're starting something completely new, getting back into fitness, or looking for your next challenge, there's a place for you.

For adults, teens and kids, martial arts provides something increasingly valuable:

A reason to put the phone down, get moving, challenge yourself and work towards something real.

📍 Petone | Upper Hutt | Epuni

Classes for 7–12 year olds and 13+, with discounts for multiple family members.

Your journey starts with one step.
Maybe it’s time to take it. 🥋

Complete this form to register your interest or find out more -

Welcome! We are glad to have you.

20/08/2026

What if the best Father’s Day gift isn’t something you buy?

It’s something you do together.

Dad, if you’re looking for a way to spend more quality time with your kids, get them off screens and help them grow in confidence — come train with them.

🥋 Martial arts
💪 Fitness
😂 Fun
❤️ Quality time
🧠 Confidence & resilience

And this September, Dads & father figures train FREE at our Families classes.

📍 Upper Hutt | Petone | Epuni

You don’t have to be fit.
You don’t have to know martial arts.
You just have to show up.

Mums: this could be the Father's Day present Dad actually wants — even if he doesn't know it yet. 😉

👉 Check out our website (www.mattfiddes.co.nz),
👉register your interest ( https://sparkpages.io/forms/?frm=_fpx ) and,
👉come try a class together.

14/08/2026

The parents fundraising committee has a sausie sizzle at Stokes Valley. Support our students going tonthe Aussie Champs in Oct.

Yum.

05/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GH5u8iFtG/

As the winter sports season begins to wind down, many families are looking ahead to what comes next. Whether you’ve spent the last few months on the rugby field, soccer pitch, netball court, or AFL oval, now is the perfect time to think about how to maintain and build on all that hard work.

The great news is that martial arts and traditional sports work incredibly well together! 🤝

✅ Building Better Athletes
Martial arts develops many of the skills that help young athletes succeed in their chosen sport, including:

💥Balance and Coordination – Essential for kicking, running, changing direction, and overall body control.

💥Agility and Speed – Martial arts training improves reaction time, footwork, and movement efficiency.

💥Strength and Conditioning – Classes build functional strength, flexibility, and core stability that transfers directly to other sports.

💥Focus and Discipline – Learning techniques, patterns, and self-control helps athletes stay focused under pressure.

💥Confidence and Resilience – Martial arts teaches students how to overcome challenges, learn from setbacks, and keep pushing forward.

✅ Staying Active During the Off-Season
One of the biggest challenges young athletes face is losing fitness and momentum during the off-season. Martial arts provides a fun and engaging way to stay active, maintain conditioning, and continue developing both physically and mentally.
Rather than starting from scratch when next season begins, students who continue training often return stronger, fitter, and more confident.

✅ More Than Just Sport
While martial arts can improve sporting performance, the benefits extend far beyond the field. Students learn valuable life skills such as respect, leadership, goal setting, perseverance, and self-discipline—qualities that help them succeed at school, at home, and in their communities.

As one season ends, another opportunity begins. Whether your child plays rugby, soccer, netball, AFL, or any other sport, martial arts is the perfect way to keep them active, motivated, and growing all year round.

Train for sport. Train for life. Train with confidence.

30/07/2026

27/07/2026

Kia Ora e te whanau,
TAG & SHARE CHALLENGE 🙏.
🎨 📸 Art & Photography Comp, WIN Prizes.
Wed need you to spread the word, please:
1. Like this post
2. Tag 3 creative friends, comment DONE.
3. Share the details on your timeline.

Help Get Our Students to the Australasian Champs! 🥋✈️
As our Matt Fiddes families know, a dedicated group of parents are fundraising to get our students to the champs this October!

We need everyone—both members and the wider community—to help spread the word about our Nature Art & Photography Competition!

🔥 WHO CAN ENTER:
Anyone from ages 3 to 103 can enter their art or photography to win these epic sponsored prizes:
• 🛒 Queensgate Shopping Centre: $60 voucher
• 🏊 Te Ngaengae Pool: Family passes & slide pass.
• 📚 Black Belt Kids: Books
• 🥤 Neo Nutrition Studio: Vouchers

💼 CALLING LOCAL BUSINESSES!
If you would like to donate a prize for the competition, we would love to feature your business in our posts.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:
• 💰 Entry: $3 (Pay via cash or bank deposit).
• ⏳ Entries Close: 14th August.
• 🏆 Winners Announced: 17th August.
• 🛍️ Facebook Art Sale: Starts 18th August.

🖼️ Where & When to Hand In Artwork:
Hand your entries in person to the fundraising parents after classes on these days:
• 📍 Petone: Tuesdays
• 📍 Trentham: Wednesdays
• 📍 Epuni: Thursdays

📧 To register, arrange a drop off, inquire, donate a prize, or get bank deposit details:
Email: [email protected] today!

Nga Mihi Nui - Sclena, Parent fundraising team member.

26/07/2026

Practice your Elbow Strike this weekend!

Small Movement = Big Impact
The elbow is one of the strongest weapons on the body and is incredibly effective at close range.

How to Perform a Strong Elbow Strike:

✅ Stay Balanced
Start in a strong fighting stance with your hands up protecting your face.

✅ Lead with the Point of the Elbow
The striking surface is the point (tip) of the elbow. Aim to drive this part of the elbow through the target.

✅ Rotate Your Hips and Shoulders
Power doesn’t come from swinging your arm. Turn your hips, shoulders, and core into the strike to generate maximum force.

✅ Keep the Opposite Hand Up
Your non-striking hand should stay protecting your face at all times.

✅ Return to Guard
After the strike, immediately bring your hands back into position and stay ready.

❌Common Mistake
Swinging the arm like a punch.
Instead, think about turning your whole body and driving the elbow forward in one powerful movement.

🥋PRO TIP: Imagine there is a laser pointing from the tip of your elbow. Wherever that laser points, is where your power goes. Focus on accuracy first, then power. 💥

21/07/2026

Hello and Tena Koutou, 🌿✨

Our Parent Fundraising Committee is calling on all Hutt Valley creatives to help support our hard-working children and adult students heading to the Matt Fiddes Australasian Championships this October! ✈️

Our team has put together a beautiful winter challenge fundraiser for ages 3 to 103:

NATURE ART & PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION + FACEBOOK ART SALE!
🎨📸Entry: $3 per creation (100% goes to the travel fund).
Closes: August 14th
Winners Named: August 17th on FB!🏆

HOW IT WORKS:
Create something beautiful, hand it in, you could win one of 3 prize packs, and your art will be entered into the Art sale.
Prize packs:
A huge, heartfelt thank you to legends Te Ngaengae Pool and Black Belt Kids Books for your immense generosity in donating prizes. Prizes also include the Whitakers limited addition gum drop chocolate and more.

The Facebook Art Sale: Buy local art from our public album (starting at $3). Our entrants get the joy of seeing their work appreciated, and the funds help our team fly!

📍 TO ENTER & PAY: Email to register - [email protected].
Payments: Can be made by cash or bank deposit.
Drop Off: Coordinate a time with us outside Te Ngaengae pool on Mondays and Fridays or after our Matt Fiddes classes in Petone - Tuesdays, Trentham - Wednesdays, and Epuni - Thursdays.

Thank you for your support of our local students. We appreciate every single one of you! 🙏🥋❤️.

Nga Mihi Sclena - Parent fundraising committee member.