Helping you to raise healthy, confident, strong kids
Empower your kids to defend themselves against life's challenges by developing strong physical, mental, and emotional skills. Help them to find their inner Dragon.
Is your child struggling with the world around them?
Children are suffering as they try to adapt to a world which has lost a lot of its traditional structures and values:
Our kids are not playing or mixing with other kids outside of school as much as they used to
They’re not enjoying the school years as much as they could
There is a widespread, worldwide even, crisis of confidence in our kids and it’s heartbreaking to watch as parents
Yet we know that there must be more we can do to help them live a happier life. Imagine your child becoming strong, empowered, confident and able to cope with whatever they meet in their life.
Let us help you to become the hero in your child’s journey
We have been successfully supporting childhood and adolescent development for over 30 years. During that time, many parents have become involved by ensuring attendance at classes as well as observing, contributing, learning and in some cases joining in with the classes themselves.
In this way, our classes nurture the holistic health of every child. We believe that every student has the potential to be healthy, confident and strong.
Our mission is to provide a unique and fun-filled space that combines modern fitness and traditional training techniques to help young people achieve their full potential whilst interacting with their peers.
We help your child (4-11 years old) to “Find THEIR Dragon” with specially designed sessions, taught with fun in mind, which develop a child’s basic physical and sporting capabilities.
So, we “join them up” externally whilst helping them to develop internally by empowering them to be confident, resilient and with inner strength.
"Respect, Integrity & Humility are essential but we encourage qualities such as: Politeness, Caring and Concentration too"
—Steve, Master Trainer
Why Train to be a Dragon?
1. Grow in Confidence
Our primary efforts are to empower your child to “find their voice”. We have a wide range of techniques and exercises to encourage them to shout and not be afraid to do so. Ideal for “stranger danger” situations but more about them being able to express themselves. This is a key factor in their emotional development when they are free to do things without fear. They become ready leaders and communicators. We have seen it happen over and over again.
2. Develop Emotional Skills
We involve you child in lots of different exercises which have subtle underlying purposes which challenge their feelings. This allows them to develop their internal and external emotional intelligence — the way they feel and the effect they have on others.
3. Learn Resilience
In class there are a full set of individual and group exercises to help your child continually face new challenges. They succeed in some and not so well in others which is fine. We want them to succeed but also to accept when they need to work harder if someone is better at an exercise. They strive to higher levels and develop that powerful quality of Resilience alongside Tenacity — get up and go again.
Our Additional Dragons Values
01
Confidence
In their abilities
02
Resilience
To keep going
03
Self-Esteem
To be proud of themselves
"Our ambition is to help every child 'Solve the Puzzle' inside them and find their own Dragon"
—Steve, Master Trainer
Read what The Dragons & their parents have to say
I didn't know that Jenny could be so loud
She has always been quiet and we wondered about how she was going to do at school. Now we watch her with surprise and, probably, a lot of pride.
She shouts so loud in class and seems to want to challenge anyone to be louder than her!
It is brilliant and, as the instructors always say, she has truly “found her voice” which has made her happier and more confident.
Parent of:
Jenny "The Fierce Dragon"
Jack has really calmed down
Our son used to be so agitated and full of emotions that he couldn’t control. Now we can see him being able to understand these feelings.
As soon as he is told to do something in class, he can go from over-excited to a focused state immediately.
We know he can do it now so we always refer to his “Dragon” training when we are at home. It helps him to understand how to behave.
Parent of:
Jack "The Focused Dragon"
Direct from the mouths of a few of "The Dragons"
“I love having fun. It is great fun because we get to play games”
Tianna (Age 4)
“I like it when we get to kick bags. I can do front, side and back kicks”
Luke (Age 6)
“We learn about Stranger Danger and I get chance to do it with Dad but I try not to hurt him”
Maddy (Age 5)
“It is really good to learn kicks and punches but we know we can only use it in self-defence. We don’t want to hurt people”
Ben (Age 9)
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are new to Inner Depth, you will have questions. The ones we hear from prospective parents looking to bring their child for the first time are listed below with appropriate answers.
We have a few different classes for “The Dragons” and so if you’d like to come along, do contact us using the "Try a Class for FREE" form and we can check availability and answer any other questions you may have. See you in class soon!
When are the classes?
We have various classes for different ages / abilities. Please contact us first to discuss the right class for you / your child, and to check availability.
Can I just turn up for my FREE session?
Before you can attend your FREE session, please contact us by filling in the "Try a Class for FREE" form. What have you got to lose? Come and see what our classes are all about.
What do I need to bring with me?
Clothing-wise — please make sure you are comfortable. We suggest a t-shirt, joggers and trainers to start with. And don’t forget to bring a drinks / water bottle so you stay hydrated. Being a Dragon can be thirsty work!
How much does it cost?
When you first start, you can pay weekly, which is £7.00 per class, until you decide you are committed to carrying on. When you decide you want to keep coming and you pay half-termly, classes reduce to £6.50 per class. We also offer further discounts for siblings, so why not get the whole family involved?
What are Workshops & when are they?
We hold various workshops throughout the year, usually on either a Saturday afternoon or Sundays. These are a great opportunity to work with students and teachers from other classes and we are able to cover far more syllabus work as we are normally restricted to only a 1 hour class. The workshops are normally 4 hours, and you may not believe it, but yes, the 4-year olds manage 4 hours too! Parents are always amazed that they are still going when they come to collect them.
I have more questions. Can I call you?
Yes of course. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have. Our contact number is 01803 431 847. You can also email us using the email address: findme@inner-depth.com
Turn Up, Join In, Have Fun!
We want your child to experience just how different our classes are compared to an average exercise class or a typical martial arts class for that matter. If you happen to live locally to Totnes, South Devon you are in luck! Click the button below to find out how to claim your FREE lesson.
From The Blog
Inspiring articles drawing on over 3,000 years of ancient knowledge combined with our own experience of teaching kids these principles for over 18 years.
Note for Parents: Helping Children to Be "Free Spirits"
You are never given a Manual and even if you did it would probably be the wrong one!! For our car, boat, motorbike - no ... our children! They are all so different. Having three of my own (two multi-World Champions and one a highly qualified and successful lawyer) I have a rough idea about this. I originally set up "The Dragons" to provide them with a learning environment that contained the standards set down by the very traditional Chinese Kung Fu system I studied with my Grandmaster but over the past 18 years what I teach and why has evolved to face the challenges of our changing times.
Stranger Danger — A Guide for Parents
I am always shaken by the amount of child attacks, and abductions, that are reported in the news. I teach "Stranger Danger" on a weekly basis and here is the strategy we use. This is only a brief guide to a complex subject that is different for every child and in every situation. I hope it helps and, if you want to see it in full effect, you are most welcome to hold a bag at one of my classes then grab one of my junior students — you will not want to keep hold of them!
We Don't Want to Teach our Children How To Fight!
Parents bring their children along to “The Dragons" classes for a wide range of reasons including, but not limited to, how to combat verbal or physical school bullying; to make sure they can look after themselves in the future; to teach them discipline; to improve their physical abilities; to give better self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-image; and to use up some energy and we teach that "fighting" is always the last resort.