Interview with a....kickboxer

by Amy Lleyellyn

Leasha Morrison is the youngest of a formidable kickboxing dynasty and founding member of Morrison’s Black Belt School Academy. At the tender age of fourteen she has achieved the level of black belt second dan, but has already been a black belt for three years. Alongside school and other commitments she has managed to amass an impressive array of titles, including four times World Champion, also British Champion and European Champion. Yet, the slim, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in front of me has such a pretty, angelic face and a ready smile. Could this girl really be a potentially lethal killing machine? I decided to test the theory…

So Leasha, have you ever killed a man with one punch?
(Laughs) No!

Ok, serious now. Tell me how you got into martial arts.
Well, my brother and my dad and my mum did it, and I wanted to do it too but I was too young.

How young?
I was about six, so I was seven when I started. My brother would teach me some training moves on a Sunday.

Your martial art is kickboxing, could you tell me a little bit more about it?
It generates from Karate – you use both your hands and your legs – so it’s not like normal boxing, which doesn’t use your feet. It’s not like Thai boxing either. which uses knees and elbows. It’s loads of fun, but it’s hard work as well. It’s self-defence, but there’s a sporting side to it, you can enter tournaments. If you want to know more, just watch the Jean-Claude Van Damme film!

So have you entered any tournaments?
Yeah loads! Over a hundred… The best was probably the first WPKA [World Professional Kickboxing Association] tournament because it was a good holiday, in Kos. The second WPKA tournament was good as well, that was in Corfu.

Have you ever been bullied?
Yes! (nods head vigorously) I got bullied at Primary School from two lads who were three years above me, and sometimes people just take the mick.

What did you do?
I tried to ignore them…but when it comes to the point when you can’t ignore it anymore, you’ve got to stand up to them.

Are people scared of you, because you’re a black belt kickboxer?
Yes, because they think I might attack them! But they don’t really know me so they don’t know I’m really a nice person! Some people are scared of me…but some people just try it on.

Do you think that being a martial artist has made you more confident at school?
Definitely! It makes me want to take part in other things, like shows. Actually, it’s made me a bit gobby! But most importantly, it’s made me stand up for myself.

Some people might think that kickboxing is a lad’s sport. How do you think learning martial arts can help girls in particular?
Well, mainly for self defence, if someone attacked them in the street. It’s also good exercise, if you want to lose weight or get fit. We have a ladies only class, which is good for girls who would rather learn with other girls. Anyway, girls can do any sport that they want to do!

Have you ever been in situation either at school or outside school, where you have felt vulnerable? If so, what happened?
Fortunately, nothing really bad has ever happened to me. But a few weeks ago I was walking alone down Church Street about eight-thirty in the evening – which was a bit stupid of me – and a man came out of a shop ahead of me. He kept walking, but looking behind at me and I got a bit freaked out, so when he turned the corner I crossed over the road. He kept looking back at me, then he also crossed the road in front of me, still looking behind him. He tried a few of the handles on some car doors parked on the road. At this point I dropped back and got my phone out with 999 at the ready. The man then stood at the corner of the next street – it was like he was trying to hide – but I could see him! He was still looking… you just know if something’s wrong, you get that feeling. So I walked into the middle of the road and just stopped – I didn’t know what to do. I went to a door and knocked, and the man walked off. An old man came to the door and I explained everything and he asked if I wanted to come in, but I said no; I knew he was trying to be nice, but I didn’t know him. He asked if I wanted to use his phone to ring my mum but again, I had to say no! In the end, he just walked me to the bottom of the street and I just ran all the way home.

In what ways did your skills help you there?
Well if the man had tried to grab me I would have used my martial arts to get free. It’s hard to say though – you never know what you’d do until it happens. If someone grabs me at school, I just instinctively react.

What would you recommend our readers to do if they were physically attacked by a bully, and had no chance of escape?
First of all, always try and escape, or call for help. If that’s not possible, try to block their attack, then try and get them into a lock position or get them off balance. As soon as they are on the floor – run! And scream…

How long do you think it would take to become good enough at martial arts to be able to protect yourself like that?
You’ve got to build your confidence, which really doesn’t take that long. I’d say maybe three or four weeks. It depends; you get out what you put into it.
How do you think that martial arts can help people who are victims of bullying?
It can help victims to stand up for themselves, it builds their confidence and they learn the skills to use if they get attacked. Also, it’s fun, exciting, and you meet new people and make new friends. Here, we don’t tolerate bullying or violent behaviour.

Do you think then that martial arts can be used as a tool to combat the problem of bullying in society?
Yes definitely. People say ‘try and make friends’ or ‘tell a teacher’, but sometimes it doesn’t always work. It can get to the point where nothing else will work – but if everyone did martial arts there would be no victims for the bullies to pick on.

Finally Leasha, is there anything else we should know about martial arts?
Yeah (winks) – you get to meet loads of nice lads!

Morrison’s Black Belt School Academy (team Bolton Dragons) holds classes for all age groups throughout the week.

For more information please ring 0800 977 4151 or go to http://www.boltondragons.co.uk/.