British Military Martial Arts
The British Military Martial Arts (BMMA) was founded in 2008 by Lee Matthews and the organisation has since grown to over 70 centres around the UK.
BMMA enlists some of the most highly-trained individuals who have served with the British military forces in order to combine the martial arts syllabus – including boxing, karate, Kung-fu, Tae Kwon Do, Ju-jitsu and MMA – with fun and structured sessions, aiming to encourage former servicemen and woman to use their experience to inspire adults and children.
Matthews – one of the best-known martial artists in the UK for his success as a competitor - is a six-time WAKO British champion and one-time WAKO Pro-European champion. Having received training from the likes of former boxing world champion Richie Woodhall, Brazilian Ju-jitsu world champion Bralio Estima, and world kickboxing champions Drew Neal and the Winsper Family, Matthews has gone on to become 4th Dan in Sport Karate, 4th Dan in Kickboxing and 1st Dan in Karate.
The 34-year old spent seven years in the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute regiment, undertaking operations in Northern Ireland and Kosovo and training and working as a physical training instructor, and in the West Midlands alone Lee’s organisation teaches over 1000 students as well as tutoring nine world champions.
BMMA has grown dramatically in the last 12 months and, in May 2011, unveiled two time world boxing champion Nigel Benn – who spent time in the army prior to taking up the sport professionally – as an official ambassador for the organization.
