Building from the ground up and grafting has been what Carl has done to get to where he is now.
He talks about the journey, the setbacks, the challenges and the highs that have brought him where he is now about to open the gym of his dreams.
Kickboxing saved him when he was younger, it is something that is a part of him and he has used the mindset of winning and the confidence to succeed in business.
He has the ultimate belief that the new HKA will work because of his willingness to graft and the great team around him and anyone who knows Carl knows he’s right.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
It has developed into something so much more than a gym.
As someone who was bullied at school, I have always wanted to help and give back.
We are known for helping those who lack confidence and have been bullied.
We might look like a gym but education is woven into what we do.
We tried, during the lockdown to give as much as we could through zoom classes and speaking to families individually.
We have had several knock backs around planning but this is the move we really needed.
The layout of the new building is much better and will mean we can do so much more.
We want to provide services that will help the community such as healthy food.
The ethos of HKA is about people being properly trained and ready if they are fighting competitively.
We do have space during the day and want to encourage new classes to expand the range of what we do.
Our members have a great ethos and attitude to training.
I never forget where I’ve come from and I’m honoured about where we are but it’s about the great team around me.
Everything we have built has been built from the ground up.
BEST MOMENTS
‘It’s all quite surreal at the moment but I think when I take a step back I’ll realise it’s something quite special’
‘It’s about giving children the chance to feel safe and normal’
‘I’ve had a hundred highs and a hundred lows over the last few weeks’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
HKA Main landing page www.hastingskickboxing.co.uk/kickstartnow
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/Hastingskickboxing
HKA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Hastingskickboxing
carldenne@hotmail.com
ABOUT THE HOST
Hi, my name is Carl Denne.
I was born in Hastings in 1980. Married, father of two beautiful daughters, Bethany and Leigha.
My daughters, the wife, and gym ARE MY LIFE.
IF I’M HONEST, I pretty much failed at school. Heavily dyslexic, I was dismissed for being a “naughty kid” that didn’t want to learn. I was heavily bullied for having shit clothes and ginger afro hair. I didn’t have many friends.
When I say bullied I don’t mean called a “poo-poo head” and being looked at in a nasty way. I mean thrown downstairs, and hit with chairs and tables. Clothes were stolen whilst in the shower. That kind of bullying…
Oh, how things have changed…
Martial arts, and specifically Kickboxing, have changed my life, and now I am much happier and change other people’s lives for the better on a daily basis.
I am a complete adrenaline freak, so In my spare time, track days, jumping out of planes, sitting on top of them, rage buggies in the desert… The higher, the faster the better for me. I’m always looking for the next thing to get my blood pumping, so if anyone has a challenge I’ve not found yet, please feel free to share.
I do like a Saturday night movie night, Chinese, Netflix, lots of chocolate with my three little ladies. I love being around my friends and family. This is why I love the crazy HKA family so much, as this is my extended family.
I left school with pretty much nothing! A few sad GCSE’s C - D grade, BUT I did have a shit-ton of energy and passion to achieve, and to prove all the teachers and people that looked down on me for all those years, wrong. So, after a few jobs here and there, I settled on working for Openreach (BT) as a cabler/jointer copper and fibre optic multi-skilled engineer with HGV.
I left this in 2015 to chase my dream of running my own Kickboxing Academy and working with the future of today, rather than a job that just paid the bills.
I’ve trained pretty much my whole life: Karate, boxing, Judo, from the age of 9, and of course, I’ve now done over 29 years of Kickboxing. I’ve passed many Instructors and coaches courses, attended many training courses and seminars, grading up through the syllabus. I passed my 4-hour hell-on-earth 3rd Dan black belt in July 2018 with the ICO.
If I’m honest my real passion and skills have come from learning the hard way; through being in the trenches. I know how it feels to be on your arse. I know how it feels to have to pull yourself out of the pit. I’ve been through
a divorce. I’ve lived through the pain and have worked with thousands of members, students, children, teachers and adults over the years, and the one thing I get told every time is how well I/we keep it very real, and that I have a complete understanding on most eventualities.
Thank you for reading and listening. I hope you connect with myself and the team, take away some ideas, understand you’re not alone, and that it’s good to talk, listen and help others as and when you can.
