Fifteen year-old Ben Lucas has become the latest B-SMART student to be inducted into our 10 Year Hall of Fame. (I can now legitimately call him Ben 10 for a very good reason!)
Having trained hundreds of students over the past 10 years, I can honestly say that Ben has been the most determined young man that I have ever met. Right from the very start, he has been a very quiet young boy. In fact, it would have been easy to overlook him and let him blend into the background. However, I never let that happen in my lessons as, although it can get very busy, every student deserves the same opportunities to progress and achieve. As a result, Ben has certainly been on the receiving end of sir’s size 8s up his backside, but it all paid off when he was awarded his black belt last year.
Upon telling his Mum the good news, she said: “I could write reams about how proud we are, especially as he came so close to giving up, but with support and encouragement from Shaun, and a few tough conversations, Ben stuck with it and he’s very pleased he did.”
She also described the impact martial arts has had on his life: “His martial arts training has taught him discipline and shown him that you need to work hard at something if you want to succeed at it. This is on top of the obvious benefits of being able to keep himself safe and contribute to his fitness. Ben has also gained an inner confidence and belief in himself and is proud of his achievements. We are grateful for the time and interest that Shaun has given Ben over the years and are very pleased that Ben’s commitment has been recognised with this award.”
While it is clear that dedication and commitment from students is imperative, support from their parents is also key to getting the most out of everybody.
Outside of B-Smart, Ben is also a keen fitness fanatic, spending time at a local gym as well as being a keen cyclist. He loves nothing more than getting hold of the latest gadgets and using them to modify his bike.
Ben also shows his dedication through his commitment to Chelsea FC (maybe I should rethink this award! 🤔) who he enjoys watching at Stamford Bridge with his dad whenever they can.