Bideford celebrates the arrival of a World Champion from Zen Combat School

It is not every day, not even every decade, that Bideford can boast a World Champion in our North Devon community, but Jacob Baker has changed all that with an astonishing double gold medal at the WMAC World Championships.

Jacob, who trains at the Zen Combat School in Bideford, achieved this incredible victory with world class performances in the Low Kick Kickboxing event and the Continuous category, and still had time to win Silver in Point Sparring.

The local glory did not stop there, as Douglas Millar also won Silver in Light Contact and Bronze in Point Sparring, while Izzy Davenport added to the medal haul with a further Bronze in Point Sparring.

The triumph obviously represents a very proud moment for Jason Ashton from the Zen Combat School.

He said: “We went to the English and British Opens at the beginning of the year, where Jacob won the British title. They were then invited to represent England at the World Martial Arts Championships in Hull.

“The event comprised fighters from 15 countries, including the United States and South Korea, with over 1300 combatants. Izzy, our 14 year-old, won bronze in point sparring, Douglas won bronze in point sparring and silver in continuous, while Jacob won silver in point sparring and became world champion in the continuous category and low kick kickboxing.

“We are very proud of them all and a testament to their hard work and dedication to the sport.”

The menu of opportunities at Zen Combat School not only includes sessions for juniors and adults to learn the full range of martial arts, but also special projects designed to help the community.

Jason recently launched bespoke sessions for women’s self defence and that has been joined by the magnificent Martial Hearts initiative, opening the door of this sport to youngsters who may not have previously had the opportunity to join a club, with all the important life skills that can bring.

“We teach from the age of three up to 12 and we currently have 48 children at the School,” said Ashton. “When they get to the age of 12, they progress into the adult class.

“We’ve got so much going on at the club, including Junior Kickboxing, Junior Muay Thai, Junior Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), as well as adult classes in Muay Thai, MMA, Tae Kwon Do and a whole lot more.

“In the past two weeks, we have launched a ladies’ self defence class. We received some funding for this in January, which means the women can train for free on a weekly basis.

“We’ve also received funding for a special project called The Martial Hearts Project Bideford. Schools can approach us and any child who they know is living below the breadline and in an environment where they can’t really afford to join clubs, that child is fully funded for equipment and training.

“A website has just launched www.martial-hearts.co.uk and something we are very hopeful will become a huge benefit to the local community.”