IN LISKEARD, one independent gym has been giving its all to making sure its members are safe.

At Combat Athletics Academy and MBT Fitness in Fore Street, Mark and Becky Tucker have made several thousand pounds of investment in a refurbishment of the changing area and toilets, and they’ve had a complete rethink of their class sizes and structure.

The Tuckers were able to obtain some Government support through the coronavirus small business grant scheme but were unable to access a ‘bounce back’ loan.

Under the new social distancing rules, they have capacity for just half the number of children or adults as they did previously, but they’ll be putting on extra classes to fit everyone in.

They’ve gifted all the kit such as helmets and gloves to their members, who will now bring equipment to class for their own use and take it home.

And they’ll be continuing to run classes via Zoom for those who don’t feel ready to attend in person.

‘We’ll be starting our children back in August,’ said Mark, ‘and we are not taking on any new members this year, as we just want to keep our existing members as safe as we can.’

Mark’s speciality is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but because of the contact involved in the sport, it’s the hardest martial art to practice under the ‘new normal’. Luckily Mark can branch out as he has several other arts and skills under his belt.

While he can’t teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the same way as he did before, Mark is a professional competitor who has represented his country. This means he has ’elite’ status, and so he and a group of others he trains with are allowed to practise the art themselves under the new Covid guidelines.

In the gym, he and Becky have brought in a different way of doing things.

‘We’ll be taking people’s temperatures and we’re creating training families (bubbles) for martial arts, because people have to interact,’ said Mark.

‘We’re asking people to change before they come in, and take a shower if they can, if they’ve been at work.

‘It is what it is, we’ll keep moving forward.’