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More on KentOnline
Combat sport clubs are doing their bit to fight knife crime in Kent and challenging how we think about violence.
One boxing gym in Chatham is offering young men another path away from gang lifestyle. But it's not just young men - women and children are also learning to fight back against the epidemic of knife crime in the county.
Heather Jordan, runs a free self-defence course in Maidstone teaching women and children how to face a knife attack.
The 38-year-old set up Surge Self-Defence a year ago after she noticed that most of her paying trainees were from "healthy financial backgrounds," and saw the need for free lessons.
She said: “I had lots of people saying to me, ‘I wish I had the money to do that’. I think everybody deserves to know how to defend themselves regardless of financial background.”
As the class is designed for women and children, they are taught techniques which will work against someone who's bigger and stronger than themselves, including classes on knife attacks.
Her students are taught that when faced with a knife, they should hand over whatever the attacker is demanding in a bid to stay safe. But she says it's important to know how to defend yourself when an attack is impossible to avoid.
The St Peter's Street, Maidstone resident only expected to do one 10-week course, but realised how high the demand for the class was after her first filled up within four hours.
Miss Jordan added: “Women definitely feel more vulnerable.
"They wanted to learn somewhere that was designed for women.
"They read a lot about how there seems to be more sexual assaults around Kent and obviously how knife crime is very prevalent at the moment.”
Recent figures show a dramatic increase in knife crime in the county over the last decade with 851 offences recorded in the 12 months to September 2019, up from only 346 in 2010/11.
However, data issued by the Office for National Statistics shows a slight drop over the past year with the number of offences recorded falling by 3%.
One of Surge's sessions teaches women how to let go and be more assertive.
Miss Jordan said: “A lot of women don't know how hard they can kick because they've never done it before.
"They come in very timid at the start, very shy, and they tap the pads.
“And then by halfway through the course the power they display is amazing, their confidence rises and they start feeling empowered by it.”
Miss Jordan feels a lack of aggression can be dangerous for women but learning to use the ability makes them feel safer against an attack.
Preparing potential victims of knife crime only tackles half of the problem, it is getting youngsters to not carrying knives in the first place which will make the greatest impact on Kent's streets and that's exactly what one gym in Medway is doing.
Unique Kickboxing is a MMA gym in Chatham run by Matt Simms and has been keeping young people off the streets for the last 15 years.
Mr Simms, who now lives in Grove Road, Rochester, had lived in Chatham for most of his life, so is aware of the issues surrounding communities similar to where the gym is near Luton Arches.
He said: "For most people, it would cause alarm bells to set up here.
"But I felt those were the people I was targeting. People that have tough upbringings and a bit of a tough life and might want to learn to fight.
"You can see which ones are a little bit troubled and I get drawn into what their story is.
"I’m obviously just a trainer but I try to become a mentor as well."
Over the years, Mr Simms has set up troubled trainees with jobs and apprenticeships by connecting them with tradesmen who train in the gym.
Now five of them own their own business.
Mr Simms added: "This is because we have such a good, tight-knit community within the club.
"I can't be prouder really because from angry, troubled young men, they've had some formal direction.
"I do honestly believe that if most of these people didn't come, they would be selling drugs and carrying knives in gangs.
“Once you show a little bit of belief in them, they start realising they do have some worth and become very good people."
The boxing coach said he was lucky to have his passion for boxing as a youth, which pulled him away from life in a gang.
He added: "My father was pretty strict, so I had to make sure that I stuck to it.
"Any time I wanted to get out of boxing, he kept pushing and pushing.
“When I see the young men that come in now, who don't necessarily have that family support at home, they're probably just looking for a bit of direction."
Some of the youngsters who go to the gym are now Anti-bully Ambassadors as part of a project aimed at eradicating the problem.
The ambassadors are specially selected for having experience with bullying in some way and incorporate their knowledge of combat sports and were chosen for the role because they are hard working and well behaved.
Watch another Medway youngster doing his bit for the anti-crime campaign
Ish Ayonmike, also know as Dynamic Ish, is an MMA trainer who co-runs the project which takes part in charity work and demonstrations across the community.
Trainers, coaches and youngsters at the gym have also been doing their bit for the national anti-crime campaign, Gloves Up, Knives Down, and have raise more than £460 for the cause.
Mr Ayonmike, 46, says the project's mission is to set a good example for young people and educate them about the dangers of knife crime.
He thinks some youngsters carry knives to protect themselves or get revenge on their bullies.
But when he was young, the trainer took a different path.
He said: "As a youngster, I got beaten up by everyone, which was one of the reasons I decided to learn martial arts.
"I thought to myself, when I grow up I'm going to smash them all back.
“But when I grew up and I knew how strong I had become, I felt no need to be violent to anyone. I felt like I had nothing to prove."
Mr Ayonmike also argues that for youngsters who train in boxing, carrying a knife is that last thing on their minds.
He added: "They're thinking about winning some medal.
"They're thinking about coming here and impressing their mum and their dad. They're thinking about community.
"None of them have got time to think about carrying a knife because they've got stuff to look forward to."
When asked how one form of violence can be used to solve another, Mr Simms said boxing is not a form of violence at all.
He added: "It's only violence if it's not controlled. Controlled violence is done with rules and two people agreeing to participate under that rule set.
"How many people do you see thanking someone after they've just been punched or kicked in the face? It's insane.
"But it's because they just need to blow off some steam.
"It's rewarding because you know they're learning how to control themselves."
Back at Surge, the knife defence class is widely loved by everyone who takes part in the sessions, especially children who learn to see violence in a whole new light.
Miss Jordan said: “They have respect for knives in a different way.
"So they value a knife as a weapon, something dangerous to defend yourself against, rather than a cool accessory.”
The defence coach thinks that adults need to talk about knives differently and find a way of making them uncool if they are to combat the problem.
“You have to give them an alternative that is cool, whether that is teaching them self defence or something completely different.
"Whether it's my club or another martial arts club, the first thing they learn is that the answer isn't violence - defence can be an answer.”
