The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

'Founder Story' The DoJo Mojo & The Confidence Factory! With Tony Rice from Yarm Martial Arts: How Martial Arts Builds Community, Belonging, Safety & Everyday Courage

• Chris Grimes - Facilitator. Coach. Motivational Comedian

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What if a Martial Arts Academy wasn’t about belts first, but about belonging? Tony Rice, 5th Dan and Founder of Yarm Martial Arts, opens the doors to a place parents call a "Confidence Factory" - where 5 year-olds learn eye contact and kindness, teens find a safe refuge on tough days, and adults rediscover calm between work and family. We dig into the simple habits that build real courage: greet by name, hold eye contact, ask "how can I make your day better?" and mean it. From the family room where parents exhale to the Reception Desk that becomes a village square, this is a living lesson in community done right.

Tony shares the life events that shaped his ethos—the loss of his dad at 42, a mum whose mantras still steady him—and how those threads are woven into the academy pledge: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit. He explains why sparring isn’t the UFC stereotype; most students never compete. The win is stronger minds, steadier moods, and friendships that outlast school years. You will also hear about Mat Chats that turn mornings and sibling squabbles into teachable moments, a praise–correct–praise coaching style that treats kids with honesty and respect, and black belt celebrations where 11 to 16-year-olds deliver speeches that move a room to tears.

We travel beyond the dojo too. During COVID, Tony kept classes alive online and even coached swimming, proving that great coaching is about people first. Flow shows up when structure meets freedom, and that is why his best talks are unscripted and human. There is humour—yes, the legendary Tony Talks and those fifteen-minute rabbit holes of training videos—and there is heart: a garden where the noise falls away, and a vision to build a space that endures long after the next move. If you care about youth confidence, mental health, positive parenting, and community wellbeing, this story will stay with you.

Enjoy the conversation, then share it with a parent, coach, or teacher who needs a fresh way to build courage. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what value do kids most need right now?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

Live Start And Guest Intro

Chris Grimes

Well, we're going to do another live storytelling. They're all created individuals. Welcome to the Good Listening2 show. I am sitting comfortably. Then we shall begin. And we're live. Welcome back. This is actually take two. Gremlins of the interweb have interfered. But I'm delighted and thrilled. I'm Chris Grimes. This is the Good Listening To Show Stories of Distinction and Genius. And today is a wonderful founder story flagging the Sand Day of Wonderment within the Good Listening to Show. Because we have Tony Rice, who is from Yam Martial Arts, to tell us the founder story of all the wonderful stuff that's going on in terms of the values that he imbues within the community. And when I met you a couple of weeks ago, you talked about Yarm Martial Arts actually being a confidence factory. And when you told me that initial part of the story, I was hooked and I thought I need to ask Tony Rice if you can come in and do a founder story of the Good Listening to show. So Master Tony Rice, I'm calling you that because you're a fifth Dan Choiquan Do practitioner. Welcome to the Good Listening To show. Thank you very much, Chris. Thanks for inviting me. And Yarn Martial Arts, we have Middlesbrough in common because my parents and grandparents were born there. And you have your compass pointing true northeast. See what I'm doing there? Because Yarn Martial Arts is doing such wonderful stuff for the community. So you're about to move premises as well. There's lots to talk about. So welcome to the show. How's morale and what's your story of the day, uh, Tony Rice?

The Confidence Factory Realisation

Tony Rice

The morale with everybody is fantastic. We announced on Monday to our community, our students and parents, that we were actually officially moving from our premises, uh, which we've been there for 19 years. Uh, we've been in business for 26 years, and basically it's everyone's really excited. Sometimes you get the odd parents who say, Oh, I can't make it, it's too far away, or everybody, but it's not too far, it's just actually physically down the main road and into an industrial state where we've where we've got. So, yeah, so there's a lot of excitement, a lot of project that managing going on, with obviously with my builder and what's happening. So, we've got all that going on, as well as the usual things of running a martial arts academy.

Chris Grimes

Yes, and running a martial arts academy, you've done so beautifully for, as you say, the last 19 years. The next chapter is about to begin. And just talk me through the confidence factory and why you suddenly realize like an epiphany all along your golden thread of everything is the confidence that you imbue in kids as young as five and right up to you know your oldest student who is well into their 60s, I don't doubt. But just talk us through why confidence is the golden thread.

Tony Rice

With the martial arts, you always get confidence. Every student builds the confidence, whether they're the confidence coming in or not. And one of the reasons why I tag many, many years ago when I first started doing martial arts, it was a bit of a confidence thing. And obviously, we'll probably talk about why that was at the time when I was a teenager. And effectively, what it was was actually one of the parents many years ago. We were just talking, and he said, Tony, you know what you've got here? It was a busy Saturday morning, and he said, You know what you've got here? You've not got just the Mash Latts in it, it is a confidence-building factory. And I thought, What? I just saw like was a bit surprised with it. He said, No, no, he said, every kid that I've watched coming in this place, and every student, mainly the children, he said, when they come in this place, this academy of yours, he said, effectively, they come in with confidence, and within six months they're walking out with confidence. He said, That's what you've got here. It's not a marshal arts thing. It's yeah, you're teaching it, but you actually, and that was you know, when the penny drops and the the pebble goes into the water and it ripples out, it's like ah, that's what this is about, you know.

Chris Grimes

And that's where it's really come from, effectively. And isn't it fascinating that so often someone outside of us looking into the dojo in your case, but outside looking in, people can tell you exactly what you're bringing to the community and the values that you're imbued, you know, to make people's lives better. And you also struck me with your whole cut and thrust of your purpose is how can I make your day better and make you happier? Is one of the other wonderful things you've said.

Service Mantra And Staff Culture

Tony Rice

Yeah, we have uh we have a mantra which I've instilled in the staff over the years. Uh, I've got a great team. Uh, you know, they've helped me do other things where I've gone on to coaching other sports to see what I do and what I can I deliver into a different sport, which which we did, which I did. Uh I've stepped back away from obviously because of the move and I've really got to focus on the the academy. Without them lovely people, I've got me staff members, I would never have been able to do what I've done in the in the recent, uh, just the recent past. And it's a situation where we have a little banter is if a parent or a child is in front of you, it's how can I make your day a better day? And we have a bit of a training session where we just look at each other's in the eyes and uh and just try and work with not looking over people's shoulders to see what's going on behind them, with the especially the receptionists, member receptionist staff, who are absolutely amazing. And when you're in front of them, they have to make sure they've got the positive day, and also the team have a little thing which to stick together that if you walk in the building and you're not in such a good mood or you've got a bit of a problem, talk about it, then go downstairs. Nobody's ever done it, but it's always been there is to go downstairs, turn three times around the cat uh in the car park three times and smile, big smile, big smile, and walk up the stairs and say, I'm awesome, I'm awesome, I'm awesome. We've not had any actually had to do it yet.

Chris Grimes

Oh, but it's a wonderful um confidence mantra of itself, but also there's particularly nowadays with people's you know being hijacked by mobile phones and devices and and the lack of contact. I love the fact that you're going back to a sort of factory default setting, confidence factory. See what I'm doing there, yeah, of restoring eye contact. And with you know, there is, as we know, a direct correlation in life between how much eye contact we give and how confident we are perceived as being. So it is so important.

Community Hub: Parents, Reception, Family Room

Tony Rice

Yeah, yeah. It's to give you an idea how how people open up once you've got to know them, is at the reception when the classes are on or the changing round, the receptionists tend not to get a lot of work done because they end up talking to the parents about their day, and then the next thing is three or four people around reception, all talking about their days, or talking about children passing advice to each other and and what to do. And it's great. And the fact that we have uh a family room where the parents sit because we don't have the parents in the dojo, uh, they have watch it on CCTV, and basically the family room is designed so the parents can have 45 minutes to an hour where they can just chill and have their own little personal space where they can go on the mobile phones, and we have parents who come in and still work. We have a few desks about in the academy where they go on and they sign into our internet and get on with the work. Uh, so it's you the normal theme is classes going on, receptionists talking to parents, parents talking themselves in the family room or just keeping themselves to the cells, or and you always have two or three people carrying on the work, you know, what they're doing for work. So it's a very community-based, and that's where I've always wanted was a community-based martial arts centre where it was important, not just for the children and the students, but it was important for the parents to find some space in the mad world that we live, because everyone's busy, and it's a case of giving them that little bit of oasis of oh, I'm coming. And and it's like one of the best stories we've got is just a couple of months ago, one of the dads came up and he said, Uh Tony, I've got a complaint. And I went, Hi, I said, What's up? Because we have an open house and open door policy where if you've got come speak to us because we're not mind readers, and he came up and he said, Uh, I've just got a problem, Tony. I said, I've got a complaint. So, what's that? He said, Someone sat in my chair. I went, You are. He said, Someone sat in my chair. He said, My place is to come here to put my headphones on and have my 50 minutes of peace away from the family, away from my wife, away from work, and just to watch what I'd like to watch. He said, But that gentleman's sat in my chair, and I just said, Well, unfortunately, we don't have names on chairs. You can obviously approach him, went, No, no, that's okay, I'll just sit here then.

Chris Grimes

That's like Goldilocks and the three bears. Who's been sitting in my chair?

Tony Rice

Yeah, yeah. But the fact that we had a bit of a joke about it, and he was joking, he wasn't, yeah, he was just joking and messing around. But he's it but that came across as how important it is for our parents as well, you know, to find that little bit of sit down and and just be part of a community where they can feel and can be themselves. And over the years, it's amazing how many families have actually become very long-term friends, meeting through the martial arts, going on holiday together, even now where some of the you know our first students are now in the late 20s, you know, being a university, got their own families. Um, we bump into them now and again in the local area, and it's and they're still safe, they're still in touch with the families and and friends who the met the the the martial arts, which which is great. It's great for community, it's great for well-being, shall we say.

Chris Grimes

And it's about instilling core life values and a censored community to last a lifetime, and you're already you know walking the talk of that, and also I know you'll get onto this in the structure of what we're talking about because we're going to find out the story behind the story of being Tony Rice. And um, I I'm just thrilled to bring you and curate you through the structure and the journey of this, but please talk about how everybody sees it as a safe place, and even kids who've gone A-WOL from school end up turning up to your dojo as well.

Safe Place Stories And Inclusion

Tony Rice

Yeah, we've had uh a couple of uh of our students, older students, like their teenagers in the last years of secondary school, and uh we've had where they've literally come out of school because of our issues at the at the school and turned up through the day. And we said, What are you doing here? He says, I've walked out, I need to come. The only place I could feel safe was coming here. Is it all right? And we said, That's fine, but you'll have to tell your parents, and obviously the parents are gonna have to pick you up and take you back to school. And he said, and we'd and it was a situation where one was just uh he just it just couldn't come for the day, it was just too much pressure, it was just a lot going on, and the young lady was just she just needed time out. She just said she'd had enough of the world, it was so it nothing serious, but it was the point where she thought I need to get out of here because it was just too many people, it was she was just having one of those particular days, and they come in. Um, when we spoke to parents after to see what the follow-up was and how things had settled down, everything was fine with the two of them. Uh, we just said, No, no, I said they came here because this is their second home. He said it's the only place where they really truly be the cells, and it's just that having that, and and a lot of parents do say it's like a family, but the children feel safer. And even just the other day, we had uh new people come and join us, and we what we do, we have what we offer two free free introductory lessons to get to know us and all this. And this particular man who came, uh, her two children, you know, they've got their own challenges. I never name anything, we always say challenges, and their own personal challenges. And she just said, Do you know what is Tony? She said, The first time I came here was just you when I popped in to inquire about the academy, and I'm telling you my life story. And she she she's had a bit of a rough ride, and then it was uh then when she came in this for the lesson, the first lesson. I sat down with her, you know, just say, How's he getting on? How they're getting on, and she said, Do you know that's the this is the first time he's ever been to a place where he's not had a reaction, he's just gone in. He said, It's it's it's slightly overwhelming to be honest, Tony. How everyone's nice. He I've said I've not even noticed the children speaking to him. He said, You go to other places and the other kids don't really speak, they don't talk because he's new. He said, But them students are just oh yeah, how you doing, you know. And he said, even my little girl, that the other girls have gone round her and got to know her, and and then they're offering to for her to, you know, they've he said one girl even went and got uh a pair of gloves for her to use because we have sets of gloves, it's such that they have their own get their equipment, but if they forget we've got spare equipment if they need to use it, and when you see that interaction, it is it's pleasing because you see a parent who's had challenges and we're there to support them, and at the end of the day, at the same time, is to help them support and to create that that feel of like I'm part of it, and it is I see great sides of humanity every day at the academy. That's what I see. I see people are interacting. I've even, you know, we even adults when the when we have a swap over of what we call our high grades to our adult kickboxers, as they're coming out, the adults are talking to like nine, ten-year-olds and going, how was that? and they have a bit of and they've got a thing in common with the martial arts, and and you see some of the interactions now grow as they grow as they're walking past each other, they see each other, and it's now it's like, Oh, do you have a good day-to-day? You know, it's got oh yeah, yeah, school's brilliant, you know, it's fantastic, or whatever the conversation is, and and it's it's really good, you know, it's really good. And then you get the adults walking into the dojo and just say to the young ones who were dragging the feet slightly, getting the kid together, say, yeah, if you don't already up, you'll be joining us, us adults in kidboxing, and you get the conversation of oh, I'd sure you're up.

Chris Grimes

As you know, I've I've called you the dojo mojo or the mojo of the dojo, dojo mojo, it's gonna keep on giving. Also, just want to say something to you. You've given great praise to your team, but just remember the adage, Tony Rice, leaders get the teams they deserve. Thank you very much. Thank you. So, the clearing or the parallel universe of the dojo, this could have been written in your honor. It's now my absolute joy, privilege, and pleasure to curate you through the structure of the Good Listening to show. And for you, this is a founder story, again, to amplify all things Yarm martial arts. There's going to involve a clearing, a tree, a lovely juicy storytelling exercise called 54321. There's going to be some alchemy, some gold, a couple of random squirrels, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare, a golden baton, and a cake. So it's all to play for. The invitation is to go where you like, how you like, as deep as you like into this structure. And at the very end, there's a very, very exciting moment called Show Is Your QR code, please, where we're going to point listeners to exactly where we can come and find your wonderful Jojo, the the core of the community at Yarm Martial Arts. In new swanky premises coming soon. So, any questions before I cube you through the story of this? No, no, no. Really looking forward to it, Chris. So here we go. Let's find out the story behind the story of Tony Rice. Here we go. So it all takes place energetically in a clearing or serious, happy place of you, my guests, choosing. So it could be obvious from what we've been talking about, but where does Tony go to get clutter-free, inspirational, and able to think? And that is your clearing. So where would you say that is?

Tony Rice

It is my garden. Without a doubt, it is my garden. It is my oasis of peace and just tranquility. We've designed the garden, me and my wife Arissa. It's only small, it's not big, it's got a big lawn. We've got so many memories in there with uh my two children and all the few parties we've had, because we through our friends and family, we are renowned to have very good parties, shall we say? Basically, we we need the sunny days, but our house is actually slightly different to normal houses, with our kitchen being at the front and our living room being at the back, and our patio doors go straight in. And on a very summer day, when it's a very hot day, by 8:30, we have to shut our curtains because it's too hot in the living room, and it's we have the sun right up to about four o'clock. And my happy place is being just on the decking, and the local primary school is just a bit further out, and at times when the wind is blowing our direction, I get the sound of young children enjoying themselves in the playground, and also the birds, and because we've got a few feeders, so I've got plenty of birds in the garden, and it's just I've been known to have a very many hours where I get lost in thinking having breakfast on the patio. It's absolutely brilliant.

Chris Grimes

And then you can explain it away by saying, sorry, I got a bit zen there for a moment. Yes, I did, yeah. What a beautiful construct of a clearing that was so atmospheric. And I'm delighted that it wasn't so obvious as to say the dojo within the Yarn Martial Arts. I know that's a sanctuary, but I I'm that was such a lovely, beautiful evocation of you and your clearing, Tony.

Tony Rice

Yeah, thank you.

The Clearing: Tony’s Garden

Chris Grimes

If I may, I'm now gonna arrive with a tree in your clearing. And because of my acting background, this is a bit deliberately waiting for Goddo-esque, a bit existential. I'm gonna shake your tree to see which storytelling apples fall out. How do you like these apples? And this is where you've been kind enough to have thought about four things that have shaped you, Tony Rice, three things that inspire you, and then two things that never fail to grab your attention. And when we get there, I'll talk about squirrels or our monsters of distraction. And then the one is a quirky or unusual fact about you, Tony, that we couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us. So over to you to shape the canopy of your tree as you see fit. So, first of all, just to reassure you, it's not a memory test. So the first thing is four things that have shaped you, first of all.

Four Shapers: Losing Dad Young

Tony Rice

Right, number one is definitely it's a bit in a sad way, sad, sorry, but it's not actually because it really shaped a certain part of my life, is was actually my father's passion. You know, we're talking 1976, 1977, uh, where we knew he had cancer, and mum's decision was not to tell him. And obviously, seeing the progression of someone on the decline and going through that, and bearing in mind, in those days there was no chemotherapy or anything like that, so it was a bit raw. It was really the funeral day, which there's three aspects to it, which which was very interesting. The first aspect was obviously everyone comes around your house before you go on the the travel up to the cremation because my father was cremated, and it was obviously the house is busy, and me my uncle, my father's oldest brother, pulled me in the kitchen because there's just at the time there was just me, my mum, my sister, because we were a small family, but my dad had uh 11 other siblings, so there was quite a lot of bodies about, and he pulled me in the kitchen and just says, Right, you are man of the house now, you are man of the man of the house, and you have to look after your mum and sister. And I was I was 14, 15 at the time, and it was like right, and that was the I saw like a dawning of going from child to from young young teenager to being a man, so there was a bit of a skip in my own mind over the over the years. Then the second part was as we were just getting in go to go in the cars, mum shut the door, and I think my mother did this for herself more than for us, but she said she just turned around and said, We as a family do not cry today because all these are going to collapse, they're gonna fall around you, and you're there to there to support. So that's all like that particular was so intense, it it it sort of instilled my caring for other people. Really, we were a caring family, but really cared that. And so at the funeral, she was so right because I was sat next to my oldest uncle, my dad's older brother, he was crying on my mum's shoulder, his youngest brother was crying on my mum's shoulder, and me and my sister are looking at each other and looking down the line, and all his family are absolutely collapsing everywhere, you know, proper, and obviously grieving and stuff like that. But in between them two sections, the on the travel up, there's uh you probably know it, Chris, Ackham Road, where we go where it's a big road that goes out of Middlesbrough, yeah. And the uh the cremation centre was it's out out on Ackham Road, and we were travelling up. Well, just prior to that, there's a bit a little bit of a shopping centre, a little bit of it's the meet Acclam shops, and it's a quite a busy area because it's got troffy lights and stuff, so it's quite a busy junction. And as we were going through, I was looking and it was really busy. And there's a 15-year-old boy, I was looking out the window and thinking to myself, you do not realise my dad's died. I'm we're going to come in with dad. Why is not anybody really taking any notice? And that was where I understood that you know, uh, in hindsight, now it's the third of the world love you, the third of the world would listen to you, but the other third of the world couldn't care less about you. It's it it's that moment. Obviously, hindsight, I see that. But in that particular moment, when I was looking out the window in the car, in the funeral car, an old man was walking, just simply stopped, took his flat cap off, and bowed. And that generational thing of of of things were before I was born and stuff really resonated with me. And I it was such an humbling position of seeing one person who had no idea who my dad. Actually showing respect and power, and that showed me. And as years to come, that connotation was no matter what's happening in your life, there's always somebody there to love you, to care for you. And no matter how hard life is or how it becomes, if you look around, there'll always be somebody there. As long as you're a little bit open to it and a little bit thimming, somebody will be always there to help you. And that partly, as in this conversation talking to you the other week, it sort of resonated that little it came back to me, and I thought, you know what? That was probably the pebble in the water with the ripples coming out. You'll always hear me say that the pebble in the water and the ripples rubble. Because what you see or what you do ripples out and cost. So now I that man who I never ever knew showed me that there's always somebody there. There's always somebody there to help you and care for you through your situation. Which, to be honest with, through my life, I've always had people there to to prop us up when things have got a little bit tough. And it's it, and I think that's one of the core elements within the academy, and what I've tried to instill in everybody and show that this has got to be a place where everyone feels uh because we all need it. And and as everybody knows, we all love a harm round us, around round us, and somebody telling us they love us.

Chris Grimes

And such a testament to the notion of propping your family up, but also then propping from the point of view of being a pillar of the community, a pillar against which others can lead or lean, rather. And and that's such an extraordinary, sort of extraordinary one single day that has that has literally hewn you out of the rock of who you've had who you have become.

Tony Rice

Yeah.

Chris Grimes

What an extraordinary day.

Tony Rice

Yeah, it was. And yes, it was sad, but also the profound things that happen that day that really, you know, as you get older, you realise how much they've shaped you, them little things, them little instances. And when you look back and you get a bit older, at the time you don't because you're young, you're young, you don't say you're a bit young and daft and all that type of thing, and then it it's like suddenly it turns, and certain things happen just after that. Which you know won't go into, but basically, my mother had a few challenges, and we were, you know, we had to work as a threesome to really get through them challenges, which we did.

Chris Grimes

May I ask how old your father was when he died?

Tony Rice

He was 42.

Chris Grimes

Oh, good grief. Yes, by me.

Tony Rice

Yeah, he he was he was 42.

Chris Grimes

I was about 15, 16, just turned and the the day of the mantle of manhood was bestowed upon you through extraordinary circumstances on that day. In in 1971, did you say?

Tony Rice

Uh 77. 77. He was 76 when we found he more or less had a year to live. Uh 77 when he passed away, September, 9th of September. My sister will probably correct me if I've got that one wrong.

Chris Grimes

Yes. Well, extraordinary first shapage. Thank you. And said so much about who you are as the pillar of the community you are today through Yarn Martial Arts. That's implicit and obvious. Now, your shapage number two, please. What's the second thing?

Tony Rice

It is my mother who we've mentioned before. She was uh such a character, diminutive, very strong. She always was there to help each other, help help anybody. Uh, she shaped me with through the challenges of being becoming a young man, and basically she became the father that you know, unfortunately we lost. And I'd always go to her, and I have so many memories of sitting down with her and just having chats and just passing the wind. And I think my conversational tone of loving conversation comes from my mother. She had two mantras, one I'll say later in in the show, but one of them was always remember there's somebody worse than off than you. Perspective, absolutely, absolutely total perspective.

Chris Grimes

And uh reading between the lines, you're talking about your mum in the past tense there. Is she still with us or no?

Tony Rice

Unfortunately passed away a few uh a few years ago.

Chris Grimes

And and may I ask how old she was in in your he was 83.

Tony Rice

Yeah, she was 83.

Chris Grimes

So much a better innings than 42, obviously.

Tony Rice

Yes, yeah. I mean, she she had a great life. When we asked uh uh Nia R pass, and we asked Dina if she had any regrets, me and my sister. And she said, the only regret I've got is I'm not gonna see the two youngest grandchildren grow older and see them as as adults. That was her only regret.

Chris Grimes

Yes. And when I mentioned something at the very end, something called Legacy Life Reflections, this is what I'm up to with that construct because it is a way to capture stories lest we forget before it's too late for posterity. So you're you're giving a wonderful story. I can I'm envisioning, we're envisioning listeners to the programme too. Where we're envisioning your your mum and your dad in in the power of your storytelling. It's wonderful. Yeah, yeah. Okay, uh, I've got a bell. Shapage number three now, please.

Middlesbrough Childhood And Belonging

Tony Rice

Right. Number three is actually my childhood. It's all back goes back to that. Number three is I had a great childhood, great friends, great school friends, learned so much. You know, when you grow as you're going through it, and you we had our little gang, and we, you know, we went everywhere together, and I still see them now and again. We don't keep in touch as much, but every time we bump into each other, it we pick the mantle up as if we we've not seen each other. You know, we've there's sometimes I might not see any of my school friends for about 10 years or whatever, but we might bump into a concert or some function what we've both gone to or what we've all met, and it's it's just a catch-up time. Oh, how so-and-so getting out, how so-and-so, oh sort of so. But what's really nice is even things like uh some of them followers on Ya Mash Lats, and I get feedback and they just say, keep up the good work, Tony, keep it going, it's amazing what you're doing. And that feedback from people who you know you grew up with and who it was fantastic. But the the thing with that, what shaped me was, and I sometimes think children today don't get that is going out because years ago you you were kicked out of the house, and basically it was like, Don't you dare come up until tea now. You know, you were allowed to go in for a drink of water, but if you were sat in the house, the your parents wanted to know why you were sat in the house, get out, it's a lovely day. So you would congregate together. Uh, I've got so many great stories, you know, my childhood, and but we learned how to to deal with things, you learn how to deal with arguments, you know, or how to solve arguments, how to solve things. If someone was really troubled, you you get them to talk about it, and it was always like, Oh, dad's having a go at me because of this and that, and you you know, or my father's doing this, or my mum's, but also I was brought up in like back-to-back houses, so we had the back alleys, and yeah, the alleys and the memories of the alleys of even then young when I was younger can still remember where the mams on a certain washing day, we always went into the would put their sheets out, and we as children on a lovely summer's day would charge through right up the back alley, right up, and nine times out of ten, we'd be dodging an odd broom brush where the the mum would say, get out we you know, chase us out. But and then in that community aspect, and thinking about this actually came to my head is you would get the the mams going up to you know, like my mum, uh Mrs. Robson, who lived like four doors down. She said, You know, it'd be somebody she'd come walk, she'd come in with a shop and I better you are because my mum was known as Betty, and it'd be like, I caught your caught your Anthony the other day. It's one of the I didn't take his head off, you know. But to them it was a sport, yeah. To us, and that's the community I was brought up with because to them it was a sport as well.

Chris Grimes

So resonant what you're saying, because I think you even know where Deacon Street and Beaumont Road are in Middlesbrough, where my grand where my mum and dad were, and my my grandparents. So this is so evocative, and I know exactly the cobbled streets you're describing, and the smell in the air as well. Yeah, of I think it was smell to that, you know, there's a sort of cold.

Tony Rice

What we we call it the clean sheet smell, where you'd get the it the heat in it, and because it was collected, you could smell the cleanness of it all.

Chris Grimes

Oh, beautiful storytelling, and also your sense of belonging and where you're from is really beautiful in all of this. You're still really anchored again as a pillar within the same community, and you've you've stayed true and you've stayed close to your community.

Tony Rice

Yeah, I know a lot of people and a lot of listeners who are listening, but I live in God's country.

Chris Grimes

Beautiful, and now the fourth shape, please. Shape it's number four.

Martial Arts Journey And Mentors

Tony Rice

The fourth one is I've got to go to my notes, is the martial arts. I took up martial arts when I was 15. Yeah, 16 when my dad passed away. And I stuck took it up. My friends were actually doing it, they were actually doing karate, and they said, come along, you know. So we went along. They within a year stopped, but I kept going. So and it and the number of how it shape me is the people I've met through it. A lot of my the way I teach is from people who taught me, or I met there was a period where I'd go to America quite a lot, a few times, just to get uh because they were ahead of us in regards to the professional academies coming come to the fore. Obviously, when I started doing it, it was just in the church hall, and you only had karate. Uh in the northeast, it was just karate, and then that was it basically. But down south you had Kung Fu, kickboxing others, and it gradually made its way up. So I always say the Northeast is always the last to get to know what's going on in the martial arts. Then kickboxing came in, and then Mao Tai came into the country with Master Sken and Master Toddy. So that's how the development of what we've what you've got now, where you've got the UFC and stuff like that, and there's in the 26 years of doing it, it would you you know you've seen the development, and and there's a lot of uh MMA schools around now, and uh what they call BGG or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools around, which is relevant because it it ties into the UFC and the growth of that, and obviously you see that type of stuff. But the people I've met, and no matter what um what seminar you went to or whatever, you'd always meet somebody. You you cross paths, but you wouldn't meet someone, and I've had some great instructors who've been so inspirational and really without realizing they've been mentors, and all my skills of teaching and and coaching, shall we say, comes from them picking the best bits of them individuals and just making it my own in that sense.

Chris Grimes

You're such a wonderful testament of the leadership quality of playing it forward because you really have a sense of belonging, the community of which you are a pillar. As we've said at the beginning, this is about imbuing uh a sense of community and and core life values to last a lifetime. And it's lasted your lifetime, but you're you're continuing to give in that regard.

Tony Rice

Yeah, because the the martial arts, it's it's it's like we have a pledge at every class, we have the same pledge. The students shouting out to get the energy in the class and that. And part of it is the is the remantra which is courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and dominal spirit. And I say it without just say those again, just to deliberately reincorporate it. It's courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indominal spirit.

Chris Grimes

The fifth one is a bit buried in it's in uh in dominant spirit. Love that. Sorry, I wanted to deliberately reincorporate that just to make sure we got it, because it's such a a guide for life, there.

Tony Rice

Oh, yeah, yeah. The pledge itself is actually goal setting, it's all about goal setting, taking care of each other, uh using your skills as a self-defense only. And one of the lines is to promote promote friendly relationships amongst all people. So it it is it generics, and I say to my students, you know, some of my instructors, although they didn't foresaw that pledge, but what they do, they would incorporate that in their life, they'd have it, and it is all about the martial arts, has it's got different people have different perceptions. If I say sparring, everyone immediately thinks of the UFC punching each other in the face, but there isn't this separations. You've got your non-contact sparring where you're moving around, very light touching, then you've got your like continuous where you're just tip-tapping what we call I call tip-tapping, then you've got the element of spark, uh, spark writing, which is like semi-contact, and then you've got your heavy sparring, then you've got obviously the full contact, full sparring where you you know you try and work each other. But the one thing that everyone has to understand in martial arts, there's only one to two percent of people who do martial arts actually compete. The rest of the people just do it for fitness, for well-being, uh, and just for the the camaraderie and the community. Yeah.

Chris Grimes

And because it's so ingrained in the mantra is so ingrained, and and the best communications happen in threes, because listeners may be hearing your mantra for the first time. Can I get you to say it one more time, but just do it really the mantra is yeah, it's courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, an indomitable spirit.

Tony Rice

Which is easy for you to say.

Chris Grimes

Wonderful, those are profound shapages. Thank you so much. And now, as we go down the the tree of the storytelling, this is three things that inspire you now, Tony Rice.

The Pledge And What Sparring Really Means

Tony Rice

Right. The three things that inspire me or inspired me is obviously my mum, and I take a lot from her inspiration, and but also it's the way she brought us up into the community, and also give us the values that I have, which I've probably passed into the community of the martial arts, you know, and my academy. She also had the mantra of it is what it is, just deal with it, and that's shaped me massively. And and inspired to be like that, that whatever challenge comes up, it's at the end of the day, it's just a challenge. It's just a challenge. It's don't get me wrong, it's different challenges in life everyone has, but the fact that is whatever the challenge is, just deal with it, just don't hanker it, just move through it. And I learned this uh lovely image of if you have a challenge, you've got so many ways to go over it. So it's either you go over it, you go under it, you go around it, or you go smash it. Because if you stop, you stop in life. And one of my instructors told me that story, and I thought that was such a profound way of saying it that it's a hurdle. That's all it is, it's just a hurdle.

Chris Grimes

And neither does it reminds me of the Michael Rosen uh book, which he co-authored with somebody else called Going on a Bear Hunt, you know. Oh, you you reach an obstacle, we can't go over it, we can't go under it. Oh no, we'll have to go through it. But of course, a life journey and a path and a trajectory is to make sure you go through adversity. Absolutely.

Inspiration: Mum, Mantras, And Resilience

Tony Rice

Yeah, and it's the same as the the students when they're you know they come up to a challenge of they can't get a technique right or they can't remember a form or whatever they'll struggle with, we'll say, Well, you've got to go through it. As your instructor, what do I need to do for you to understand what you need to do, and you need to understand how to do it? And we have uh, you know, the three P's, which me instructors use, which is praise correct, praise. So even if they're not doing the technique right, we'll say to them, Oh, fantastic, you know, that that's a good technique. But if we did this, you know, do you think that would be better? So we we analyze it so they think about it, and give them the opportunity to decide how they want to throw the technique or that's a great coaching methodology, PCP praise correct praise, did you say? Yeah, yeah, and I got that from another mentor, by the way. It wasn't nice, much kind of way, uh, much better way, may I say, than doing what's sometimes called a shit sandwich where the PCP, praise correct praise, praise correct praise, and basically it's if they do the technique, even if they don't do it perfectly or they don't, you know, they've changed it slightly, and it's still my lucky. You still praise them. Oh, it's good. Yes, uh yeah, it's getting better. Yes, but children are very susceptible, and students are very especially young children. They know when you're lying, they know when you're telling the truth, yes, and they'll give you this little look that children have, which is really, you know, don't don't lie to me, it's just like really, that is not a good technique, you know. And even if you're praise, the lucky you got really, you know, they they know, but but that's where the community and that's where you you get to know the students, you know, as you go on along, and it's always been positive, even if it's a slight negative situation, you always make the positives out of it. The next one is what inspires me is my wife and children. Without them, I would not have had the life that I'm having. Because it was actually my wife that made me decide to do this full time. Uh, we were discussing it. Um, I won't boy how we got into the situation, might do it later on. But basically, what actually happened was I was sat there thinking about could we make this work? Could we make it full-time? And she just said, Tony, she said, just go for it. She said, 'Cause I do not want you sitting there when you're 80 in your rocking chair, wishing you'd done it. Just go and do it. If it doesn't work, we can we can you can always get another job. And that was the day of the martial arts actually really coming to fore, effectively. So my wife's always supported us, she's been involved in it, she used to instruct herself. Uh Larissa's been absolutely arsenal for that. And sometimes she was a better teacher than me, to be truthful. But now she's you know, she's eased off now. She's my younger children are 18 to 21 now. Uh, so she's had a life of being the mother, effectively, which is great because I've always wanted to give have the mother at home. A bit similar to myself. In when dad was alive, mum would always be there for us, and I just wanted that that feel, and it's worked well. And the children as well, they've totally understood the times when we've I've been, you know, I've not seen them. I've always been there, hopefully, for you know, the when they were younger for the players and that, and supported them on their journey as swimmers because they were competitive swimmers up until recently. They were competitive swimmers, so I've always been there helping them as a family, and we've got so many memories, uh, especially on uh the Sundays when we used to go and watch the my lad play football, and then we go and see our mom and have a little sandwich, cup of tea, and then we go spend three hours at Poolside while my children were training, one after the other, never together, always one after the other. So, and that was our sunders for many, many years.

Chris Grimes

Yes. Lovely, yeah. So, this is where borrow from the film up, the two squirrels come in. So, the two is what are your two squirrels or monsters of distraction? What two things never fail to stop you in your tracks, irrespective of anything else that's going on for you, Tony?

Tony Rice

Well, I don't have to think about that one. It is if I have to go on my mobile phone to pass a message on to someone, and you know where you get your notifications, and I've got a lot of like martial arts training videos that pop up. If I see one of them, that is me with the squirrel head on. I will sit there and sit there and watch these quick videos of other martial arts talking about techniques or talking about this or whatever, and I'll be just oh well, and then another one will come, then another one will come, and it's just like, and then I'll go, Oh, that's 15 minutes of my life just wasted. Come on, let's move.

Chris Grimes

You know, in all my circuit 270 odd episodes, no one's ever said that's me with a squirrel head on. I love that conversation, that's great.

Tony Rice

Oh, yeah, that that that is definitely, and the second one is a chance to talk like this.

Chris Grimes

Well, I'm just loving this conversation, so it it's right back at you. It's it's reciprocally glorious listening to you.

Tony Rice

Yeah, because my staff have two things. We have mat chats with the younger ones.

Chris Grimes

I was hoping you're going to talk about mat chats because they're famous, aren't they?

Tony Rice

Within the yeah, yeah, yeah, they're famous in the academy. Uh, the mat chats are basically helping the youngers, like our ninja talk group five to seven-year-olds, and we talk about life. About uh one of the stories I use quite commonly it's like, you know, when you get up in the morning and you're in a bad mood, what's mum and dad's reaction? Oh, they end up shouting at us as the end of it, yeah, because you're dragging your feet. I call it dragging your feet. If you get up in a good morning and you're feeling really good, what happens? Oh, Mum and Dad are smiling and happy. Yeah, so you choose, and I tell the five-year-olds, you choose what day you have, you choose whether it's going to be a good day or a bad day, and we talk about whether and then now and again the parents might come up and speak about or he, you know, he's he has been very nice to his sister, you know. We were having trouble with him, his sister. And we'll say, Okay, instead of us speaking to that particular student, we'll actually do it in a match at. And while we're doing it, we're actually looking at individuals, and they know we're talking to them, they just go, and as they come out, they say, You were talking to me that on that match at weren't you, Tony? Well, yeah, stop messing around. Stop, stop using a load of hassle because mum just had a word, all right.

Chris Grimes

Okay, and remember the best type of replacement for a school assembly is one of Tony Rice's match ads.

Tony Rice

Yeah, well, they ended up being called Tony Talks because I used to talk so much that the classes used to run over and I'd have the instructors going, Tony, Tony, but now we've just our black belts they do public speaking. So when they pass their black belt test, they they have to have a do a speech with all the parents. We call it the black belt celebration, and we always get the certificates like six to eight weeks later because of the quite big A3 roll type things from our association. So and it's a number of times we hear, oh yeah, and the infamous Tony talks, I took a lot from them, but some of them speeches are absolutely brilliant, and 11-year-olds to 16-year-olds really coming out. And you know, the last one we just had was very emotional. We had two real crackers, and there wasn't a dry in the house, let's put it that way. And but that public speak, and the reason why I brought her in was if you can public speak at that age and get over it, it is lately if you can public speak, you can do anything. I think.

Chris Grimes

And again, equipping people for life through the discipline, through the rigour, through just the sense of community. It's it's lovely.

Tony Rice

Yeah, and and to give you an idea, I need to do things locked up, you know, to get on with the business. Because if someone comes in the office or someone stood, you can guarantee Tony will talk a glass eye to sleep.

Chris Grimes

Say that again. Tony will talk a glass eye to sleep.

Tony Rice

Did you say that? Yeah, Tony Rice will talk a glass eye to sleep.

Chris Grimes

Lovely. And now that one is a quirky or unusual fact about you, Tony. We couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us.

Family Backing And Going All In

Tony Rice

You could call it slight addiction. It basically is I'm a chocolate holic. Ah, okay. And I have to have a piece of chocolate every day. Because if I don't, I have a bit of a I need some chocolate. And even when I think I've not had no chocolate today, it it's oh yeah. And I can, you know, even bedtime, go and get me bottle of water to take to bed, it'll be I had no chocolate today. It'll just come in my head. I have to have little even a square, just one square, and that's it. And what's the chocolate of choice for you? It's usually milk chocolate, but I do like dark chocolate. Uh one of my favourites, which is where my dad used to get on a Sunday, we used to have a little ritual on a Sunday. He loved Jamaican rum chocolate.

Chris Grimes

Ah, yes, I remember that. The Camberese Jamaican rum.

Tony Rice

Yeah, the Cambridge Jamaican rum.

Chris Grimes

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Tony Rice

Yeah, there used to be a little corner shop open on a Sunday because obviously we didn't have Sunda hours in those days. And there was only one little corner shop that would open between two and four, and we'd have our Sunday dinner, and we had uh an ice cream shop called Mecca just around the corner from us, yeah. But they were open as well between two and four. So people would run round, get their ice creams with the knickerbock of glories, run back because we didn't run round. He'd always have a show, knickerbock of glory. And so my sister would probably go to the Mecca, get the the ice creams, and I'd I'd run over to this shop and get the chocolate. So it would be dairyman's.

Chris Grimes

Our geography is very interesting because in Beaumont Road, my uh my granddad and grandmother used to live next door to the corner shop, and it was a woman called Olive who used to serve in the corner shop. So we might even, or there was another one called Tickles, which you might even remember.

Tony Rice

Yeah.

Chris Grimes

So you need your chocolate, you're a chocolate.

Tony Rice

Yeah, I'm a chocolate.

Chris Grimes

We have shaken your tree, hurrah. Now we stay in your clearing, which is your garden in the your sort of zen zone, if you like. And then now we're going to talk about alchemy and gold. You've been giving us this by the bucket load, but when you're at purpose and in flow, Tony Rice.

Tony Rice

Coaching. To give an idea, when I said earlier that I didn't know the my staff gave me the chance to try another sport, it was actually supporting my children because uh they were running out of coaches. Obviously, COVID hit, and then I became a swim coach, level two swim coach, and ended up running for the Middlesbrough Swimming Club, three different groups until we it got settled down. And to do what I do, could I transit to another sport? There's a I can't remember the title of the book, but there's a book on coaching which simply says if you know the basics of of the sport, it is not about the technique of the sport, it's about the individual.

Chris Grimes

That could be the inner game of tennis because that's where coaching all came from.

Tony Rice

Yeah, yeah. My older daughter got it for me one Christmas and I sat and read read it. And I can't, it wasn't from that, but it was it was certainly from that floor.

Chris Grimes

Yes, yes.

Squirrels: Videos And Tony Talks

Tony Rice

And and I thought, well, could it so it was a bit of an experiment for me, but also I can't sit as a parent. I have to be, you know, it I've got itchy feet. I just got sitting for an hour and a bit, it's or two hours or whatever while the training is like, no, I need to I need to move. So the the coaches at the time seeing that asked me if I would help out as a parent, yeah, an offer, then became a level one coach, and then became a level two coach, which is then I could run a squad and effectively end up running three three of the younger squads, and and because of that, I then really got the confidence because I always lacked that confidence. It goes back to that conferencing as teenage has always been there, you know. Am I doing the right job? Am I doing it? But since COVID and how we got through COVID, because we still did classes online, yeah. So and that was a very good challenge, and that experience really instilled that actually. I don't want to sound my own trumpet, but over the last five years I've realized I am very good at what I do.

Chris Grimes

You just are so you you have humility coming out of every pore. Also, when I first met you and was sat next to you, you're such a gentle, kind, lovely man, and and that's not not just me blowing happy smoke at you, and you're a natural-born teacher and mentor, you can just see that, it's just so obvious.

Tony Rice

Yeah, thank you. But it it is, it's and that's my happy place. That that's that's where I'm in for. If uh the perfect sample was one of the parents actually talking, she's she's actually a kickboxer as well, and she turned round and said to me, said Tony, said I've never seen you so constrained. She said, Because when we do the black pelts presentation, obviously it's a structure, and it's a structure of what I say, it's it's all about the children coming up. So I you know, I'm just the the compare, shall we say? Yeah, and she said, You said I see today what Tony Rice is about. She said, You are free-flowing. If you were at to go on stage and do a performance, knowing each line, you'd be rubbish because you could not do that. And she's so right, I couldn't. It's just like whatever comes, you know, we'll say, and just and that's the elements, that's where I would love to be in that that place when I'm doing the mat chats, it's not pre-ordained. The subject is, it's you know, the subject, the title line is there. But each time, if you recorded it, and like you know, it each if I had the same tagline, every match at be different.

Chris Grimes

Yes, you know. I don't know if you record your mat chats, but I would encourage you to do that because that's an ongoing, wonderful archive of of Tony's wisdom. Yeah, you're thinking untold.

Tony Rice

Yeah, a lot of people do that, but then sometimes I think if that camera's down, I might be put off.

Chris Grimes

Um so what we're gonna do now is I'm gonna award you with a bit of cake, please. So, um, do you like cake uh as well as chocolate? So, what's your take and choice, please? Well, I'll give you one guess. Chocolate cake.

Tony Rice

Are we talking black forest or just a sort of black forest or plain chocolate with cream, uh, like a chocolate Victoria sponge? Yeah, that's right on my street with uh double double cream. Can't knock it. Just give me that, I'd eat that all day.

Chris Grimes

And it's your birthday in March coming up soon, so that'll be another chocolate cake coming in. Yeah, yeah.

Tony Rice

Well, to be honest with you, it tends to be the last very few Christmases and birthdays has been loads of chocolate and a couple of bottles of whiskey as well.

Chris Grimes

Get in. And now you get to put a cherry on the cake. This is the last uh suffused with storytelling metaphor. This is stuff like now, what's a favourite inspirational quote? You've given us a couple, but what's a favourite quote that's always given you sucker and pulled you towards your future?

Mat Chats And Building Character

Tony Rice

Well, there's two actually. One is what I've mentioned earlier, which is it is what it is, just deal with it. That's my mum's uh inspiring quote, and the other one is from Batman. Uh Batman Superhero. But as I grew up, I was into superheroes, Daredevil and Hulk Hulk were my favourites. I used to collect the bi-weekly magazines when I was a kid. I wasn't into Batman then, but now with the the new Batman movies, well, saying you're a while back now, Christian Bale, he made Batman come alive for me. And the quote, and I've still got to write it down, but even though I said it, it's not who I am or what's underneath me, it's what I do that defines me.

Chris Grimes

Love that. And again, in the spirit of reincorporation, just to say it one more time.

Tony Rice

Yeah, it's not who I am and what's underneath me, it's what I do that defines me.

Chris Grimes

Wonderful. The gift of hindsight. Uh, what notes, help, or advice, Tony Rice, would you proffer to a younger version of yourself?

Tony Rice

The younger version of myself, I've actually done this quite a few times. I see the little four-year-old blonde-haired boy next to me. He's with me now, and when we give each other every now and again, just to support each other with love. Because every young child needs to be talked and loved, and it's not there's not enough around. Not enough. I know the parents say, but it should come from teachers, it could come from coaches. I still do it now in front of their own parents, where you know, I was talking to uh one of the younger students uh about the move, because she has her own challenges, and as you appreciate, certain children, if you move, it's chaos in their own mind. And we were just talking about it, and as I got up, you know, the man was there, and as I got up, I said, always remember, you're always loved, and that is one thing that should be set a lot of times to children as I grow up, and even now watching a programme uh about the boxers, the four kings with uh Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, and it was a great saying about Nigel Bern where he was talking about his depression and how he tried to commit suicide three times, and he said all it was was somebody to put their arm around me and say they loved me. And I thought that was so like profound. It's just and and we don't get enough, we don't get enough hugs, we don't get enough, you know, thing recently it's it's not being hug-huggy type thing, it's just every now and again someone comes up to you and just says, You know what, you're doing a great job, and I love you, and that's it, you know.

Chris Grimes

That's we're ramping up to talk about Shakespeare shortly, to talk about the seven ages of man, and just before we do that though, this is the pass the golden baton moment, please. They don't like it up at Mr. Mannering. So, having experienced this construct from within, who might you most like to pass the golden baton along to to give them a damn good listening to in this way?

Coaching Beyond The Dojo

Tony Rice

It's a young man called Dan Woodruff. Uh, he has his own coaching business actually. It's called Me Coach Dan. And he used to have his own martial arts academy where we would transition from being in working in a school or wherever you would transition to get a full-time academy. And I got to know Dan through a company called EFC, Education Fund Company, which is a martial arts collection company, but they would guide you, and they were an American company, but was was run by uh British people, so you would meet a lot of people, it was a bit of a centre, a bit similar to Bontre Player's Circle where we met, uh and that type of thing, but purely for martial arts. And I met Dan through that, and he we'd go down a couple of times, so he would show his systems, how he worked, all that. So he became a bit of a mentor for me in regards to you know, if you have any things, and he would do what he would do through the day, and this, that, and the other. He's now moved on to just doing coaching and coaching, he's got a very successful business going, he's doing really well for himself, but also he's got a great story. I won't tell you what it is, but it's a great story, and how we overcome it.

Chris Grimes

Wonderful. So, your mission, should you accept it, is to pass the golden baton along there. And now, and thank you for that, very generous indeed. And now, inspired by Shakespeare, all the world's a stage with all the bed, wibbid, merely players. How, when all is said and done, Tony Rice, uh the dojo mojo from Yar Martial Arts, would you most like to be remembered?

Tony Rice

Well, this is uh Steve Corby from The Seven Habits of a Successful People. Read it many years ago, you know, on the journey, and he said, if you want to know what later have, write your own effort, which I did. And basically it's legacy, it's just legacy for the children, legacy of leaving something because at the end of the day, you don't know how many people you've impacted, and only one person knows that, and that's the man upstairs. When you go to the pearly gate, he tells you who you you know, whether it's true or not, I don't know, but he will tell you who you helped and who you know who you inspired and everything like that. I've got one or two people who've actually come up and said, you know, you've inspired me in this, but that's a lot of people, you know, people won't say that it's not a done thing, so but to leave a legacy for the for the children, hopefully being a great father to them. And to be honest with you, Chris, it's very important to me because in the rice family, this is the first generation in about as long as I can remember, three, four going back, where grandfather, father, and grandson are actually alive together. So I never met my grandfather, children never met my dad. Uh so it's it's it's a quite an important thing. So it's become a bit of a journey, a bit of a thing with me in regards to my young grandson and getting the connection with him and and leaving the legacy for the martial arts as well. One of the reasons why we're moving is to solidify and solidify for the future for the for the for the young structors that I've got now, because at the end of the day, I'm not going to be able to keep on going. And it's to pass the button down. And hopefully, if I retire or ever move from now martial art or whatever they'll be doing in the future, I can drive past and say it's still there.

Chris Grimes

And you can stand doing Tony talks until the day you pop your motherfuckers. Oh, yeah. So you'll always be there, you'll become more and more grasshopper-like, you know, using the kung fu stereotype. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know, the ancient wizard of the dojo.

Tony Rice

Yeah, well, I can I can imagine I have images of me still laid there in my old age, going to pass away, but still coming back and going, you know, and the nurse coming and said, You are allowed to die, you know.

Chris Grimes

Your legacy, I don't doubt, and also you you are hugely modest. I I I I wouldn't need to bet on the I on the fact you have already influenced many, many hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

Tony Rice

Awfully, awfully we have. Hopefully, yeah.

Chris Grimes

And now we've got a very exciting moment. There's a really important last question coming away in a moment, but this is now show us your QR code, please. So for those watching, you're able to scan straight away and go to Yarm Martial Arts, but just talk us through the URL and where we can find out all about Tony Rice on the old internet.

Tony Rice

Yep, just it's www.yarmartialarts.co.uk is where the website is, and you will find us on Facebook and Instagram. And we should be on LinkedIn, we should be on everything else, but we, you know, we just keep it quiet basically, and we'll just plod along. But yeah, you'll find us on Facebook more than anything else. Just simply put Yarm and you you'll see us.

Chris Grimes

Lovely. Yam Martial Arts, and that was a perfect segue into if you want to connect with Tony Rice on LinkedIn. So um, there it is. That's the QR code to connect with Tony Rice on LinkedIn too. Looking like an extra pillar of the community in that photograph because you've got a tie on there. Yeah, that's the picture.

Tony Rice

That's a very rare picture.

Flow, Black Belt Celebrations, Speaking

Chris Grimes

And anywhere else we can find out about you and your and anything else you want to point us to on the internet.

Tony Rice

Just go on to my Facebook page, just put Tony Rice in and you're my personal one, and you'll see bits and pieces of what we get up to, effectively.

Chris Grimes

Just a couple of announcements from me, and then there's another question coming from you. If you've enjoyed listening or watching the show and you'd like a conversation about guesting too, the website for the show is thegoodlistening to show.com, and there are a number of different uh series strands that can help in that regard. This has been a founder story, obviously. And then I mentioned when you were talking about the passing of your own father, uh, Tony, my own father, Colin Grimes, who died about a year and a half ago, is a very energetic mascot for something called Legacy Life Reflections. Because Colin Grimes, cheers to a good life. He was from Middlesbrough too, but um, I recorded him in the Halcyon days of his 80s before, with the gift of hindsight, he slipped into a crater of declining health. So Legacy Life Reflections is a series strand to help, as I say, tell either your own life story or the story of somebody that you love for posterity. By being in the show, Tony, what's really exciting is you're gonna be on UK health radio, and your whole way of obviously extoling the virtues of the mental well-being aspects of martial arts as well would be implicit. And I'm really excited to introduce you to the UK health radio audience too. And also this show now syndicates to brushwood media in the states as well. So I'm hoping that you're gonna get a lot of global interest in yarn martial arts, how we're compass pointing true northeast going truly viral. So, Tony Rice, this has been your moment in the sunshine talking about all things yarn martial arts and the gorgeous, lovely man that you are. As this has been your moment in the sunshine, in the good listening to show, is there anything else you'd like to say?

Tony Rice

Yeah, it's just so the listeners, it's just to believe in yourself and always try your best. And if you can look yourself in the mirror and say, I tried my best, that's all everybody asks of you. That's it. And always remember if you have troubles, there's always somebody in your community who you can share with and have a chat with over a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

Chris Grimes

Ladies and gentlemen, I've been Chris Grimes, but most importantly, this has been Tony Rice from Yarm Martial Arts, and I wish you all future glory and success for your expansion of the empire and your legacy will be complete. Anything else else you'd like to say? Because I'd like to you to have the last word, Tony.

Quotes, Cake, And Batman Wisdom

Tony Rice

No, just thank you very much for this opportunity. This is my very first podcast. So it was thank you for the opportunity. It was really, really good. And also to you, Chris, because of this, it's made me actually really think a little bit more deeper about where we're at. And it's also contributing towards me thinking about how I want the business to look in in the future for the academy and resonating when it's certainly with the the questions and and the conversations and the points that you know I had a little think about. So I thank you very much for that. I really appreciate that.

Chris Grimes

And thank you to you sincerely for entrusting me with your story. Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. Tune in next time for more stories from the clearing. Thank you very much indeed. Good night. You've been listening to the Good Listening2 Show with me, Chris Grimes. If you'd like to be in the show too, or indeed gifted a photo chapter to the story of someone else with me as your host, then you can find out how the series trends at the goodlistening2.com website. And one of these series trends is called Friends Trends, and the stories. The first trend is what I need to do to be able to customize a story to file your friends. Together we get into the file, you do what you do. We find out exactly where we can come and find you to work with you and to pull your services. And don't forget to subscribe and review wherever you get your phone calls.