Multi award-winner receives another honour

Held at The Waterfront, Barton Marina, in Burton on Trent, the event showcased martial artists of all styles from across the UK, together with many world-class fighters, movie stars, stuntmen/women as well as coaches/instructors, all with a common passion, coming together to celebrate and share some amazing stories.

The culmination of the evening was the 'Special Award' category, with Dave being the recipient.

6th Dan Dave has been involved with Martial Arts for well over 40 years. In that time he has represented and captained England teams as they pitted their wits against some of the best competitors in the world.

He has led his teams to over 70 world and international titles in places such as Las Vegas, Texas and Florida, to name but a few.

Dave is the head coach at Unit1 Fitness & Martial Arts in Chesterfield. In his long career, he has coached over 10,000 students from grassroots to elite level, including producing over 100 Black Belts.

Unit1 run classes for kids aged five years and above, as well as adults’ karate and kickboxing classes and a Friday evening ladies-only session.

Dave and his team at Unit1 work closely with Chesterfield Football Club, delivering sessions for the youth and academy teams, as well as delivering sessions on conflict resolution and self-defence.

Dave has previously been named Chesterfield’s Coach of the Year on four occasions, as well as receiving the Derbyshire Coach of the Year award three times.

After receiving his latest award, Dave said: "To be in the company of such esteemed martial artists is pretty much an honour in itself, but to be presented with such a prestigious award is quite extraordinary.

“To say I feel humbled is an understatement. However, it gives our students and parents the confidence that our club has leadership of the highest order.”