My nephew Joshua (six) has been a student of Little Ninjas (Edinburgh) for several months now.  Previous attempts to introduce him to other forms of martial arts programmes such as judo had failed, as Joshua was unable to settle. In this short period since starting Joshua has shown excellent progression, and Marcus gained his trust from the beginning.  He has really came out of his shell in group settings, he has formed new friendships, his self confidence, concentration, co-ordination, focus, as well as his ability to pay attention and listen continue to improve with each lesson.  Marcus is a fantastic instructor; he displays an impressive knowledge of training and coaching children, and makes it fun whilst ensuring respect and discipline at the same time.  The lessons are well paced and structured ensuring progression and continuity.  Revisiting the ninja disciplines at different levels through grading encourages goal setting at achievable levels for all children. The whole ethos of the Little Ninjas programme is child centred with learning and teaching of the skills and disciplines taking place through a series of fun games, drills and play, which for children of this age is the most effective and highest level of learning.  Joshua is emerging as a confident and motivated student, and through the Little Ninjas community he is becoming a ‘little leader’, learning a set of values, morals and skills for life.  Joshua has also benefited from the fitness and discipline, but most of all he is having fun! I would highly recommend Little Ninjas as an excellent foundation and stepping stone for young children entering the world of martial arts. Thank you Marcus Natalie Wood We discovered Little Ninja’s quite by accident at the end of August 2010.  My 5 year old had expressed an interest in Martial Arts and I was looking for after school activities to try to positively channel some of the excess energy he had.  Little Ninja’s suited perfectly as it allowed us time to get across town after school, as well as demonstrating valuable skills required in everyday life but in Martial Arts format. Freddy is excitable and energetic and needed some focus and discipline in his life.  Little Ninja’s is the perfect outlet for his excess energy and offers a sound and subtle grounding in the 8 Ninja skills which are based on everyday life skills.  The class has a similar format every week but the games and exercises vary slightly to maintain the children’s interest.  These exercises are either individual or team based and involve running, disciplined kicking and punching exercises and respectful consultation between student and teacher.  Freddy loves his Ninja class and we are working with his instructor to add some discipline into his life.  Marcus is very welcoming and the format is not complicated.  You are offered the first 2 weeks free of charge to see how your child settles and to see if they enjoy the class.  If after this period they do not then there is no obligation to continue.  However, based on my experience, this would be an unlikely scenario!  Early days yet, but thanks for doing a great job so far!  Freddy has shown changes and is much more likely to listen to a full instruction and carry it through to completion than he was, even 4 months ago Mrs Foxwell My 6 year old daughter had been attending a very formal martial arts class for a year before I found the Little Ninjas. Her previous class was extremely rigid and lacked the fun element that is necessary for someone her age. Marcus's program is exactly what I was looking for - to teach them valuable physical skills aswell as mental and social skills all by means of fun games. Jena enjoys having a different goal to work towards each week from the '8 Little Ninja Skills', it lets her focus and try her best to get to the next skill the following week. Marcus puts alot of effort into his class and Jena has really benefitted in such a short time. The fact that she already tells me she will be moving on to the kick boxing class when she is bigger lets me know I have found the best possible class for her. Jo Kohl Our son was 4 when he started Little Ninja’s and has been attending for 7 weeks. He is a lively boy with a fairly short span of attention even for his age and we had a concern that he might quickly loose interest. Quite the opposite. Thursday night can’t come quick enough for him and he has never shown any reluctance to attending. The combination of physical and social development in a fun environment is the ideal combination for developing your child. Our son has recently gained his first belt in the Little Ninjas grading system and he was very proud – so were Mum and Dad. In addition to Marcus’s no nonsense approach to developing his students, we have found that the older children in the class provide a further source of motivation and encouragement for our son. We would happily recommend Little Ninja’s to any parent. Roddy Dalziel Mostly I go to classes for about a few weeks then get bored, but so far i'm not bored even slightly, and I've been going for about six months or so. I really like GIANT dodge ball which we play at the start and the end, but my favorite part is the pad work, which includes working on our kicks and punches, really amazing classes! Eilish Adair My youngest son, Jonny, age 7, joined the 'Little Ninjas' class with Marcus Houston approximately 7 weeks ago - he absolutely adores it! Marcus is so patient with the children in the class; all the while managing to impart knowledge of the training he wishes to give them and giving them time for fun and laughter during this time! The session shows younger children how to respect their peers, how to appreciate the training given and also how to share their thoughts with both Marcus and the others in the class! A perfect combination! June Voy