SHORTLY after Glenn Colman was born, two weeks premature and with a collapsed lung, his parents were told by doctors “not to expect too much from him”.

In fact the couple were informed that “just surviving” would be about as much as they could expect for their newborn. That was 22 years ago.

Since then Glenn, from Bridlington, has battled his way up from being the weedy kid at school, with no self-confidence, to become one of the UK’s top kickboxers; competing and winning gold medals throughout Europe and the UK and proudly representing his country.

On Saturday, Glenn was in York for a seminar to speak about how the sport helped him prove the doctors wrong and provided him with the confidence and fitness to thrive in every aspect of his life.

He is now looking to spread the word, and insists that kickboxing can be for anyone – whether you just want to keep fit or take it to the next level and, like him, go for the full contact side of the sport.

“I went to school in Bridlington,” he says. “I don’t want to use the term bullied, because that would be unfair to people who have had it far worse than me, but I was picked on.

“I was six and I had been brought up to be kind to people, which got me picked on, and I didn’t have the self- confidence to stand up for myself. I was a lot smaller.”

Despite his tender age, Glenn decided to do something about his situation and thought of trying out boxing.

“They told me I was too young, so I took up karate instead. That was with my instructor, Shaun Gray, who was a massive inspiration to me as a kid. He really brought me up and looked after me and gave me the confidence to look after myself.

“From there I went on to my first competition at the age of seven. At the age of ten, I represented England against Scotland in Glasgow and I won my fight. That was a great experience.”

From then on, there was no stopping the young Glenn and he went from strength to strength. At 13, he was crowned the junior freestyle champion by the British Freestyle Karate & Kickboxing Organisation (BFKKO).

It was at the age of 15 that Glenn decided to make the switch from karate to kickboxing At 16, he decided to take up the full contact version of the sport where, like conventional boxing, it’s all about full- strength punching.

However, Glenn is keen to point out that anyone who wants to benefit from taking up the sport can take it to whatever level suits them.

“When you go to a club you should find the instructor welcoming,” he explained. “They should never push you into something you don’t want to do.

“You can go for a punchy fitness-based activity to becoming a world champion as long as you have the right attitude.

“It’s all about respect. Even in a full contact bout there’s never any hatred. Cocky guys never make it – it’s all about being humble. You don’t get many egos – they don’t last.”

For those who decide to give the sport a try, Glenn says that, with the right club, you will soon start to see huge improvements not only in your fitness but in your whole outlook on life.

He is in no doubt about what martial arts have done for him.

“It’s helped me in terms of employment, social situations and even confidence with girls,” he said.

“It helps you get used to being in groups and to be a leader.”

• Glenn asked us to thank Cris Janson-Piers, the head of the BFKKO, and his current coach Gary Jowers, for their help and inspiration in his career.

Kick starts

DESPITE having its roots in the long and rich history of Asian martial arts, the form of kickboxing used today is relatively new.

Recent years have seen the rise of the gentler, non-contact, aerobic kickboxing exercise classes, in which the kicks and punches used in the traditional sport are used to form the basis of a workout routine.

For more information on clubs and kickboxing visit www.bfkko.moonfruit.com or www.iska.org.uk