Mr A Sumner - Parent
Letter of testimony relating to Nigel McBrayne in the capacity of Judo Coach

I first met Nigel about 18 years ago when my boys started at Summit Judo Club in Basingstoke. It was clear that Nigel was very passionate about the sport of Judo and he enjoys sharing his love of the sport with the students that attend the club. He has a teaching style that the young students can relate to and makes each lesson fun and enjoyable while setting the foundations of and instilling the discipline, etiquette and respect required in the sport. If any student had the desire to take the sport to a higher level, Nigel used his experience and dedication to enthuse, motivate and develop them to competition level.

From a personal standpoint he taught my sons from the time they started at the age of six and as they grew within the sport mentored them both and helping them both to reach Hampshire County Squad level and the youngest one to qualify for the national age band championships in 2008

Working closely with the Head coach at Summit Judo Club in Basingstoke Nigel was instrumental in the development of the club which is probably now the largest and most successful club in the area.

In addition to his club commitments Nigel was team manager and coach for the successful Basingstoke squad, taking them to the bronze and silver medal in the Hants &IOW Games.

If asked, I would have no hesitation in recommending Nigel to any potential student looking to learn and play Judo, irrespective of the level they may wish to achieve the sport, and would be more than happy to act as a reference on his behalf.

Mr Len Dunce - Head Coach, Summit Judo Club
I have known Nigel for approximately 20 years, during which time he has coached at out club on a regular basis children and adults to a high standard.  His teaching of children involves a lot of fun and judo related games which they all enjoy, at the same time it is disciplined and teaches etiquette and respect for the other players.

Nigel took charge of managing and coaching the team for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight games for a number of years and achieved bronze and silver places on consecutive years, of which the teams were very proud as was the club.

Nigel also assisted taking around 20-30 players to Germany for competition in the Basingstoke Festival of Sport with out twin town of Euskirchen which is an annual event, this involved organising, training and travelling by coach and supervising all children over 4 days.

Nigel is reliable and has a passion for his sport and I feel that he gives 100% to his classes as all times.
Mr R Jones - Head of PE at The Castle School.
The school have been lucky to secure the expert services of Sensei Nigel for the past 2 years. The club that he has run has grown from strength to strength with students of all ability enjoying the fun, challenging and stimulating environment that Sensei Nige produces. The sessions have genuinely made a difference with students improving their skills, self confidence and technical ability.  Here at Castle we take great pride in our sport by giving students the chance to experience all sports and activities and having a Judo coach has definitely added to our ever improving extracurricular programme and I hope it will continue to do so in the future. 
Mr A Blake - Community Co-ordinator, Chilton Trinity School
It has been our pleasure at Chilton School to work with Nigel McBrayne (BJA Level 2 Coach) of Macs School of Judo since 2012.  During that time, it has been interesting to observe how students (especially girls) have grown in self-confidence, assertiveness and how generally, their well-being has noticeably improved.  Students have found a new avenue to demonstrate (and learn) the importance of commitment and find personal reward in being able to “win” a full range of rewards within the activity; from individual throws,  the “winning belt of the week” or the progression of belt colours achieved through nationally recognised competitions and grading.

This has been possible in no short measure to the professionalism and child-centred approach adopted by the Coach, which has encouraged students to “give it a go” and push themselves beyond their own expectations. 

Within our own programme of Out of School Hours learning Activities, Judo has become an important key element, and proved to be very popular when introduced for the first time to our annual Year 6 Transition Summer School in July 2013, where the activity achieved a 87% approval rating from participating students and a 100% approval rating for impact and significance from other staff involved in the Summer School.  We anticipate that further evaluation of those participating- students in December will show that this activity actually helped them to settle into their new school in September and in the autumn term as a whole.

Mr P Hamilton - Chair for Hampshire, British Judo Association BJA
I am writing this letter as a recommendation of Nigel McBrayne in his role as a Judo Coach.

I have known Nigel for 15 years which was when I decided to return to Judo. At that time Nigel was launching an Adult class at Summit Judo Club which I joined. From that time he coached me through my grades and also encouraged me to try coaching judo myself which I now do so professionally.

In the time I have known him Nigel has given up much of his time to his students. Not only taking the lessons but also accompanying them to many of their competitions, where he mat side coaches and encourage the players. Nigel was key to the Basingstoke team for the Hampshire and IOW games as the manager, running trials, pre competition coaching and carrying back many medals over 10 years. He also spent several years on the Basingstoke Voluntary Sports Council arranging sports events and the German exchange “Festival of Sport” which has grown to have judo as the biggest single group taking part.

Regarding his teaching techniques they are extremely varied and very enjoyable no matter what age you are. He is a reliable, responsible coach always taking his students welfare seriously. Nigel has a fantastic rapport with all his students especially the children he teaches encouraging them to perform to the best of their abilities. Nigel will always respond to the students to give extra help where required and adjusts his lessons accordingly making sure everybody gets the most out of the lessons.

Personally I owe Nigel a lot for getting me to where I am now and would highly recommend him as a coach to others.
Mrs L Clarke - Deputy Head at The Castle School
Nigel has run a weekly judo session for students who have found it difficult to make friends and settle into secondary school. All the students who took part grew in confidence, made friends and also improved their grades. Some went on to continue in the after school judo club. This has proved to be a really good intervention which the students love. We will be continuing.