A BRADFORD kickboxing club have shone on the world stage at an international tournament in Ireland this month, earning more individual medals than any other team across the globe.

Physical Impact, which is based on Harris Street just outside Bradford city centre, sent a group of adult fighters to last year's International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) World Championships in Jamaica, coming home with an impressive nine medals.

That led the club to go again. In October 2018 a group of students, aged eight to 17, attended the ISKA National Competition in Birmingham.

The club's successes there meant that nine of their young fighters qualified for this month's World Championships in Cork, where they achieved unprecedented success. Between them, the team picked up 19 medals as part of Team England.

Although England lost out to Ukraine in terms of overall medals, Physical Impact secured more medals as a single club than anyone else in attendance.

The head of Physical Impact, Mohammed Shaban, was proud of his young stars, saying: "We took nine boys and girls to the World Championships in Cork and, although we'd taken the adult team away before, this was our first one with kids.

"Some of the children had never flown anywhere, and some had never even been out of Bradford. We had to work hard paying the fees to get there too, as obviously it's all amateur.

"There's a national championship each year in Birmingham and then before the worlds, the kids have to attend four or five training sessions, in places like Liverpool and Peterborough.

"We won 19 medals, six gold, eight silver and five bronze, more than any other club.

"But if it's coming first, second, third or wherever, these kids (or adults) get that chance to represent their city at a World Championships."

Shaban is fiercely proud of the work the club does in Bradford, which extends far beyond learning how to kickbox.

He said: "We started the centre seven years ago and we have 150 people on our books now. We have boys and girls classes, with female instructors for the latter.

"We have all diversities and backgrounds at the club, with white, black and Asian people all attending.

"It doesn't matter who you are, we'll welcome you. We cater for everyone, for those looking to get fit, make friends or be competitors."

He added: "I've just finished 20 years as a sports lecturer and now I'm full time here at Physical Impact. This is a full-time gym and our role is to serve the local community.

"We teach life skills, not just martial arts and kickboxing, and schools and parents often tell us about the difference and improvement in attitude that they've seen from the kids.

"We also teach them about improving their health and nutrition, which they can pass on to their parents too."