Nagina Munawar has trained in martial arts for 30 years and has previously represented England at a national and international level. She has set up Almas Martial Arts Academy which is solely dedicated to empowering women and young girls by breaking stigmas created by society regarding health and fitness.
- What initially inspired your passion and drive in martial arts?
It was something that my father encouraged my siblings and me to get into. It was about us being quite active, fit and utilising our energy in the right ways. I started at the age of 5, so I was quite young. Not only did it keep me fit, but it also became a life skill as I learnt how to protect myself, which helped with my confidence. Personally, it’s had a huge positive impact on my life.
- It’s such a great achievement that you were able to represent England on an international level! How did this feel for you?
I feel truly humbled and privileged to have been able to do that. I felt that I was representing the ethnic minority community. I was able to give them hope and pave the way for them by breaking stigmas on Asian women competing in active sports. I feel like we are underrepresented when it comes to competing on a national and international level, but I’m so happy to see more people going up to compete from diverse backgrounds.
- What do you feel has been the biggest struggle in your career?
I initially thought that I would struggle with time and commitment, but it wasn’t an issue. Training 20 hours a week I used to think how am I going to fit this around my life, but then I realised when you’re passionate about something, it all just falls into place. I did have struggles with overcoming barriers as people used to question me as a Muslim woman training in a male-dominated sport. However, it was just a matter of educating people not to have this narrow mindset and understand that just because you’re Asian, it does not mean that you cannot pursue these opportunities.
- You have now opened up Almas Martial Arts Academy, what does the academy offer?
The first thing that comes to mind is female empowerment; what I mean by this is empowering others, such as single mums, widows and the youth in showing them that we can grow strong mentally and spiritually. The training at Almas is so diverse; we do circuits which improve endurance and stamina. For me, it’s about having a moral duty to impact lives positively also for future generations. I find the beauty and hair industry is so big in our community, whereas inner wellbeing is put aside. Initially, the exterior is just a mask, and what is happening inside is more important. I also run mother and daughter classes, and so many mums’ come and tell me that it’s amazing that they get to dedicate time to bond with their daughters. As mothers, we are the key foundation for any home, and it’s so important that we look after our wellbeing too. Almas is a fun environment to do that!
- Your academy’s slogan is “Hardship Makes Champions”, what does this mean to you?
It’s a very personal slogan for me, even in the design I have kept it personal by having a silhouette of myself. It was initially inspired by Almas which means ‘diamond’, and I believe that every woman is a diamond in our own right, and we are just polishing off our edges to get the final result. For me, the ‘Hardship Makes Champions’ slogan needed to be straight to the point. I wanted to inspire others with my own journey and struggles that I’ve had to get to where I am now, such as the barriers and hardships I have had to overcome to build Almas from the base up. I didn’t want to just speak about female empowerment; I wanted to make a difference to others, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
- What are your aims for the future?
I’ve got quite a few things I want to do; I want to set up some charity events where we can give back to the community. Also create some competitions, especially for my younger fighters as it prepares them for that drive and hardship at a young age. This is something that improved my life. If I didn’t have my training, I would not have been able to apply that strength and resilience to my life. I’m so fortunate to have been able to speak at events and educate people on mental strength, and this is something that I definitely want to do more of. I want to continue to work hard, make a difference and change this idea of beauty just being judged on your exterior.
You can get in touch with Nagina Munawar via the Almas Martial Arts Facebook page.
Navkiran Bains
