Amber Lovelock was born and raised in Exeter, Devon, England where she began her Kenpo journey at the age of 5 at the Flaming Fist British Kenpo Karate Academy under head instructor, 7th Degree Senior Professor Matt Snell. She has been training for 20 years and currently holds the rank of 3rd Degree Black belt.
She tested for her 1st Degree black in 2012 at the age of 16, and since then she has taken on a few roles within the club such as: instructing and teaching junior and senior students, doing administration, registering students when they attend class, helping with belt tests, and supporting new students with uniforms and membership. Amber also helps run a Facebook group to keep parents, guardians, and students up to date with any news or upcoming events.
The Flaming Fist Academy has been open and running since 1986 and she feels the club has played a major role in her life. Throughout her school years she was bullied, and she has found that the club not only helped her with her confidence, but it has also helped her grow into the person she is today, especially having the support from those around her. Amber enjoys teaching and helping out, as she feels she is able to give back to the place that helped her. She also enjoys working on her techniques and forms, as well as breaking down techniques to understand concepts and principles to expand her knowledge.
In her junior rank days, Amber competed in many interclub competitions and achieved the following in sparring: two 1st place trophies, two 2nd place medals, and one 3rd place medal.
Throughout the years she has attended multiple Kenpo camps in England and across Europe. She also travels with her instructor to Germany a few times a year to help and support their international students. Amber feels she has gained many lifelong friends by doing so.
Amber’s dream is to one day maybe run the academy she loves or even to open up her own.