About Us

“Balance by design, not by chance.”

— Stephen Sonsie

Hi, I am Stephen Sonsie, the founder and creator of Freeform. I have practised Martial Arts, mind and body fitness and development for over sixty years. I have extensively studied gymnastics, boxing, Tae-Kwon-do, Judo, bodybuilding, aerobics, powerlifting and health. I still teach Freeform “The Art of Balance” and have written a book about this modern Martial Art. I hold a Grandmasters degree. 

Freeform Martial Arts is based on an understanding of four elements, that help create a more balanced self.

Earth, the Practical

Earth. It is our practical hands-on experience with our world, and it develops our powerful physical strength and structure. It builds our strong sense of presence, enabling us to step into our world confidently. We must act to make things happen, so from Freeform’s point of view, the more practical that is, the better off we are. We call Earth the “gathering” because it says we must be prepared by collecting positive, useful things, and it is the first cornerstone of (our) balance.

Water, the Physical

Water. It is about our flowing nature, our ergonomic coordinated and rhythmic movement and how we connect all our physical attributes. It is the perfect union between mind and body, thought and action. Water is also concerned with the movement of our words from speaking to listening, our voice is extremely powerful, and we must pass on information to better understand everything. Water is our second cornerstone of balance

Fire, the Mental

Fire. Concerns our mental processes, from how we design any aspect of operating to how we drive toward our goals. Fire is the impact we create when we raise our intensity and power as a positive force. Fire is also how we develop and use discipline as a power to focus on anything we want to maintain or change. Fire is the third cornerstone of our balance.

Air, Awareness

Air. Air is our touch, intuition, and trust we develop when we start to realise ourselves and our connection with the world. Air is awareness, giving us a greater understanding of everything we do, say or make. We are raising our level of consciousness, giving us a better look at our world, for to build anything without understanding what we have done is an imbalance. Air is the finer aspect of our nature and sits perfectly as the fourth cornerstone of our balance.

Balance comes when we start to put the (jigsaw) pieces of all our exploration, discoveries, and practices into place, and we are in the centre. We fall out of balance through life's many stresses, but because we are now more balanced and know it, we move back into balance. Freeform philosophy and practice want us to have a balance by design, not by chance, so the more we learn and implement as positives, the more we become balanced.