Come back in time with me to 2007... I’d been in the Self Defence/Martial Arts game for a long time and was at the a stage of ‘searching out' other systems, seeing what was out there. I wanted to be clear that what I was teaching was the best available. Yes, I was questioning myself and questioning what I teach... and there is nothing wrong with that, reviewing choices and the path you are on is necessary to make sure you keep aligned with what you want to achieve... I digress... I got invited to a seminar of a new ‘reality based’ knife defence training system. I’m always sceptical of new syst ..read more

2020 is in full swing but I recently thought back to the terror attack in London last year in which, sadly, two people lost their lives. My heart sincerely goes out to their families. We also experienced some very brave souls, doing what few would, and ran towards the danger rather than away from it. I really believe there are two types of people… those who run away from danger, and those who run towards it. And we need both types. Those that run away, keep the human race alive, by alerting others to the danger. Those that run towards help to reduce or remove the threat and send the message ..read more

Many moons ago, I went through the (painful) process of trying to find a Martial Art / Self Defence System (call it what you want!) that suited me… I always wanted something that had a fitness element to it, so that I didn’t have to have a gym membership as well, or go do another fitness activity.  I wanted it all, in one thing (needy aren’t I!) During the ‘search’, I went to countless training centres, from Church Halls to Leisure Centres and Sports Halls, trying out all sorts of styles and systems.   I tried one particular style (I won’t mention it out of respect) whereby we learnt about 20 ..read more

The problem with self-defence techniques is that more often than not, they are designed for specific situations. Where the ‘bad guy’ is going to be doing a particular thing, holding you in a particular way, all of which means a particular technique will work. In reality, if that is the case, then bonus! But what if the ‘bad guy’ changes their behaviour slightly.  Suddenly, that technique you’d trained 1000’s of times suddenly doesn’t feel right, you might not feel 100% confident in the technique and end up freezing, and doing nothing as the situation gets progressively worse. You se ..read more

I had an interesting… no hang on, that’s too polite… a ridiculous, conversation the other day regarding self-defence training. One of the things that I do is write training packages for ‘high-risk teams’ employed in certain job roles. Without sounding too cliche, I can’t say too much but you get the idea, people who need effective training solutions delivered over a short space of time. I met with another ‘instructor’ the other day, who had also taught similar teams and he proceeded to tell me that the training he delivers is primar ..read more