July 2008

MAI Editor Bob Sykes takes a trip down memory lane to look at Martial Arts Illustrated, Volume 4, Issue 2 released back in 1991.

What were you doing back in 1991? If you were actively practising martial arts then it’s quite possible that you bought our July issue featuring American movie star Loren Avedon, following his spectacular one-off demonstration at MAI's Clash of the Titans Birmingham event, ‘Thriller at Aston Villa’, published in the same issue.

Loren, star of ‘Raging Thunder’ and ‘Blood Brothers’, kindly gave us an exclusive series of photos, which reflected his World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) background. Other features included ‘Behind the Mask’, our step by step guide to unveiling the secrets of Ninjitsu, ‘Tracking Van Damme’, where The Beast, Bey Logan, used to give a step by step account of Jean Claude Van Damme’s life, and ‘Finger Pointing’, where, for the first time, our intrepid reporter and Bruce Lee specialist Andrew Staton, introduced the now legendary Rick Faye to the pages of MAI.

My favourite, however, had to be a feature entitled

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Steve Rowe takes a philosophical look at how 'too many cooks' can sometimes spoil the dojo.

It was a warm night...
With three children’s and an adult beginner class held earlier the air was quite humid. Sensei had worked this class through a good ‘warm up’ and some highly corrected basics before it was time to work on kata…

Sensei had divided the class up into small groups with a black belt in charge of each group as this class would be followed by the dan grade session. We had quite a few black belts in already - and the kyu grades could get almost private instruction from them, with Sensei moving between the groups.

As more black belts came in and sat on the side awaiting their class, they would add a little bit of instruction wherever they thought it might help. Sometimes though it was a bit like the old saying ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’...

Andy was taking some 2nd kyus through Naihanchi kata. “The kata is all about the stance, guys, you’re ‘armouring’ with your muscles and this is throwing you o

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Inspired by our editor Bob Sykes' retrospective a short while ago, regular columnist Rick Young shares his early experiences of the martial arts.

Bob Sykes and I were talking about some subjects I could cover in this column and we got around to discussing kids classes and how we as adults can influence children in a positive way through martial arts training. I realised that I have had so many positive role models as I got in to the arts and that it is this that can help shape us as we develop in to becoming adults and parents ourselves. Bob suggested that I do a retrospective similar to the one he had done a little while ago in this magazine.

So the next few articles will cover how I got in to the arts where my training has taken me and how my views on the way I train and the arts themselves has changed over the years. Please do not take this as an egotistical excursion, because these articles are actually the hardest for me to write, but merely me sharing my experiences and thoughts on something that has given me more than I could ever repay - martial arts.

Before I started training in martial art

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This month Justyn Billingham looks at the jumping spinning hook kick using both a step through jump and 360 degree jump and spin.

You generally find that the step through and the 360 jump are mainly used to cover distance and therefore, work well if your opponent is either retreating or simply standing a slight distance away from you. Both versions achieve the overall same result, however, the step through version is slightly easier to pull off and is generally used as a way of developing the 360 degree jump.

The striking part
The art you study will probably determine the striking part you use for this kick, however the basic rule for a jumping spinning hook kick is to either use the heel (generally used for destruction or pad work) (1) or the ball of the foot (generally used for sparring) (2).

The stance
For this particular kick to work as effectively as possible you may well find that a front on stance will help to set up the jump better as this will inevitably give you a greater wind up than a side or angled stance would.

Breakdown 1
The step t

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We continue our Family Focus series with interviews with The Pearsons, a truly dedicated family of black belts based on the Isle of Man.

MAI: What’s it like being part of a Martial arts family?
Neil Pearson: It is brilliant to be able to work so closely with your family in something you all share an interest. Full family support and commitment to each other has enabled us to build our own gym and fitness centre at home, so we can now train any day and time.

Sara Pearson: I think it is fantastic in this day and age that a family can have something in common, and train, compete and support each other so closely.

David Pearson: It is great being able to train together which makes the family stronger.

MAI: What do you enjoy most about the sport?
NP: I enjoy winning and equally watching my family and team win.

SP: I enjoy the physical side of being pushed to my limit and also the team aspect of the sport. I enjoy that it is something that has made our family so close.

DP: Competing in competitions and meeting new martial artists.

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All the latest WKA news and action.

It seems that the ubiquitous Chinese Whispers are circulating again, this time the subject is ‘myself’. Yes me! It would appear that the whispers indicate I am leaving the WKA. Not true. What has happened is that the WKA want to get into running a licence-providing association here in the UK. As most know, I am the chairman of the FSKA (Freestyle Sport Karate Association), World Vice president to the WKA, I write books and at the moment I am working on a documentary series about the martial arts for American TV.

To add to this, I am halfway through writing another book and also in the final stages of putting the England squad together for this year’s world championships in Florida.
Phew! Yes, I think that it is enough workload for one person and still have a life as well.

So when Mr Paul Ingram approached me to further the cause by selling individual and club memberships for the WKA I had to step back and decline, simply due to the sheer workl

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Mark 'Jarv' Jarvis tells MAI about his journey from angry young man to title contender and running two martial arts clubs.

MAI: How old were you when you began martial arts training?
Mark Jarvis: I started Karate classes when I was five years old. As a young child it was just about having fun and play-sparring with my friends. I was eleven when I began to focus on martial arts a little more seriously.

As a teenager I worked at a local shop and the owner, Dil Bhatia, really encouraged my interest in martial arts and helped me to train at a local community centre. I had always been a sporty child and as well as martial arts I used to go to the gym and play football, unfortunately I was always looking towards the next activity and making excuses why I couldn’t train.

One day, after I’d made yet more excuses about why I couldn’t stay and train that day, Dil asked me to put my hands in the air. When I complied he gave me a reverse punch to the stomach and then told me to leave. I went and sat on the bench but I didn’t go home. When Dil asked why I was still there

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Our regular feedback pages are a way for you to voice your opinions on anything from the magazine's content to the state of the martial arts. Each month one star letter wins a £25 voucher courtesy of World of Martial Arts.

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The final article in Idai Makaya's three-part series on elastic resistance band training aims to show you how you can use resistance band training in a general conditioning program for martial arts fitness outlining exercises which can be grouped together and used in a full-blown martial arts fitness workout.

For the benefit of readers who have not seen the two preceding articles, I will briefly describe an elastic resistance band device and explain its peculiar advantages. Resistance bands are simply tubes of elastic material designed to provide an even and constant resistance - when stretched within specified limits. They were originally designed for use in physiotherapy and rehabilitation and proved extremely useful for isolating and conditioning muscles in the very specific planes of motion sometimes necessary for correcting muscle and joint dysfunction.

The principle of using an elastic resistance instrument makes a lot of sense when one considers the advantages of cutting out momentum and providing constant resistance throughout a full exercise movement – without necessarily having to work against the force of gravity. However, the practicalities of doing so are often less attractive. The main problem with using elastic resistance materials for conditioning work was f

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A profile of BCA Chief Instructor Peter Consterdine.

For those involved in the self-protection industry, Peter Consterdine will require little in the way of introduction. An 8th Dan Black Belt in Karate and a former Great Britain international with more than 40 years of continuous training behind him, Peter has made self-defence a lifetime study.

During the mid seventies he became one of the first established Karate Kas to turn their hand to full contact Kickboxing, where he proved successful by becoming the first British middleweight champion. Over 30 years on and Peter still approaches his now legendary training days with the same vigour and enthusiasm. Although from time to time they've had to lower the pad, those mad enough to take part in Peter's training days, would, I'm sure, testify to his true grit and most punishing of drives.

Not being the sort to leave all his energy and training in the gym, Peter is also a real fan of the great outdoors. I just can’t allow myself to forget how a trek out in th

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MAI gets to grips with freeform competitiors Liam Richards and Danny Ball, seen most recently as finalists on ITV's Britain's Got Talent.

Ever since those early Karate tournaments of the 1960s, competitive Kata and the later forms or patterns divisions have seemingly played second fiddle to the fighting. Then, in the early ‘80s, Tim Ward promoted an event called the Giko Spectacular.

The event in question pitted the then all-star American squad against the UK's cream of the crop. In and amongst the American all-star squad was none other than John Chung, who proved to be both a seasoned fighter and extraordinary free forms athlete. To my knowledge, it was this man, who during his most incredible performance introduced the then new concept of creative forms to music. Yes, it's possible that one or two homegrown practitioners were already dabbling in creative forms, however it was none other than John Chung who gave it the rubber stamp and opened the doors to what we know as being free forms today.

Many greats were to follow, like the high kicking Ray Smeathers and the all American Dodger Dev

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MAI editor Bob Sykes examines the Carbon Martial Arts Multi-Weapon.

One major problem of being an avid practitioner of multi tackle disciplines is just how quickly one's weapons collection can expand out of all proportion. Tonfas, Nunchakus, Bo staffs, Eskrima sticks, knives, swords and sais can go into making a seemingly endless array of tools for the job. If only someone could design a bag of tricks which would be suitable for all occasions.
Enter the Carbon Martial Arts Multi Weapon!
This Inspector Gadget-style fold out bag contains all the parts necessary to construct just about every weapon we need to complement our martial arts studies. Its carbon composite shafts of various lengths enable one to assemble almost any Japanese or Filipino form or weaponry. Although not necessarily designed for actual combat, when tested I found to my surprise that they were more than a match for the highly-rated rattan Eskrima sticks, two of which now lie broken as they reside in their new home in the Dojo bin.

Using the Carbon Martial

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An interview with Top Hollywood Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director Paul Jennings.

Paul Jennings is one of the top British based stunt coordinators and has worked on many blockbuster Hollywood productions both as a major stuntman and stunt coordinator. He is the man behind Batman Begins and the new Batman movie Dark Knight out in July.

KFM: When and how did you become a stuntman?
Paul Jennings: I’ve been involved with the stunt industry for a little over twenty years now although it’s all gone very quickly. In the UK you cannot just walk in off the streets and start doing stunts for film or television, you have to qualify in at least six disciplines. For example, you could use a martial art, gymnastics, fencing etc, etc, but you need to have qualifications in your chosen subjects if you are to be taken seriously. Joining the Stunt Register is not an easy process, this ensures that the people who want to enter into the world of stunts are committed and have a good foundation and a moderate level of skills before they start performing stunts.

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Dave Turton discusses the Log Jam Theory and if you don't know what it is he explains that too.

Well I suppose I just have to start by apologising if I ruffle any feathers with this article, it’s something I seem to do somewhat regularly, but certainly never deliberately, or simply for the sake of it. I don’t however apologise for giving my own viewpoint on this concept, one in fact that I changed a couple of times until about 15 years or so ago when I made a final stand.

It seems that with most martial artists, self-defence and self-protection people you speak to, they are quite firmly very much on the FOR side in this matter, or just as firmly on the AGAINST side. My view and the one I will be expanding on in this article is very much AGAINST the ‘Log Jam’ theory.

I don’t just say the ‘Log Jam’ doesn’t actually exist, I also say I don’t believe it CAN exist, not in the way most people or trainees accept it. For the 1% of the readers who may not know what the supposed ‘Log Jam’ theory is, let me elucidate.

You ar

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Trevor Roberts, one of the UK’s hardest men, who has never lost any of his 2,500 street fights, talks about the simple 5-hour fighting system he has used for 35 years on some of Britain’s most dangerous doors.

MAI: How did you first get into martial arts, Trevor?
Trevor Roberts: When I was 9 years old, I had a cousin who was doing Judo. At the same time I had another cousin who was a lot older than me and I was being bullied by him and his mates.
So I went down to look at Judo and started to train in it and developed a love for it.
I think Judo is a great starting point for kids. It gives them great balance and attitude, it really is good.
It was a long time before I balanced things up with my cousin, but Judo put me on the right path.

I started to do Judo competitions and did very well.
I remember entering one over at the co-op at Radcliffe. I had won 3 fights and this other kid had also won 3 fights so we ended up in the final.

Anyway, this kid was dancing about and I couldn’t get at him, but I was very fortunate that, when I was 15 they used to let me train
with the seniors and I had been taken along to a training

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Matt Follain sits down for a frank interview with Mr Kenpo himself, Kevin Mills.

If you ask the question ‘who is Mr Kenpo in the UK?’ the answer is universal. Mr Kevin Mills, 8th Degree American Kenpo and black belt, 1st Degree SL-4 Kenpo.

His list of students and friends runs like a who’s who in Kenpo, and in martial arts in general. He’s head of the BKKU (British Kenpo Karate Union) the oldest and most prominent Kenpo affiliation in the UK and SL-4 Europe one of the fastest growing Kenpo phenomenon. Few have worked harder to help unite the Kenpo brotherhood here in the UK.

So I headed down to his base in Exeter to have a frank interview about all things Kenpo and see what Kevin has planned for the future. There I found a warm welcome from Mr Mills and his wife Jenni, put on my gi and instantly felt at home in the friendly atmosphere.

I hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as I enjoyed doing it, and I would like to thank Mr and Mrs Mills for their hospitality.

Matt Follain: So what brought

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Abdul J Tarafdar meets and interviews Arlans ‘The Lion’ Siqueira, the UK’s first Ambassador of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Arlans Siqueira arrived in London on the 13th May 1997, carrying only a single suitecase containing among other things a Jiu Jitsu Gi and a Brown Belt! One of the few, possibly the first authentic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor and practitioner had arrived in the UK to test himself.

At 6ft 1in tall, aged 24, weighing in at a muscular 90kg and with model looks, Arlans would go on to introduce the British public to BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), the true art of submission. Many would be grapplers and strong men came and fell in battles with this great Titan. In 2000 the Siqueira BJJ Academy officially closed due to family and work commitments, disappearing like a ghost. The UK’s first ambassador of BJJ had slipped away into the night, but the fire slowly burned in the ashes waiting for a time to return.

Abdul Tarafdar: When did you first start training in BJJ?
Arlans Siqueira: I started at 16 years of age and my first teacher was Professor Roberto Ferre

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Lakhvinder S. Madahar interviews Tony Myers one of the foremost exponents of Muay Thai in the UK.

In a casual conversation with MAI editor Bob Sykes, not long ago, we both thought, “The martial artist from the 1970’s come from a special period in martial arts development”. Well, if that’s the case, then they don’t get much more special than the subject of this interview, Tony Myers – a true gentleman, a martial arts veteran, with well over 30 years under his belt who has remained true to his chosen path, a quest to search out all that is best in Muay Thai. He has been instrumental in bring the British Muay Thai to a level it is today.

Tony has written numerous articles on Muay Thai for various martial arts magazines, which have proven to be educational, however until now he has never been interviewed. At our Total Martial Arts Academy Christmas dinner I got the opportunity to talk to him about his background in the martial arts, his chosen path - Muay Thai, his trips to Thailand, training with the Thai champions, creating champions in this country and his

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Mo Teague’s ‘Warriors Quest’, an internal and external journey of character development for the modern warrior, so that they may have the tools to not only survive but also thrive in today’s challenging world, mentally, physically and spiritually.

There must be literally thousands of martial arts styles and systems being practiced world wide by millions of people, mums and children training for all the benefits you see in the ads, you know, fitness, self defence, confidence etc, to the more hard edged practitioners in the military, law enforcement and everyone in between.

When I first started training in martial arts there was very little choice if any as to which art you trained, it was more a case of what was available. How the world has changed! Now there is a veritable plethora of arts within travelling distance of most people. The internet, DVDs, books, world class instructors able to visit regularly, all these factors have changed the face of martial arts beyond recognition to my early days. How I envy my young students having such opportunities. What a time to train, and so many people are taking advantage, to train not only in the arts but ‘fringe’ arts like cardio kickboxing etc. With so much coverage

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MAI reports from the Wirkworth Leisure Centre, venue of the first WRSA (World Ring Sports Association) sanctioned event featuring seven title fights and an extensive undercard.

A good size crowd came and supported their fighters and certainly added noise and atmosphere to the venue. Certain coaches though I would recommend concentrate on their fighter’s performance in the ring rather than whether the fighter makes his enter to the correct beat of the music, and getting the entry music restarted is totally over the top. It would seem that more time is spent practising entry into the stadium than training the fighters for the ring.

The first bout was a title fight for the WRSA British Amateur Welterweight title between Zak Needham from Derbyshire Panthers and Scott Rankin from LKA, Liverpool. This fight was action from beginning to end with both fighters exchanging kicks and punches through all five rounds. The range techniques that both fighters used would put to shame my senior fighters. Scott Rankin is a World Title holder in semi contact and light continuous on the mats, this was his first appearance in the ring and certainly should not be

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Robert Chu reports on the Wing Chun Chi Sao International Open held for the first time at Europe's largest martial arts expo, Seni 08, on 26th April, Excel Centre, London.

There was a call for all judges to meet in March to go over the rules for fighters, referees and judges. A complete demonstration and walk through of the rules was conducted. Unique was that all judges and referees would be invited each year from different branches of Wing Chun. The idea central to this event was, ‘Bringing Wing Chun forward together’.

Alan Orr, the promoter behind the event, worked to bring together Wing Chun masters of different lineages to work on agreeing rules for the event. The list of judges and referees included a veritable who’s who of UK Wing Chun, including Alan Gibson Sifu (Judge), Mark Phillips Sifu (Judge), James Sinclair Sifu (Judge), and Mick Yates Sifu (Referee) and of course, the promoter Alan Orr.

Alan Orr is a renowned teacher who has been involved in health, fitness and martial arts since 1985. He is a leading force in my own system of Wing Chun in the UK and Europe. Alan has travelled the world to find and trai

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Fiaz Rafiq recently caught up with Tito Ortiz, no doubt one of the biggest names in UFC history, for an exclusive no holds barred interview in which he openly spoke about his rough childhood, becoming an sporting icon in the world’s fastest growing sport and what he really thinks about UFC president Dana White.

By the time you read this, Tito will have fought his last fight for the UFC. Which organization he pursues after remains to be seen, as he still has a couple of good years in him before it’s time to hang up the gloves and look to other avenues.

Fiaz Rafiq: Tito, let’s talk about your childhood, you had a tough up-bringing?
Tito Ortiz: I was born and grew up in Huntington Beach, at the age of 6 to 13 I was on the street, moved in motels, lived in cars, people’s garages, it was really hard as a kid growing up not having parents there one hundred percent of the time. My mother got separated from my father because he wouldn’t stop using drugs. She got remarried and I moved back to Huntington Beach and back with my brothers. I have three older brothers. I went to junior school and then in high school I started wrestling. I was always in trouble, always dying for attention. I started wrestling which gave me a whole new attitude. I got attention from the teacher

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For the first time the UFC was in Montreal, Canada. Set for a big fight night at the sold out Bell Centre, with a new record of 21,000 in attendance! Alan Orr reports on UFC 83: Serra vs St-Pierre 2.

George St Pierre and Matt Serra headed up the fight card to set the record straight on who is the real Welterweight Champion.
British hero Michael Bisping would be making his middleweight debut. Most people think it’s about time Bisping moved from light heavyweight to his more natural middleweight. Now we will get to see what the true impact of the change will be.
Bruce Buffer even showed off his French language skills to welcome Canada to the UFC!

Mark Bocek vs. Mac Danzig
BJJ fighter Bocek was all ready with his home crowd to back him up. With the likes of Dan Henderson in his conner he was well covered. The Season 6 TUF winner Mac Danzig looked cool, calm and professional as always. This would be a good test for both fighters.

Round 1: Danzig comes out and backs Bocek up against the cage with punches. Bocek covers up and avoids most of the danger to return the pressure.
Bocek’s level changes for a single leg takedown, wh

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