'WINNING MINDS' THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS FROM THE GYM LOCKER ROOM

I just finished a gym workout out earlier today. Wait don’t panic I am not going to post up what I did or any of that bollocks. I am to old in the tooth for that and I don’t need my ego massaged. (my back, neck, legs maybe!)

No seriously as I was lacing up my trendy Shoezone trainers in the changing rooms getting ready to leave when it dawned on me just how long I had been going into gyms and training on a daily basis week in week without fail and what still motivated me to drag my ageing but still sexy ass in there.

Thinking more about this (not my ass) I realised that 1975 was the first time I entered a gym.

I was in my last year of school and my best mate was a schoolboy weight-lifting champion and trained at the then legendary Empire club gym in Bristol.

He arranged with the owner Dennis Welsh and our school P.E teacher for some of us lads to go there in our double games period and workout. I was one of those lads and at 14 years of age I was introduced into the world of fitness in a serious way.

Of course, it didn’t start out like that as a 14-year-old lad the training was a matter of fucking about a bit, talking a lot, trying to lift heavier shit than you could and doing the odd bit of proper training.

The fucking about bit didn’t last long as Dennis Welsh would have none of it and usually some huge bodybuilder or power lifter would put you straight hopefully without ripping your lungs out in the process or locking you naked in the sauna.

At the same time, I also started my Martial arts training. I didn’t realise how these two things would shape my future. But that is another story.

The next year when I left school, I joined the Empire properly as a 16-year-old boy and now as a 58-year-old Granddad I am still in the gym training.

As a young lad I fell in love with the whole gym culture and would soak up the atmosphere and knowledge from every source I could. I met some wonderful characters.

Many of the places I trained are no longer there, but they hold great memories for me.

All these years later I can count the number of weeks on one hand where I didn’t train.

As a young man when my mates were clubbing, pissing it up and chasing girls you would find me training in one shape or form.

I made many sacrifices not just socially but also in what I ate and drank.

No pizzas, MacDonald’s or KFC for me.  Hang on a minute when I was a teenager those places didn’t even exist in Britain so you couldn’t eat shit even if you wanted!!!

I am not saying I lived like a monk but I knew what had to be done if I wanted to succeed in the goals that I had set myself.(check out my book When we were Warriors if you want the full story of my journey).

These days I train as much as the old body lets me. I am no longer training to smash goals, blaze trails, increase the poundage I lift, do a 1000 burpees, to compete or of course to post myself online with my six pack out.

(I still have the remnants of a six pack but sometimes it gets hidden behind what looks like a child’s pink bum bag hanging around my waist).

My motivation these days to train are mainly for weight management and vanity.

 (I still like to be able to walk around poolside on holiday without hiding myself under a XXL baggy £3.00 pink Primark T shirt with Hawaii Surfing ,Bondi beach, Daytona Drag racing or some other exotic location I have never been to or have a fucking clue about emblazoned on it).

Also, I want to be fit enough to enjoy my grandchildren and to have 3 minutes of all out balls to the wall fight in me when the shit hits the fan. (Not with my Grandchildren.)

I have seen incredible changes in the fitness industry over the 40 plus years that I have lived in gyms not only training but as a fitness coach.

I have always been asked how to do you still keep up your training?

Well as I was tying my trainers this morning, I realised all the great training and nutrition advice that is out there these days, all the weird and wonderful machines and exercises means nothing without being able to train the mind to get into the gym in the first place.

Forget everything else it means fuck all if you haven’t got the mental strength and tenacity to turn and be answerable.

No excuses and bullshit reasoning. That is all bollocks.

Mindset is the one major thing that keeps me getting me into the gym.

Yes, there are many mornings when I get up that I have to have a word with myself in the bathroom mirror.

Some mornings I crawl out of bed like a 90-year-old. I am stiff as a board but in all the wrong places. But that has been a ritual that I have gone through for years. Does it get any easy? Fuck no!

Usually the word is… Wake up you bastard and be glad you have seen another sunrise. Stop feeling sorry for yourself you fucking self-pitying wimp, top looking for excuses and ways out. Now get your ass in gear and get out into the world and make a fucking difference you soft needy bastard.

 That normally works but you have got to be prepared to lay yourself bare to benefit from this. That takes honesty and courage.

My motivations to train mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING without the mindset to get the fuck in the gym in the first place. READ THAT STATEMENT AGAIN. It is the absolute key.

Your mind is your Master.

If you struggle with this then maybe, consider contacting me about my ‘Winning minds’ programme. I can genuinely help because I practise what I preach every day.

Self Defence or Fighting?

Self Defence or Fighting?

To explore the above question, we have firstly got to distinguish that self- defence techniques are not fighting techniques.

Having a ‘fight’ is a mutually agree thing between usually two parties unless it is gang violence.

Normally fights start over anything from ego, status, pride, standing, belonging and insecurity to religion, politics, sport or woman.

Done of these things have anything to do with self defence.

Most of the time alcohol or drugs will fuel the fight and even sane people become arseholes

.

Remember outside the confines of the contest mat, ring or cage fighting is illegal and against the law.

No matter who instigated it if you make the decision to participate you are as guilty as the other person.

Much of what is shown on social media sites these days are fighting techniques not self- defence. There seems to be much confusion from individuals teaching this stuff.

I hear their demonstrations open with the dialogue such as ‘ In a street fight ‘or ‘If you get into a fight in the street’. These statements are already nothing to do with self- defence.

Remember even a plea of self -defence has to be proved. Being taught Martial arts techniques doesn’t give you a free pass to inflicting whatever damage you like on another human being even if they deserve it.

I believe a vast majority of people training in Martial arts believe it does.

If this is the case, you will find yourself in a shitload of trouble if you decide to use your skills on the street without some basis knowledge of the law of the land.

In any confrontational situation it is best to pack away your ‘Chimp’ brain and your ‘Macho ego’ and use your rational brain to consider the consequences of your actions.

To use a quote from the film Roadhouse. ‘Nobody ever wins a fight.’

There will always be aftermath and consequences.

If you do defend yourself you have better believe 100% that you were justified in your actions, otherwise you will have plenty of time to refine your combative skills in one of Her Majesty’s hotels.

My opinion is as a skilled Martial artist you should not be engaging in social violence. You should follow a code of ethics that says you will only use your skills when your life or your loved ones life is under threat and you have run out of all other opinions.

It is better to avoid a situation or de-escalate one than wade into it like the Terminator.

As a civilian the skills you have learnt are a backup and insurance for when the shit hits the fan.

They are not to be used because somebody cut you up in the traffic or jumped in front of you in a que. That is the ‘chimp’ brain operating. It has hi jacked your rational brain and that means only one thing TROUBLE.

Over some 40 plus years it has been my mission to seek out the world’s best combative techniques and train them.

I know 100’s of different ways to inflict pain on another human being and if need be take them out. The truth though is the better, I got at those moves the more reluctant I am to use them.

My ego has been given a kicking many times over the years in all combative arenas. So, these days it is well in check.

As a middle- aged Granddad, the last thing I want to be doing is tangling with some young buck out to prove a point.

If I have to defend myself, I want to settle it as quickly as possible. I don’t want to be blowing out of my ass in some knock down drag them out encounter.

Quoting Clint Eastwood. A good man knows his limitations.

It is only the man who has not been tested or who is insecure about himself that will actively go out into the public to seek a fight.

If you wish to fight, there are numerous sporting arenas to test yourself in against another person that also wants to test themselves. Mano to Mano with no booze or substances in your blood stream. Stone cold sober takes balls.

My motto is be a Warrior in the arena and a gentlemen outside of it. All the best in my opinion are.

Walking around dragging your knuckles and snarling at everybody with your fight wear on in public isn’t a smart thing to do.

There are people out there who don’t give a fuck about your belts, titles or reputation they will stick a blade your guts or a lump hammer over your head and go home a sleep like a baby.

They aren’t interested in a fair fight. Their only rule is there are no rules.

You can’t wear your reputation like some invisible suit of armour. It isn’t going to protect you.

You would do better to operate under the radar and stay away from places where assholes hang out and better still make sure you aren’t one yourself.

In the street there are only two types of physical violence you will face in a self- defence scenario.

Confrontational violence and Ambush violence.

They may come in many different modes but there are only these two.

Match fighting isn’t in there.

Match fighting is not self- defence.

Yet ironically much of today’s martial arts techniques for ‘self- defence’ are based around match fighting.

For those of you out there looking to take up martial arts you would do well to know exactly what it is you want to learn.

Do not confuse it or get railroaded into something you don’t want to be doing.

I have taught Combative jujutsu and self -protection for more years than I can remember.

I have also ventured into the competition arena in many formats and taught and run a very successful MMA fight team and club for many years.

I still know the difference between the two disciplines and have never crossed them over or taught them as the same thing.

They are not.

The competition arena will be known to you, so will the rules and your opponent, in the street they won’t be.

Also, every self- defence situation is scenario based. The variables are endless.

If you have to defend yourself the time, place, and attacker will not be of your choosing and you won’t be warmed up, stretched out and ready to rumble. It will happen when you least expect it. Not after you have just left the gym or dojo.

You can kid yourself that you will always be prepared and ready for anything but that is bullshit.

In a competitive fight you have a time- line until you are in there doing it.

In the world of self -defence you are training for a situation that may never happen, could happen in 6 months’ time or 6 minutes time. It is a different ball game.

The street predator doesn’t have to be as fit or as ripped as you or be a better fighter.

Remember this is his arena and he will know when to attack you at your most vulnerable.

As already mentioned, he is not interested in fair play, sportsmanship or a friendly fist bump. He is only interested in hitting you hard and fast before you even realise it.

You would do well to understand the difference between self defence techniques and fighting techniques.

Outside the controlled arena do as President Roosevelt once said.

‘Walk quietly and carry a big stick.’

Is your Martial art going to get you killed?

A dramatic title for this article don’t you think? But wait allow me time to expand on this statement to explain where I am coming from. 

I truly believe that every Martial art has something to offer when it comes to combat. Some arts have more to offer than others, but each will have a component that will be relevant in a given situation when it comes to self- defence.

All striking arts are relevant in some shape or form. Arguable in Self -defence hand strikes carry more weigh than kicks simple because in self defence the range is usual up close and personal.

This range also carries weigh for elbows, knees and headbutts.

Any closer will require knowledge of gouging pressure points, seizing windpipes or testicles along with biting before it morphs into grappling.

Against an opponent that rushes in at you and you see them coming then a timely front or side thrust kick to the body may be the best response.

Alternatively, a side or stomping kick to the knee can be a finisher.

When you create space by shoving a would-be attacker backwards out of your personal space then a follow up Thai round kick to the leg can be devastating.

We all know grappling range is essential and the effectiveness of its many trips, sweeps and throws and the ground techniques of locking or choking.

But on the street, these shouldn’t be your first options especially against multiple opponents or weapons.

My base art of Combat jujutsu practises all ranges, but my preferred range is hands over all other aspects of the art.

So, would that make a boxer the most proficient exponent on the street?

Not if he is ambushed from behind with a knife to his throat and taken to the floor.

But back to hands. Does every self- defence situation require you to knock somebody out?

Answer no it doesn’t. So, we need other stuff as well.

We may have to control or restrain an individual standing or on the floor or release yourself from a minor hold or grab without stomping the would- be antagonist into a bloody spot on the pavement.

So, what does this all say for Martial arts?

Well firstly in my opinion it says there is no one art that has all the answers no matter how an Instructor will try to convince you otherwise.

Secondly when it comes to self defence training it must be scenario based and not just generic.

The old motto of …You will react how you train still stands true.

If you train for a combat sport whether it is BJJ, MMA or Judo etc. You will react the way you train. It doesn’t matter if you are a world champion at any of those arts you will not be ready to encounter a knife or a bat or a sucker punch unless you are already a streetwise person or you have trained specifically for that type of scenario.

From the above 3 combat sports on the street against a mugging or ambush attack I feel judo would fair best because of its up close and personal nature of gripping and tripping.

Don’t get me wrong it won’t have all the answers but it would probably stand up better.

Remember self defence is not about two people facing off and exchanging blows or fighting for grips or takedowns.

 That is a mutually agreed fight. That is not the same thing.

Rolling around on the ground trying to execute that favourite arm or leg lock could get you killed if there is more than one individual involved. You would also do well to remember what starts out as one person often ends up with ‘Randoms’ just joining in for the hell of it.

This is where a lot of instructors go wrong in what they term as self defence most of the time they are demonstrating techniques for a one on one fight.

 Any sort of fighting is a crime until proved otherwise and not something outside the realms of the contest area you should be indulging in.

Also remember some of the cultures of the instructors advocating these methods are different to us.

What you might get away with in another part of the world doesn’t translate to the UK.

That is also a good point for those of you who travel to other countries. Many have a massive knife or gun culture, they won’t be interested in a fist fight.

Forget all the macho posturing and bullshit. Fighting will eventually give you prison time.

Now you will have all the time in the world to hone those fighting skills as there will be plenty of takers. Plus, they won’t be fighting you by the Queensbury rules.

Please do not fall into the trap that if you can sit on your ass and win multiple gold medals that you are bullet prove. That tactic is only relevant in the arena it was designed for outside of that it doesn’t carry much weight.

Sitting on your ass in the street as your go to technique will get you killed.

Now if you where attacked whilst sat on your ass (eg.  Beach, grass). That could be a different matter. Its horses for courses.

A street predator will not attack you by any rule book. He isn’t interested in fair play or rules in any shape or form. They just want to take whatever it is they want as viciously and as quickly as possible.

Most of the time people won’t know what hit them.

A street predator is not going to send you a calling card and they certainly aren’t going to bow, or fist bump you before they smash you up.

These guys are sociopaths. They have no morals or conscience. They don’t give a fuck about your belt grade, medals or titles. You are just a commodity.

They are planning to attack you when you least expect it. When you are at your most vulnerable. They aren’t planning on sparring with you.

If you have some big reputation and they know it, then they will be coming after you mob handed or tooled up. All great equalisers against our would- be Ninja Turtle.

Remember we will react the way we are trained. Always.

Techniques that you rely on in the sporting arena have a terrible habit of not working outside of it because the circumstances are all different.

Unless you train those techniques for the scenarios you will encounter on the streets they will not necessarily work for you.  You may well be shocked and surprised.

Raw aggression and savage intimidation can have the best’s arsehole twitching.

Remember on the street if you fuck up its not a medal you have lost it could well be your liberty or your life.

It is no coincidence that our military and police training is based around scenarios they will encounter in the real world. They found this out a long time ago to their cost.

Wouldn’t it then make sense for us as a Martial artist to do the same?

If you train for an MMA fight or a BJJ grappling match you will follow a tried and tested formula. Makes perfect sense.

If you train for street self- defence, then you should be training a tried and tested formula also.

As British Martial arts legend Peter Consterdine is fond of saying Self- defence techniques are more than Karate in jeans!

Combat sports and self- defence techniques to not always cross over happily.

Self Defence skills are more to do with awareness, tactical positioning, understanding the modes of attack, body language, street speak, the OODA loop etc more than physical techniques.

But when physical technique is used which might be only 5% of the time you will have to be 100% on the money.

Also, you will only have to use about 5% of the arsenal of techniques as a Martial Artist you have collected.

The Martial arts magpie is not going to do fuck all if it takes him an age to access whatever technique it is he wants to use.

That is why you must train for the scenario unfolding in front of you.

Train for your given arena and be smart enough to realise outside of that arena there are no guarantees.

Your fancy £200.00p Gi or your black belt with the stripes on aren’t going to cut it if you are living in a fantasy world or you have an ego the size of a small continent.

‘Pride comes before a fall.’

Be careful that the techniques you are learning don’t get you killed.

Quote; A smart man knows his limitations.

Clint Eastwood. Magnum Force.1973.

24 Year on the front Line Taking jujutsu to the streets.

24 Year on the front Line

Taking jujutsu to the streets.

Putting aside my time spent in the military, I’ve spend 24 years on the front line of security in Bristol, including nine years as a full-time doorman in various pubs and clubs and then 15 years as an NHS Security Officer in a city centre hospital working in accident and emergency.

 I am also now a criminal magistrate and expert use of force representative at the hospital.  Been on the bench for 4 years now and appeals panel at crown court.

In my time on the frontline I have seen and dealt with much violence.

I have faced knives, knuckle dusters, extendable batons, broken glasses, bottles and worst of all a needle with HIV infected blood that I had to disarm as it was being used as a weapon.

 I’ve been awarded at police HQ bravery commendations for some of the situations I have had to defend the public from.

 I’ve seen the best and the very worst of people and experienced and witnessed violence that would be seen by most only in movies.

How did I survive?

Well firstly I believe in God and feel his protection.  I also trained with the best, including old school Karate master Roy Lewis and the awesome Kevin O’Hagan a man I describe as the king of unarmed combat training.

Kevin taught me not only highly effective techniques that have used to disarm knives and deal with danger and violent offenders but the need to condition your body and mind

 I learnt very quickly that conditioning played a big part in my success in combat and unless you are conditioned, you’re a car without fuel, you may look good, but you aren’t going nowhere.

 I loved the way each session trained body and mind as well as technique. Unless it hurts in training it will hurt in real life and there’s no referee in the real world. 

I remember one incident when a guy came out a night club and in fairness to say he was an idiot this did not take me long to work out.

 He wheelspun his car up the road and I showed my displeasure as I was guarding the door of the club I was working.

 He stopped the car and got out. As he done this he put a knuckle duster on and came towards me, his desire was to take my head off. However, a good combat jujutsu hip wheel throw put him on his ass, I disarmed the duster and gave him some sage words of advice. Job done. 

The techniques I have learnt of Kevin have saved me from severe injury and that means I have been able to give the good people of Bristol the best of care as they go about their lives.

Training hard with focus pads, sparring. Weights and running, are the fuel needed.  Without any doubt combat Ju jitsu, taught by Kevin is the answer, I know I’ve been there and done it more times than I care to remember.

I got to Blue Belt and been on and off for years but it’s not over after a long time on the shop floor I will again return to Kevin’s class to continue my combat training to the end, why would I go anywhere else the proof is there and I only settle for the best.

  In my view Kevin O’Hagan is the best unarmed combat instructor in the world.

Mike Hockett JP

Magistrate

Bristol Magistrates Court

Security UHB

Health & Safety Officer

Chairman

Unison Central Health

 Mike Hockett, Geoff Thompson and Kevin O'Hagan.

‘The Older I get the better I was.’

Napoleon once said. ‘After the age of thirty a man’s spirit is not made for war.’

I read this quote recently in the excellent book ‘The Dog rounds’ written by Elliott Worsell.

The man quoting the above statement in the book was ex WBC lightweight champion boxer Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini.  

Ray held the title from 1982 to 1984.He was one of the toughest and bravest boxers I have ever seen.

If you don’t know about this man, then I urge you read the book and watch his fights on You tube.

The subject of the book is about boxers who have killed in the ring. It is hard hitting and poignant subject matter.

Mancini had experienced this himself when he defended his title against South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim on the 13^th November 1982.

The 21-year-old Mancini scored a tko in the 14^th round of a brutal fight.

Kim shortly after slipped into a coma died from a subdural hematoma.

It was a tragic incident that supposedly sparked the change to 12 round fights from the longer 15.

Mancini was never the same fighter again.

Now at 57 years old he explained what in his opinion the quote by Napoleon meant.

He says that after 30 years of age your values change, your ideology changes, everything changes.

Slowly little by little the fire in your belly that burnt bright for combat begins to diminish as other things in your life become more important.

This happens little by little and we don’t always want to acknowledge this fact.

For men like Mancini who faced his darkest fear you can understand were he is coming from.

Many soldiers that have faced the real horrors of war will feel the same. The same could be said for law enforcement officers.

But what about the statement in relation to all you Martial artists out there. Is it true?

My personal thoughts on the statement and what Napoleon and Mancini are saying is that if you have experienced real combat and been tested hard there will be a point where you know it is time to call it a day.

There will be a time when the body aches constantly. Where you no longer relish or wish to endure pain.

A time when training and preparation get tougher and tougher.

A time when you no longer get that buzz.

I am talking about fighting at the highest levels. Putting your ass ,your reputation and even your life on the line.

Not many people go there. Those that do view life differently.

Special individuals fight on into their later years, but they are few and far between.  What is their motivation.  Money? Kudos?

Many others carry on fighting easy opponents or ‘sandbagging’ their ways through competition against lesser opponents kidding themselves they can still cut it with the big boys. Not true.

At the other end of the spectrum you get deluded guys wandering off to la la land doing this ‘no touch’ knockout bullshit and brain washing others to join in the fucking debacle. They are a disgrace to the Martial arts world.

I grew up admiring a whole host of seemingly invincible fighters. Most are now sdaly dead or grew old and retired.

Think of the fighters you revered in their Heydays.

Eg. Ali, Tyson, Duran, Hearns of boxing. Liddel, Couture, Ortiz , Jackson, Silva of MMA.

Could you ever see a time when they would be beaten, humbled or exposed?

What about Lenny McLean or Roy Shaw?

Both legendary fighters but sadly no longer here. No matter who you are the reality is you are born to die.

 Eventually these fighters stepped down and a new breed of younger, hungrier one’s emerged.

We all at one time were the ‘New Boys’, the ‘Trailblazers’, the ‘latest news’.

Time waits for no man and it is our toughest opponent and ultimately are final nemesis.

This realisation is a bitter pill to swallow for all fighters who in their prime could piss napalm and crap thunder.

Also, if you are training hard and I mean balls to the wall tough you would never envisage a time were the sofa and the television (not love island though) looks a more tempting proposition than going to the gym or dojo.

Now those who have really been there and done a bit can eventually square it away because you have nothing left to prove.

The ego has been crushed on the edge of a mat somewhere many years ago and you know what it is like to win and you will also know what it is like to lose.

You will also know unfortunately what it is like to have your ass handed to you by a better fighter, no matter what the arena may be.

When you are young and full of testosterone you won’t even think about this. When you are the young buck ready and willing to prove yourself that sort of shit doesn’t enter the equation.

As young men and we have all been there. We think we are invincible and that we are the ‘dogs’. We have the swagger, the mouth and more front than Blackpool.

This is all only natural. Only later in life if you are clued up will you realise most of the time you were a prick and probably led a charmed life and somehow avoided some ‘real deal’ 

crossing your path that would have ripped you a new arsehole. Praise to the ignorance of youth.

The Dog thinks he is king until he walks into the jungle and hears the roar of the Tiger.

If you were a real player back in the day as you get older you get smarter. You keep your head down. You go out of your way to avoid conflict or confrontation.

As my old jujutsu instructor Micky Upham was fond of saying. ‘You have got to keep it real.’

For me personally I enjoy my life and my family way too much to let some Neanderthal make me lose my liberty. I have more important things to do in my life than to be fighting. (Like working out how to get Netflix’s up on the television).

Age should alter you and change your thought process. Don’t get me wrong I still love the Martial arts but I have other areas of my life now that interest me just as much if not more.

I personally no longer obsess about fighting and combat.

I truly have been there and done it when it comes to Martial arts, fighting etc. My book When we were Warriors, covers my journey in detail.

But as the saying goes ‘Every new beginning is some beginnings end.’

The mantle moves on. The throne of power shifts. How you view things depends on where you are in your journey.

A big lesson I have learned from Martial arts is most people can’t fight sleep.

They are mostly all front and bluff and when it comes to the physical they is a lot of huffing and puffing, swinging and fucking falling over.

I have trained with individuals that have the punching and kicking power of a nuclear missile.  Others that could choke you senseless in a blink of an eye and make you wet you pants. Yet there are others that could bend, twist and snap you like a dried noodle without breaking sweat. These and their like are beautiful ,violent poetry in motion. They are stone wall killers if need be.

Until you mix with these people you will never know just how fucking good they are because this is all they do day in and day out. So, they have fucking unbelievable skills.

What I am trying to say is if ‘Mr Billy Big bollocks’ with a limited belief system on how tough he is cuts one of these individuals up in his car he better pray they don’t get out and he better prey that he is not such a dim wanker that he gets out.

The bottom line is you really don’t want to cross their paths it will only mean pain and suffering for you.

In any pursuit in life there is a hierarchy of skill levels.

There is average, decent, good, very good, excellent, awesome, out of this fucking world.

Think of the England football team in the recent World cup. Their players and performances although way beyond what most of us expected were mostly good, occasionally very good. What about Belgium. Croatia, France? Unfortunately, they were another level.

If you only ever swim in the sea of average or good you will never ever have a clue what excellent or above looks like.

After all there was a time were we thought the earth was flat.

As Bruce lee said. ‘Your truth is not my truth’.

If you do decide to swim into the deeper unknown territory it is fucking terrifying because your mind has just seen and encountered something you didn’t even know existed. But you will learn a valuable lesson believe me.

There have been many times where I have swum with the big sharks and I found out quickly the colour of adrenalin is brown!

When you do this, it is a great leveller and it lets you know where you are on the mountain. Sometimes you realise you haven’t even got out of base camp1.  

As you move up the mountain you will encounter less people as the air gets thinner. Only the very best reach the top.

I have just returned from a holiday aboard and the hotel swimming pool area is a major source of male machismo for me. I could sit for hours and study people.

There are many deluded people wandering around thinking they are planting the flag on the top of Everest but in reality, there are still in their local park walking over an anthill.

You have the young bucks strutting around with their gym chiselled physics, showing off their ‘guns’ and tattoos inwardly steering at any middle aged out of shape male. Safe or maybe not safe in the knowledge that their muscles are their suit of armour. Naive in the fact that pumping iron = they can fight.

You then have the forty plus adolescences prowling about with his beer belly. Arms splayed as if they are carrying to rolls of carpet under them. The tough 1000-yard stare. Walking like they has shit themselves and not quite finished. Their best days well behind them but still living in a deluded fantasy world.

I often question what do these guys all build their confidence and swagger on. Are they truly undercover ‘killers’ or have they been watching to many Jason Stratham films?

Either they belief system is built on 1000’s of hours of training and fighting or it is seriously flawed, and they are really paper tigers never having faced a real fighter before?

You see I have spent a life time of training every conceivable way to give another human being if warranted it more pain than they could even imagine. I have trained with the best in the world. I have tasted victory and defeat. I have trained blood, sweat and tears to acquire the skills I possess and every day I still strive to be better. I know my strengths and weaknesses. I also know my limitations’. I know how I cope in the heat of ‘battle’.

Yet I still don’t stroll around like ‘Bruce Lee I am fucking hard super ninja turtle. ’But every day somewhere I see these guys. Aggressive and arrogant bullies. Their over inflated egos give them false confidence built on what?

Mike Tyson once famously said. ‘Everybody has a game plan until they get hit in the face.’

Most of these idiots would fold like a pack of cards if you belted them and go crawling home to find their mummy.

I often would like to ask one of these individuals. ‘What do you do for a living 8 hour a day? Because for as many years as I care to remember myself and fellow professional martial artists train, spar, fight, study, watch, talk, live and breathe ‘breaking people in half’ for 8 hours a day. What did you say you did?’

As I mentioned there are people out there whose daily job is to train potentially how to break, maim and kill another human being and they are fucking unbelievably good at it. Their confidence is built on 1000’s of hours of hitting, bending, slamming, twisting and breaking bodies. They are fucking wrecking machines. Yet these individuals can walk past you on the street and you will never know.

They won’t be wearing a rash guard or Muay Thai shorts in the street. They won’t be snarling, posturing or dragging their knuckles, but fuck with them and you will lose.

I remember once Geoff Thompson saying. When you encounter these arseholes and you let them walk away from you then you have allowed them (rather sportingly I might add) to live another day.

I thank God that I have developed that restrain otherwise I probably would have been in one of her majesty’s hotel long ago.

I hate rude, arrogant bullies. They are the scum of the earth, period.

Every time I hit a bag I always imagine one of their smirking faces on it. It keeps me highly motivated!

Martial arts along with teaching me how to defend myself it taught me to be humble and keep my ego in check. Martial arts don’t make you invincible. There may be a time when you feel you are but that doesn’t last very long, so get over yourself. ‘Every dog has his day.’

If you train in a ‘real combat art’ you will have a distinct advantage over ‘Joe Public’ but only if you are also clued up streetwise and not bound by any rules or limitations about what you should or could do to save your life.

As self defence guru Rory Miller states.

‘Capability is a physical skill. You learnt and train a strike, throw or choke. Capacity is the ability to do it. Whatever it takes. Do you know where your capacity lies?’

As we grow older as Martial artists some of our memories of our past glories can be viewed through Rose tinted glasses. Our stories become like the fisherman’s tale. Better and better with each telling.

The older I get the better I was.

My advice is to be a realist. Be humble. Don’t be a dick. God knows there are enough of them out there already. There must be an assembly line running them off by the fucking hundreds somewhere.  Arseholes R us I believe it’s called.

Realise you are not invincible and except your skills will erode. Avoid conflict and violence wherever possible but if it comes knocking on your door and wants to come into your life if you truly know yourself and know your enemy then fucking snuff it out as quickly as possible by whatever means and then go back to your beer. ‘Walk softly and carry a big stick.’

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” 
Sun Tzu, The Art of War