Is Mixed Martial Arts training safe?

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Many MMA gyms are full of meat-heads who just want to fight. Most of these gyms will show you generic techniques with poor attention on proper form and throw you straight into sparring with the meat-heads. It’s a big leap and dangerous to go from a novice to sparring with a meat-head who is waiting to tear you apart! At King of the Ring Martial Arts, your safety is my top concern.

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Training with me is very safe. Safety is highly emphasized. I try to make my sessions accessible for the average person who wants to learn martial arts for fun, fitness and self-defense. Therefore contact in classes is always very light and controlled. Any "sparring" will always be optional. I use the safest equipment and cut no corners for your safety. Only those who both want to and have reached a certain skill level are allowed to do contact training if they wanted to. 

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What is your martial arts and teaching philosophy?

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The martial arts is a journey, not a destination. Learning, training, teaching is a cycle that is continuous. I strive to be the best that I can be at every age. What's important is what I can do now, not 30 years ago. 

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For me, the concepts and training methods in Jeet Kune Do form the perfect framework to continue to learn, test, master and maintain specific functional (i.e. works in a real life situation) skills for every age from all martial arts.

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I enjoy teaching and sharing. Through the wonderful vehicle of martial arts, I can experience the emotional rewards of seeing my students improve their self-esteem and confidence through development and maximization of their natural physical skills and attributes, and also seeing the positive effects on their personal and professional lives. In teaching and training with my students, my students help me grow and evolve.

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I am dedicated to self-liberation: liberation of body, liberation of mind, liberation of spirit through greater self-knowledge. I believe that by establishing a new philosophical outlook, you can change the way you think and act, and in turn, change your life for the better.

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My goals are to not only share physical benefits from training in the martial arts, but to also share the philosophical tenets of self-actualization and personal liberation to help individuals seeking personal growth identify, understand, and integrate these principles in their own life so they can actualize their true potential and live a rich and rewarding life.

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I'm not here to give you a set, rigid, one-size-fits-all martial arts training and philosophy, but rather sharing with you a fluid set of operating principles you can use to cultivate a flexible, highly adaptable way to defend yourself and an attitude toward living life to its fullest, develop the skills and confidence required to free yourself from the chains of any form of limitation, break through performance barriers, and raise your living to the level of an art form.

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My programs flow from the research and development of Guro Dan Inosanto and the late Bruce Lee with training methods that truly allows students to develop form, without being bound to form. So that they can truly be like water and adapt to any container, circumstance, environment or opponent.

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My philosophy is to provide the student a curriculum of true combat-oriented teaching and discipline. It is designed for reality in self-defense

encounters. Not for sport. Programs are divided into two broad categories: 

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SELF PRESERVATION and SELF PERFECTION

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SELF PRESERVATION represents all the actual techniques the student needs to defend themselves in the event of a real-life attack by an aggressor(s).

 

SELF PERFECTION are the drills you use to develop various attributes which involves incorporation of many arts, with Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do serving as the foundation. This part of the art allows for expression of ones self in discipline, honest training, and self exploration. One of Bruce Lee's greatest philosophies is "Research your own experiences. Absorb what is useful. Disregard what is useless. Add what is specifically your own".

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The martial arts have grown by leaps and bounds in the years since Bruce Lee. As the martial arts have been mixed freely, I have seen a multiplication of techniques and training methods. I have found that studying many arts at once is a better way to develop. Studying arts simultaneously does not detract from your effectiveness, it enhances it! Each art helps the assimilation of the others.

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On my own journey in the martial arts, I am the eternal student. I continue to grow and share what I have learned with my students. 

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Good training to you!

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What is your mission of King of the Ring Martial Arts?

 

Dedication to the highest levels of training and individual improvement in the martial arts. Through the latest innovations and best research into training methods, I will offer my students the best training possible. The goals of this training are: 

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The personal improvement of each student: 
Martial arts can teach students about their own strengths and challenges. I believe all people have unlimited potential and that it is my job to bring that out. I will help students to feel more secure through a knowledge of self defense. I will show you the step by step progressions toward your self improvement. 

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Fostering cultural appreciation:
As you learn martial arts from different cultures you will come to appreciate those cultures and people. The most profound lessons are in the way the arts work well together. Martial arts form different cultures not only fit together, they depend on each other to move forward. 

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Teaching and maintaining open-mindedness:
Martial art teaches us to keep our minds open to new methods and ideas. Each art has a unique perspective. Learning to see issues from many different perspectives is a part of your development. 

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Instilling personal responsibility:
As you learn methods that are designed to hurt other human beings you will be constantly reminded of your personal responsibility in this world. It is my hope that the skills of this art will only be used in the most desperate situations. Martial artists tend to be more peaceful because of their training and confidence. 

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To promote health and fitness:
Training in the martial arts is a great stress release. The workouts will challenge even the most fit individuals and are designed to allow any type of student to "work up to" their physical potential. Total body workouts have always been a standard for martial art. 

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To have some fun! 
I have done away with the "serious" nature of martial arts training. Sessions are fun and can be as challenging as you make them. I am able to accommodate all levels of experience and physical ability. 

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Why should I train in Filipino Martial Arts (Kali, Eskrima)? I have no need for weapons training.

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When you talk about weapon training, eg stick fighting to certain martial artist, their knee-jerk response is "I want to learn martial arts, I want to learn how to defend myself and I don't really want to learn how to fight with a stick, I'm not really a stick fighter". 

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My response to that is 80% of street fghts involve weapons. Maybe not quite that high in New Zealand but it certainly is in most parts around the world. And anything you grab is the substitute for the stick. It could be a tire iron, crowbar, broom, tennis racket, flashlight, branch of a tree or anything that can be used as a weapon. So it is my intention to teach you how to become a street fighter, not just a one on one fighter.

 

One on one is an antiquated sport. It does not happen very often on the street. 95% of battles on the street are mass attack, ground fighting or with weapons. 

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Here's a list of other benefits:

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• Students of Filipino Martial Arts learn to use weaponry first. Most other martial arts teach weaponry only to the most senior students when they have reached a high level of proficiency in their art. However, weaponry learnt this way is never related to empty hand applications and students are taught specific techniques, rather than teaching integrated principles. The benefits of learning weaponry first is that it increases the co-ordination tenfold for empty hand applications (after all, weapons are merely extensions of the limbs).

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• You will benefit from increased manual dexterity and co-ordination. This is derived from performing exercises with two weapons and weapons of different sizes. You will probably become partially ambidextrous.

 

• You will be able use any weapon, even one you have not used before.

 

• It complements and enhances any martial art. It can be learned independently from other martial arts or grafted seamlessly into any form of exercise you do already.

 

• Many of the techniques do not require strength or power, since most of the power is derived from body movement and economy of motion.

 

• It is a complete system of martial arts, training you in striking (punching, kicking, etc), wrestling, all forms of weaponry, and even groundfighting.

 

• There are little or no forms (or kata). Due to its combat effectiveness, there is little need to practice solo or routine exercises, since these do not train the student in anything relevant. All drills and exercises are partnered to maximise the learning benefits to the students.

 

• Students are taught sparring from the start. No time is wasted learning intricate footwork, or stances. The student is taught to spar at short range, long range, grappling range, and with a variety of weapons.

 

• Kali does not over-emphasise one part of the system. Fighting with empty hands is automatically acquired after training with weapons. Students can also fight with weapons of different size, weight and shapes without any hindrance.

 

 

Where is your training facility located?

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King of the Ring Martial Arts is located in the suburb of Flagstaff in Hamilton, New Zealand. I have converted my humble garage into a full time training facility to offer this service. Just like it was back in the old days of Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto. It's not a big fancy commercial gym but it does provide a more personal approach ambience to my training style and I have all the necessary equipment needed for me to provide a high quality 1-on-1 professional service. 

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What style of martial art should I choose?

 

This answer here depends on what your goals are. If you just want a little light recreation, then most traditional martial art schools such as karate and tae kwon do schools would be fine. If you only want a cardio alternative and don’t care at all about self-defense, improving your self-confidence, and things of this sort, then a typical “cardiokickboxing” class at your local gym might be just the thing for you. If you are only interested in preserving an old oriental art form, with perhaps a little self-defense as a side consideration, then a traditional kung fu, karate, or tae kwon do school would suit you. 

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However, if you are looking to really increase your fitness level or get serious about self-defense training, here is one word of advice:

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When it comes to serious conditioning & self-defense, martial arts styles are NOT “all the same”

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I think the style or discipline taught matters a lot if you want serious training that can give you the best in conditioning and self-defense. 

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The legendary Bruce Lee recognized the limitations in the more traditional forms of karate, kung fu, tae kwon do and a host of other traditional styles. Si Jo Lee thought many of these arts held on to outdated, impractical techniques and training methods out of a groundless respect towards “tradition”, while ignoring the fact that there might be newer and better ways to do things. 

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I agree with Bruce Lee’s assessment. In my opinion, the more contemporary martial arts like Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing and Wrestling are a great deal better when it comes to conditioning and realistic self defense.

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At King of the Ring Martial Arts, I only offer martial arts programs that works in a real life situation which can also be modified for the ring or cage if sport is your goal. Learn more on what I offer here

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What does the training sessions cover?

 

I will start by teaching you all the CORRECT fundamentals of the martial arts of your choice - Stances, Footwork, Offensive techniques such as punches, kicks, knees, elbows or weapons to strike an attacker and defensive techniques to defend from an attacker. My training sessions are a vigorous workout and produces tremendous cardiovascular endurance (which is great for those who are doing martial arts for fitness reasons). Practitioners will learn all techniques, mostly practiced by striking padded targets. There are no forms in my programs, rather, other more realistic and "dynamic" forms of training are used. "Thai pad" training is the cornerstone of my martial arts conditioning that involves practicing all your striking techniques. 

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Do you need to be in shape to begin?

No not at all. I will get you into shape, after all that's a big reason why many take up martial arts training in the first place! 

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Am I fit enough?

The only way to answer this question is to simply come and try a session with me. However, fitness is different for everyone, so I allow people to work as hard as they want to. I appreciate any effort and try to make sure that everyone gets a workout that suits them.

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How long will it take to get good?

It all depends on how often you train and how dedicated you are. Being a 1on1 format of training, most students will see a noticeable difference in their fitness and technical ability within a few weeks of training with me. 

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Am I too young?

You can never start too early. I was conditioning my kids a few weeks after birth :). I run various types of classes, which suit all ages. So there is something for everyone.

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Am I too old?

The session atmosphere is friendly and open, which allows people of all ages to work at their own pace and ability. I will try to push you to just below your limits and make continued progression from session to session.

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What do I wear and what gear do I need?

I don't have a traditional uniform as such. For starters, just wear some comfortable t-shirt and shorts/workout clothes. If you choose to train in a uniform, you can purchase King of the Ring Martial Arts apparel to train in. I carry a line of high quality apparel. 

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I also highly recommend that you invest into buying your own gear (gloves, wraps, skipping rope). There are many benefits to having your own gear. For starters, you won't have to endure smelling the charming odour and feeling previous students sweat from the community gloves I have here.

You can get all my gear from Here. 

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Can I train with you if I am already training in a different style of Martial Art?

If you're already training in some form of Martial Art that's great. You can use what you learn with me to compliment what you're already doing. You can incorporate what you learn at King of the Ring Martial Arts into your current Martial Art to boost it's effectiveness. 

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Can your training help me in other sports?

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Absolutely! If your goal is to improve your fitness conditioning, then I suggest you start with Muay Thai. Muay Thai training is a great cross training activity you can incorporate into your current training program for what ever sport you play. Muay Thai has been proven to be the toughest training for any sport in existence today. There are so many benefits you can gain from training in Muay Thai. Muay Thai training will definitely make you a better athlete all round.

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Will martial arts training engender a violent nature in my child?

In fact, he or she will learn quite the opposite kind of values. Young martial artist are noticeably more calm, reasonable and ready to negotiate than their unsporting peers, and much less prone to violence outside of training. 

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My child is already training in another style of Martial Arts. Can my child still train in MMA?

Absolutely! You can use MMA to compliment what you're already doing. MMA training is a great companion to boost the effectiveness of another style of Martial Arts. Especially if your child is currently training is a classical style of martial arts. But from experience, every child that trains with me has never gone back to their previous martial art style they were training in. 

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My programs are geared primarily upon realistic fighting techniques. Too many schools today teach dated, ineffective techniques that simply won't work with a live opponent. The sad fact is that most martial arts schools fit this description. The last thing you want is to spend years at such a school and come away with a very expensive false sense of security and self-confidence.