Clubb Chimera

Image via Wikipedia “Learn from the experienced, not from the learned” – Anonymous Since the nineteenth century, streets have been patrolled by organised police forces employed to uphold the laws of the land designed to protect the innocent. Yet the civilised human being is still drawn to combat whether it is as a system of self-protection, a form of stress relief or a method to keep healthy. There is something appealing about the visceral look and feel of ordered violence. […]

Image via Wikipedia “I saw you beat him like no other man’s been beat before and the man kept on coming after you. We don’t want any part of a man like that” – Rocky II (1978) In the epic medieval poem Le Morte D’Arthur, King Arthur battles his treacherous son, Mordred, who has tried to usurp his throne. Arthur confronts Mordred and thrusts his spear through his son’s body. However, before falling to the ground dead, Mordred strikes a […]

“Follow not in the footsteps of the masters, but rather seek what they sought” – Basho “One of the most devastating arts to come out of Asia is that of Muay Thai. This lethal martial art is dedicated to pure fighting.” – Peter Lewis “The Way to the Martial Arts” Image via Wikipedia There is little doubting the ferocity of an average full contact Muay Thai or Thai Boxing bout. The sport, when under full Thai rules, is one of […]

Image via Wikipedia “Follow not in the footsteps of the masters, but rather seek what they sought” – Basho “One of the most devastating arts to come out of Asia is that of Muay Thai. This lethal martial art is dedicated to pure fighting.” – Peter Lewis “The Way to the Martial Arts” There is little doubting the ferocity of an average full contact Muay Thai or Thai Boxing bout. The sport, when under full Thai rules, is one of […]

Image via Wikipedia It’s a sad day when you realise you’ve outgrown your once respected seniors. I began my martial arts training in earnest at age 14 in an eclectic system called Sakiado (way of the body and mind). The system was taken from UKTA (ITF) Taekwondo and American Kickboxing. The style was fairly basic and limited, using a western boxing stance and punching combinations with Taekwondo’s other techniques. Sakiado was certainly a business (no harm in that), but not […]

Image via Wikipedia “To know the outcome, look to the root. Study the past to know the future.” Lieh-tzu South Africa: a country of incredible beauty often over-shadowed by its much-publicised scenes of brutality and political unrest. It is land of magnificent landscapes that can be seen from miles around. Impressive rugged regions like the famous Valley of a Thousand Hills dwarf even the largest of equivalents in Britain, and its striking coastlines border the magnificent Indian Ocean. I visited […]