Diary / Training Notes

Teaching self-protection to individuals with autism and learning difficulties presents unique challenges. Standard self-protection programmes often overlook the specific needs of this group, making it harder for them to benefit fully. A tailored approach that respects their learning style and sensory sensitivities can make a significant difference. This post explores how bespoke training techniques can help individuals with autism build confidence, awareness, and practical sk

Hinnerup Karate in Denmark booked me for an end of year remote Remote Online Boxing Lesson. I am training their teachers to teach the fundamentals of Boxing, Kickboxing and Muay Thai to their students as part of their cross-training curriculum. This morning we looked at creating angles and working out of corners.

The morning of Christmas Eve saw my client from New York conclude his intensive Muay Thai course with me. Today was the fourth consecutive day of 2-hour training.

This blog describes the third set of 2-hour lessons in my client's four lesson intensive course programme over the festive period. My client is brand new to CCMA, having studied Muay Thai in New York City for just less than a year at two different gyms. Whilst visiting relatives for Christmas and New Year he decided to book in eight hours of private training with me. So far he has covered two hours of teep work and two hours of round kicks. During this lesson I helped, yet ag

Hitting the fifth hour of my couple clients' 10-hour MMA Personal Training course brought us to two interesting evolutions of the shoot-boxing phase (effectively all stand-up MMA) and finished off this year's training.

This is the second session of a series of four 2-hour lessons for my client from the United States. He has scheduled an intensive course with me during the holiday period from December 21st to 24th. Yesterday, we focused on teeps. Today, a long-term client joined us to assist in developing round kicks.

Starting sparring can feel overwhelming, especially for someone who has trained for over a year but never stepped into a sparring session. On Sunday, I began a focused, four-day intensive course with a new client visiting from New York City. This course, running from December 21st to 24th, consists of four private, two-hour lessons designed to introduce sparring through engaging, game-based drills. The goal for this Muay Thai Personal Training course was to build confidence

My client started her second lesson in this Boxing Personal Training course. Having gone through self-protection and cross-training discussions in the previous lesson, she has settled on Boxing as a base art and hopefully will pursue a self-protection seminar next year.

This morning saw the fourth lesson of my Karate teacher client's Martial Arts Teacher Training course on elbow strikes in Muay Thai. My mandate is to teach him how elbow strikes are used in Thai Boxing and also how they might contribute towards his karate teaching.

What better way to finish my client's 10-hour course in Muay Thai and this year's personal training than with a throwing of the die game. If you are a regular reader of my blog lesson reports, you will be aware that my most experienced client has used this method over several lessons. This was also part of my recent Kickboxing workshop. The concept is to roll a die or dice through a phone app in secret and then match up the number you have thrown with the corresponding number

Tonight’s lesson introduced Freestyle Wrestling to our MMA Shoot Boxing course. Rounds pitted boxing techniques against shooting for the legs with both participants wearing MMA gloves. This form of asymmetrical shoot-boxing is excellent preparation for negotiating these two ranges in Mixed Martial Arts.

Meeting a new client eager to start a fresh martial arts journey always brings energy to my day. Recently, I had a trial martial arts personal training lesson with someone who had earned a black belt in Taekwondo two decades ago.

As I previously discussed in this particular kickboxing personal training course, these lessons can be used as a bridge between Boxing and Muay Thai. My new client, now on his fourth lesson with me, came from several months of Boxing personal training and was keen to explore kickboxing. He may choose to stick with this particular combat sport. However, the way I developed this course was as a means for training the out-boxing side of Muay Thai...

Teaching boxing remotely presents unique challenges, especially when introducing complex techniques like the hook. Recently, I continued my online remote martial arts teacher training with the leaders of Hostlebro Taekwondo Klub in Denmark, focusing on integrating the hook into their boxing skills. This post shares the step-by-step approach I used, combining revision, sparring games, and focused drills to help students discover and master the hook effectively.

During my recent online martial arts teaching consultancy with Drum Martial Arts and Fitness in Ireland, we explored fresh approaches to address these challenges. Their updated strategy focuses on categorizing training types and using gamification and context to help students learn more effectively. I want to share insights from our discussion that can help martial arts instructors and online clients improve their teaching methods.

Tonight my client of over 11 years went back to some more constraints-led sparring to enhance his Muay Thai. Our previous lessons have mainly been holistic in nature with the emphasis being more on strategies and tactics. Now it was time to see how he had improved in when isolating the various ranges and weapons in Muay Thai.

Two men practising kickboxing, one in black kicking, other in orange blocking. "Kickboxing in MMA" text, logo, and "Latest Blog" banner visible.

Muay Thai fighters clinching in a training session with blurred black and red background. Text: Latest Blog, Countering After the Clinch.

When training for MMA, one of the most challenging ranges to master is the stand-up and clinch area, often called shoot-boxing. This range demands a unique blend of striking and grappling skills. Recently, I worked with a couple of clients in their MMA personal training sessions, focusing on this exact skill set. We combined the punching precision of boxing with the control and grip fighting of Greco-Roman wrestling. This approach not only improved their technique but also he

Round kicks are a powerful weapon in kickboxing, offering reach, speed, and impact. Yet, many beginners struggle to use them smoothly and effectively during sparring or self-defense situations. This post breaks down a practical approach to integrating round kicks into your kickboxing personal training sessions. The drills and sparring rounds described here focus on building flow, timing, defense, and creativity with round kicks, helping you develop a more complete striking ga