Diary / Training Notes

Hour seven of my senior personal training course means that my client back onto strength and conditioning. As in previous classes, we stuck to the formula of using the big three lifts and a progressive pull-up routine. 

My client from Hostlebro Taekwondo Klub in Denmark concluded his three-part teacher consultancy course with me on the ecological dynamics/constraints-led approach to teaching martial arts. The purpose of our course has been to help him write a dissertation for his next black belt grade focusing on this method of training. We have gone into detail various problems that the approach can solve and how much it redefines such core concepts as technique. In order to maintain our sc

18.10.2025 Here are a selection of photos from the recent Animal Instincts Children's Self-Protection Teaching Programme - "Bear" (11-16 year-olds) Complete Physical Skills Syllabus.

My client started his new course with me: MMA Ground Fighting. We have finally circled back to this area after dedicating an entire course to Shoot Boxing. The lesson consists of a series of 3-minute rounds and sometimes 5-minute rounds of themed sparring. Sometimes these are constraints-led whereas others a bit more general. Future lessons will also highlight certain techniques, especially submissions.

My client teacher from Hostlebro Taekwondo Klub in Denmark continued his remote training with me. We are covering the application of ecological dynamics to his classes, which is being covered in a project set for one of his black belt grades. Last lesson, after a discussion on how to introduce the approach and various ideas for topics to approach, I asked my client to come back with a series of problems for me to answer.

Having finished his 10-hour kickboxing course, my client began Muay Thai in earnest this week, and we started everything with the basics on the clinch.

My senior client returned for the fourth hour of his current course. We alternating between Boxing lessons and resistance work.

My couple clients are on the sixth hour of their new Submission Grappling/Ground fighting course. We are keeping our focus on attacking and defending from the turtle position. In line with the decisions made at the conclusion of last week's class tonight's training was all about gaining more experience sparring from this position.

My teenage client began his kickboxing course on Thursday evening. He has completed his boxing course, and we decided this was the best bridge between boxing and Muay Thai.

My 1.5 hour private client took a break from sparring in this lesson and we decided to take a look at his technique through the lens of heavy bag and focus mitt training. We used the following 3-minute rounds:

The final hour of my client's 10-hour Kickboxing course focused on handling southpaws. We used the strategy of keeping the lead foot on the outside and leading with rear hand. The proximity to an opponent offered by this position allows for faster delivery of teeps and rear hand straights. Meanwhile, the outside techniques have to be adapted to up-jabs, question mark uppercuts, hooks, lead over hands and outside round kicks.

In the world of submission grappling, mastering the turtle position can significantly influence the outcome of a match. During our fifth hour of training with my clients, we took a close look at this position, honing in on weight sensitivity and distribution. This session was not only about learning the mechanics of the turtle position but about grasping the nuances that can either lead to victory or leave an opening for a counterattack.

This afternoon's class focused on isolating footwork training, specifically the shift step.

Tonight, I had the pleasure of running the first of three teaching consultation sessions for my client from the Hostlebro Taekwondo Klub in Denmark. This session focused on enhancing his black belt essay paper. Given the geographical distance between us—me in the UK and him in Denmark—he chose my remote learning option. This flexibility allows me to teach students worldwide, provided they have a Wi-Fi connection.

My senior client is on the second session of a three-day training block (yesterday he began hour one of this particular 10-hour course).

My teenage client's Boxing course concluded on Thursday. We looked at southpaw strategies and tactics, and how an orthodox fighter should address them.

10.09.2025 With just a day left before I conduct my special two-hour private lesson for the teachers of Hinnerup Karate and Zanshin...

I returned to teach the second and final part of my course on managing social violence at the 'On' shop in Bicester Village. All my courses are bespoke in nature, meaning I can tailor the material and training to suit the needs of the store. My mandate was to teach de-escalation strategies, tactics, and techniques, as this is the most obvious problem members of staff face.

05.09.2025 This morning my client from Cotsworld School of Karate continued working with me on his knee strikes. What we did very much a...

03.09.2025 My 1.5 hour client focused on using and handling the long-guard in Muay Thai and we also did some hamstring strength training. Next week I am booked to teach a special two-hour session to my friends from Hinnerup Karate in Denmark who are visiting my gym as part of their training tour. I have been asked to address the long-guard and therefore, saw this to be a perfect time to work with my longest running client and solve the problem. We sparred for 10 x 10-min