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Hour four of this MMA Personal Training ground ’n pound course proved to be an intensive and enlightening session as we delved into various half-guard defences, which are crucial for any fighter looking to enhance their grappling skills in mixed martial arts. The focus of this training was on several key positions: deep half-guard, knee-shield, Z-guard, and classic half-guard. Each of these positions presents unique challenges and opportunities, making them essential componen

The third hour of my client’s first Muay Thai Personal Training course continued our work in the clinch. Our lesson integrated all the main knee strikes from the previous classes: spear knees, curve knees and introduced the horizontal knee. I also worked more on other arm positions in the clinch, such as the body locks.

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.

In Muay Thai, sparring isn’t merely about throwing punches and kicks; it’s a clever dance of strategy that requires quick thinking and adaptability. To make my private lessons more engaging and boost my client's tactical skills, I recently introduced an exciting sparring method. Using a simple app, we rolled a die in secret before each of our nine 3-minute sparring rounds. The number determined our focal technique for that round.

My client continued his MMA Ground Fighting Private Lesson Course today with a focus on the turtle position. This is an especially dangerous position in MMA, although a lot of effective attacks from it have been developed.

13.10.2025 My couple clients' eighth hour of their Submission Grappling Private Lesson course continued their work in the turtle position. We began with a few rounds of specific sparring attacking and defending the position, where I brought in a technique known as the Peruvian necktie. Focus On Targeting The Front Of The Turtle Position (Submission Grappling Private Lesson) For the majority of this Submission Grappling Private Lesson course, we have been mainly defending and

10.10.2025 Fighting Southpaws: Boxing Private Lesson My senior client's sixth hour of his latest boxing class continued our footwork training with tactics on how to fight against southpaws in an orthodox stance. Orthodox vs Southpaw stances Understanding The Conventional Southpaw Strategy Serious southpaw fighters have one large advantage over their orthodox opponents: they are statistically far more familiar with facing orthodox fighters than orthodox fighters are with facin

My client's second hour of private kickboxing lessons brought us onto the round kick. He cross-trains a different discipline in a regular club where round kicks are delivered in the savate/karate/taekwondo style. The Thai round kick, which is the type I teach in the CCMA Kickboxing course is distinctly different.

08.10.2025 Me demonstrating a spinning back kick on a strike shield In martial arts, especially Muay Thai, the path to improvement is both exciting and demanding. Each lesson offers a chance to polish techniques, enhance skills, and try out new strategies. Recently, during a private lesson, I focused on refining a critical technique for my client—the spinning back kick. This post will explore the key aspects of mastering this move, the challenges encountered, and the strategi

The second lesson of my evening was the second hour of my client's MMA ground-fighting course.

Me demonstrating a sweep from a curve knee in the clinch at a Vagabond Warriors Seminar I gave for Forest Karate School in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, UK. My demonstration partner is Daragh Breathnach, Wing Tsun teacher from Naven, Ireland. 07.10.2025 As with my lesson on Friday, my client was introduced to curve knees, which have an important place in the Thai clinch. This clients is onto the second hour of his first Muay Thai private course with me, his third marti

My senior client is on hour five of his course with me. Every other lesson he switches from Boxing to weight training. Boxing covers his cardiovascular training. This session looks to hit all the major muscle groups using the "big three" lifts in a tri-set and also focuses on achieving my client's goal to perform a set of pull-ups.

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.

03.10.2025 My teacher client from Cotswold Karate School returned for the ninth hour of his course. We are onto his second lesson of Thai clinch. During this class we looked a few flow drills to get him used to throwing knee strikes and breaking posture as well as defending them. The curved knee is especially relevant here. Curved knees, although usually less powerful than spear knees, are probably more common in a typical clinch. This is due to both nak muays keeping their h

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.

Hour five of my senior client's private Boxing course finished his footwork specific training on the L and V-steps. These techniques are particularly effective for defensive fighters who can move out of range and then return in a more advantageous position.

My client's 1.5 hour Muay Thai class wasn't originally planned to focus on this aspect of training, but it came out in our first round of sparring.

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.