Ninjutsu - in the shadows for self-protection

New path! Hi there good you found me this is to be my new home for my blog, it is all exciting and new (in other words I have had a few problems sorting this out!) Firstly I would like to thank Sue Warton (Blog editor for Martial News) for helping me stay on the web as she said it would be a shame to stop a good thing! I agree I love doing these blogs and ranting about one thing or another it is like a form of therapy (the other form is punching people!) wait I do both!! Speaking of the latter, no I have not stopped training or given up martial arts (I am not in a cave meditating) as some people think, I just have to teach in a way that does not require me to be in so much pain and discomfort. It will take a while to stop joining in the fun and at the moment some thinks that I love the most I can’t do (like sit ups and groundwork) much to my frustration, but I will work round it and eventually get back to doing everything I like to do but with more of a measure of restraint. People keep pointing out that I am old and as I write this I am midway through Movember, I am growing a beard on behalf of cancer research and seemed to have caused quite a stir with my photos , as each day I have a photo taken and what started out as just a photo reference to prove I am doing it has degenerated into photos in the bath , me VS the hulk and many for things , it is also proven I have a gay following ( hello Sweetie xx ) and I may be doing a calendar shoot at some point in time! What this manly proves to me that you are all as mad as me! I thank you from the bottom of my heart and hope to raises some money for a really good cause! Speaking of mad things that happen I was party to one of the biggest cover ups and Miss-direction since the JFK assassination. Unbeknown to me a party had been organised by my lovely but devious wife Kerry , my daughters Molly and Erin , my family ,friends and AFC gym members . When I walked through the door to be greeted by nearly 200 faces was one of the most humbling moments of my life and in true hero fashion I burst into tears! The night was a blur of faces and chatting and had an amazing feeling to be part of such a great night as I said in my speech all I wanted was a gym where all arts could train together without politics or the bullshit of what art is better! It is hard to believe half way across the world the first UFC was being fought at the same time! All I can say is my work here is done! I am very proud how far the AFC has come in the time it has been open and as they say the best is yet to come. As I try my best to always look on the bright side (of life ta du ta du….) and my guiding light and soul mate Kerry tells me when I am spiralling down in the dumps, but as they say you have to have highs and lows to make the highs better! We are fixing the AFC up at the moment ,changing the changing rooms around ,much to the confusion of the men, as the men’s changing room was the women’s and the woman’s has moved !! some of the men keep saying it feels wrong going into the changing room ( I have been trying to stop them for years!) but at least we have got a handle on the men’s former habit of trying to get changed with the changing room door open ! (Something’s you should just not see in public) I am still surprised at the number of men that wear super hero Pants! In the past month or so it has been all hands on deck as we have matted the full main training area out with 40 mm Mats, a crack construction team fixed together a boxing ring like a boy’s toy day (they were so excited) they made up something about just checking everything was there, because Kerry told us in no uncertain terms “Do not but the ring up until we have painted” then they volunteered me to tell her! Kerry was ok about it (phew) it has been put to good use and everyone feels like rocky when they go in it. There is still more to fix so I think Santa is going to think that Christmas smells of paint (at the gym) but going into the New Year we will have over 2000sq foot of training area with matting and fight areas, a boxing ring to learn Ring craft and the infamous AFC scrap pack cage where champions are made. The first of the BCA course will be available on DVD by Christmas (a great stocking filler) I am mid-way on my self- protection book and have plans for a second book about my life (it’s all me me me) there is also plans to go into the app business to help get the word out there and the launch of the new AFC web site, all in all the best is yet to come for the AFC. Come with me on a new path, it is going to be fun! Until next time Play nice John Atkin