Ninjutsu Uncovered

We have always taught our girls and all of the children at the AFC to not tolerate bullies, what are the signs to look out for when you think you are being bullied. So, we were very surprised when Erin came in complaining about girls in her year, this is a group of so-called IT girls that think they have some sort of rule over the other kids in the year. When you drift your mind back to your school days, you all knew who the girls were, and even now you will still put them in that category, times have not changed. I was a quiet lad that loved school, I would run straight across the field to get a quick game of tennis football before the bell, I enjoyed my classes, football again at break and loved school dinners. But because I was quiet I became the target of bullies, they would do the usual things, throw insults and other things at me, shove me and generally try to break my fun-loving spirit for their own enjoyment; It gave them a feeling of power over people. They tried to rule by

When do we lose our full range of motion? Watch a baby/toddler move, see how natural their movements are, they crawl, turnover, squat and are generally bendy little things. I love studying how they move, balance, and strengthen themselves via movement. As a child we take movement for granted when we run around skip and climb on things, we don’t notice that we start stiffing up and become less agile, we lose our range of motion. As an example, I can go through a stretch routine with my kickboxing class and I can hear them stretch, with lots of grunts, puffing and panting that go along with the movements like a commentary of stretching. I love it when people start encouraging themselves to stretch and talk themselves through the movement “Come on Julie you can do it!” it is like your inner coach coming out and spurring you on while you stretch. This inner coach gets annoyed at you if you can’t “What you can’t touch your toes?” then starts to guide you to the task in hand “Just a little

“My shoulder hurts, they hit hard, my fingers hurt, they hit me” all these statements and many more is what I hear as I walk around teaching martial arts. Pad work is a skill that a lot of people overlook they think of it as being put in goal when you were a kid when the two pots and in rule was applied. Meaning when you scored two goals you went into goal until someone scored two goals past you; funny how bad you get as a goal keeper when it is your turn in the nets. Then you are back out pretending to be Keegan or Shearer. Most people want to do the punching side of pad work but as you progress in your martial arts you will somehow end up holding pads. Pad work is used in many arts to develop technique, power, timing, rhythm and focus, sometimes pads are even referred to as focus mitts as that is what you must do, focus. The role as pad man is to make the puncher get better, smoother, and more accurate with their striking so that they can strike better when sparring and fighting. Th

Bob Sykes and Paul Barnett of M.A.I magazine have run the Martial Arts show for the past 3 years, but this year was going to be the best ever, and I wanted to be there. Bill Wallace, Benny the Jet Urquidez and Brian Jacks were all going to be there along with a host of amazing martial artists at the Doncaster Dome. I was gearing up and getting myself excited, like a kid going to Disney world when disaster struck; my knee locked out. I have had a reoccurring injury where my knee sprains and locks out, so I can’t bend it, walk well and definitely not train well. I had tried to ignore the pain for a little while doing all my stretches and even put my knee brace on to try and keep my knee from locking, but one week before the show my knee locked out at the end of my Saturday classes to the point that I could not remove my brace. Sunday was no fun at all I had rest it, ice it, and then have a hot water bottle on it overnight along with pain killers, and anti-inflammatory tablets which I pr

Standing in the gym was as surreal moment that was shattered by the 15/16 years old I was just about to teach boxing to! I had stood in that very same spot not knowing the path my life would take until I returned to this place, this school, and this gym. When I was 15 I had already begun my martial arts journey, travelling to Darlington every Thursday to train for 3 hours and then practice what I learned in this gym of St Anselms RC high school (now St. Thomas More) at the youth club every Monday and Wednesday evening. Myself and my friend Peter would get the mats out, roll, do wristlocks or try to remember Kamae No Kata and run around like real ninjas. My life was already planned, I was going in the Junior leader, I had passed the tests and was due to go in a week after finishing school. I did this, but during a particular hard assault course I tore my pectoral muscles; After being in hospital in Aldershot I was medically discharged due to my age but would be allowed to return at a l

In the back of every comic book I read as a kid they had this slogan with a set of pictures showing a bully kicking sand in the face of a scrawny lad. Then the next picture he found the miracle chest expander and in no time at all he was a muscular hunk with two girls on his arm, with the bully gobsmacked in the background; as a teenager I fell for this completely. Few people know I was born six weeks premature and had to be fed every two hours (somethings never change), and I was always skinny as a rake, this was mainly due to me running everywhere playing football and riding my bike (for the younger readers please google these activities). As I got into my teens I was still very thin but wanted to put on muscle, even at school I used the multi gym that much that my teacher Mr Dowson asked to set up a new one. I had a pack run I would do every Sunday, once I got my pack on I would run about 3 -4 miles, and then have a bag work out, with every song on my cassette player going along wi

Newcastle has just had its first Film Festival, which was great for city, the arts and film making. When reading the films that were being shown I came across my friend Geoff Thompson’s short film Romans 12:20 and that they were doing a Q & A about it afterwards. I waited with anticipation for the release date for the tickets and paid it straight away, I wanted to go on my own because people always say put me down or they would definitely go but let you down at the last minute; so, I went with me, myself and I. What I have learned over the years is that if you are wanting to do something do it don’t wait for others just go for it yourself. Kerry dropped me off at The Biscuit Factory, on the outskirts of Newcastle, a place I drive past every day for work but had never been in. I was ushered down the back of the building to the Biscuit Rooms and went into a very contemporary building with ironically no biscuits on offer, but they did serve Guinness that was not bad in my opinion. F

Normally little Nev, our King Charles Cavalier gets three walks per day. I normally take him for his morning walk as lying on my legs or he jumps off the bed and sits staring at me until I give in and get up! I shove my old joggers on, that Nev has chewed my pocket away since he was a puppy and off we go. During the walk I stretch my body with my mind and try to work out what is sore today, then I mentally and physically soften it to make it easier to go on with my day! Kerry normally does the mid-day walk but sometimes I go to work a little later and get to take Nev out. But when I do, I seem to clock watch and seem too pre-occupied with the timings and not the walk or Nev. Having worked unusual hours for years in factories, pubs and at the gym you would think I would have gotten used to waiting to do something but sometimes it plays on your mind. Waiting to go to a fight show knowing it is going to be stressful, you sit around waiting to go for hours before not resting, you don’t

Who doesn’t love a nanna nap, where you just drift off into sleep with no cares in the world. Having a nap is lovely, but what happens when you feel you can drift off at any time? Since my nose had been broken in three different places (never go to those places again) my snoring was reaching a peak and after countless ‘discussions ‘during the night with Kerry I went to the doctors to see what they could do about it (before Kerry killed me in my sleep). I was beginning to wonder as she was watching documentaries about true crimes and how to commit the perfect murder… To my surprise I was told it is not my nose or my asthma it was sleep apnoea. I was given an online test to do with the doctor and as I was always good with tests I score 19 out of 23 which is good for a test but not for sleep apnoea. Kerry had to fill a questionnaire in because she would be able to tell the signs and fill in the blanks so to speak. I was feeling very tired and could nod off nearly anywhere; even when Ke

When amazing Tina Turner made the brave decision to leave her abusive husband Ike, to everyone’s amazement she only wanted to keep her name; that she did, and her star has shone bright because of that decision every since. When Jonny Cash song about “a boy named Sue” the father in the song meeting his son after settling their differences in a blood and dirt all out fight told him he gave him the name to make him grow up tough because he new he would not be around to guide him into manhood. People have always been impressed, honoured, frightened, and ridiculed by names. Through the centuries names have struck fear in the masses by even the whisper of Genghis khan, Hitler, and Jack the Ripper; evil people that could strike fear into millions by their mere mention. In a poll a few years ago (not a man from eastern Europe) came up with the results that Jesus, Ali and Elvis were the most popular people worldwide. I have always amazed me that people may not know you, but they assume things a

Years ago, when I saw people warm up, I used to think that will not happen to me; as they complained about everything. Fast-forward to the present day, were I am just rehabilitating my shoulder that was partly dislocated last year and I did not know (It had jumped out and back in during a pad work class and had rolled forward and my traps and frontal deltoid had been holding it up until I stopped at Christmas). When I went to my chiropractor he told me it was out, but my muscles were keeping it up, so I have spent all of Christmas and new year in pain trying to get my shoulder back in place but to do that I must stretch and rest my shoulder; easier said than done when you have my kind of lifestyle. Sometimes you don’t realise you are in pain until you rest because you keep doing the same actions day in day out until you physically can’t move. When you do rest you seem to be in more pain than you were before you stopped, not very fair it seems. You must go through the painful light str

When your life feels like it wants to change, and you try, and try to make it happen, but it feels like a slow burning ember fuse that is attached to a 105-round firework; yes, that feeling. I know the problem and it is me! I may come over as a cheeky, fun loving character but there is a shy boy that sometimes does not let the cheeky part of me out. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy (can’t we all be at times). I do struggle with my own mind when it comes to bigging myself up, firstly thinking who am I to give advice on martial arts and self-protection, secondly who is going to listen. Then I give myself a swift mae keri and try to push forward. I have embraced the world of media were the whole world can be reached from your smart phone, but I feel like a pre-historic man in a digital age. My blog (which you are reading) has changed my view of myself from being a timid very insular character in my teens, to a confident writer that loves to express myself through the written word. I ha

Nev loves chasing leaves, catching, and tearing them apart as we go for a walk; this is his best season, he loves leaves. I was thinking about the life journey of a leaf as I look at an overly excited King Charles Cavalier run around in a sea of leaves like a kid in a ball pit, then coming out shattered and panting; and that is just the kids. When you see the buds just coming out on the branches they look so fragile but with so much potential just as we see a little baby born with everything waiting for it and a whole life ahead. As the bud grows you see it grow into a little leaf perfectly formed and making the tree seem that it has just put its clothes on after the winter months cold and barren, looking unloved and isolated. As the leaf grows bigger in late spring and early summer it is like watching children grow in size and character in equal measure, and the personality comes out. The leaf’s colour is vibrant, strong, and full of life. So as the leaf goes into full summer it blo