Links

The sites recommended may change; we can provide no warranty for their content.

www.geoffthompson.com

Geoff Thompson made violence his profession working as a doorman in some of Britain’s roughest nightclubs. He is one of the most recognised martial arts figures of this century with some twenty best-selling books on the contemporary role of martial arts to his name.

www.peterconsterdine.com

Peter Consterdine, a 8th Dan Black Belt in karate, has over 35 years experience in the martial arts. A former Great Britain and England International, and a professional bodyguard, he is acknowledged as one of the country’s leading experts in self-protection.

www.mikeliptrot.com

Mike Liptrot is one of the UK's leading Judo coaches. Mike Liptrot started training in Judo at the age of 6, in 1969. From the age of 13 Mike began training under Tony Macconnell; who was the British team manager at the time. Mike was a member of the British team for 10 years and won medals all over Great Britain and Europe. In the 1980s Mike trained full time at the renowned Judo centre in Kendal and he now teaches full time at the new Kendal dojo. Iain Abernethy studies Judo under Mike Litrot and Iain highly recommends Mike to all those wishing to learn functional throwing and grappling.

www.completeselfprotection.com

The website of Alan Peasland and CSP (Complete Self Protection). CSP was founded to bring a new dimension to the world of Martial Arts and Self Defence. Focusing on the latest self defence techniques and concepts, CSP provides a fun and efficient way of learning effective skills that can better equip you to protect yourself and your loved ones in the event of a violent confrontation. More importantly, CSP training methods encourage self discovery and enable you to better understand how you manage stressful and fearful situations. Improved motivation and self awareness combined with increased self-discipline and self-control will give you the confidence to chase your dreams and turn them into successes.

www.danandersonkarate.com

Professor Anderson is the director and chief instructor of Dan Anderson Karate and has a 7th Degree Black Belt in Karate, a 6th Degree Black Belt (Senior Master) in Filipino Modern Arnis, and an 8th Degree Black Belt in MA-80. He is a 4 time national karate champion, having won over 70 Grand Titles! He has been honoured by inclusion into the Karate Living Legends, a lifetime achievement honour, being one of the 50 most influential martial artists in the 40 year history of tournament karate. Prof. Anderson has authored a number of books covering Karate sparring, Modern Arnis, disarming techniques, joint-locks, weaponless fighting techniques, etc. Professor Anderson's books are highly recommended!

www.johnskillen.com

John Skillen is one of the UK's leading martial artists and a legendary (ex-) streetfighter / doorman. John has trained extensively with Geoff Thompson, Peter Consterdine and a host of other world-renowned instructors. He has trained in the martial arts for over 30 years: Greco Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling, Black belt Kickboxing, Black Sash Kung Fu, Black belt Judo, A.B.A Coach, B.C.A full Coach, Former National Judo champion, Former Amateur Boxer, and over 20 years involvement with nightclub and venue security.

www.black-eagle.co.uk

Black Eagle Karate Gi's are excellent! Teaching as many seminars as I do, I spend a lot of time in a Gi and hence I needed something comfortable and reliable. The quality of the custom embroidery is also superb and really looks the business! Black Eagle provide the Gi's I wear for seminars and they are highly recommended!

www.freestyleperformance.co.uk

Freestyle Performance specialises in functional Strength and Conditioning for all sporting disciplines. This is delivered through educational seminars and Coaching sessions for individuals or groups. FP takes an holistic approach to Strength and Conditioning and uses a variety of training methods to achieve results. FP is run by Andrew Adams who holds a 4th Dan in Karate and 1st Dan in Kendo.

www.johnbrawn.com

John Brawn is Ireland's leading self defence and self protection instructor. His courses and his website have been featured on TV3, The Gerry Ryan Show, The Irish Times and on Channel 4. Almost every national daily and Sunday paper has covered John's work. John gives seminars and workshops in subjects from self defence and fitness to assertiveness and body language throughout Ireland and the UK. His work is highly recommended.

Hard Target Self Defence Systems was founded by Aidan Carroll in 2005. The system is based on Aidan's real life experiences dealing with hostile people and situations. Aidan spent many years as a door supervisor in Dublin's night clubs and pubs. He combines these experiences with over 20 years of continuous training in various martial art and reality based systems. He provides regular classes throughout Ireland and delivers seminars and workshops worldwide.

www.chrisrowen.com

Shihan Chris Rowen, sixth dan, has a karate lineage which can be traced directly back to the fifteenth century. He has the honour and privilege of being one of the few westerners to be awarded a teaching certificate directly from the late legendary Grandmaster Yamaguchi Gogen, tenth dan in Goju­Ryu karate-do, having spent years studying at the Hombu Dojo in Japan. His studies led him to Okinawa where he studied Kobudo under the late master Akamine Etsuke and he is now in his fourth decade of martial arts training and teaching.

www.britishcombat.co.uk

The website of the British Combat Association. The BCA is the UK's leading multi-style association, with a specific slant towards close-quarter combat and self-protection. Peter Consterdine 8th Dan and Geoff Thompson 6th Dan are joint chief-instructors of this pioneering organisation.

www.summersdale.com

The website of Summersdale Publishers, who are the producers and publishers of Iain Abernethy's books and DVDs (a great firm made up of great people). Summersdale have a large selection of martial arts DVDs and they are also the publishers of books by Geoff Thompson, Peter Consterdine, and many other leading martial artists.

www.hybridmmaschool.com

Craig Strickland and Alex Cook - founders of Hybrid MMA School - are proud to present their knowledge there have gained in over 10 years of martial arts experience, as well as bringing you new ideas, techniques and drills. Together they have trained with, and competed against some of the world's greatest coaches and fighters in all areas of martial arts.

www.trainwiththebest.blogspot.com

The martial arts blog of Summersdale Publications and Productions! Summersdale are the leading company for martial arts books and DVDs and this blog will keep you up to date with all the latest happenings. The blog also contains contributions from many of the leading martial artists associated with summersdale. Well worth checking out!

www.nononsenseselfdefense.com

The website of Marc and Dianna McYoung. Superb website covering all aspects of no nonsense self-defence. Mr McYoung has extensive firsthand experience of what does and does not work for self-defence and his work is highly recommended.

WoMA.tv, or World of Martial Arts TV, is an on-line TV style video service screening everything you ever wanted to know about countless martial arts. Explore the roots of your favourite martial art: our great tv content includes programmes on philosophy, medicine, culture and spirituality. Make and share your own playlists, swapping warm-up techniques, exercises and tricks of the trade. Whatever your style and however you came here – through the fighting, the fusion of mind and body, or simply through the films – there's a community for you at WoMA.tv.

www.fightingfit.gb.com

FFMA (fighting fit martial arts) is a striking martial arts system that provides students with practical self protection, fitness development and sense of well being. The system uses numerous pad drills, sparring and a combination of fitness and strength exercises to enhance the students overall capabilities, general health and confidence. Two of the key players behind FFMA are Tony Terranova and Alan McDonald. Iain has trained alongside both men and their approach is highly recommended.

www.goju-karate.co.uk

The website of Gavin Mulholland and the London branch of Daigaku Karate Kai.Gavin has travelled extensively throughout Asia; training in Japan , Thailand , Indonesia and China in a variety of martial arts. Gavin was awarded the rank of Godan in 2002 by the one time student of E'ichi Miyazato, Shihan Rick Woodhams of the Okinawan Martial Arts Association. Kyoshi Kim of the Sobo Bukai No Kai subsequently awarded Gavin the title of 'Shihan'. Gavin has made several TV and film appearances, published numerous articles on the Martial Arts, and is a regular instructor for Meido Ltd, a company specialising in Bodyguard, Close Protection and Door Supervisor courses throughout the UK.

www.tkentnelson.com

This is the official web site for Sensei / Guro T. Kent Nelson. Owner & head instructor of the Kai Shin Kan Dojo out of Lansing, MI. U.S.A. Nelson has over twenty years of experience in the martial arts, studying a multitude of disciplines from a wide range of cultures including Japanese & Okinawan, Thai, Indonesian, Filipino, Brazilian, Malaysian, Chinese, and Korean. He also studies very closely with those who tech the Military and Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics. Within the walls of his school he teaches his own personal approach to martial arts in an empty-hand system he calls "Kai-Shin" (Open Mind) and a weapon system he refers to as "Armas-Kali" (Weapon Hand Motion). A big believer in both traditional & modern forms training, Nelson's seminars have proved very popular.

www.lwcbooks.com

Loren Christensen is the prolific author of 31 books and hundreds of articles on the martial arts, self-defense, law enforcement, nutrition, prostitution, and post traumatic stress disorder. His book On Combat, which he co-authored with Lt .Col. Dave Grossman, is mandatory reading at the United States War College in Washington, DC. Loren began his martial arts training in 1965, earning 10 black belts over the years, 7 in karate, 2 in jujitsu, and 1 in arnis. He is a retired police officer with 29 years experience in military and civilian law enforcement, where he specialized in street gangs, defensive tactics, and dignitary protection. Loren's website has links to his books, videos, and a sampling of interesting articles.

www.westseattlekarate.com

Since 1993, West Seattle Karate Academy has been providing instruction in Gojo-Ryu Karate and the martial arts in the Seattle , WA area. Instructors at this club include Kris Wilder & Lawrence Kane: coauthors of the superb book "The Way of Kata". Kris Wilder is also the author of "Lessons from the Dojo Floor". (Xlibris 2003) He started practicing the martial arts at the age of fifteen. Over the years, he has earned black belt rankings in three styles, Goju-Ryu karate (4th dan), tae kwon do (2nd dan), and judo (1st dan), in which he has competed in senior national and international tournaments. Lawrence Kane is the author of "Martial Arts Instruction" (YMAA 2004) and Surviving Armed Assaults (YMAA 2006). Over the last 30 or so years, he has participated in a broad range of martial arts. He has also completed seminars in modern gun safety, marksmanship, handgun retention and knife combat techniques, and he has participated in slow-fire pistol and pin shooting competitions. Since 1985 Lawrence has supervised employees who provide security and oversee fan safety during college and professional football games at a Pac-10 stadium. This job has given him a unique opportunity to appreciate violence in a myriad of forms.

www.combatbooks.co.uk

Combat Arts Archive specialises in new and second hand books and magazines connected with the Combat Arts including Asian Martial Arts, Weapons Systems, Boxing, Wresting, Fencing and Physical Culture as well as Histories, Technical, Instructional and Biographies.

www.d-a-r-t.org.uk

DART provides training in personal safety and confrontation management. DART is a physiology and psychology based training system designed to develop and enhance the necessary survival skills to negate, survive and escape violence. The DART training method is based upon combining practical fighting techniques with information gained from studies in physiology, psychology and violent crime. In addition to self protection courses DART is the home of Coach John Titchen's Heian Flow System method of training Karate bunkai and a resource for martial artists searching for articles on traditional and practical Karate training methods.

www.mushinkarate.com

This website of Mushin Karate association and Eric Forsythe. They are a family orientated group who train in Wado Ryu karate, are dedicated to paragmatic and applied karate with emphasis on kata bunkai and self protection. Mushin Karate are proud members of the British Combat Association. I highly recommend Eric and Mushin Karate to all those wanting to experience the genuine nature of karate.

www.jun-gifts.com

The website of JUN Japanese Gifts & Souvenirs. On this great site you can find items that are uniquely Japanese and Oriental. From custom made hanko (name stamps), kimono, yukata, and folding fans to geta sandals and noren curtains. This Japanese gift shop has been designed in such a way that visitors to this site can not only shop for Japanese culture-related items but also get a glimpse of everyday life in Japan through their "Culture Pages". Don't forget to pick up your free gifts on your way out! Highly recommended.

“Fighting Forms” is the name of the book and website of Matthew Miller. Matthew has trained with me on a one-on-one basis numerous times and runs his own training sessions on kata application. To help his students internalise the applications he teaches for Kushanku (Kanku-Dai) Matthew developed a two-man drill which involves performing the entire kata – progressing from the start to the end – with a partner. The Fighting Forms book records this two man drill. On the website you can download free sample pages and read articles by Matthew.

www.eskk.co.uk

The Eikoku Satori Karate-Do Kyokai is a karate research group based on the edge of the Western Lake District, England. Their emphasis lies in the application of what they describe as ‘Traditional Adaptable Karate' by seeking to uncover (in a pragmatic way) the functional aims of the art's original perceived intent and equating to the art's core principles and movements. Chris Denwood is the Chief Instructor of the E.S.K.K. The E.S.K.K attempts to help restore the malleability that the art originally held as a system to greatly improve self-protection skills, build a strong character and allow for greater personal expression. Iain regards Chris as one of the most thoughtful and analytical martial artists that he knows.

www.raynerslanetkd.com

The website of Rayners Lane Taekwon-do Academy and Stuart Anslow. Stuart and his school are well known in the martial arts (and Taekwon-do) world and this site features many videos, pictures and a wealth of unbiased information and articles on Taekwon-do and the art as it is meant to be. Stuart is also the author of "Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul" and a "Combat Hall of Fame" awardee.

www.russellstutely.co.uk

Russell Stutely is a renowned authority on kata bunkai and the combative use of acupressure points in the martial arts. Russell is in constant demand on the seminar circuit, teaching his proven methods of combat and the correct use of pressure points in kata bunkai and street applicable self-defence. Russell has also been involved in teaching self-defence to UK police forces. Russell's no-nonsense approach to combat has been enthusiastically endorsed by such renowned martial artists as Peter Consterdine, Geoff Thompson and former boxing champion Herol 'Bomber' Graham. All those who want to understand kata, and all those interested in learning how to make pressure points work when it counts need to check out Russell's work.

www.clubbchimera.com

The website of Clubb Chimera Martial Arts and Jamie Chipperfield Clubb. Jamie has studied a wide variety of martial arts and his engaging and insightful writing is regularly featured in the UK 's leading martial arts magazines. Clubb Chimera Martial Arts covers practical modern self-defence before going onto exploring the various martial arts systems.

www.huddersfieldcobras.co.uk

The website of Huddersfield Cobras Freestyle Karate Club. The Cobras have been around since 1999. They are a small family club, and have produced many success stories around the Huddersfield and Holmfirth areas. The chief instructor of this group is Richard Hardy, who is a long time regular of Peter Consterdine's Thursday morning “Training Day” sessions. Iain and Richard regularly train together at these sessions and Iain highly recommends Richard to all those seeking martial instruction

www.practical-martial-arts.co.uk

Excellent site with many highly informative articles on the practical application of many differing styles of martial art.

www.carlowwadokai.com

Carlow Wadokai has been in existance since 1976. Sensei Keating has trained in the wado system since 1971 (Temple Karate Centre, Birmingham ), under Sensei's Sakagami, Takamizawa and P. Suzuki. Sensei Keating is known for his study and teaching of wado karate self defence and kata bunkai jutsu. His extensive knowledge is widely respected. He is also a registered Fitness Consultant and Instructor (NCEF). He produced Irelands first ever (and to date 'only') fitness/aerobics DVD in 2004, which has sold out on two occasions. He has worked in the security industry for over 15 years. His experience as a 'high risk' security officer in previous contracts, has brought much practical and logical information into his teaching and research of wado karate jutsu. He is a member of the International Bodyguard Association. When not working at classes he works as a doorman in the night club scene.

www.inspiredfitness.co.uk

Inspired Fitness personal trainers are dedicated professionals who are passionate about achieving results. Personal training at your house or flat, garage or garden, office or park, no space is too big or too small. Don't worry if you don't have equipment your Inspired Fitness Personal Trainer brings fitness and fat loss to you with all the tools, knowledge and support needed to make "your space" the perfect exercise oasis. Inspired Fitness personal trainers create a personal exercise, nutrition and lifestyle program that is simple, enjoyable, and convenient part of your life.

www.koryu-uchinadi.com

Patrick McCarthy is recognised world wide as one of the foremost authorities on the civil fighting traditions of Okinawa. At 7th Dan, Kyoshi, he is one of the highest-ranking Westerners in the Dai Nippon Butokukai, Japan’s prestigious traditional martial arts organisation. A well-known historical researcher, instructor, and former tournament champion, Mr McCarthy is also the author of many illuminating books.

www.bushido-kai.net

Tony Annesi, a martial artist since 1964, has earned dan-ranks in judo, aiki-ju-jutsu and karate. He is chief officer of Bushido-Kai Kenkyukai, an organisation dedicated to the development of traditional martial arts in the modern world. Shihan Annesi has produced a number of very interesting videos and books on kata and their application, aiki-ju-jutsu and sogo budo (integrated martial arts).

www.hybridmixedmartialarts.co.uk

Hybrid Mixed Martial Arts are a group affiliated to the British Combat Association who emphasise 'self-protection' in the modern world. Not only do they cover the physical aspects of combat, but more importantly HMMA training also covers how to recognise and avoid potentially dangerous situations.

www.karateprinciples.com

'Basic Karate Principles: in search of the original martial art' is a book and website by Jorge F. Garibaldi. Whereas the classical karate book describes technique, 'Basic Karate Principles' unveils the underlying principles associated with body structure, stances, footwork, kata analysis, bunkai, target areas, principles of combat etc. In addition to providing further details on this great book, the website also allows you to download and study free filmed sequences.

www.chojinkai.com

The website of the Chojinkai Karate Assocaition and its Chief Instructor, Sensei Doug James 7th Dan WKF. Sensei James started training in 1967 and is regarded as one of Britain 's Senior and Most Respected Professional Instructors. He is currently a Senior World Referee with the WKF (The World Karate Federation) and a Board Director of the EKGB Ltd (The English Karate Governing Body).

www.eastlondonwadokai.co.uk

The web site of a small 'family' group of clubs who continue to train in Traditional Wado Ryu and are interested in broadening their knowledge in some aspects of other Martial Arts. Chief Instructor Eric Krappinger 5th Dan has nearly 30 years of experience in Karate. Ken Harrison 4th Dan organises regular In-House Seminars with Guest Instructors - such as Iain Abernethy who has been a regular since Eric & Ken first trained with Iain back in 2001

www.martialartsltd.co.uk

Website of ‘Martial Arts Illustrated’ Magazine

www.bushi.org.uk

Bridgwater Bushi Karate Club has been in existence for over 23 years. They offer expert tuition in Karate and self defense. They have our own dojo that is complete with all the facilities required for safe and comfortable training. Their main focus is Wado Ryu Karate and Self Defense courses. Sensei Andrew Daly has been training for over twenty two years and has been lucky enough to train all over the world. He lived in mainland China for a year and trained in Kung Fu near Canton and a blend of Karate and Kung Fu in Hong Kong . He moved back to the UK in 1996 and trained for two years in Shotokan and Freestyle Karate in Yorkshire ; this gave him a greater understanding of Karate, Kata Bunkai and Kumite. Iain Abernethy is a regular visitor to the dojo and highly recommends Andrew and his group.

www.netagents.co.uk

Net-Agents are the firm behind this website (all the good ideas are theirs!). I can't recommend them highly enough and endorse them without hesitation to anyone looking to set up a high quality website.