About a Kapapsheffield Senshido Seminar:
Before starting, I would like to point out I am not affiliated to any Senshido school and this is a neutral feedback.
By way of a short introduction, I trained in traditional martial arts when I was younger, mainly karate, then got interested in RBSD for a number of years. After injury and health setbacks in recent years, I currently focus on maintain general fitness as much as possible, do some solo drills and still keep an interest in “the arts”, Tai chi being the one I can at least do regularly…
The two reasons for this post are:
1) before attending a seminar, I knew very little about Senshido. Alongside general information about Senshido, personal accounts from seminar attendants proved useful, so this will hopefully help other people looking to build information.
2) Richard had asked us to post an honest account. Sorry it’s taken so long, but as they say, better late than never… All I knew beforehand was from a Black Belt article and from the articles on Craig’s website, which I’d skimmed through before the seminar.
My first introduction to Richard Dimitri came as I walked into the training hall. I passed a bloke, not overly tall but quite stocky, with a beanie hat who was walking in the other direction amongst students who were coming in. He smiled and said a quiet hello.
It’s only after passing him that I thought “hang on, I’ve seen this face on the article, it’s Richard Dimitri”. He did not come across as an aloof master with a huge ego, but a very normal person.
I also realise in hindsight (with all the stuff we learned during the seminar) that he was probably scanning the people coming in, not actively perhaps, but in a sort of continuous awareness mode. When the seminar started, Craig introduced Richard, who invited everyone to sit down on the matted training area and started talking.
I can’t help wishing I’d had a tape recorder to record all the information he imparted. To sum up, he explained his background and his philosophy, explained how he came to develop it, what principles he followed, what real life experience he based it on. He told us half-way through “Don’t be impatient, we will soon start the physical drills, and then you’ll be wishing I was still talking because they are tiring”. I’m not sure how long he spoke for in total in that first part, but it went on for maybe 45 man. I can assure you that not for a second did I feel bored.
The description he gave of his past, his observation on the nature of real life fighting, attacks, muggings, violent fights was captivating. Straight away I was also struck by the intensity and sincerity emanating from what Richard was saying.
This introduction established his credentials as a reality based self defence instructor (basically, I’ve done my research, in the field, by observing real fights and being involved in real fights as well). Some of the stories he recounted (either fights he was involved in or attacks some of his students were victims of) were grim. But they underlined the crucible in which his method was created and refined and helped us understand where he was coming from (not from a book or an imaginary and idealised view of conflict).
We then started working on real drills. Rather than a set of rigid techniques, as in “you do this, I defend like that”, these felt like exercises designed to raise awareness of certain principles. As an example, we worked on a situation, such as a knife threat, and tried to apply principles to avoid being hurt. Throughout the day, as well as introducing the fundamentals of his method, Richard passed on a wealth of seminal information and messages. Some of these seem evident but when you think about them, you start questioning a lot of information which is widely peddled as true and taken for granted.
Richard discussed how often do we see a drill or a routine, purporting to be real self defence, where the attacker strikes or reacts in an unrealistic way. After some of the points he made and illustrated, certain clips you find on the internet are actually quite painful to watch because they look really staged, prearranged and ultimately unrealistic (more like theatre or cinema).
The second day followed the same format of Richard giving a lot of explanations on general guidelines and principles and drills designed to help us get a sense of an element which was part of Senshido’s way of self defence. As on the first day, we worked on the anatomy of an attack, on the various steeps leading to an attack, such as the way an attacker who’s spoiling for a fight might chose you, the way there are often warning signs when a mugger or rapist is about to attack us to rob or hurt us.
The explanations that Richard gave us on the mindset of someone who is about to hit or attack us was astonishing. We worked on the reactions we should have to try and defuse the anger and some of the ideas Richard revealed to us were a revelation. To give you an example, he said that we should avoid provoking any further a person who was confronting us violently (in other words, do not unknowingly fuel the fire).
One drill we worked on was designed to avoid making him/her more angry: consider the scenario: a man is accusing you of eyeballing him. He comes at you, nostrils flaring, eyes glaring, smoke practically coming out his ears and growls, “what the fck are you looking at you little sht?”. Now if you try and calm him down by saying “I was not looking at you”, Richard explained that in a lot of cases the man will get even angrier and say “what, you calling me a liar?” “No I’m not”, “there you go again! Do you think I’m stupid?!” and so on until it goes physical. The drill was to defuse it by admitting you were and improvising a natural response, fitting your character, and the situation, and acknowledging you were looking at him, for whatever reason, and apologising.
Thereby, showing you were not a threat, taking away the handle he had to get even angrier, all the while maintain a passive stance, which served a purpose of both looking appeasing and helping to try and calm the bloke down, and all the while offering you protection in case it kicked off (Geoff Thompson has a similar tool, which he calls the Fence I think). We worked on that drill with a partner and even though we had been told how to contradict the person confronting us, we sometimes found ourselves saying “no I wasn’t staring at you, etc.”, which shows how deeply ingrained this response was.
Now you might already have worked out this principle for yourself but it’s one of those things I would never had thought of by myself, except perhaps through painful personal experience. It is a very good example of the level of insight which on this course. It was not all physical drills, but went deep into understanding the mechanics of a confrontation and the principles which underpin the way they play out.
As a further example we also covered lots of principles, such as the 5 things one should never do when faced with an aggressor, the 5 principles of physical retaliation.All through the seminar, Richard also kept referring to other great thinkers on the fighting arts, from Bruce Lee (as in the martial artist and not the actor) to Japanese sword master Musashi. Some of his conclusions were fairly close to the messages you will hear from Geoff Thompson or French Expert and living Legend Henry Plée. But let me make it clear it was not Richard stealing the ideas and passing them as his own. Rather, it was a case of several people independently reaching the same conclusions through a different path (a reassuring phenomenon one would imagine for the people who are doing the searching).
Quoting Tony Blauer (I think) Richard said “good information does not displace good information, it merely adds to it”. He did not come across as dogmatic or rigid in his message and paraphrasing Bruce Lee urged us to absorb what is useful (especially to us) and reject what isn’t. (even amongst the material he taught, and not many experts I’ve heard have the same message, not of shooting down what they teach, but of being honest enough to emphasise reality, where some things don’t work out for everyone, rather than an idealist, where cock-ups are ignored)
At the end of the second day, he also invited questions from all attendees, and did not dodge any. (I believe he used to do the same in former seminars with physical attacks and used to invite people to attack him, before injuries forced him to slow down a bit; that said, as one of the participants found out, Richard will not shirk from a live demonstration if someone remains unconvinced of the validity of his method).
There was another aspect which was really impressive during the 2 days, Richard urged us “please, do not become that which you are trying to protect yourself again”. In other words do not cultivate violent urges and become a thug. He also referred to instructors and experts who project an image of over the top and disproportionate bloodthirsty behaviour (murderous even in one example). Given the efficiency of the material offered in Senshido, the message was very appropriate and elevated it from the mere functional to the spiritual.
Also, this was very refreshing in the current climate where some disciplines have proven themselves very expedient in the physical arena of (nearly) no-holds-barred, seemingly at the expense of any moral values (what you gain in reality efficiency over traditional arts, you seem to lose in terms of decency and moral character in certain quarters
As for Richard Dimitri himself, it is quite obvious that he knows what he is talking about, because he speaks from experience. Not only has he been there (quite important for a RBSD instructor) but he has applied a methodical approach to his experiences, reflected on them, analysed and refined them, and has worked hard to draw his conclusions. He is clearly a very deep thinker as well as a firm believer in basing his system on real life.
Richard also conveyed another warning : the knowledge he possesses has clearly come at a price: not only physical scars he bears, but also psychological ones which he himself alluded to with a lot of candour (like Geoff Thompson, he emphasises you that there is nothing glamorous in violence, despite what some trendy film directors would have us believe)
Also, listening to him speak informally to normal students during breaks or after the course, showed Richard to be a very modest and approachable person, very intense and sincere, who doesn’t play the part of the big expert, but tells it like he sees it, and shares his passion with enthusiasm with everyone, either one-on-one or speaking to a room-full.
Interestingly a person who’d watched the seminar said he had “charisma”, a word which came to mind during the seminar. Not wholly indispensable for his job, granted, but as soon as he walks on to the matt and starts teaching, it’s like a switch is flicked and he lights up full blast and goes into the full-blown teaching mode.
Really striking.In conclusion I would simply say that Richard Dimitri’s seminar opened a lot of doors and gave me a huge amount of food for thought. If you went from traditional arts to a more RBSD you will be aware of a quantum leap in your perception of reality fighting and the info we gained in this seminar produced a similar effect. We did not come away with a feeling of invulnerability, but a sense of a deeper understanding of the reality of conflict and a lot of food for thought, which has lead me to question a lot of my conceptions and the knowledge I’d acquired over the years. For weeks afterwards, I found myself reflecting on the principles Richard taught us and thinking about their application, not just in the physical realm, but the psychological and even emotional arena.
This is another aspect of Senshido which proved really impressive: you do not only explore the physical, or the awareness and avoidance side of things but you also delve into the emotional aspects of self-defence, before (including your own psychological profile or what makes you tick and react), during and after). If you are interested in self defence, you might well find a lot in what Senshido has to offer.
The approach is very innovative, original and refreshing. It carries the stamp of reality and benefits from the methodical and systematic approach of an expert committed to refining methods, strategies, principles to enhance survivability.
Even if you find some of the info was not what you were looking for it is hard to imagine that you will not find anything of value. Whatever system you study, it is likely you will find lots of stuff to reassess what you do, add to it, question it and refine it.
Even better, if you have a chance to train with Richard, I strongly recommend it. I have seen since the seminar that he comes in for some harsh personal criticism on the Internet, which is fair enough as you can’t please everyone, but some people tear him apart and then say they have never met him or attended his seminar or classes. It leaves you wondering at how valid their argument is. Not wishing to dwell on this, it seems obvious that the least one can do to pass an opinion on the method is to try it once… After that, everyone’s entitled to their opinion…
Finally I would like to once again thank Craig and Debbie first for holding the seminar, and second for making everyone feel very welcome throughout the weekend. And also Craig for doing his bit to prove that, as the James Bond song goes, in terms of humour “nobody does it better” than the Brits! And a big thank you to Richard for providing so much information which kept resonating for ages afterwards, for his honesty and for his approachability.
K Hermit
Many thanks to Rich, Craig and Debs for a great Weekend of learning and training!
It never ceases to amaze how much there is to learn from Senshido, and it is great to learn from Rich, who has obviously dedicated a large chunk of his life into putting the system together and then developing a method of teaching which is both refreshing and gives you understanding of the Senshido concepts.
The two days in Sheffield were fantastic and at the end of the weekend I feel that I have learnt plenty to apply to my training and life in general.
We were also lucky to have Rich teach the ‘Kick Boxing’ class before he left England, and it was brilliant that he took the time to do that.
Once again many thanks for a great Seminar!
Rgds
I (Senshido Seminar March 08)
P.S Keep your beanies safe, Craig and Monkey both have cold heads yet Rich seems to be perfectly warm! with a more selective choice of beanies than he had when he first landed in Sheffield!
Just to say thanks to Craig and Debs for organizing a terriffic seminar, great to finally meet Rich, the guys a legend.
A lot different to what I expected, in a good way, goes to show you should never prejudge someone or something, looking foward to Sept.
Duncan (Senshido Seminar March 08)
Finally congrats to Kev for having one hard melon
OOPS almost forgot to say it was that good, I was supposed to be working Sunday but went into work @ 4am just so I could go for the second day.
This was my 5th & 6th day spent attending and training with Rich Dimitri and his U.K Senshido affiliates. I have learnt & picked up new ideas & training concepts on every one of them attended so far. This weekend was no different.
Hosted in a warm and friendly environment by Debbie and Craig Welsh at KAPAP Sheffield, the first & 2nd day Seminar was to be on Knife Defence.
After introducing himself to the group Rich began to deliver his concepts. Rich explained the difference between self-defence and ‘fighting’. He talked about the importance of having or developing a combative mindset to enable you to survive a violent encounter.
Rich had no reservations in explaining to us that this combative mindset is to be supported with a moral and ethical understanding of our own emotional state of mind – Violence without reason is pointless.
Rich talked more about spontaneous improvisation and how we train our emotional state of mind. Among the many areas covered he explained how scenario dictates response, the integrity of energy and dialogue, and the 3 reasons why a criminal would attack.
All this led up to various static knife attack training drills and concepts aimed at surviving an encounter with an edged weapon. Every concept taught and practised was grounded in a sobering sense of reality – Nobody wins a violent street encounter! You survive it!
Two guys i got chatting to who worked in a Hospital (sorry guys i am terrible with names) said to me that these were some of the best knife defence concepts they had ever come across.
The shredder was then thrown into the mix with these concepts and the fun began. Guys who weren’t used to training in this way were surprised by the energy dump experienced during these drills.
My standout moment was when i was partnered with a great guy i met called Andy. Andy was keen to experience the shredder, i thought about it for a second then noticed Rich was passing. “Excuse me Rich, Andy was wandering if you could shred him?”
Andy seemed so surprised he just nodded in agreement. Rich asks Andy to attack him, Andy still stunned obliges and receives a quality shred in return. Rich taps Andy on the back and walks off to see how others are getting on leaving Andy now back on his feet, with a bemused expression, checking his face to make sure it’s still there!
Day 2 spent a lot more time on behavioural science concepts. Rich was on top form delivering information with his trade mark passion and enthusiasm. This led into the Passive Strategy, flinch response drills, target acquisition, scenarios and tactile sensitivity training drills. This day built upon what was learned yesterday with more dynamics gradually being added to the physical drills. From what i could see everyone was getting stuck into these drills with 100% enthusiasm. It was great fun changing partners all the time and getting to meet and work with as many different people as possible.
Les, Craig and Debbie all took turns partnering up with Rich. These guys must have had acting lessons because when partnered with Rich their muffled screams, and body contorting in agony expressions looked so convincing!
Rich Dimitri invited all who attended to take these concepts and integrate them into whatever style or system they currently use. He said take what works and use it – take what doesn’t and discard it – It is that simple! He also answered all questions thrown at him with sincere honesty and respect for the point of view of the person asking.
I believe and will gladly go on record and say that in my humble opinion Rich Dimitri is one of the best self-protection instructors teaching in the world today. Many of you already know this – for those of you who don’t – seek him out!
Why do I say this?
March 2006 I attended 2 of his Senshido seminars – Doors opened for me and changed the way I viewed self-protection entirely. In fact the journey I am currently on is a direct result of those first steps. I have taken these concepts added them to my own, drilled and trained them full contact with my brother and have taught them to others and guess what? They work for me and have yet to fail!
At extreme close quarters the shredder is an absolutely devastating concept. Yet I am equally impressed with its passive capabilities to subdue and dominate a potential attacker.
A big thanks to Rich for travelling so far, Debbie and Craig for hosting and all who turned up. It was great to meet and train with you all.
To quote Contemporary Fighter, who recently became a hero of mine.
CHALK ANOTHER ONE UP TO DA SHREDDER!!!
Peace
Pete Morrison (Senshido Seminar March 08)
Pete,
Good to meet you. thought i’d post a reply given that it was indeed myself who pete refers to in the above post.
Pete took me by surprise when he asked Rich “would you mind shredding Andy?”…..perhaps i’d offended pete!? haha
I have to say i am still absolutely astonished (and still stunned!) at how if felt to be shredded. until you experience it from the man himself i really don’t think anyone is in a position of authority to question it. in an odd kind of way it was a pleasure to be shredded because the ability of the man is awesome to take someone to pieces, from any background or discipline, in a matter of seconds . i walked away completely unharmed but with a feeling of “why have i wasted years learning other stuff if this was here all along”.
I’ve been on loads of seminars including geoff thompson, bob spour etc etc but i honestly feel that listening and experiencing directly what Rich teaches i’ve found the right place in terms of mindset, training and concepts. wish i’d found out about this stuff sooner.
Andy (Senshido Seminar March 08)
hi all,
i’m new 2 this forum so let me start by saying i train in bjj, kickboxing, boxing, kapap & senshido. i’m also a semi-pro mma fighter (fight record 2-0-0.
i went 2 the seminar at craigs place 2day & i just want 2 say i was blow away not only with the physical stuff but also with mind set used by rich.
let me just say that what ever you train in you should incorporate the shredder in 2 what you do, in 1 of the drills we did 2day rich had me on my belly & applyed the shredder & all my bjj trainin went out the window (i’m a bjj blue belt 3 stripe) i couldn’t do a thing.
so let me finish with saying thanx 2 craig & debs for hostin the seminar & a big thanx 2 rich for comin 2 england & doin the seminar
thanx 4 readin this
mark “the monkey” bottom (Senshido Seminar March 08)
I attended the first day of seminar yesterday and was blown away by the realism and honestly of the material, the discussion surrounding it and the practical work. Here’s hoping I never need them.
I’m about to drag my aching limbs to the second session and I’ll post a full review sometime tonight.
Nigel Wood (Senshido Seminar March 08)
Hi Craig and Debbie
The below is not meant to offend any practitioner or teacher of either Martial Art – it is a personal reflection on my experiences studying both systems.
Overall I would say KAPAP is a much fuller, more realistic and a better fighting system.
The standard of tuition is better in my experience (probably driven by the much more demanding training and licensing of instructors – some Krav instructors seem to be able to buy an instructors license!).
Although the system is more complex, I believe it is more realistic in its approach to defence.
I feel that an experienced KAPAP practitioner would be able to deal with any dangerous situation much more effectively than a Krav practitioner.Finally KAPAP is much more open to change and challenge than Krav.
My experience with Krav was that ‘this is the way it is done’ (no matter what – almost to the point of idiocy).KAPAP emphasises flexibility and learning as its core value.
Jim
Hi Craig
I think Kapap is absolutely amazing.
After having done Krav Maga for a few months – at the time I thought Krav Maga was one of the best “practical” martial arts I had ever done.
But now having seen a bit of Kapap I am quite amazed at how much more effective Kapap is than Krav Maga.
For someone who came from a Krav Maga background and who thought that Krav Maga was everything – well, Kapap is just so much more effective, so much more practical, so much easier – and so much more to the point.
Hard to believe, I know – but it is.
I am really glad I started Kapap and now won’t be able to go back to Krav Maga.
Rudi Jansen
Chartered Accountant (South Africa)
Hi Craig & Deb
Someone once told me that Krav Maga was designed as a crash course in self-defence.
I have no way of knowing if this is true or not but it makes sense of my personal experience of the system as its taught in the UK.
As an introduction to the basics Krav Maga is OK, it gives you a few simple tools and the confidence to use them in real-life situations but that’s about it.
From then on its week after week of the same thing, not in the way an Eastern martial art will refine and polish your technique trying to make it perfect just repeat, repeat, repeat…
KAPAP, for me, adds the essential but missing ingredient, the techniques are just as practical but they run much deeper allowing the student to explore and learn.
Along with this is the great way that way the system is taught as a constantly evolving living thing.
Every student is encouraged to ask questions, to try things out for themselves and to build up techniques combining simple but highly effective building blocks, the atmosphere in the classes always encourages exploration & learning.
KAPAP is that great combination of solution to real-life self defence situations and a system that you can really make your own.
Cheers
Sam
Hiya Folks
Thanks very much for the seminar on Saturday it was well worth stopping around for, was absolutely blown away by Avi don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so small who could so easily waste me, a genuine fountain of knowledge and absolute gem so thanks again for that.
Ash was equally impressed and I think you have found another Kapap disciple in the making there, I spoke to the other guys who have flown out to Gibraltar for an exercise last Friday and they were genuinely sick with jealousy that they missed the chance to train with Avi, no doubt they’ll all be turning up to the club once they are back.
Thanks again for Saturday and I’ll see you both when I get back.
take care
Gareth
Details: Craig/Debbie
Thank you for a fanstastic training session last night.
In the past I’ve paid £60 for 4hour seminars and left feeling deflated.
Last night was probably the best money I’ve ever spent – the quality of training and the atmosphere generated was superb, in fact I enjoyed and learnt so much I,ve felt obliged to contact Avi and Albert in order to offer my personnal thanks (a copy of the e-mail is attached for your perusal.
Once again thanks for injecting some enthusiam back into my training – my last club instructor didn’t quite do the job!
Cheers – David
Dear Avi, Albert.
Please accept my greatest thanks for the training you provided at our sheffield club yesterday (May 20th 2006).
I’ve trained for many years under many instructors – including European Kick boxing Champions, however all pale into insignificance when compared to the ego-less ease in which you both teach and demonstrate the essence of Kapap.
Craig Welsh is our accomplished and respected tutor and the way in which you related your advanced techniques to the ladder of training Craig and Debbie will provide in the future was a great motivator.
Unfortunately I have become totally dissillussioned with a Krav club I was a member of, but thanks to Craig/Debbie and now most certainly yourselves, I have rediscovered a waning enthusiasm for self and family preservation – for this you have my greatest thanks.
I look forward to training with you in the near future.
Again, thank you
David
Last nights class was fantastic, many thanks! really enjoyed it.
Having gun blanks go off certainly re-inforced the training!
Many thanks.
I felt as though I learnt something!
Ian
Hi Craig & Debbie,
Just like to say thank you for the fantastic training sessions i had. I have learned so much yet never enough.
I enjoy the friendly atmosphere and warmth welcome during training, that i almost forgot i’m the only foreigner in the group.
I have made friends and became comfortable training with them.
Thank you very much for welcoming me.
I won’t be training again until we come back from our holiday. I shall see you then, probably last week of April.
Regards to all!
your pal,
Ray R.
Hiya Craig, Deborah
Many thanks for Saturday night it was a fantastic evening, really interesting, good fun and and it was great to try some of the techiniques Craig has taught linked together.
Although the big Guy “with the husky voice” not sure of his name.. has a grip like an angry Polar Bear, my arm is still numb.
Anyhow, many thanks for a great evening.
Regards
Ian
Read my testimonial published on Usadojo recommending Avi Nardia.
Craig,
Please feel free to use this on your site:
I’d like to say that anyone regardless of fitness and skill level can come to Craig’s classes and feel at ease.
The clubs are really friendly and Craig is a great guy and has no ego or attitude. You’ll be hard pressed to find somewhere with such a high level of tuition and such a nice atmosphere.
No wonder people travelled from London for the seminar. Great seminar.
Thanks again Craig and Debs for your efforts and input into a great club.
LMA.LYNN
Royal Navy Medic
Black serpents unit
Hi,
Craig I’d just like to say, thank you for such a great seminar, great stuff and put across perfectly.
I would be very interested in coming to your classes as I mentioned in previous emails.
I’m on 2-10 all this coming week but the week after if I may, I’d like to pop along.
Jason
Dear Craig & Debs,
After two lessons with yourselves i am well and truly hooked and will attend as many lessons as i can in the future (Work permitting).
Please can you put me down for your seminar in april.
Dan
Hello Avi,
I have been doing Krav Maga in the UK for 6 months. 2 weeks ago I attended an induction course for KAPAP in Sheffield with Craig Welsh. I enjoyed it a great deal and would like to continue to train in KAPAP as well as KM.
I am returning to Australia in 2 weeks, and have been unable to find anywhere in the Melbourne area with a KAPAP instructor. Is this the case?
Is there any likelihood that we might get an instructor out there in the near future?
Regards,
Paul Amailuk
Dear Paul
Thank you for your email, yes Craig is a great instructor and I`m happy you met with him.
thank you
Avi
Dear Avi,
Please excuse me emailing you as I realise your a very busy person, but I did want to bring to your attention the quality of IKF Kapap tuiton in the Sheffield, UK.
Having some martial arts experience and a military background.
I was very keen to see Kapap in use.
Having attended a brief four hour seminar and then classes with Craig Welsh in Sheffield.
I’m sure youll be proud to hear that the level of tuition was excellent further more Craig’s laid back, ego free friendly manner made it a pleasure to learn.
I look forward to many years of tuition and to become part of the Kapap group.
People are fast to point out bad tuition and experiences so it seems only fair to praise the opposite.
Thank You
Regards & best wishes
Jace
Dear Jace
Thank you for your email and I was happy to hear it.
Craig is a great guy and great teacher and I`m happy you had the opportunity to train with him.
Wish you the best and Happy New Year!
Avi
Hello you two,
Just wanted to say thanks for yet another great class, it was even better when I got home and got my dislocated little finger to go back in. Couldn’t believe it, just thought it had got a bit sprained but it was a small sacrifice to make for the techniques you showed us tonight.
Once again congrats on your teaching methods and good luck for the future.
All the best
Howard
I’ve boxed and done karate and kick boxing for nearly 20 years and have done Krav Maga before and thought that was pretty cool but kapap is just awesome.
Trained first session last night (a couple of karate black belts are regulars) and everyone was just blown away by how simple and effective Kapap is.
Kapap is an ever evolving, close quarter combat self defense system designed purely for survival on the street. There are no competitions, no rules, no uniforms, no formality, no grades, just an extremely effective system that might just save yor life (and your wallet) one day.
Trainer
I’ve done an intro KAPAP seminar with Craig a few Sunday’s ago at the Source, arranged via my local Krav Maga club. Before we went, our local instructor explained a bit about KAPAP – ie the ‘Special Forces’ version of Krav Maga. However the reality really blew me away. I found it fascinating, and scarily effective.
I’m concerned that Craig might read this, and I don’t want him to get too big headed or anything, but he is a really, really good instructor. I’ve worked with good , bad and indifferent coaches in Krav, Boxing, and Karate, and he’s definitely one of the best instructors and coaches I’ve met.
The method we used was to set up a ‘real life’ scenario (being grabbed, punched, attempted stabbing or whatever). He would then demonstrate the counters at reasonable speed. He’d then break it down into chunks to show exactly what we needed to do, and then finally demonstrate again at full speed. It’s a really good way to learn, and he was constantly checking back to see if we all understood, and then moving round to check individual progress.
Also, a twist that we don’t often use elsewhere, was that we kept changing partners every 20 mins or so. This was great, as firstly you get to work with a whole variety of different shapes, sizes and abilities, and secondly, you get to meet people really quickly.
I’m sold on it. It’s a great system, relatively simple to learn and frighteningly effective. I’ve been back for a private 1-2-1 session, and I’m going to try to get up to some weekend classes when time is available. It’s a bit tricky getting up as often as I would like from Derby, but it’s definitely worth it.
Jim
Hello all,
I’ve been going to Craig’s class at Greens for the whole 4 weeks now and am totally gobsmacked by the effectivness of the system he teaches.
Many,many years ago I did Shotokan Karate, but now I can’t do most of the techniques I learned. Kapap seems suited to all all ages and abilities and I’m really enjoying it.
Well done to Craig for establishing a great class and making Kapap enjoyable to learn.
Catch you all later
Kapaper
Hi Craig,
I really enjoyed tonights class, learned some good moves and also had a good laugh. The students all seem to be a decent bunch of blokes and you seem to have found the balance of seriousness and fun which makes it a fiver very well spent.
I was telling one of my mates about what you’ve taught us so far and he immediately found a fault with it, you’ve taught us defence against knives, guns and baseball bats, but not the most important one, when is the lesson going to be in defence against a rolling pin wielded by an angry wife at 2 in the morning when coming home pissed up and with lipstick on your collar?
Seriously though, congratulations and best wishes for the future of all your classes and thanks again to Debbie for the photos.
Best Wishes
Howard Otter