John Aldcroft's Weekly Krav Maga Blog

New Year / New Me !!!

2012-01-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

The busy period starts now so 'Johnny who ate all the pies Aldcroft' needs to get into shape - I let myself go a bit over the Xmas / New Year period and was shocked to find I had put on a few kilos and definitely had the start of a truckers belly coming on.

My wife took some pictures to incentivise me and I'm now on 3 hardcore lunchtime gym sessions a week coupled with 3 x cardio sessions (I do myself) plus commencing the 'Paleo' diet.

I'll let you know how it goes soon :-)

Another Component To Add To The Black Belt Test...'Character Test'

2011-08-01T04:17:00.000-07:00

Last Friday yet again I was In North Wales - Only this time I was looking for something that could be a suitable component of the black belt character test - and I found it...Castell Helen at Gogarth on the Isle of Anglesey.

I have never climbed outside before and asked my mountaineering mentor to find something that would push me ..he did !

A steep 60 metre abseil over sea cliffs and a climb out that included a overhang to deal with..the climb was classed as VS4 4c which basically translates as 'very severe' ...

I can't wait to take my black belt candidates down it.. ;-)

Images to follow soon..

Stag Do..

2011-07-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

After my time in North Wales I had to do a mad dash to the Isle of Wight for my friends sailing stag do.. It's probably best you don't see all the pictures so here's a rather calm one of myself playing Captain Pugwash :-)

North Face of Tryfan, North Wales, Grade 1 Scramble.

2011-07-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Here I am yet again in the outdoors! I'm stilll training for my 'Mountain Leader' award with Rob Johnson from www.expeditionguide.com & having great fun in the process.. I must add some Krav Maga stuff onto this soon though ;-)

Challenge Yourself !

2011-06-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

Guys life is'nt just about Krav Maga..

On my weekends off I spend most of my time pursuing other qualifications (mainly sports orientated) & last weekend was no different with a 7 hour paddle out & back from a remote island known as 'The Skerries' off North West Anglesey, North Wales.

Here's a vid to give you an idea of what its about: http://vimeo.com/24396570

Great fun & if you fancy giving it a go, visit:

www.coastalspirit.com

Trainee Ninjas !

2011-06-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

Private clients:

Matt N Rachel are really coming on now - Just a couple of months in and they both pack a mean punch now..& their kicks are not too bad either..

Knackered !

2011-06-09T06:37:00.001-07:00

Not much to say today guys ..Too knackered ! Methinks I have a bout of 'Over Training' coming on :-(

New Private Client Garry - Share the pain !

2011-06-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

This is Garry. He's just started with me and as you can see he's getting stuck into training straight away... We'll take the same picture in a few months time..You'll see a huge difference !

Friday Night Fury !

2011-06-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

These are 2 of my school instructors: Iyke & James training together on a Friday...Enjoy :-)

Tarquin's Ten Test

2011-05-31T02:35:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my private clients again, namely: Tarquin

He's only been with me a short time now but his progression is really coming on. In this picture he is finishing off techniques with the infamous '10' run. Its basically a sprint shuttle combined with punches so we start with 1 shuttle sprint ( run to the end of the gym & back ) & 1 set of 2 straight punches followed by 2 shuttle sprints & 2 sets of straight punches, then 3, 4 etc all the way to 10 & then if you like climb back down from 10 to 9 to 8 etc all the way to 1 shuttle, 1 set of 2 punches to finish..

Try it--you'll love it ;-)

Remember, the aim is to do it as fast as you can but still punch cleanly against your mates pads

The last 3 days...

2011-05-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

Quite a few people have wondered where I was for the last 3 days ...well.... Sunday I was kitesurfing off Lancing beach in 30 knots + conditions .. This was followed by a dash to N Wales where I joined my mountaineering mentor 'Rob Johnson' ( www.expeditionguide.com ) for 2 days of navigation that included the Watkins Path & walking around the east side of Tryfan & Glyder Fach.

A great but knackering 3 days :-)

This Krav Maga game sure is tough !

2011-05-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Taught a great class tonight but boy am I bushed ! In the advanced class a few of us stayed behind to spar together ( Max, Binney, Jordan, Ibrahim, James, Alisdair & myself ) ..We started with stand up and then quickly progressed to the ground.. I ended up with James ( one of the school instructors ) who's preparing for an MMA cage fight in the summer..

I wanted him to experience some punches whilst on the ground and lo & behold the guys got good! His ground work has improved a lot and as you can see from the pics what I thought started off with good domination by myself ended up with a complete turn around with James catching me with an arm bar at the end.

Ibrahim has also come back to the fold now and he caught me with an excellent back fist that caught me completely unawares

I'm being to feel my age ;-)

Anyways take a look at the pics..

So I think I'm off to a good start here...

Consolidating side mount & getting ready to mount & attack...

HOLD ON ! WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE !

SH!!

I'M REALLY IN TROUBLE NOW...

GODDAMIT ! WHERE THE HELL DID THAT ARM BAR COME FROM !±!!

RIGHT THATS IT

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD !

What I did on the weekend..

2011-05-17T03:58:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I try to balance the seriousness of Krav Maga, Martial Arts & Self Defence training with Outdoor Pursuits. I am currently working towards different instructional awards in kayaking & mountaineering as I now have my instructor award in kitesurfing & may even look into paragliding very soon.

Got to keep challenging yourselves guys :-)

Introducing In The Blue Corner....My Youngest ( & Toughest ) Ninja !

2011-05-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

This is Patrick, he's just turned 5 years old & he trains in Kick Boxing & Krav Maga.

He supports Barcelona & 'The Gunners'

His favourite attacks consisting of wrestling 'Bob' ( in picture ) & myself ( neither of us are allowed to fight back fight back though ).

He is also becoming an expert in obstacle courses, dodgeball, throwing the ball, headstands, cartwheels, break falls, &.... he sure packs a mean punch.

You saw it here first folks.

A future champion :-)

Recommended Krav Maga Sparring Gloves

2011-05-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

In regards to sparring guys, I can't say this often enough - get yourself the proper gear ! Inadequate equipment leads to injuries either self inflicted or inflicted on another person.. These gloves reduce the damage you can inflict to the other person so are highly recommended.

I like them because I also can hit a little harder too without fear of hurting the other guy too much so a win win for everyone here.. :-)

10 Pairs of Fairtex boxing gloves delivered today...

2011-05-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

These gloves are great & I have managed to source a supplier who can get me these for less than most retailers you'll find online.

I sell these online for £45 + P & P but in class I sell them for £40.

If you want a pair just give me a shout in class ( plus your cash of course! )