This is part of an Academy reboot over the coming months with more articles, more pics, more video and more training tips.

In club we’ll be doing a curriculum reboot to make it more functional, easier to learn, and more fun for you. Plus a cooler season of hot competitions. Standup, Stick and more.

This new integrated total combat system will also be taught at the  BIG (Breen Instructor Group) seminars.

Keep looking, Keep training hard. Keep in touch, Keep up!

However the tentacles of the Academy reach a long way. Jamie is training at ‘Five points fitness’ a great Thai boxing and Kali centre in Manhattan which is surprise, surprise, owned by a close friend of mine Simon Burgess, a Brit, who was also Academy trained and part of the team we took to the first World Championship in the Philippines in 1989. This was an all academy team and we bashed everyone.

Simon is a leading Thai boxing promoter so there’ll be plenty of hard training. Additionally, Barry Danelian another close friend, a real warrior and expert in Pekiti Tersia Kali, Thai boxing ( and one of the Worlds leading trumpet players ) will also be on hand to give Jamie similar treatment to that he’s received here plus he’s big so the Bear will have another Bear to play with.

I’ve asked them both to be tough but fair, but if it comes to it to forget the fair part. I’ll personally miss the Bear greatly as will the kids he’s helped teach over the years and his training partners through the years. It’s always been challenging sparring or training with him and we’ll be lesser in many ways, but maybe less bruised. We wish him well.

Though everyone thinks their style is the best we all get along and are old friends having fought plenty of battles along the way. It’s a great day for students as you get to see Masters of differing arts show their stuff. You get to see the similarities and also the unique differences that make Filipino Martial arts so interesting.

Many of the instructors (Pat O’Malley, Simon Wells, Shamin Meenal) to name a few were old Academy black belts or seniors and now masters of their arts showing what an impact on Filipino Martial arts we’ve had over the years. I got to meet Jay Dobrin, the person who introduced me to Eskrima and Brian Jones who was a senior in that initial group. I spent most of the day talking to Simon Wells and Pat O’Malley old academy black belts who’d fought with me in the early days of stick competition. I’d forced them to learn stick initially but they are both now masters of their art. For me it’s great to go back and learn from them and others what they’ve picked up on the journey. I had a great day where I got to see lots of old friends. We’ll be there as a club next year and I’m booked to teach. This time they’ll notify me.

For those who came to the knife class here’s a reminder on what we covered. We did a number of counters from a running or lunging attack at the mid section or upper chest.

First we scooped or ripped with the knife in Icepick grip against the thrust in hammer grip. This is often called Palusut. A good way to think of this and get over the language block is to think of it as pala-scoop. We did this and initially followed with a descending pick thrust to the arm then did it with both a slash to the biceps when on top and a slash to the gut if under his arm. Both of these were followed by a stab to the kidneys. Important in both of these is you have to use the other hand to stop the opponents knife coming back online or you have to use your own arm (which has the knife) to ward it off whilst you slash.

We then covered Panastas or slashing counter attack. Think of this as pana-slash and it sticks in the mind easier. We did this to the biceps, lower arm or neck depending on timing and distance. Important here is to tuck your body and post on his arm with your left arm so his arc of attack is changed.

Finally, we covered Segun where you block his attack with the blade of your knife-this we then rolled as if stuck in the bone and slashed either below or above the arm as above.

In the class we covered disarms from this flow drill afterwards and a number of key points. Knife class is every thursday. Hope to see you there next week where we’ll be covering the same thing in great depth and putting both the techniques and principles into your fight DNA.

Susan Barnes came with all the family so that made it an even better day. John started of with a warm up and then simple box pattern defence. I took over and followed the same theme just working principles and how to disarm or follow up. Then john showed some fancy and fun follow ups where you tied your opponent up totally. David O then taught timing principles and how to intercept as an intro to the box or any situation. We had a short break with john starting after lunch with variations on the vine disarm and I covered what happens when your opponent punches to a couple of compression throws and follow ups on the ground. We finished up with David O showing knife defence scissors or gunting defence against attack numbers one through five.

It was a really easy and fun day with lots of humour, and lots of photos. The lasting thing the day taught me is that life is short and you have to fill it with good times, great experiences, good fun and  friends old and new, all of which we did yesterday. We spoke of Rogers great achievements and his unrelenting good humour and gentleness. All in all  a great example by which to lead our own lives. Thanks to everyone who came and made it so much fun. Special thanks to Sandra Heaney who came and gave her own time to collect money and do the door.