Self Defence Exercise Self Development

Forthcoming seminars: Women's Self Defence Seminars: Sunday 12 Feb 11am-1pm and Sunday 19 Feb 11am-1pm, each session (£5) Suitable for all women interested in an introduction to self defence Zeb Glover Fundamentals of the SPEAR system Friday 3 Feb 2012 6-8pm (£10) Show, Malaysian stylist, movement in stand up fighting, Friday 17 Feb 2012 6-8pm (£10) Zeb Glover SPEAR Knife Defence Friday 11 May 2012 6-8pm (£10) Suitable for all martial artists, whatever rank or style, interested in self defence.

People join the University of Sussex Integrated Martial Arts Club at Brighton to learn a thorough self defence and physical conditioning system. Whether a member of the university or not, anyone is welcome to train with us given only an interest in developing the skills necessary for dealing with self-defence situations in the context of a good work out and a cooperative fun atmosphere. Most people start training with the club as beginners but many others arrive already proficient in one or more martial arts, interested in rounding their skills out.

Using the methods of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) we train (for both men and women): ability to generate impact with Muay Thai kickboxing drills; ability to clinch and control an opponent; locks, throws, and escapes; ground fighting skills; In addition we train: pressure points pre-fight negotiation. No self defence system is complete unless it covers all the above, though few martial arts styles do. Further, we train only what is proven to work in each of these areas.

We train first and foremost for self defence. We use methods that will give you true effectiveness and confidence as quickly as possible – and that means hard work and sweat! The stiffness you will feel after the first session just shows how you are transforming your body – by two weeks you will be feeling great! But hard work does not mean we want to be macho in our training; in fact, we want to have fun!

While our primary aim is self defence, some members of the club like to use the highly effective training methods for competitions. In the last British Universities Vale Tudo Championships (rules similar to those of the UFC) we achieved three gold models in three weight divisions.

Integrated Martial Arts (IMA) combines grappling and striking in a coherent system, where stance and movement allow effective defence and offence in all ranges. One cannot simply train in a grappling art and then train in a separate striking art to be functional in both; often drills for one will be creating bad habits for the other. IMA, by contrast, links striking and grappling together in tactically efficient ways; the habits you gain will be useful in all scenarios. Your striking will allow entry to grappling and your grappling will set up striking because IMA uses the same fundamental skills in both.

The task of exploring the fundamental skills needed to deal with the full range of self defence situations is an open-ended one, an evolutionary one. It's an evolution that depends on having roots going deep into the past, so that one understands the genuine achievements of the old ways, as well as the means for innovating effective solutions, so that each person discovers for themselves useful principles and their application. Only by constant self-discovery are martial arts kept alive for the future. Bruce Lee urged us to take only what works for us, discard what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own . Our training reflects this philosophy. Our style is the style of no style, as Bruce Lee put it, in so far as the aim is not ultimately to create students who are carbon copies of the coaches, but students who are functionally effective in a full range of self defence scenarios.

IMA . . . MAKING PREDATORS PRAY

For further information, contact: Zoltán Dienes Tel. 01273 678550 or e-mail dienes@sussex.ac.uk.
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