“Cross-Training in the Martial Arts: The Anatomy of Combat” – Bob Sykes of “Martial Arts Illustrated” Interviews Jamie Clubb about his New Ground-Breaking DVD
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Where did the concept for the DVD “Cross Training in the Martial Arts” derive?
I have always been what the quasi-traditionalists affectionately call a dojo-hopper or martial whore. I suppose that stems from the fact that some of my earliest martial arts books and therefore influences were of the comprehensive variety. I’ve just always had a very eclectic nature. For a while I hunted for the elusive martial arts Holy Grail, but it was only in very recent years, when I found myself training with so many different instructors that I realised just how similar certain concepts were. This was the same for both the good and the bad instructors. The good instructors, irrespective of their style shared a few commonsensical base principles, whereas the bad instructors often seemed to be talking the same rubbish but under a different veil.
When I got into writing about martial arts and interviewing more remarkable people for your rather excellent publication, it soon became apparent that there were lots of things that just had to be said. This philosophy put forward in the DVD is at the heart of Clubb Chimera Martial Arts, my own syllabus, which is unique in respect that it has no techniques whatsoever, but is ideally suited to the open-minded individual. The DVD me the opportunity to show students of any discipline just how fundamentally important martial arts cross-training really is and how much styles are merely an illusion.
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Does The Notion of cross training in the martial arts actually exist or is it just a matter of interpretation?
It is definitely just a matter of interpretation and a very modern one at that. The expression and notion of cross training is not restricted to just the martial arts world. Recent years have seen more people taking up a broader variety of physical pass-times and the advent of cross training sports equipment. Of course, this is nothing new either in the more serious sports world as multiple discipline sports events like decathlons, pentathlons and so on have been with us for a long time. When people in the martial arts community speak of cross training they often think of Mixed Martial Arts, which – as a sport – only really became globally recognised in the early 1990s. Then they think of Bruce Lee and his philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. However, if we look at Lee’s era he was far from being a loan voice in the martial arts community. All of his contemporaries from Chuck Norris to Joe Lewis were avid cross trainers. Lewis initiated American Kickboxing, which was a direct result of Western Boxers and Karateka working together. Gene Le Belle learnt several styles of grappling long before he met Bruce Lee. However, this is all still very recent stuff. Every single martial discipline practiced today has its roots in martial arts cross training. I have yet to read about one martial arts innovator who did not cross train in more than one discipline. It is not surprising really. You go to school and learn a wide variety of subjects, why should your martial education be any different. It is my view that to intelligently cross train is the most respectful thing you can do to your core art and the true masters of the past.
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The DVD in question focuses on a unique line up of renowned martial artists such as Geoff Thompson, Peter Consterdine and the awesome Mo Teague to name bur a few. What was it that influenced this irrepressible line up?
Each and every one of these people has a very open minded yet commonsensical view on life. They are some of best representative of their respective martial arts in Britain and not surprisingly amongst the most open-minded people.
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Who in your view, Jamie impressed you the most?
Damn you, Sykes! You know I have to be apolitical in the martial arts world while I write for your magazine! On a serious note though that really is a difficult question, as the more I see of each of them, learn from them and get to know them the more I am impressed. I grew up in a showbusiness family (my family run a zoo for the film and TV industry) and I regularly saw “famous” people. Therefore I became fairly immune to celebrity worship early on. However, the world of martial arts was not at first open to me because I lived out in the sticks. So, through reading the martial arts press, many of these people became my chosen celebrities.
Geoff is my main martial arts hero and probably the biggest influence over the structure I took with the DVD. Whether he likes it or not I often make him my mentor and he has helped me out a great deal. Geoff was my equivalent to Bruce Lee in the martial arts world, influence-wise. After getting a rather sharp reality shock, it was Geoff who I wrote to, asking for advice. Ten years later I made contact with him again and since then I have had the huge privilege of working amongst his incredible circle of influence. His chief instructor, Matty Evans is my club’s honouree chief instructor and a good friend. He recently ran a seminar for Clubb Chimera Martial Arts Tony Somers is a fantastic inspiration and recently presided over my students’ last grading. There have been many others too. It is Geoff I have to thank for getting my work into Martial Arts Illustrated and some of the wonderful projects I have written about.
Iain is perhaps the one person in the martial arts world I can relate to best. Where he is now, in his profession and mindset, is where I aim to be. He is one of the nicest, most honest, honourable and hardest-working people I know. Like Geoff, I was first a fan of his writing. Despite not being a karateka myself, I really liked what he was saying about the traditional styles; he had taken the next logical step after the huge “reality check” the traditional martial arts industry received in the early to mid-1990s. He has some fantastic drills, which I have since incorporated into my classes and I have yet to read something he has written that I don’t agree with one hundred per cent. Iain also makes up that very rare commodity: a well-versed historian who understands the commonsense connection between the past and present. He is neither stuck in the dogma of yesterday nor the trends of today.
Nick Atkinson of Summersdale Productions first introduced me to Alan Gibson. He sent me a couple of his early DVDs to review. My mind was open, but I was expecting a rather dull argument over the relevance of Wing Chun in modern times – I’ve seen a fair few. I was shocked at what I saw. Alan shared a very similar view to Iain Abernethy on researching and training in traditional martial arts. Many who attended the Summersdale “Masters Seminar” were shocked and intrigued by Alan’s approach, and this included students who were as far away from Wing Chun as you could get in the martial arts world. I also had some great discussions with him back at his home, where he explained some very straightforward ideas and introduced me to some great martial artists.
You will have to forgive the cliché, but Rick Young is truly the marital artist’s martial artist. Rick is the archetypical modern cross trainer. He has lived and continues to live the life most martial artists dream about, but have not gathered the mental fortitude to undertake. This is a guy who has trained with the best in virtually everything he has done and has raised himself to national and international standards in various different martial arts; his most recent achievement being among the first three Britons to receive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts. I have only trained under Rick in a couple of seminars that I reviewed, but I love his insightful and inspirational MAI column and look forward to the next time I get a chance to learn from him. One of his instructors, Paul Kelly, has been a great source of business advice for me since I joined NEST Management this year.
Peter Consterdine is only briefly seen on this DVD. He is a great instructor and one of my current ambitions is to attend one of his feared Training Days – I must be a masochist! Peter has a great attitude towards self-defence and the martial arts industry. I thoroughly enjoyed training under Peter and Geoff at their last seminar together. I am a very proud instructor under Peter and Geoff’s British Combat Association.
I actually met Mo before I met any of the previous instructors in person. That was only early in 2004, but it kick-started me on regularly attending seminars, writing them up for MAI and training like a demon. I hope to train with him a lot more in the near future. Mo always impresses me with the way he puts both self-defence and life into perspective with anecdotal evidence and straight-talking.
Last, but most certainly not least there is Chris Rowen. I am very happy to say that Chris has become a good friend of mine. At the “Masters Seminar” this year I remember sitting down and moaning to him about something. In a matter of seconds he made me realise just how trivial my gripe really was and I suddenly felt much better about everything. I used the Yoda simile in an article I wrote about Steve Rowe, so I guess I would have to compare Chris to Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. He’s a very kind, wise and spiritual man – and by Christ can he hit hard!