The club is slowly getting there guys with DVD's being retailed through the website now looking at Krav Maga & Womens Self Defence & a Kids Self Defence DVD being sourced as we speak.

New classes are also being lined up for May 2010. Within this we're hoping to introduce lunchtime sessions in KM Ground Fighting, KM Kick Strike & KM Boxing to address specific aspects of the syllabus which will help make students better all round.

We also have kitesurfing in May for any takers :-)

Wow ! When was the last time I used this ! It's been sometime but thought I would just say that the new location in St Johns Wood is up and running now with a beginner and advanced class well under way.

Just working on booking out all the other hours now

On another note we have just finished a wonderful hiking trip in North Wales & look forward to a kitesurfing trip in May.

Looking forward to seeing our first green belts very soon :-)

Wow, its been a while, so apologies for that guys..

I'm due to be married 18th July so have been somewhat distracted recently.. After this though I will be looking towards testing students for orange and green belt syllabus before we then break for the summer.

A new location in West London is also on its way and you will hear more about this very soon..

I'm also looking towards circumnavigating the Isle of Wight by sea kayak during my summer break and will be looking for students who want to give this a go too..


More about this soon...


Keep up the krav maga sessions for now though guys..

All the best


John

Its been a while guys so firstly apologies for that... BAKM is now a sole entity now having decided that being affiliated to no other organisation was the best way to go..

This therefore means that we will see changes in the self defence curriculum but present grades etc will still be recognised..

It also means that we will have a more open attitude to training with lots of guest instructors, seminars etc lined up for the future.

Xmas dinner is planned for December 5th and we are looking towards a club ski trip late Feb early March..

I will keep you posted with anymore events..

All the best

John

Halfway through the summer now and I'm so looking forward to my break in August when myself, Suzy ( fiance ) and a few friends will be heading out to Morocco to surf, kite-surf, hike, make sandcastles, haggle, and generally have a great time and of course practice some Krav Maga ( gotta keep up to date ! ).

KM wise the club is progressing very well with a bunch of guys from the club having passed Phase B of instructor training who are now looking forward to practising their teaching within the club.

Class numbers are high for this time of year but then with some many instructors in 1 school this is not a problem at all as we are able to divide the group amongst instructors leading to great student to instructor ratios.

The recent para-gliding trip was also a huge success, followed by the navigation course and this weekend we have the kite-surfing so lots going on in and around the club itself too.

Injuries wise I'm a little busted with a broken big toe and a broken hand both from sparring.

Moving forward I intend to up my own fitness training as soon as my hand has healed and am feeling suitably refreshed after the holiday break..

So, not much news this time round but will be back again with more snippets soon.

For now

John

Welcome to the BAKM Adventure Club…

As promised here are the details of the adventure club that we have been working on for the last few months..

Here are more specific details...

As we sometimes need a rest from Self Defence & Krav Maga training, the BAKM Adventure Club is a “club within a club” that is open to all BAKM members plus their friends, family and partners who may want to pull themselves away from the sofa on the weekends and do something a bit more adventurous.

This club works on the simple premise that its membership is used to approach training providers to negotiate a reduced fee that is then passed onto you.

At a cost of just £5 per month (on top of the normal membership) every two weeks throughout the year you will be offered an activity, social event or similar at a price that is always lower than the training providers normal price.

How to Join.

To join this club all you need do is add on £5 per month (about £1.25 per week to the standard Krav Maga standing order / direct debit membership that you sign up to. If you are already a BAKM club member we will ask you to fill another SO form for £5 per month to join this club.

How to pay for an event.

As we only have a certain amount of places on each activity we ask that members pay online and a course will show the number of places available as and when places are taken. If you are not an Adventure Club Member you may pay the discounted price online but you will have to pay the difference between this and the full price on the day of the event. Please note that we only have a certain amount of places on each activity and therefore places are allocated on a first come, first served basis or more to the point, first to pay basis!

To sign up to a course simply click on the Pay Now Price button next to the course details which you will find on the website

Here are a few samples of courses we have lined up for you..

Basic Kite-Surfing Course.

Introduction: Kite-surfing is a fast paced adrenaline orientated water sport and BAKM has struck a deal for a 2 day course to take place in Shoreham By Sea, just 15 minutes drive from Brighton and approx 1hr 20mins from London.

On this course you will learn to fly, launch and land power kites and water kites before then moving onto body dragging and kite-surfing on the water. Once completed, you will then receive your IKO (International Kitesurfing Organisation) certificate which enables you to kite-surf and hire kite-surfing around the world.

Location & Start Time: Course starts at 9am Saturday 07 June when we meet at Stormriders, 7 Ferry rd, Shoreham On Sea.

Kit: Towel, wetsuit ( if you have one, otherwise we will provide them ) sun cream, refreshments, beach shorts / bikini, trainers ( that you don’t mind getting wet ) and waterproofs ( just in case.

Transport: Minibus will be provided to and from London on both days of the course. Leaving 7am from Southfields tube station (district line) on the 7th & 8th June and returning at the end of training each day.

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1 Day Paragliding Intro Course.

Introduction: Paragliding is an exhilarating experience and weather permitting you could airborne by lunchtime on the first day of the course. Taking place in Tollgate just 10 minutes drive from Lewes (nearest train station is Glynde) This course will also count towards the “Elementary Pilot Certificate” if you should then decide to take up this sport.

Location & Start Time: We will meet participants at Glynde railway station at 8.45am on the first day of the course.

Kit: Warm windproof clothing, walking boots (without hooks) that will support your ankles (tape over the hooks if you have them)

Transport: A minibus will leave Southfields tube station 7am, 21st June, returning when the course is finished (approx 5pm).

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Hiking & Navigation Course.

Introduction : Hiking is a great way to view the outdoors and within this we have secured a hiking and navigation day exclusive to BAKM Adventure club members.

Taking place on the South Downs this course is designed to give you basic compass and map reading skills that should be invaluable to you should you decide to move onto more challenging expeditions that we have lined up for the future.

Location & Start Time: Exact location TBC (South Downs), 9am, 05 July.

Kit: Hiking / walking boots, socks, waterproofs, fleece, layered clothing, 2 litres of water.

Transport: A minibus will leave Southfields tube station 7am, 05 July, returning when the course is finished (approx 6pm).

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Beginners Surfing Trip. Devon.

Introduction: This is a weekend surfing & camping trip to Westward Ho, Devon. A great place for all sorts of outdoor activities or to simply chill out. You will need a tent for this weekend so if you haven’t got one yet buy one!

On the Saturday & Sunday we have 12 places reserved with a local surf school and we look forward to getting out on the water both days

Location & Start Time: TBC, Westward Ho, Devon

Kit: Tent, towel, wetsuit (if you have one) sun cream, refreshments, beach shorts / bikini, trainers (that you don’t mind getting wet ) and waterproofs ( just in case.

Transport: A minibus will leave Southfields tube station 6.30pm, Friday 18th July, returning close of play Sunday 20th July.

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Thai Night.

Introduction: Thai night is one of several themed dinner nights where we take dinner at a restaurant in London (usually central). The price that we negotiate with the restaurant gives you a 3 course meal + a limited number of drinks and is a great way to get to know your fellow students on a more social footing.

Location & Start Time: Exact location TBC

Kit: Smart casual clothing.

Transport: London Underground

As we now move towards the summer as a club we realise that a lot of you will be distracted by the weather and in line with this we are now busy setting up weekend activities and suchlike, kicking off with a kitesurfing course on June 7th & 8th in Shoreham, Sussex.


Training wise we have the yellow and orange belt grading on Monday June 9th before then looking towards getting everyone moving towards the green belt.

I have also secured a dedicated private training centre 2 mins walk from Ladbroke Grove tube station and I look forward to training clients there in the near future.

Outside of this I have also managed to break my big toe whilst ground fighting so if u see me hobbling in class you'll know why..

All the best for now


John :-)

Just a quick one ! I'm off to Switzerland for 1 week of Krav Maga instructor training. I'll be back Thursday 1st May and look forward to giving you guys ( my students ) some new techniques and new ideas in regards to self defence and personal safety training. I'll probably be really sore too but hey it's all part and parcel of KM training ;-)

This article appeared in 'Time Out' Magazine recently.. I have copied from the original which was written by Lucy Lord who visited our class recently....

Israeli military martial art krav maga is a no-holds-barred, combative workout – ideal for the mean streets of London....

You’d think the phrase ‘tough Israeli military self-defence technique’ would be unequivocal enough to prepare you for a krav maga class. In my case, you’d be wrong. The class starts gently enough, with jogging around the room – though dropping to the floor to do random press-ups is strangely like being in an Oliver Stone movie.

Next, we have to pair up and, well, grapple with each other. The first bit is fun, jumping up and down on the spot, trying to touch the other person’s back, while defending oneself against being touched. However this develops into getting one another into a headlock, aiming to twist the other person round so you’ve got them from behind (the most common position from which to attack). It’s not pleasant. We swap partners a few times – it must be difficult for the poor chaps who have to pretend that taking me on is any challenge. There are only two other women in a class of around 20.


Next, we are put into teams of three to perform an exhausting ‘workstation’ series of press-ups, sit-ups and an extraordinary kind of one-handed press-up dance. I cry off, pleading back problems, at which point instructor John Aldcroft tells me that he always starts the class with a 45-minute warm-up. Physical fitness, he insists, is as much a key to being able to defend oneself as knowing the techniques. This is the warm-up? Good God.

Fighting for fitness

Aldcroft has been teaching krav maga for seven years and set up the Krav Maga Centre eight months ago. ‘I’d learnt Thai boxing at university, and while it’s great for fitness and as a competitive martial art, I didn’t feel it was relevant to self-defence,’ he says. He found that krav maga was gaining a reputation in the US, mainly among certain police units, the FBI and Swat teams.

Krav maga was originally developed in Hungary and Czechoslovakia in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld, a successful boxer and wrestler. He taught his special hand-to-hand combat method to Bratislavan Jews to protect themselves against the Nazis; then, on arriving in Palestine before the establishment of Israel, to Haganah, the Jewish underground army. It went on to become the official combat system of the Israeli defence forces.

Back at the class, after some stretches, it’s time for the actual self-defence. ‘The point of krav maga is not to turn you into a fighter,’ says Aldcroft. ‘It’s to enable you to defend yourself to the point where you’re able to run away.’ Thus kicks to the knee and groin are encouraged, as well as punches to the face and throat. We are taught how to escape if somebody has their hands round your throat (drop your hands between their arms and pull outwards, while simultaneously kneeing them in the groin), how to perform drop kicks when you’re on the ground and – crucially – how to defend yourself against knife attacks. T'ai chi it ain’t.

It’s all intensely – scarily – practical (‘make it a reflex always to look around as there’s likely to be more than one attacker’ is one piece of advice) and very hard work. But fun, up until the last ten minutes. Then, the majority of the class puts on knee, groin and arm shields and
gets engaged in the real deal: proper, vicious, hand-to-hand fighting.

I am initially paired with Liz, a new recruit who has joined the class because, she says, ‘the area I live in isn’t very safe’ (put that in your pipe and smoke it, Diane Abbott). However, after a few minutes, Aldcroft insists we fight some of the men as ‘in real life, 99.99 per cent of the time, you’ll be attacked by a man who is much stronger than you.’ This is really, really disturbing and quickly I want it to stop – which I guess is the point.

Krav Maga is not for the faint-hearted but if you are dedicated it is an extremely useful skill to have. I leave the class aching, sweaty and somehow emboldened – though acutely aware of how much work is needed to improve my own fragility.

The Orange belt test is today and I would just like to say good luck to all those students who are looking to acheive this. If you have done the training you have absolutely nothing to worry about and I look forward to seeing you now looking forward to your Green belt training.

As I have said before Krav Maga is growing at a rapid rate now ( albeit being progressed by rival clubs as well ! ) But Krav Maga Worldwide has now arrived in the UK and we look forward to spreading the KMW curriculum throughout the UK v soon :-)

Once we have reached a certain level I look forward to the first UK KMW instructor phases of training being held at our club.

As they say:

Onward and upward !

Don't forget to check out www.krav-maga.org.uk for more details !

All the best / John

For those of you who are missing the orange belt Krav Maga curriculum for whatever reason, prior to the test on Monday see below. Make sure you also keep an eye on the club website www.krav-maga.org.uk for more details of revision seminars etc..

Orange Belt Curriculum.

1. Bobbing, weaving & slipping. 2. Hook punch / uppercut punch. 3. Left / Right / Left Hook. 4. Left / Right / Left Hook / Right Uppercut. 5. Left / Right / Bob / Right. 5. Left Punch / Right elbow. 6. Left / Right / Left Hook / Right Elbow. 7. Right Uppercut / Left Hook / Right Cross.

8. Defensive Front Kick (using whole foot). 9. Kicking in advance, 9. Side kick. 10. Side kick with advance (stepping behind). 11. Back kick, 12. Uppercut kick. 13. Side kick or back kick into hammer fist combination.

14. Inside punch defence with counter against straight left (jab). 15. Inside punch defence with counter against left punch (jab) using left hand. 16. Inside defence with counter against right punch (2 counters: one to chest /stomach then recoil and strike face). 17. Inside defence with counter against right punch (1 counter). 18. Extended 360 defence against hook punch. 18. Covering defence against hook punch. 19. Defence against uppercut punch. 20. 360 defence with counter attack against any type of punch.

21. Reflexive defence against front kick. 22. Outside stabbing defence against front kick. 23. Plucking defence against front kick. 24. Inside defence against high front kick. 25. Defence against low round kick using the shin / thigh. 26. Stop kick defence against front kick. 27. Redirecting front kick with shin.

28. Choke from front / behind against wall. 29. Choke from behind with a pull
30. Headlock from behind release (cross neck/arm bar). 31. Headlock from behind arterial (elbow forward).

32. Bear hug from front arms free (using space and grabbing hips to escape). 34. Bear hug from front arms free but tighter ( grabbing head rotating and attacking). 35. Bear hug from front with arms caught but with space & no space. 36. Bear hug from behind arms free. 37. Bear hug from behind arms caught (with space). 38. Bear hug from behind arms caught (no space).

39. Back break fall. 40. Side break fall. 41. Defence against punches from mount position (bucking hips). 42. Defence against choke from mount position. 43. Defence against headlock whilst mounted. 44. Escape from mount using elbow escape (shrimping into guard). 45. Attacks from mount position. 46. Popping up and out trapping opponents arms from mount. 47. Opening guard and using kicks to escape.

48. Foot grab stripping / foot grab spinning outward using round kick. 49. Foot grab spinning inward (using heel kick)

Getting Ready for Orange & Phase A Instructor Training Opportunity in Barcelona 11 - 13th April

We now have the orange grading assessments to think of with Thurs 3rd April being Pre-Grading Training, the 4th April being Mock Grading and then finally the 7th being the actual grading test starting at 6.30pm ....

To register for the test you will need to be there for 6.15pm and have done at least 4 - 6 months training after your yellow belt ( depending on how many times a week you trained ).

Costings For The Grading Assessment.

The cost for the grading assessment is £30 per person for which you will receive a certificate and belt ( should you pass ).

Within the above I would also ask that you try to arrive at least 15 mins prior to the grading so that we may have an necessary admin covered prior to your assessment.

On another note I have just received notice that their will be a Phase A instructor training course on 11 - 13th April in Barcelona for those of you who may have missed out on the previous course. It promises to be a great course and an invaluable piee of training should you want to eventually get your black belt or instructor qualification.

2 Hour Free Rape Prevention Seminar.

Furthermore we also have a 2 hour 'Rape Prevention' seminar on Monday April 14th @ 6.30pm at: The University of Westminster, 309 Regent St, Oxford Circus, London, in conjunction with other KMW clubs throughout the world which will be free to the general public & seeing as many of you there as possible would be much appreciated.

This seminar will be 2 hours long and will replace the normal class training format and will cover the following areas:

Avoidance & Awareness
Target Hardening Techniques / Understanding Body Language
Dialoque Entrapments / Dialoque Defences
Known Attack Rituals of Rapists / Countering The Attack
Physical Response v's Acquiesce Response

Trainee Instructors will be acting in assistance to this course and it promises to be of value to anyone attending so please try to bring anyone along that you may feel would benefit.

Oxford Circus Kitesurfing Club .

Moving into the summer I will also remind you that I will be teaching kitesurfing most weekends from April - November in Portland Harbour near Weymouth, Dorset ( www.kitesurfing-adventures.co.uk ) and within this will be laying on a FREE Open Day from 10am - 3pm on Saturday May 10th for club members who may wish to give this great sport a try.

Subjects covered during the OPEN DAY will be as follows:

Theory
Setting Up & Flying Powered Kites ( 2 line & 4/5 line )
Launching & Landing The Kite
Emergency Pack Down
On Water Demonstration ( weather permitting )

The day will start at 10am when I will meet anyone who's interested in trying out this sport at the following address & directions

You can enrol by informing me in class or email: info@kitesurfing-adventures.co.uk

In regards to the above as we move into the summer don't forget to remind your friends to come along and give Krav Maga a go by signing up to the trial session at www.krav-maga.org.uk

Phase B Instructor Training Course Friday 11th - Sunday 13th July.
( For those who have finished Phase A Instructor Training )

Time : 09.00-17.00
Country : Belgium
City : Liège
Hostel : Auberge de Jeunesse Simenon, rue George Simenon, 2 à 4020 Liège (quartier Outremeuse)

Hostel reservation : http://www.laj.be/html/en/hostels/liege/aubergesliege_en01.htm

Usual payment scenario of 250 euros payable in advance and then 150 euros on the first day of training.

Thats all for now folks !


John Aldcroft
British Academy of Krav Maga

Guys n Gals..


I've just got back from Famara, Lanzarote where the waves were huge and scary ( even for a KM enthusiast ) .. Back into the KM groove straight away though and I look forward to seeing you guys in class v soon :-)

Dear All..

First off Congragulations !

Congragulations to all of the students who passed the yellow belt grading ..well done to each and everyone of you...

Getting Ready for Orange.

We now have the orange grading assessments to think of with Thurs 3rd April being Pre-Grading Training, the 4th April being Mock Grading and then finally the 7th being the actual grading test starting at 6.30pm ....

To register for the test you will need to be there for 6.15pm and have done at least 4 - 6 months training after your yellow belt ( depending on how many times a week you trained ).

Costings For The Grading Assessment.

The cost for the grading assessment is £30 per person for which you will receive a certificate and belt ( should you pass ).

Within the above I would also ask that you try to arrive at least 15 mins prior to the grading so that we may have an necessary admin covered prior to your assessment.

2 Hour Free Rape Prevention Seminar.

Furthermore we also have a 2 hour 'Rape Prevention' seminar on Monday April 14th @ 6.30pm at: The University of Westminster, 309 Regent St, Oxford Circus, London, in conjunction with other KMW clubs throughout the world which will be free to the general public & seeing as many of you there as possible would be much appreciated.

This seminar will be 2 hours long and will replace the normal class training format and will cover the following areas:

Avoidance & Awareness
Target Hardening Techniques / Understanding Body Language
Dialoque Entrapments / Dialoque Defences
Known Attack Rituals of Rapists / Countering The Attack
Physical Response v's Acquiesce Response

Trainee Instructors will be acting in assistance to this course and it promises to be of value to anyone attending so please try to bring anyone along that you may feel would benefit.

Oxford Circus Kitesurfing Club .

Moving into the summer I will also remind you that I will be teaching kitesurfing most weekends from April - November in Portland Harbour near Weymouth, Dorset ( www.kitesurfing-adventures.co.uk ) and within this will be laying on a FREE Open Day from 10am - 3pm on Saturday May 10th for club members who may wish to give this great sport a try.

Subjects covered during the OPEN DAY will be as follows:

Theory
Setting Up & Flying Powered Kites ( 2 line & 4/5 line )
Launching & Landing The Kite
Emergency Pack Down
On Water Demonstration ( weather permitting )

The day will start at 10am when I will meet anyone who's interested in trying out this sport at the following address & directions

You can enrol by informing me in class or email: info@kitesurfing-adventures.co.uk

Phase B Instructor Training Course Friday 11th - Sunday 13th July.
( For those who have finished Phase A Instructor Training )

Time : 09.00-17.00
Country : Belgium
City : Liège
Hostel : Auberge de Jeunesse Simenon, rue George Simenon, 2 à 4020 Liège (quartier Outremeuse)

Hostel reservation : http://www.laj.be/html/en/hostels/liege/aubergesliege_en01.htm

Usual payment scenario of 250 euros payable in advance and then 150 euros on the first day of training.

Thats all for now folks !



John Aldcroft
British Academy of Krav Maga

Just a quick congratulations to all those people who passed the yellow belt Krav Maga grading ... well done ...lets start looking at orange belt now and greater things !


Many thanks to the assitance from the trainee instructors too ...


Moving forward don't forget about giving kitesurfing a go this summer ..c www.kitesurfing-adventures.co.uk for details..


All the best / John

Well what a year it's been thus far... The club is growing at a great rate which only shows how much Krav Maga is taking off in general. We have a number of guys training in Europe at the end of February to become instructors themselves and we are about to test for the orange belt having trained for this since November last year.

The black belt program is taking off too with a number of students signing up to this once they realise the benefits it brings such as an accelerated assimilation of techniques and therefore a greater chance to pass gradings.

Looking forward we also have a 'rape prevention' seminar in April which should prove popular given the location and interest that has already been shown in this subject by class members.


I will also be going out to Switzerland with my guys for further training and then am looking forward to the expert series training and law enforcement seminar that occurs towards the summer too...

On a lighter note I will also be setting up a kite-surf school this summer and am looking forward to w/ends on the water teaching beginners to kite-surf and practising new tricks myself ( just trying to pretend I'm 22 and not actually 42 ! )..

Oh and I'm now officially taken as myself and my girlfriend are engaged...

Yes I know, they'll be tears....

Resolutions Resolutions !


What with 2008 almost upon us I have started to think about my New Year resolutions already. In relation to Krav Maga I have decided to work on my own fitness, flexibility, Krav Maga & MA training background a bit more and to focus solely on getting numbers up at our fantastic venue in Oxford Circus.


Within this then this will mean that I will not be offering too many courses outside of the school as if anything this simply dilutes me and takes me away from my main role which is to simply offer the best instruction I can to my members at the school and besides I'm beginging to realise that there is only so much one person can do huh !

Its all good though and I'm looking forward to my yoga / kite-surfing break in Egypt over Xmas and then coming back refreshed and ready to kick ass on both a business and personal level :-)

Throughout the UK Krav Maga appears to be gaining momentum everyday and I'm proud that my club is one of the leading pioneers of this system in the UK. Competition is fierce even now though but thats all good too as I've always said right from the start of that we need at least 100 clubs and at least 10,000 students practising in the UK before we can truly say KM has arrived and even though I may bitch about 'the comp' now and then, deep down I knew that this would only aid my club and the spreading of KM in the UK..

So whichever Federation / Group / Association of KM you belong to or are thinking of joining...just remember one thing guys...

It's not which Fed or group they are..it's the instructor ...Nuff said