Sensei’s Russell and William meeting world famous martial arts Master Bob Breen, when he paid a visit to The Martial Arts Place earlier this year.
Thanks for stopping by Bob and we hope to see you again soon!
Posts Tagged ‘martial arts’
TMAP gets a visit from a martial arts Master
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
Graders
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012This months graders so far… keep up the hard work!
Sensei on the Spot!
Monday, August 1st, 2011
This week’s Sensei is our very own kickboxing, drumming, Sensei Russell Cronk.
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1) How long have you been involved in martial arts?
“It’s now over 20 years – where has the time gone?! I remember when I first started training and had done a grand total of 2 weeks kickboxing… I was so happy because I felt could honestly tell people that I ‘did’ martial arts!”
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2) If you weren’t at TMAP where would you be?
“Playing the drums in a band. Check out this video of my drumming hero – P.C. Oops…”.
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3) What do you do in your spare time?
“I try to relax – it’s not easy!”
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4) What’s your favourite martial arts film?
“Kung Fu Hustle (except the soppy bits with his girlfriend)”
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5) What’s your favourite snack?
“Popcorn”.
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6) Is there a song/piece of music you HAVE to dance to?
“Hips don’t lie – Shakira – it’s a long story! Lol”.
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7) How many push ups can you really do?
“More than Sensei William, which is enough for me 
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What annoys you?
“Rudeness”.
9) Sail or fly?
“Either – (I’d sail instead of use a very busy airport every time!)”.
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10) What are your tips for staying TMAP fit?
“Don’t stop training – seriously!! Do less some days if your body is tired, but try to do something every day”.
11) If you had a superpower what would it be?
“The ability to fly”.
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12) What’s it like being a Sensei?
“Being a Sensei is a big responsibility which I take very seriously, but it’s also a lot of fun. I’m very lucky to be doing something I love”
13) What’s the best piece of advice for a beginner at TMAP?
“Ask questions and watch the Black Belts train. Instructors love to help people who are enthusiastic!”
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.And that sums up Sensei Russell’s answers! If there is a Sensei or Senpai that you have a burning desire to know more about then leave a comment and we will track them down and get your answers!!
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Fancy a beach body?
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011
Top Tips for TMAP beginners (part 1 – before your class starts)
Thursday, May 5th, 2011We all need pointers for our training no matter what the sport, especially as beginners. It’s important to develop good habits early on – and of course to avoid bad habits!
In the first of his three articles, Sensei Russell Cronk has put together his top training tips to bear in mind before your class starts.
“I recommend these tips for all beginners, although, there are things that everyone should bare in mind – no matter your experience. It’s easy to forget the basics!”
1) Turn up on time for your training or early if you can. Of course, we all run late now and again but there are lots of reasons for making the effort to arrive early and get the most from your class
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- The beginning of the class is very important because it’s when we warm our bodies, get into the training mindset and prepare ourselves for serious training.
- Instructors aren’t impressed by people who regularly turn up late for class. It shows a lack of respect towards the instructor and the class. If you are often late then perhaps this explains why you always get paired-up with the really sweaty guy in class
- You’ve paid for a whole class, so don’t waste your money by turning up ten minutes late and missing out.
Arriving early gives you time to be able to concentrate in your class and absorb everything that you’re being taught. If you’re running late and have to rush straight into the class, you may be flustered and not have the best of classes.
2) Stretch by yourself before the class starts or run through some of your pairs techniques with a partner. Make the most of your time at the Dojo and don’t just sit reading a magazine or staring out into space whilst you wait for your class to start
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3) Bring some water to class and make sure you’ve eaten something that day. That might sound obvious but it’s the number one reason for people feeling unwell during a workout
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4) Bring correct and clean uniform, for beginners this entails bringing your gloves and boots with your traiing top and trousers. As you become more advanced you’ll also need shin pads, gum shields, chest and groin guards.
Uniform hygiene is important, regular washing of your tops and trousers will keep them smelling as fresh as a daisy and airing out your boots and gloves will help them last longer! As modelled in our photos, Sensei Marco (left) is wearing clean and correct uniform, Sensei Phil (right) is not! Tying your belt neatly and correctly is also important (see photos).
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5) Make sure you have eaten something before coming to train, ideally you should have eaten around 90 minutes before a lesson to allow your body to use this food as fuel. Skipping meals before training puts you at risk of fainting or at the very least not being able to give 100% during your lesson
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In his next article Sensei Russell will be discussing his top training tips for students DURING their lesson.
Senpai on the spot
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Our next Senpai to star in this section is Senpai Penny. Best known for being a bit
of a chatterbox, Penny is also known for being TMAP’s resident running nut.
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When not at TMAP where can you be found?
“I’m usually found running or cycling around London or
at the weekend I’m often in Twickenham watching my beloved
Harlequins RFU.”
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What are your pet peeves?
“Littering the environment – any type of litter drives me crazy.”
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What’s your advice for a beginner at TMAP?
“Don’t measure yourself against how others are performing in your class, measure
yourself against how far you’ve come.”
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Do you have a favourite film?
“I have 3… can I have 3? Ghostbusters is such a classic, I love it. Lost in Translation is another
favourite and Le Diner de Cons (original french version not hollywood version), it’s a farce,
but very enjoyable.”
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Do you have a catchphrase that you use in class?
“I can normally be heard telling the children that ‘It’s not a tea-party, stop chatting’ !”
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What’s your favourite snack?
“Toast, I love toast, hot toast, cold toast and pretty much
with any topping.”
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Do you have any secret or not so secret skills?
“I CAN dance all night.”
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Do you have an idol?
“Not really an idol as such – but there are a number of athletes that I admire -
Chrissie Wellington being the main one, she’s a phenomenal triathlete.”
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What’s been your most painful injury?
“Either breaking my nose many years ago – led to many weeks of
excrutiating headaches for me, or my on-going saga of my knee injury,
it’s baffled many physiotherapists!”
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If you could have a super power what would it be?
“I’d be unbreakable – without a doubt!”
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What song guarentees you’ll get on the dancefloor?
“Um, I’ll dance to almost anything from the 80’s – I love dancing, I’ve been known to dance for 5
hours straight.”
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What’s the hardest thing you’ve overcome?
“I think it was moving into a sport like kickboxing from never having done any martial arts at all – I found
that even though I’d danced for years I wasn’t very coordinated, it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact
that I’d have to work hard to pass even a basic grade.”
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Describe yourself in 3 words
“Stubborn, chatty, funny”
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Penny is running this years London marathon on 17th April to raise money for 3 different charities, you can find details on these charities and how you can support them by visiting the blog article http://www.themartialartsplace.com/blog/?p=2189
The Martial Arts Place on YouTube
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011Can’t get enough TMAP action? Can’t remember which kick aims where during cover-cover? Or are you keen to see what happens at competition? Well we’re here to help you 
We now have a selection of video clips available to view on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/tmaplondon#g/u), we’ll gradually be adding more clips as we get them, but for now why not have a look and see what our competition squad have been getting up to or see Sensei Marco and Sensei Phil demonstrate cover-cover.
Kickboxing in Kentish Town and TMAP news (March)
Sunday, March 27th, 2011
Yes, you read that correctly! The Martial Arts Place now
has new lessons in a brand new location during the
week. Our new lessons are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays
at Expressions Dance Studio in Highgate Road and are
aimed at 5-7 year olds, to book into these
lessons please speak to your Sensei or contact us.
For details of an incredible offer on these new lessons call us at our Swiss Cottage Dojo on 020 7586 1222
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It’s coming towards the end of term already
(where has the time gone?), so we’d like to
remind you that the Dojo will close over Easter
for scheduled childrens lessons; however,
we are offering Little Monkeys ‘drop in’ lessons
at our new Kentish Town venue for £10
each lesson (Tuesdays and Thursdays 4pm). Places are limited.
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Our Swiss Cottage Dojo will be running drop in lessons on Wednesdays as follows;
- 3pm Focused class (Little Monkeys AND juniors)
- 4pm Little Monkeys
- 4.45 Juniors 8-10 years
- 5.30 Juniors 11-14 years.
For more information on any of these classes then please call us on 020 7586 1222 or speak to your Sensei.
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May bank holidays
Our Dojo always closes over bank holiday weekends, for the coming term and holiday season these dates are:
Friday 29th April – Monday 2nd May (inclusive) and
Friday 27th May – Monday 30th May (inclusive).
Where a childs class falls during a weekend that we are closed, there is the opportunity for them to make up their class during the week. As classes on weekdays are very popular please speak to your Sensei to book your childs place.
We open again on Monday 9th May with our FULL timetable.
♥♥ Don’t forget Mothers Day!!!! ♥♥
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011Very special offer for Mothers Day!!
We know that you appreciate your mum, so why not show her how much you love her by indulging her love of all things TMAP?
We’re offering a private class for the price of only £25 (usually £50), call us on 020 7586 1222 to book now and take advantage of this offer!! ♥♥
Martial Arts in the news
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011Martial arts: Karate kids—The Telegraph
Martial arts for children are thriving and with good reason, says Gary King
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Jay Savery encourages children to have a good time, while learning something new Photo: JOHN ROBERTSON
By Gary King 08 Mar 2011
Seb and Bella remove their shoes upon entering the training area, known as the dojo. They are instructed to kneel down in front of their Sensei, which is Japanese for teacher, and the lesson begins.
As a child, I attended karate classes in a draughty Cornish village hall, and loved it. With two children of my own, 11-year-old Seb and Bella, 8, I was interested to see what has changed in the world of children’s martial arts in the past 30 years.
Characters such as Kung Fu Panda and the Karate Kid (in my day it was Hong Kong Phooey) are inspiring children to try the growing number of martial arts courses available for ages three upwards. It’s not about fighting. Well-taught classes can instill more serious values in an easily distracted generation.
Jay Savery teaches a discipline known as yoshinkan aikido. It’s here that I decide to take my own children for a beginner’s session.
“Aikido is non-aggressive,” Jay explains, “because it focuses on redirecting an attacker’s force rather than opposing it, making it perfect for anyone of any size.”
For the next hour he cajoles and encourages my children into having a good time while teaching them something completely new. He’s a natural coach with an excellent manner and I’ve not seen my two move this much in ages! At the end of the lesson they can both execute a perfectly controlled forward roll.
“Every aspect of the training is designed to teach the students, whatever their age, that they are responsible for their own actions. It’s about understanding principles such as honour, integrity, honesty, respect and recognising the difference between right and wrong,” says Jay.
Children are starting younger than ever. Nicky Cox teaches Wado Ryu Karate to four to six-year-olds at a club in Nottingham. It’s a lively class that fizzes with energy, with all the little ninjas dashing about the place with a cartoon dragon emblazoned on the back of their little suits.
“Different children react in different ways to the teaching,” she says. “The naturally confident and energetic ones buzz around, while the less self-assured children gain in confidence as they progress through the training.”
The parents in attendance confirm that the combination of learning a physical activity in a structured environment has done wonders for their children’s general demeanour, and say it’s a high point of their week.
Julie Kitchen, 12-times World Muay Thai Boxing champion, agrees. With husband Nathan she runs popular classes for all ages at Toughgloves in Penzance. Their 12-year-old twin daughters, Amber and Allaya, have been kick-boxing since they were three and are junior champions. “It has definitely given them a sense ofunderstanding that if you work hard at something then you’ll reap the rewards,” says Julie.
Article reproduced from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/active/8366077/Martial-arts-Karate-kids.html