WELCOME TO
AF SELF DEFENCE
Empowering. Effective. Affordable.
MY NEW BOOK!
WHY LEARN SELF DEFENCE?
Self-defence can be a scary thing to delve into, but knowing how to defend yourself is still as relevant as it's ever been. I believe that everyone deserves to know how to defend themselves and everyone deserves to walk the streets with the confidence that comes from knowing that you can.
If you've ever walked home with your keys between your fingers, then these sessions are for you.
SERVICES
1-TO-1/PARTNER/COUPLES
Tuition for single participants or for partners.
Perfect for friends or couples to practise the techniques in a comfortable environment.
GROUP SESSIONS
Tuition for groups consisting of 3-10 persons.
COMPANY/10+
Tuition for companies and/or groups of over 10+ persons. Perfect for corporate events and team-building workshops.
WHO'S TEACHING YOU?
I'm Adam. I'm a licenced instructor & certified black-belt in Kickboxing. As you can see from the above picture, I've been doing it for a while now. I'm also half-Portuguese; an action-film fanatic; a musical-theatre fan; an older brother to a wonderful sister & the boyfriend to a feisty French woman.
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My relationship with self-defence has been shaped by my love of martial arts & some unfortunate life-experiences. This combination is why I'm so passionate about my job. Self-defence is a skill you never know you need until you learn the hard way. My boy Sun Tzu says it best...
- Sun Tzu
"It's better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war."
FAQS
ARE THE CLASSES FOR WOMEN ONLY?
Nope. I'm very proud of my 90% female clientele rate, but self-defence is for everyone. I think the reason that the concepts I teach are popular amongst women is because you don't have to be The Incredible Hulk to make them work & see results. They're rooted in skill, not brute force.
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The only people I do not teach are bullies.
WHAT DO YOU COVER IN YOUR SESSIONS?
Two given circumstances will never be the same, but we train to strike, wrestle & grapple our way out of just about every scenario you could think of. Be that surviving an old fashioned fist-fight, dealing with an armed attacker or escaping from underneath someone whose got you pinned to the floor.
WHICH MARTIAL ARTS MAKE UP THE STYLE YOU TEACH?
With the popularity of MMA competitions like the UFC & CCTV footage of people scrapping in the streets, there's no doubt in this day & age which styles are the most effective for the streets. My curriculum is centred around muay thai & boxing (my specialities), Brazilian jiu-jitsu & judo, and the occasional concept on loan from krav maga.
WHAT MAKES YOU QUALIFIED TO TEACH SELF-DEFENCE?
Legally-speaking, I'm governed by the BMABA (British Martial Arts and Boxing Association.) If we're talking about experience, I competed in kickboxing tournaments my entire life and am unlucky enough to have had to use self-defence in real life with more than successful outcomes.
Starting as a younger fighter, I've never been able to rely on brute-force to help me out and my sessions accommodate that.
HOW DO YOU TRAIN PEOPLE TO REACT 'IN THE MOMENT'?
Jiu Jitsu instructor Shawn Mozen says:
"You can ride a bike, yes? Can you ride it being hit in the face?"
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It's one thing to know a technique theoretically & another to apply it once your adrenaline gets going. Once a student has a basic understanding of a concept, we pressure-test it. We spar, gradually upping the intensity over time until it resembles a real attack. It gets clients problem-solving & adapting to an evolving, high-pressure situation.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SELF-DEFENCE?
Where to start...
- Improved situational awareness
- Deeper understanding of your body
- Improved physical fitness & health
- Increased confidence, assertiveness & discipline in day-to-day life
- Empowerment from realising your own potential
- Cathartic in cases of P.T.S.D (in addition to therapy, obviously.)
- IT'S FUN!
+ the obvious one: increased chance of survival against an attacker
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CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
"I don't even call it violence when it's in self-defence; I call it intelligence."