Recently made contact with one of my earliest Martial Arts instructors way back in the 80's, Stephen Brooks 

Stephen, along with my first ever Instructor Kevin Brewerton were instructors under the famous South East Schools of Lau Gar Kung Fu.  In 1985, Stephen left to form his own association, Phoenix Schools of Martial Arts, based in Croydon, Surrey and has never looked back since!I fondly remember Sunday afternoons training with Mr Brooks and the two solid hours of conditioning, bag and pad work, wanting to throw up and then getting kicked and punched all around the gym – thanks Stephen! seriously, they were very productive times and a far cry from some of the 'Arts' I witness today, which bear little resemblance to the purpose. 

Stephens lessons were very well organized, productive and most importantly, the environment was safe and that is why many parents would send their kids to Steve, to learn the discipline and hard work that makes the Martial Arts a perfect compliment to any child's education.

Still on the Martial Arts, Mr Val Riazanov is flying over next month when we begin filming the follow up to the extremely successful Ballistic Strikes.  Many of you who have the DVD's are anxious to see what's next and in the next series, we will be filming Ballistic Strikes 2, which will be an in-depth look at the more technical aspects of striking, including pressure points and kicks. Also, we will cover defences against handguns, edged weapons, conditioning for combat amongst other interesting things.

Stay tuned!

~Neil