By George Downing The Self Protection Association representative for Germany

When I was last in England in early October 1999, apart from visiting my family, it was great to meet Alan Charlton of the British Self Protection Association again. Alan wrote an article about me sometime ago, and I think it is high time that article deserves a reply. I have been training with Alan and the S P A since January 1998,returning to Blighty between every four to six months on average. Each time the training is more intensive but rewarding, I have to make full use of the time sometimes training with Alan for 3 or 4 day's straight.

I have then taken that knowledge back to Germany, practised what I have learnt until I was sick of it and then some.

Now all that training has paid off and I am ready to take my black belt and Instructors exam with the SPA sometime in the year 2000. Bringing the full knowledge of the SPA reality training back to Germany.

Firstly I have done this for myself, because in Germany reality-based training has not caught on as yet, in fact much of the martial arts scene in Germany is exactly how it was in Britain fifteen or so years ago.

Secondly having read many of Geoff Thompson’s books and buying his videos (or better still getting the wife to buy them for me as birthday presents) I have become greatly influenced by him and others in the British Combat Association. I was encouraged to pressure test my martial arts techniques. I found out in the dojo that much of my traditional JuJitsu and Karate were lacking when applied under pressure, but my Judo and kickboxing were holding up well but were lacking when not in their correct ranges.

I have practised martial arts on and off for over twenty years, with my main art being Judo which all in all I have practised for about six years. Karate, Kickboxing and JuJitsu I have spent about three years in each.

I know many people reading this will say that I lack stickability and maybe they are right. I agree with those people who say get a solid foundation in one art - I still love to train in my base system Judo. However, I must say that my goal in the martial arts has always been self- protection and practical hand-to-hand combat. But with all the arts I have trained in and been exposed to, I feel this has given me a better all-round ability to protect myself or my family rather than just being an expert in one.

Training with the SPA in Britain and applying the principles of the many BCA instructors has made me see the strengths and weaknesses of each combat system. All systems have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, cross training is the only way I can see of getting the best out of each system and making them gel together under pressure.

Since I have been training with the SPA I have advanced in leaps and bounds in my ability to protect myself which is all I have ever wanted and in fact is probably what most people want when they take up martial arts.

Coming to England on a regular basis since January 1998 has been a quest for me, a quest for reality-based combat. I am glad that I have found it but it has not ended yet and I will continue with my journey. If someone has something better to offer and it proves itself under pressure, I will be the first to line up for a course, because everything constantly evolves, nothing is static.

People go on quests to the Far East to learn from great Masters of martial arts and they sometimes forget that there is great talent on their home turf if only they looked, but then it depends on what you are looking for in the first place. If you want to learn traditional martial arts with culture, history and philosophy then that is where you should go on your quest. If you want to learn reality-based combat, you have some of the best instructors in the world in the U.K. and the U.S.

For those of you living in the U.K. it would only cost you the price of the seminar or course plus a train ticket or a few litres of petrol to meet and train with some of the top names in the field of reality combat. It costs me a plane ticket and other expenses because I have family in England it makes my quest slightly easier (also having an understanding wife at home helps a great deal...)

Although I have never met Geoff Thompson, I would love to meet him and all the other BCA instructors one day, because it is people like them that fired the quest within me, and Alan Charlton of the SPA who made his knowledge plus my previous knowledge gel together.

I would like to close this article by saying to everyone in the BCA and SPA keep up the good work, but most of this entire article is for those who have self-doubt. It is said the imagination is stronger than the will and if the mind can conceive it, you can achieve it - all it takes is gumption and sacrifice and you can get whatever you want from life, but then doesn’t anything worth achieving take those hard virtues. Perhaps swings and roundabouts are a better comparison.

On this journey of mine or whatever I undertake in life, I can always look at myself in the mirror and say, I have the gumption for this undertaking, and when I have completed it, I can pat myself on the back and say By God I’ve done it...