Alan Charlton is chief instructor of the Self-Protection Association. His name is as large in the Martial Arts as his personality, I have known Alan for many years and he has become one of my best and closest friends. I have been fortunate to teach, train with, and be a student of this self-protection expert.

DR: Alan thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions.

AC: Thank you Darrin, I'm pleased you feel people would like to know a little bit more about me. Also congratulations on getting the gold medal in Manchester and becoming the British Sambo champion.

DR: Thanks I'm still aching, Alan when and why was it you took up martial arts and what drew you to them?

AC: I was about 14 years old when I went to my first martial arts class, a kung fu class had opened up in a nearby church hall. Because of the TV programs and films at the time in the early 1970's that's what everyone wanted to learn. The only fighting heroes I had at the time along with my friend Steve were Adam West and Burt Ward the best Batman and Robin ever. We would re-enact the scenes from the TV program as we walked home from school. Like many people I was looking for something that would help me deal with bullying. And looking back now, some of the stuff I first started training in, well Batman was more realistic.

DR: What else have you trained in, and what drew you to these particular systems?

AC: If you don't mind Darrin I will answer that question like this; looking back now in hindsight the arts I wish I had started in would have been Judo and Boxing. Because looking back I can see with the right application just how workable these arts are. But from a very brief stay with Kung Fu, a year or two later I went on to train in Wado Ryu karate then kick boxing, wing chun, Choi kwang do and Taeguk all mainly kicking and punching systems. Sorry mate looks like we are back to Batman again.

DR: How do you feel Martial arts in Great Britain have developed over the last ten years?

AC: Depending on what you are looking for, I think it has been an exciting 10 years. Much has been said and done about getting people to put some of their training towards street combat. Groups like the British combat association with Peter Consterdine and Geoff Thompson, The self defence federation Dave Turton and C.O.D.A with Pete Robins and Paul Child all of whom have done some fantastic work when it comes to dragging the martial arts into the next millenium.

But the sad face of politics, ego's and money will raise its head in many groups who will still keep this insight away from their members. I long for the day when a martial arts group no longer advertises their art as the ultimate self defence, when they are training in something that was developed many years ago. Violence on the street is happening now and is light years ahead when it comes down to what works.

DR: Do you think that the trend in cross training, has diluted the more traditional arts?

AC: No I don't. If anything it shows that if you stick to one thing then it will bring out the weak points in your training. If someone wants to test him or herself and test what they have they can do this and in safety and at the end of the day it's their choice.

Traditional martial arts are loved and enjoyed by many people around the world. And I for one can see the benefits this training brings to the individual and on a completely personal basis. If any system is loved and enjoyed by it's members then its members will practise that system along with all the traditions of that art. People will only train in something if they like it or are happy with the information they are getting.

I have a lot of time for the traditional arts and have been lucky to see some great demonstrations of the arts practised by many gifted people.

DR: So do you still think that there is a place for traditional self-defence/martial arts or do you think we have to separate street protection and tradition?

AC: Yes, you must deal with the question of protection separately. Because traditional trained applications of a technique will not work on the street. Any system can teach a student to kick, punch, choke or how to throw an opponent. If this is done within the rules and traditions of a club, it can be done safely. And like I said before that’s enjoyable. But it's the street application that traditional systems do not cover, yet will advertise their club as dealing with the problem.

At the end of the day many people join a club because they are looking for something to help them if they are attacked. Because the martial arts are just clinging on to people's perception that a local karate class is the place to go to help them. If groups and Instructors do not tell the truth about what part of their system will help and that the rest is just for fun, then the public will see through the rubbish and leave. They have seen a pub fight and had their fear of confrontation keep them awake. After six weeks of training they are still moving up and down the hall in straight lines throwing punches in the air. Unless they are told the difference they will not want to carry on. People have the right and want to be told the truth; they may not like it at the time. But if that person walks along a street and finds out too late the information was wrong then how can an Instructor justify his teaching?

They have their place, so did the dinosaur. But to deal with the attacker that works on the street level today, we have to move forward not look back.

DR: I am looking forward to reading your forthcoming book, can you tell us what are your aims with it, and what audience it is aimed at?

AC: It is something I have been working on for sometime. With the book I wanted to cover the 5 to 10 seconds before a fight kicks off. Because it is control within that time span I have found to be the problem. I have had to deal with that problem like many people, and I feel it is the most important aspect to staying safe. The title of the book is, "Awareness Fears and Consequences", I hope it will help people understand just how something can kick off and understand how to work on seeing the danger and dealing with their fears. As for the people who would like to read it, anyone who is training in any system I feel will get something from it. I'm sure anyone would enjoy and learn something from reading it.

DR: You are one of the martial arts most prolific writers; you must be tied to the keyboard every day. Why?

AC: I enjoy putting my ideas on paper and the feedback I get from people is great. When someone reads an idea or a training drill and they try out that idea I have been writing about, then they contact me to tell me it helped them, it's a great feeling. Also the support I have had from Fighters magazine over the years has helped, because they print it, that keeps me writing it. Also I just want people to see that you can put reality into any system. Through my writing I have made friends and contacts in the USA, Canada, South Africa, Israel, Switzerland, Germany and throughout the UK and Ireland.

DR: What are your experiences with for want of a better word ‘street fighting’ and how did you cope with it?

AC: The best experience I have of street fighting was from a beating I got many years ago. It made me the weakest and most scared person you could wish to meet. But looking back now it taught me a lot. I can see the many problems people face, and that's why I push the virtues of self-protection. Some years after that beating I was working as a doorman. Over the next few years I had to deal with knifes, bottles and faced some very angry people. Dealing with the hardest fear of all S****** yourself but still having to deal with it and controlling the fear. But my hardest fight was with you Darrin, on the mats of your Sambo club. I know you had thrown me more times than a dice on a monopoly board, but you do know that I was just pretending don't you, Ha Ha!

DR: Why do you continue to train?

AC:Because it's always changing and there is so much out there. Darrin you are the test to that, I mean when I first met you, like me you thought Sambo was a make of imported car. Now many years on you have fought in Russia and are now the British champion. If that's not changing what is?

Training and being involved within the fighting arts is something I want to do until I die. As I get older I cannot do the things I used to do but my training changes and I work on what works for me. Writing is taking up more of my time, but how do you stop doing something you love?

DR: You have taught on many seminars, which stands out in your mind the most and why?

AC: All of them Darrin, no it's not a cop out. I have been lucky to be booked to teach on many seminars. The one thing I enjoy most is when people first meet me they may be put off because of what they think I'm like, but by the end of the seminar we are laughing and joking. I always have a great time in Northern Ireland and in 1999 I taught and took part in a 3 day seminar in Canada which I had a great time doing and made some great new friends.

But if you held me down with one of your Sambo leg locks and said choose one. It would have to be the one the Self Protection Association held with Roy Shaw and Dave Turton. It was a day that is unrepeatable, because of all the people that came on that day, and like them I will never forget it.

DR: Do you feel as many do that the brief open mindedness of cross training is drawing to a close?

AC: I don't think so judging by the phone calls and letters I get. People are training in karate along with Tai Boxing, or training in Wing Chun. And it's great that people are doing it, it will get them to find out what works best for them. The only comment I should make is that no matter how many arts you train in you are still just learning a ring craft. Putting someone in a leg lock as they are punching you in the face takes skill and hard training, but someone punching you in the face with a broken beer glass takes no training at all.

DR: When you are not writing or teaching, what fill's Alan’s time?

AC: My children take up most of my day. For the last 9 years I have been looking after them full time, but as they are now both at school this gives me more time in the day. So at 9 o'clock in the morning I take time out for coffee and Kilroy, I will have to make sure my wife doesn't see a copy of this. I teach in the daytime and at weekends I am writing/training or at seminars, sometimes 24 hours is not enough.

DR: There are still many instructors out there claiming to teach reality, they are cashing in without delivering the goods. What are your views on this?

AC: They are double-glazing sales man, selling and saying anything to close the deal. Reality based training/teaching is what I love and the fact there are only a few people within the UK working hard to promote it is a shame. But the fact that some people, who do not understand the core ideas of training for the street, are trying to teach it makes it dangerous. I stopped teaching with my old association and formed the Self Protection Association because what I was teaching at the time was not street effective. I could no longer teach something that I knew would not work. In fact I lost sleep over it. People who cash in as you say Darrin, well God knows how they sleep.

DR: Who do you consider as your teachers, why, and what is left for you to learn?

AC: Any one who has confronted me in the street, because they have taken my understanding of my training and shown me what works and taken it to the next level. I have learnt so much from so many people it's not possible to list them all, and that's not including the bad ones. I feel no matter who you train with you will learn something, the trick is to see who are the bad ones and get rid of the crap. But if I could name just a few (the good ones that is) Pete Robins and Paul Child for their workable combat training and also you don't have to look hard to be someone's nightmare. Geoff Thompson and Peter Consterdine of the British Combat Association are two people who have given me so much over the years. Dave Turton Self Defence Federation who is light years ahead of many in his honesty and knowledge about street application of techniques. Jamie O'Keefe for his support and down to earth honesty, Kevin O'Hagan for showing many you don't have to be bigger to handle a confrontation. And yourself Darrin for your help in getting me to improve my ground fighting and teaching me to move on the mat instead of looking like a beached whale.

And many more who I have had the privilege to teach or train with. As for what is left to learn well there is just so much out there. I am happy with the people I train with because if I am not up to scratch they will let me know.

DR: You have written some interesting articles on women’s training and edged weapon defence. Where did you do you research for these?

AC: Women's self defence is something I have put a lot of work into by finding out what women want from self-defence training. Women's fear of attack may well be stronger than a man's fears, but how you deal with it is the same. Awareness and threat assessment are key to both sexes, the physical response may have to be different but no less effective. I have trained some women who are hands on with violence within their work, and their ability to bring down the bigger man (myself included) is second to done. In fact any woman who takes up training in the fighting arts I feel has shown a lot of bottle in just being there. But it's having the dedication to stay and train and find the answers. Mind you Darrin dedication is hard to find in both sexes.

But as a man, I have my limits to understanding what information some women are willing to take from a man's perspective. So having people like Liz Clark and Sevim Necati out there giving practical seminars and workshops means women's self defence training is moving in the right direction. I mean, I may well be able to show a woman how to shove a pencil into their attacker eye and stop the attack. But Sevim and Liz can cover the problem from practical and personal experience, of the so-called weaker sex fighting back.

As an Instructor people are very interested when they train with me about how I deal with knife attacks. The fact that knife and weapon defence which are taught in many martial arts groups are as realistic as me winning a beauty competition. It was on a BCA course that I met Pete Robins and Paul Child who run C.O.D.A who have given me the greatest insight into understanding edged weapons. I know both Pete and Paul would play down their abilities on the subject but the source of their information is world class. Within the SPA training I have tried to push the realism side as far as possible and that includes edged weapons. Simple is the word that keeps coming up within our training all the time, whenever I try and do something flash it doesn't work. Because my training partner is going to thrust a knife in me as hard as he can I always think of two things. One if I don't stop him I'm dead, and two, thank God we are training with rubber knives.

DR: How did your connection with the Taeguk club in Northern Ireland develop?

AC: I have known Angela Trainor founder & Chief Instructor of Taeguk self defence in Northern Ireland for many years. We used to train with the same Instructor in London; we would train all the time. We were younger then. I was in my 20's and Angela in her late 30's only joking (she will kill me for that). We would train privately in the daytime with our Instructor, (by taking long lunch hours from work) then in the evenings train and help teach at our Instructors schools. We would be training or teaching all the time. It gave us both a great start in our careers as Instructors.

When she moved back to Northern Ireland about 8 years ago, she started running her own schools. She is one of the most helpful and determined Instructors I have ever known. I am invited over regularly to teach at her seminars in Northern Ireland and have built up a good friendship with many of her students and Instructors. We always have a good training session at the seminars and some may feel a little stiff walking into work the next day, but it’s a place I always feel welcome.

DR: What now for the Self-Protection Association?

AC: To keep moving forward with the people I have around me. And working with all the groups the SPA is associated with. I'm sure it will just get better and help more people to train for reality and still enjoy their training in whatever system they practice.

DR: What is the hardest training you have ever done, and what made you do it?

AC: One of my Instructors Tony Falconer was going in for a ground fighting competition. To help us out you invited us to come and train with you and Paul at your club in Gosport. You must remember Darrin? And you could not stop laughing at the sight of Tony and me trying to bend our legs to get in the car to go home. I just thank God, that you did not see the state of us by the end of the 2-hour drive home, we hurt.

Also with my good friend Kevin Fox as we worked through the training ideas for the SPA. We had to work out the syllabus from white to black belt, from pads to shield drills and all the fighting and contact drills, all based on Geoff Thompson's animal day training ideas. We worked and trained on the ideas in my garage at home. By the noise of the punches and kicks coming from inside and sometimes out side the garage, I think my neighbors must have thought we were trying to kill each other. Mind you Kevin often did.

DR: What makes Alan Charlton angry?

AC: Darrin if I listed all the things that make me angry, it would be longer than the shopping list my children want to send to Father Christmas. Like everyone I do have things that have me holding back a right hook at times, but as my mother in law lives some miles from me not too many. And as this interview is for a martial arts magazine I won't include things like. People in cars that don't say thank you when you let them out in traffic, drivers who drive too close. Having to go to the shops twice because you forgot the one thing you went out for, or the vinegar bottle top that comes off as you are flavoring your chips.

OK, the above may not be anger but frustration. There is not much I can do about them, but they can all add up over time and that can explode people into violence. Raw anger is dangerous and something we all have to keep a lid on, and controlling that lid is something I have to do every day just like everyone reading this interview.

DR: For the martial artist that is seeking reality training what is your message to them?

AC: If you want it, it's out there. You can find it in any city center, car park, pub, shopping center or traffic jam the reality of violence can happen any second of any day. But if you want to deal with it and have a fighting chance, then contact any of the people or organizations I have been talking about. Don't take any Instructor at face value. If they are in the UK they will have some connection with the groups I have been talking about. Always check with any association they tell you they are with. Enjoy your training in martial arts and street protection, you can do both if you want to.

DR: What would you like to be remembered for?

AC: I hope "remembered for" in the final sense is many years away. Maybe as someone who started something with the help of others and something others wanted to carry on.

DR: Alan thanks again for talking to me, I'm sure people will find your comments interesting and will do something more with their training.

AC: Darrin I need a long cool drink! Thanks for asking the questions and best wishes to all.