Martial Arts in Kent, England?

In the next year or so I'm looking to start a martial art class, but private tuition will also be an option.

I haven't got any specific requirements apart from the fact that it needs to keep me reasonably fit and improve my self-defence, which will cover 90% of styles. Ideally, I'd like it to be as practical as possible, either covering grappling to a high standard (Judo, or BJJ), or striking (Muay Thai, boxing, etc), or both (as in, a quality MMA class). That is in an ideal world though, and I'd rather attend a high quality class in something other than those options mentioned if it means I get to work under a genuinely good teacher.

I live in Sittingbourne, Kent, and I was wondering if anybody knew of some good options within an hour or so from my location. Canterbury, Maidstone, and Ashford are some of the biggest towns nearby, if they ring any bells.

Thanks in advance for any pointers,

Kind regards,

Ashley.

 

Fighting Lions in Whitstable
Kixx in Maidstone
Both solid Kung Fu places that offer good full contact kickboxing as well. Fighting lions does grappling and MMA as well.

 

Also for a genuinely good teacher our own Simon is in your area.

 

Thanks very much for the reply, mate.

I've been Googling as well as posting annoying questions on this forum and I read a bit about the Fighting Lions club but it didn't say it was in Whitstable, that's only about 25 minutes from me.

Any idea on the styles of kung-fu? How well does that work alongside kickboxing (I'm just thinking of the completely contrasting ideas behind some wing chun punches when compared to boxing, for example)?

Sounds interesting.

 

BJA have a really good website you can use to find clubs near you.

 

Muay Thai is definitely something I'd be interested in. Is that what you teach?

Thanks for the help.

 

I'm on there now. Much appreciated.

 

Fighting Lions do Choy Li Fut which is one of the styles most associated with full contact competition, Kixx do longfist and 5 ancestors boxing, both very different to Wing Chun and easier to translate into kickboxing.
They teach dedicated sport fighting programs anyway (I think Fighting Lions have classes for Thai, K1 and San Shou and Kixx have San Shou).

 

Sorry to pester, but I'm not sure on the technical differences between kickboxing, K1, san shou, thai boxing, and muay thai.

Can anyone do a brief overview on the differences?

 

Hello from Strood!

You've got Combat Sports Academy here:
http://www.combatsportsacademy.net/

I personally teach taijiquan for free in Strood.

 

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G08KEtTDpM"]Muay Thai Highlight (2014) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw5Ga2ttQ7Q"]This Was GLORY 12 - New York Highlights - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8nCgNTByiE"]2003 San Shou World Championship Highlights - YouTube[/ame]

 

Muay Thai and Thai boxing are the same thing. Kickboxing will either refer to K1 style or the "American" style kickboxing also known as full contact or full contact Karate
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dsbgo01dfw"]Highlight LIONEL PICORD 7xChampion du Monde de Full-Contact! - YouTube[/ame]

 

The private classes look appealing to me. I do awkward hours at work and it would be almost impossible to commit to a specific time and day once a week to attend a class.

How flexible are these private classes? For example, could I ring in the morning and arrange one for the same afternoon? Is the class dependant on which teachers are available (I'm assuming certain teachers teach certain classes, as you have a good variety going on).

Thanks very much for the reply, the academy looks great.

 

Thanks very much Ben, I watched the videos. They all look like they'd cover the bases I'm looking for, and Muay Thai still interests me the most.

I'm glad I made the thread, it seems there are more local options than I thought.

 

Sorry, a bit of confusion here..

I‘m not actually part of CSA, I just use their facility sometimes and spar down there. You‘d need to contact them direct for info on their classes.

 

Ah, no worries. My fault.

You are a teacher in Kent though? Do you do private tuition?

 

Yeah, I teach taijiquan in Strood.

The classes I offer are on varying days due to my hectic work schedule. All are free.
You‘re more than welcome to visit if you‘re interested.

There is a link in my signature to our webpage if you want more info, or feel free to ask

 

Thanks very much. Why are your classes free?

 

A couple of reasons:

1) I enjoy teaching. If I started to charge, it would become a chore, because I‘d end up worrying if I‘m spending enough time with each individual to be worth a price.

2) Not enough things that are good for you are free. I genuinely believe that practicing taijiquan (or any martial art) has so many benefits, no matter what your reason for learning is, that I want it to be accessible to as many people as possible, a ‘free‘ works well for people who may be on a budget.

3) My classes are held outside in a local park, meaning i dont have any rental fees to pay. This does put some people off, but thats down to them.

The number of people who semi-freak out when I say free is quite funny. Everyone seems to wait for me to finish with “for the first lesson, then it‘s a million pounds per class after that“. In itself, being free is putting some people off.