Quote:
Murray McPherson wrote:
For the cherry on top, let's all shudder to think of a well-trained Muay Thai fighter.
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I began learnign aikido while studying at the University of Plymouth. There, on my first ever Saturday night outs as a student some locals decided to start a fight with us student types. Amongst those more seriously hurt was my friend Andy Black. Some people familiar with Muay Thai in the UK from the late 1990s may remember his name. The fight I mentioned was before he began learning to kickbox. But within a few years of our unfortunate encounter with the local thugs he was just about the toughest muay thai/kickboxer you were likely to meet. A middle weight, IIRC in one match he once knocked a guy out in less than ten seconds, he only hit the guy twice in order to do so once in the ribs and once in the head.
He went to fight in Thailand and fought a professional thai boxer of the same weight class. The guy hit him with an elbow, Andy wasn't aware that elbows were allowed in the rules, but no matter, it would be fun to use them anyway. The aforementioned Thai kickboxer was dragged to the side of the ring and injected with painkillers before they sewed up the 4 inch gash in the side of his head then and there at the side of the ring.
My friend Andy also entered into Vale Tudo contests put on by the University Kung Fu Club (who were basically a MMA club using the guise of Kung Fu to practice at the University), I'm afraid i can't remember how he got on in those though. I only mention them to illustrate that in addition to being a very tough kickboxer he also cross trained a lot in MMA/UFC situations.
Why am I telling you all about my old friend Andy? Because once, while I was putting the mats out before aikido he happened to be in the gym and, we as always got chatting about the martial arts practiced at the University at the time. He commented that he wasn't particularly impressed by any of the instructors, he said he knew he could beat them in most fight situations he could think of (he had trained or sparred with just about everyone except the Tai Chi instructor and the Aikido instructor). He said that the only instructor who taught at the University who he would be wary of was Geoff. My Aikido teacher, a man who at that time was in his late 50's. I said why? He said "It's his eyes"
That's why I'm still Geoff's student to this day. I don't know too much about everyone else's aikido but I know who I want to train with and learn from.
Regards
Mike