Urban Escrima Taster Session on Thursday 25th April 2013

We are running a Self Defence taster session which takes place on Thursday 25th April from 6.30 - 7.30 at London Fields Fitness, Hackney. This is FREE!

Please fill in the form below if you would like to come down.

Need a New Years Resolution? Get Fighting Fit with Urban Escrima!

We are running a FREE special Taster Session to help you with your Fitness and Self-Defence New Years resolutions. And as it is the start of a new year and we are in a very giving mood, we are offering a very generous training package just for you!

Places are limited, so contact us now on info@urbanescrima.com to BOOK your place on the Taster Session and also to find out about our special new years promotion.

The Taster Session is on Tuesday 8th January from 6.45-7.45 at London Fields Fitness Studio E8 3PN.

Interview with an Urban Escrima Student - Catherine

Catherine has been with Urban Escrima almost from the beginning, so we are really pleased to be able to see what Catherine thinks of her training and the club.

Please introduce yourself, where are you from and what do you do?

I’m Catherine Webb.  I’m from London (Hackney, to be exact)and for half the year I write novels, and for the other half I’m a theatre lighting designer.

What type of books do you write and are you working on anything at the moment? Do you have a blog or website or something where we can keep up to date with your work?
I write fantasy books, with a bit of other stuff thrown in.  I started writing quite young, so as Catherine Webb I’ve got a series of eight or so children’s books which sort of grew up as I did.  Now I write mostly as Kate Griffin, writing books set in London.  However, at the moment I’m writing something completely different – a detective story, set in 1550s Istanbul. It’s not my usual kettle of fish, but I have a massive soft spot for the Ottoman Empire (doesn’t everyone?) and the 1550s are a fantastic bit of history where the world is at once swashbuckling medieval, and simultaneously full of gunpowder and intellectual turmoil.  I keep a blog -www.kategriffin.net  - which has all my information on it.


How long have you been training in Escrima Concepts and what grade are you?
I’ve been training about a year, and I’m level two.

Are you currently training in any other martial arts or have you done anything before?I did a tiny bit of karate, and a bit of jiu jitsu while at university.  My chief memories of karate was being shouted at, and having to crawl up the stairs to my dormitory room after Friday class, almost physically unable to bend at the knees.  Jiu jitsu was better, but there was a lot of bowing, tumbling and wondering why the person I was supposed to throw bodily to the floor using only my hip and circular movement, had to be six foot five and weigh seventeen stone.

Why did you choose to train in Escrima Concepts? And what do you most enjoy about your training? I chose Escrima slightly by accident.  I was feeling very unfit, but knew that if I was going to get more exercise I wanted to learn something useful while doing it.  I also knew I didn’t want to be shouted at by an angry Sensei again.  There was an offer to do classes at the London Fields gym, and I saw Escrima on the list.  After looking it up on the internet, it seemed a lot more interesting than other martial arts I’d tried, so I gave it a go, and have kept on giving it a go ever since!

I think there are two things I like most about training.  The first is that, even within certain techniques, everyone does it in a slightly different way.  I really appreciate this, as it both broadens your options and simultaneously forces you to learn how to read whoever you’re working with. For example, when sparring with one student, over time you come to notice that he’s good with his live hand and always steps through, which in turn forces you to change what you do.  But when sparring with another, you realise that this student always does smaller, tighter moves, and doesn’t necessarily put in his live hand, or only does on certain shots.  It’s such a flexible, friendly environment that you can actually get to think about, not merely what you’re doing, but what everyone else does and how that might affect you – and I really like that.  The other thing I love is the technical nitty gritty; I really enjoy that moment when you suddenly understand how doing something simple, can lead to something devastating.

Are you currently training in any other martial arts or have you done anything before?
I did a tiny bit of karate, and a bit of jiu jitsu while at university.  My chief memories of karate was being shouted at, and having to crawl up the stairs to my dormitory room after Friday class, almost physically unable to bend at the knees.  Jiu jitsu was better, but there was a lot of bowing, tumbling and wondering why the person I was supposed to throw bodily to the floor using only my hip and circular movement, had to be six foot five and weigh seventeen stone.

What do you feel is the most important thing you have learnt in Escrima so far?
Get out of the way!!

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of taking up Escrima Concepts?
When I started, I used half a broom handle to practice getting comfortable with the movements in my living room, as training with any sort of weapon felt really odd for the first few weeks.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions that seem trivial or daft, because they’re really not; and remember that if Nigel says something is ‘kinda… okay’ you can probably be really pleased.

Thanks Catherine!

Newsletter December 2012

Check out our latest Newsletter here, enjoy!

Interview with an Urban Escrima Student - Chris

Welcome to the latest installment of our ‘Interview with a Student’ series. Chris is a long time student with Urban Escrima Self Defence so we are really pleased to see what Chris’s thoughts are on training.

How long have you been training with Urban Escrima and what grade are you?
I started training with Urban Escrima in May 2011 and I am second grade.

What if any martial arts have you done before?
I have done Jiu Jitsu and Aikido before starting Escrima.

What attracted you to train in Escrima Concepts?
I like the simplicity and no nonsense approach. The Escrima which is taught is pretty dynamic and flexible. It welcomes techniques from any martial arts that works, so what I have learnt before is not wasted. I would say what I have learnt before is the rough edges being chiselled, refined + learning something new.

What things do you most enjoy training at Urban Escrima?
Its a really challenging. Most of the time I am trying to overcome myself before learning to overcome or control others if there is a scrap. But I think mentally the weapons part has taught me to keep/walk away from trouble because of the damage it can do if employed.

What do you feel is the most important thing you have learned at Urban Escrima?
Finding out how little I know about self defence in stress situations and believe me in a confrontation the situation will be stressful. No getting away from that.

What would you say to someone thinking of coming down to train at Urban Escrima?
I would say come and try out the system for about a month and you will train with some great lads and lasses.

Thanks Chris!

Urban Escrima Newsletter - November 2012

You can check our latest Newsletter here: Urban Escrima Newsletter 2012

Enjoy!

Interview with an Urban Escrima Student - Vasilisa

This month’s student interview is with Vasilisa who has been a regular at our Hyde Park Self Defence training sessions. Let’s see what Vasilisa has to say about herself and her training.

Please introduce yourself, where are you from and what do you do?My name is Vasilisa, I am Russian. I used to work as a lawyer in my home country, but I abandoned law for Photography when moved to UK.

How long have you been doing photography? Can you give us a link to some of your work?
My photography career started in 2005 when I became a Co-Author of a gift/photography book “Grey Matter:  Why it’s Good to be Old”. At the moment most of my work is Wedding and Portraiture Photography. Also I have a few students of Photoshop. My Wedding Photography website www.photographyrealm.co.uk
Some work can be seen on FB page http://www.facebook.com/VasilisaPR

You have been doing the Urban Escrima Hyde Park training sessions right? How is that going?I enjoy our sessions. Most of my training is gym based and doing Escrima in the Hyde Park is very pleasant.

Are you currently training in any other martial arts? Have you trained in anything before?I am into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Also, recently, I started traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu.

How do you feel training in Escrima Concepts has benefited you?It is an art of combat and self-defence which prepares you to a street situation from the very beginning. One can not underestimate it. Also, I find stick to stick drills very cool and different from what I am used to.

What things do you most enjoy training at Urban Escrima?The atmosphere of training is very pleasant and outdoor environment adds into it. Also, besides of being a knowledgeable trainer, Nigel can keep up with a Russian sense of humour, he is just a star.

What one thing do you feel you can take away from the training and use in a real life situation?One? There quite a few really. If I have to choose though, it would be the fact that I have more weapons in my bag then I ever thought.