A Great Manchester Run! / A Great new beginning?

A great hue of anticipation surrounded the runners or cramped together near the starting line, everyone running for a cause, everyone wanting to run. Sunday 20th May Lun and I did the Great Manchester Run. This was Luns first time and my second time. This year 28,000 people participated in the UK’s most prestigious 10KM run. Lun commented on the atmosphere and to be among all those people running for so many causes is an absolute awesome feeling.

Well done to Lun who participated the run, he promises me that he will train for next year too, I am proud of you bro! I for one will participate every year as I enjoyed so much. But what I would like to do is thank everybody who sponsored me for the run. So far I have raised £242 online and raised £171 offline, the web page is open till 20th July 2007 so there is still time for you to keep on donating if you wish: http://www.justgiving.com/kitrunsagain
For all those who sponsored me thanks very much I really do appreciate it!

Hang on the blog says MARTIAL ARTS….where does it say GREAT RUN??, I hear you shout.
Well due to work and family illness’s ,Lun and I have only been teaching our regular classes once a week and have cut down on training. Lun and I just train ourselves when we can but we have for the time being stopped going to our own classes.

When I was first started this blog I was attending several Martial Art lesson which comprised of Eskrima,JKD,Capoeira and I was beginning MMA. Out of the four, Eskrima was the one that my brother Lun and I seemed to have progressed in the most. However in an earlier post I stated that one day I will just follow the path of one Martial Art. Now this is not including teaching and going to Warriors Eskrima seminars. So Capoeira, JKD or MMA? Well Capoeira is really a Martial Art/Dance so that is completely different from the training that JKD or an MMA class would offer. So JKD or MMA? You know I retract on the statement of following “paths” life’s too short, all things should be tried! But seriously once I do start again I should really concentrate on one art as I have already tried training everything above at almost the same time.

However the question is how come I have cut down on training?. External factors such as family illnesses and a crazy work schedule have affected what I do. But are they excuses? No, it just so happens that it falls on the days that the wrestling class is on or JKD is on. So if I do want to train why don’t I just find somewhere to train when I can? Which is my next step I am going to try and get some private lessons in or even train with people that in JKD,MMA etc at some point when it suits me. This is nothing to do with my ego but this is more to do with that fact that my situation has changed and it would make it impossible for me to train consistently with any class at the moment.

So what is the great new beginning heading on top of this post all about? Well I would say teaching and also trying to find a Martial Art I can consistently train in….thinking and writing about it has aided my descion.

The only thing that is consistent is the beginners Warrior Eskrima classes. This class is growing and it’s a new experience and Lun and I’s. The feedback we get is great! As I always ask how people enjoyed the lesson. We had three total beginners the other day so I asked them to practice partner drills in three’s. Of course anyone who had to practice in threes in a Martial Art lesson would know that its quite boring waiting for their go. So I showed the guy who was the odd one out the next move and then told that person to teach the others what I just shown them, while I check up and other people in the class. It worked and it looked like a lot of fun for them! Plus by showing people what you learn is another way of learning yourself. As well as the beginners we got Jon who is a veteran of our old classes and Richard who has stuck with us since day one coming down and also Gaz who was in also briefly with us when the class was on a Friday.

I also managed to teach Elaine some sticks and she took to it very well, I might even consider formally teaching her (if that what she wants..:)


I would also be the first to admit that if anyone asked me about other Martial Arts I would recommend the places I used to go. Like Steve Powell’s and SBG according to their preference. The reason being is that we I believe that anyone people we teach should broaden their horizons and find their own way. Everyone does.


Anyways I included a few pics of Lun and Jon training, highlights of the Manchester run, a bird of prey soaring through the sky which I am using as a metaphor for freedom of expression and also erm me at the bottom of a giant tree in Glastonbury which time of writing I am too tired to write the metaphor for it!

Thanks for reading!