One thing I’ve noticed about this community is that we’ve got a lot of experienced martial artists here. Different systems, different backgrounds, different journeys… and that’s what makes this place valuable. For people who are just starting out, hearing these stories can be really inspiring. Sometimes all it takes is hearing someone else’s path to realise everyone started somewhere. So I’d love to hear from you… How did you get into martial arts? What systems have you trained in? I’ll start 👇 I first became interested after watching The Karate Kid Part II with my dad back in 1986. I was 6 years old and completely hooked. I wanted to start training straight away, but my dad made me wait until I was 7. My journey looked like this: • Shukokai Karate • Boxing • Kickboxing / Thai Boxing • At 22 I started training in the Filipino Martial Arts (Eskrima / Kali / Arnis) And that journey is still continuing today. Now it’s your turn 👊 Drop a comment and let us know: • What got you interested in martial arts? • What systems have you trained in? • How long have you been training? There’s a lot of knowledge in this community, and your story might help someone else take their first step.

My good friend and training partner Joe built this awesome Eskrima striking dummy for me. It’s made from tyres, super durable, and gives me something solid to aim at when training my stick strikes. Perfect for working angles, accuracy, and power. But every good training partner deserves a name… and right now this guy doesn’t have one. So I’m throwing it over to the community 👊 What should we name the dummy? Drop your suggestions in the comments. The best name wins… and will forever live in martial arts history (or at least in my back garden).