After finding my Great Uncle’s World War 1 unarmed combat manual, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole looking into British Army combat methods from World War 2. It’s a real throwback — old school techniques, old training methods, and an old English voice-over that I honestly found pretty entertaining. I’ve uploaded a video talking about the topic and sharing some of the things I found interesting along the way. Let me know what you think 👊 https://youtu.be/Cm_HS7J2y78?si=nqwaSJS05C8MTm08

While cleaning out my dad’s attic, I came across something incredible — an original British Army manual belonging to my Great Uncle Joe called Methods of Unarmed Attack and Defence, issued in June 1917 during WW1. This wasn’t just a random book… it was an official hand-to-hand combat training manual used to prepare soldiers for close quarters combat during trench warfare. Inside are illustrated techniques covering: Striking Wrestling and grappling Defences against weapons Restraints and controls Close combat drills Even using a steel helmet as a weapon What’s really interesting is how familiar some of the movements still look today. You can see early influences of boxing, wrestling, military combatives, and even old jiu-jitsu concepts that would later shape modern self-defence systems. As someone passionate about martial arts, combat systems, and the history behind them, it’s amazing holding a piece of history like this and realising soldiers were learning structured unarmed combat over 100 years ago. It makes you appreciate how martial arts continue to evolve, while still being connected to the past.

This drill focuses on boxing reflexes using a partner attack-and-defend flow. Great for developing reactions, timing, defense and coordination in a controlled format. More breakdowns and syllabus content coming soon.

This week’s video is all about Sumbrada. Sumbrada is a 10-count flow drill used within the Filipino Martial Arts to develop timing, coordination, rhythm, reactions and understanding of the lines of attack. In this video we break down all 10 angles and work them through in a solo drill format. Developing familiarity with the movements in solo form first can really help before applying the drill with a partner. We’ll be looking at: - The stick lines of attack - How to apply the live hand - Working and developing the left hand - Flow, rhythm and coordination through the full 10-count sequence A great drill for building confidence with the angles while improving overall fluidity and understanding of Sumbrada.

Just uploaded a quick 5-minute video on Sumbrada. This is a 10-count drill that flows continuously with a partner and is a great way to develop timing, coordination, reactions, rhythm, and flow within the Filipino Martial Arts. This video is more of a quick overview and demonstration of the drill in action. I’ll also be uploading another video soon where I slowly break down the angles and structure step-by-step. For now, hopefully you guys can get some value from it, play around with the flow, and start getting a feel for the rhythm of the drill. https://youtu.be/KM2G2F3pZYY?si=N4mr_BMmmKeMnA_O Let me know how you get on with it.