StandStrong Academy - Martial Arts and Self Defence

Recently we’ve been working on strangle defences with our self-defence crew.

One of the important things to understand is that strangles become significantly more effective when someone is pinned against a solid surface like a wall or the floor.

So instead of teaching “perfect techniques” against compliant attackers…

We gave the team problems to solve under pressure.

In these games, the attacker’s job was simple:
👉 Hold onto the defender’s neck and don’t let go.

The defender then had different restrictions:
• Some could only use their hands to try and remove the grip
• Others weren’t allowed to use their hands at all and had to rely purely on their legs and movement

What people quickly discovered was really interesting.

Using the legs to frame, create distance, and recover guard often reduced the pressure on the neck far more effectively than desperately trying to pull the hands away.

In some cases, it allowed them to push the attacker away entirely.

It also highlighted how difficult it can be to land meaningful strikes from underneath someone who is applying strong pressure.

Naturally, the best solutions usually involved a combination of skills.

But the overall lesson was clear:

Good fundamental fighting skills - framing, guard recovery, movement, posture, pressure management - consistently outperformed flashy “self-defence moves”. 🥋

Yesterday we ran one of our Kids Holiday Camps ☀️🥋

This time around we went with a sports-themed day and the kids absolutely smashed it.

The day included:
🏃 A trip out to the park
🥏 Learning the basics of Ultimate Frisbee
🥊 Intro boxing sessions
🥋 Jiu Jitsu games and drills
😅 Lots of running around in the heat

It was definitely a warm one, but the kids stayed super focused, worked hard, and had an amazing time throughout the day.

Honestly, I love coaching these events.

Seeing the kids outdoors, off screens, trying new activities, building friendships, and growing in confidence is what these camps are all about 👏

Next up:
☀️ Summer Camps - 13th & 14th August

POV: You’re 9 years old in one of our juniors self-defence classes. 🥊😅

This week the kids were playing reaction games designed to catch their partners out with strikes while learning about fakes and feints.

At one point here I’m explaining why we don’t want to overcommit too heavily to defending one attack… because it can leave openings elsewhere.

But the important part?

The kids don’t just listen to us talk about it.
They experience it themselves through games, movement, and problem solving.

That’s a huge part of how we teach.

In our Juniors programme (ages 7–10), we teach real fighting and combat skills…

Just in a way that’s:
✅ Age appropriate
✅ Safe
✅ Confidence building
✅ And most importantly… fun 👊

Our kickboxing crew putting in the work this week on range changes for roundhouse kicks. 🥊🔥

One of the things people love about our kickboxing programme is that it gives them something different from the usual boring gym routine.

No staring at treadmills.
No wandering around wondering what machine to use next.

Just:
✅ Learning real skills
✅ Hitting pads
✅ Getting seriously fit
✅ Moving with purpose
✅ Having a laugh with good people

And probably most importantly…

It’s a chilled, ego-free environment full of normal people who all have work in the morning too. 😅

Last week in our kids self-defence classes we were looking at escaping grabs from an unknown adult.

It’s one of those situations every parent worries about… so the challenge is always:

How do we teach important safety skills without frightening the kids?

For us, the focus stays on simple, realistic priorities:
🥋 Using their voice loudly and confidently
🥋 Striking vulnerable targets effectively
🥋 Escaping and running away as quickly as possible

Not trying to “win a fight” against an adult.

Even though the topic is serious, we always try to keep the classes engaging, age-appropriate, and empowering rather than scary.

That said…

The kids definitely enjoyed the opportunity to punch the coaches in the face a few times. 😂

(And yes… some of those punches genuinely hurt.)