Crawley Combat Academy

Crawley Combat Academy Supporting Menshare Listening Group: Skills in Action

At Crawley Combat Academy, we believe self‑defence is more than technique — it’s a pathway to confidence, clarity, and personal safety. Our ongoing partnership with Menshare Listening Group reflects that mission. After weeks of teaching foundational skills, we invited the men to put their learning into action through controlled, realistic scenarios designed to build resilience and self‑awareness.

The moment captured in the photo shows a participant applying defensive positioning under pressure — protecting the head, managing distance, and responding to padded strikes with calm focus. These drills are intentionally immersive, giving men the chance to experience adrenaline, stress, and decision‑making in a safe environment.

Why Self‑Awareness Matters in Self‑Defence

Our work with Menshare emphasises that self‑defence begins long before physical contact. It starts with self‑awareness — understanding your emotional state, recognising danger early, and staying composed when situations escalate.

Through these sessions, participants learn to:

• Regulate fear and adrenaline
• Maintain clarity in fast‑moving situations
• Identify safe exit routes
• De‑escalate conflict rather than fuel it
• Withdraw safely when confrontation is unavoidable

This blend of physical skill and emotional intelligence strengthens wellbeing, builds confidence, and reinforces Menshare’s core values around personal growth and mental resilience.

A Partnership Built on Community Wellbeing

We are proud to support Menshare Listening Group and the men who attend. Their commitment to personal development, emotional honesty, and community support aligns perfectly with our ethos at Crawley Combat Academy. Together, we’re creating safer, stronger, more self‑aware men who can navigate difficult circumstances with control and confidence.

Contact Details

Crawley Combat Academy

Please email: [email protected] or call 07751843751 or visit www.crawleycombatacademy.com
Location: Crawley, West Sussex

Menshare Listening Group

Please email: [email protected] or call 07508 336 995 or visit www.mslg.org
Location: Crawley, Horsham, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath

🥊 Confidence isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about believing in yourself.

We’re really proud to share Steve’s experience of the Menshare × Conflict Survival Training partnership at Crawley Combat Academy.

For Steve, self-defence has become about far more than physical techniques. It has helped him challenge feelings of inferiority, move through fear and intimidation, and develop a sense of awareness and confidence that he carries into everyday life.

What really stands out is his words:

“This isn’t false confidence, it’s an inner belief in myself.”

That’s exactly what we want these sessions to create — not aggression, not bravado, but awareness, resilience, confidence and self-belief.

The sessions are delivered in a supportive environment, with instructors meeting people at their own level and providing practical, hands-on coaching.

Sometimes the biggest fight isn’t with someone else.

It’s the one we have with ourselves.

And sometimes, taking that first step is all it takes to discover what we’re capable of.

A huge thank you to Steve for sharing his experience.

Crawley Combat Academy are at the heart of our community. Both as an academy and in partnership with community providers.

CALL 📞 07751 843751

Looking forward to Teaching KASP ( Knife Assault Survival Program) in Norway in August !
Glad to hear we have a packed seminar so let’s do this !!!!

I do not give out Black belts easy, in the last 14 years I have only given 6 Black belt equivalents in Combat Survival Tactics and 2 Black Sashes in Gutter Wing Chun.

It’s not all about how you perform on your testing day, which is hard, there will be times you want to give up, but alas, if you manage to get the job done then and achieve the expectations, then you earn it!

but there was a lot of work that went in before the testing day, years and years of training, pressure tests, good attendance, helping other students, coaching aptitude, right personality, hard but fair , empathic !

These are what I look for in our coaches and for those that get on our coaching program, or the Black Belt pressure tests!

I am not by any way like a normal instructor, I do things different and in my own way!

In the CST pressure tests, I’m sitting there observing, drinking a nice cold bottle of beer!
This is psychologically torture but , if they pass, they then sit down, I open the fridge, and give them a couple of beers !

Often said, the best well earned beer they have ever tasted ! Well we are adults……after all !😂

Great Tough Combat Survival Tactics session last night at the CST Crawley HQ.
Our Knife Assault Survival Program is designed to help you survive the worst scenario you could be unlucky enough to deal with - a full on frenzied knife attack !
Nothings easy , you will get cut , but it’s about doing what works to minimise damage and escape !
These guys are pretty much experienced students - so we made things harder !
Pressure tests - then adding baby oil to the arms so trying to capture the weapon bearing limb becomes even herder !
People sweat , it rains, so adding these extra layers helps us develop and understand the grey area’s where, in a fully committed attack , it is nothing like a martial art !
We train to escape , but sometimes, depending on the situation and context , we just can’t and other tactics have to be deployed ! We also added fake blood , to desensitise and mimic taking damage !

Real Training - Real Pressure Tests - Real understanding that no matter how much we try to synthesise this type of attack, it will never come close to a real attack - however we have a saying “ the harder you train the luckier you get “!

Honest feedback, Questions and observations are always discussed after this type of training - it gives the learner the opportunity to really think why and how we train and also gives us, as instructors sone learning outcomes and ideas for future sessions - this means learners think for themselves - as in a real situation they will have to !!!!

Great session, thanks to coach Andy and James for your assistance and to all the members for constantly evolving and putting everything into their training sessions ! This is a bit like an insurance policy - only difference is sometimes this one pays out 🙏🏻

PM if you want more details - classes also in Brighton and Carmarthen - more areas coming soon ! Keith Collyer

Testimonial

Our self defence day was a fantastic success in partnership with the Menshare Listening Group. The attendees were full of praise for our instructor’s Lena & Paul.