Cambridge Academy of Martial Arts®
The Finest in Martial Arts, Self Defence, Savate & Kickboxing
Thanks to everyone who attended the Martial Arts Cross-Training Seminar at St Bede’s. Senior Instructor Ollie Batts covered a wide range of empty-hand and weaponry skills from Kali, JKD, and Savate, with some bonus walking cane defences. It was good to see some old friends and make some new ones, and to get some great feedback.
Thanks to our friends at ParasportUK for featuring our new classes in Wheelchair Cane Fencing!
Wheelchair users are very welcome in all of our classes, but if you would like to try an inclusive, exciting new sport, we would be delighted to introduce you to wheelchair cane fencing – a form of Canne de Combat.
Sessions run on the first Tuesday of each month. More information here
Well done to all CAMA members who competed, officiated, and helped out at the Cambridge Open on Sunday 21st August 2022.
Especially well done to young Bella Petchell (11), who had four bouts during the day, the first against a girl from Birmingham (who was quite a bit bigger than her, although a similar age to Bella), and then three lads.
Bella won her first three bouts, but her fourth bout against a very good lad from Northern Ireland was a contest too far for her. Suitable matching on the day was difficult due to a lack of junior entries. Our own fault for picking August, and the peak holiday period I suppose!
In addition to the above, Bella’s Young Teen brother Billy (aged 13) was matched in his first contest against an 18-year-old Adult opponent. Billy put on a good show, but he had to settle for second best on this occasion. He had just one other contest (again due to a lack of suitable opponents), which he won, against a very sporting, but somewhat smaller lad from N.I.
Thanks to all those who came from various other parts of the U.K. to support the event. Especially good to see a return to Officialdom by our old friend Richard Muggeridge.
Ollie Batts 22/08/2022
Canne de Combat is a traditional French stick fighting art consisting of striking techniques, blocks, feints and combinations. It is a long range, graceful art, involving stylish striking and athletic movement. In all free play (sparring) and in competition, padded clothing, gloves and headguards are worn. You can build up your fitness and progress at your own pace. We include ‘sparring skills’ for anyone who would like to learn to spar, as well as sparring sessions for intermediate and advanced students. Several members of the Academy have represented Great Britain in European and World Championship competitions.
Canne de Combat is a sister art of Savate (pronounced sa-vat) which uses effective hand strikes and dynamic kicks, and was a demonstration sport in the Paris Olympic Games in 1924. The skills of Canne and Savate are sometimes combined in the form of Canne Chausson.
CAMA Senior Instructor Ollie Batts first started training in the Korean martial arts in the early 1970’s. He has trained in Taekwondo, Hapkido, Sulkido and Kuk Sool, and in November 1977 he was one of the first three people in Britain to be awarded black belt in Kuk Sool under the World Kuk Sool Association (WKSA). Ollie remained one of their top three WKSA UK-based instructors until he resigned from that organisation towards the end of 1989. Because of Ollie’s long history of training in (and teaching of) the Korean martial arts, and also because the training has much to offer, Ollie and CAMA continue to offer Kuk Sool / Hapkido training as one of the core arts included in our Integrated Fighting Arts (IFA) syllabus.
Although our Kuk Sool / Hapkido syllabus may appear ‘on paper’ to be very similar to that found in other Traditional Korean Martial Art schools, the manner in which we teach is not as regimented as some. In addition, the way in which we apply individual techniques is also less stylised, and is more practical and functional for the modern world in which we live. Out of respect for his original Korean martial arts Master, M.Y. Kim, Ollie has named this core art system of Kuk Sool / Hapkido, ‘Mok Yang Sool’.
For more information on Savate, have a look at these articles:
For more information on Canne, have a look at these articles
Cambridge Academy of Martial Arts® is extremely proud of its long association with Rick Faye and his Minnesota Kali Group (MKG).
Our very first seminar in Cambridge with him took place in November 1990 and, since that time, he has been back again almost every year – in fact, he visited us twice in one year, at least, which effectively makes it an unbroken run.
Both Ollie Batts and Julie Gabriel are recognised MKG International Instructors under Rick Faye. Ollie was awarded his Level One Instructorship in JKD – Muay Thai – Silat in November 1998, his Panantukan Instructorship in November 1999 and his Level II (incl. Panantukan) Instructorships in February 2004.
To visit the Minnesota Kali Group website, please click on this link: http://www.mnkali.com/
Senior Instructor, Ollie Batts, has written an article on the early years of Kuk Sool in this country. Ollie was one of the first people in the UK to gain a black belt in Kuk Sool following its introduction in 1973. His original instructor was Master Mok Yang KIM, who had arrived in Great Britain towards the end 1973, at the invitation of USAF military personnel, based in Suffolk. To read the full article, and see some historic photos, visit our Downloads section.
