Who is the best coach you've ever trained with?

columok

Be it BJJ, Karate, Boxing, Judo etc.

Personally Tom Oberhue. Incredible enthusiasm and the ability to make everything he taught seem like childsplay. Still trying to integrate some of the stuff from 1 1/2 years ago into my game.

Roper

But Colum, surely if you're only integrating the stuff in now, then that means he didn't coach you well then, right?

columok

But Colum, surely if you're only integrating the stuff in now, then that means he didn't coach you well then, right?

or... to date I'm still to crap and attribute ridden to effectively integrate those things into my game. The fact that I can still remember and technically understand 90% of the stuff (concepts more than techniques) says it all.

Popcorn my friend... Popcorn

Roper

Well thanks a lot Colum now that "Popcorn" tune is stuck in my head.

columok

Popcorn:

A series of mini bridges or pops to create space while in a crap bottom position. So you pop pop pop pop pop and find some space in there to get back to half guard or guard or whatever. Its useful and every now and then I try and remember it and use it.

dlofnep

Each instructor had different things to offer. JK's seminar was great as the way he taught was unlike anyway I had been taught before. He's obviously highly skilled too which was an added bonus. I learned alot about myself that day, what I was good at and what I was not good at. Let's say it was a reality check for me - One I needed badly.

Leigh Remedios taught me what it was like to really push my cardio. Let me tell ya, a 2 mile run uphill followed by wrestling with guys twice my size was not my idea of an easy evening, but I learned alot! I learned that sometimes you need to just suck it up and push yourself.

In Roger Gracies, I was humbled by how limited my ground game was and how much I had to learn. It was fun rolling with people my own size and skill level.. but also fun to roll with guys who's technique was so precise, I could do nothing but admire and learn. Roger himself was a great instructor - I just wish I had more time to train there.

Eddie Bravo was a really good instructor too. his step by step approach to technique was different but cool. I wasn't really that competent on the ground at the time, but it was fun nevertheless. A good learning experience and the first BJJ black belt I ever had the opportunity to train with.

So each instructor has had an impact on me in a different way. All positive. Can't fault any of them.

I don't think you can tell how good a coach someone is over the course of a few hours.

yomchi

For traditional Taekwon-Do -GM Choi Jung Hwa.

For sparring Super foot Bill Wallace without doubt!

Jon

Im2Lazy

My 3 Favourite's in no particular order :

Patrick Cumiskey - My Krav Maga instructor, gave me the MA addiction I have today & is an fountain of RBSD knowledge. Has an ability to make each class equally interesting while teaching a very similar concept.

Paddy Clint - My Thai Boxing Instructor, A war horse !!! The guy's fitness & technique are stunning. More so though his ability to get what he's trying to teach to all his students no matter what there ability.
I'll be sorry to see him leaving Bridestone for SBG.

John Hoey (aka Scuttery1) - One of my Eskrima instructors, Probably one of my favourite instructors because he seems like he doesn't even want to be an instructor. He just wants a training partner so he teaches in order to get that. He is (reluctantly) an excellent instructor spreading his vast knowledge & ideas on FMA & other Martial Arts in an articulate & funny manner.

Millionaire

I d say Paddy C also...

Paddy worked the hell out of me all last years in private lessons. pushed me until I puked! and made me realise that my flicky, high, fancy kickboxing kicks would get me turned into mince meat, if I tried them on a Thai boxer. as a result I do not practice those kicks, and have dedicated myself to learning Thai! Yes, they were great training sessions.

And a Blast from the my past:

Professor George Canning , who I trained under in the 1980s and then did a good 5 years from 1999 on. Some of the older people on there may remember him. He is the man who brough kickboxing to Ireland. and was very big in the MA scene in the 70s and 80s in Ireland and UK. Was way ahead of this time, and had many champs. A great trainer back in his day.

paddyc

steve and gerry thanks for the kind words

I dont know about the old fitness any more steve, too many pies and pints me thinks

I'll be sorry to see him leaving Bridestone for SBG.

I still be about on the odd night, I got to come in and see what fighters paul and the lads training so i can match them with my little spartans :mad:

Dublin should be able to hold about 15 good thai gyms so I thought it was time i made a move and try get things off the ground, a super new gym in tallaght, loads of MMA lads lookin to learn thai, 100,000 people in the area, a few boxing and kick boxing gyms to poach people from .... how could I not go


My web site and gym name and all that is in the making at the moment, all I need now is a cheap flight to Thailand so i can get my self blessed in the temples so i can have a good gym..... You know anyone steve that can get cheap flights


Personally, I would have to say a lad called Stevie Rice from the North, he almost adopted me made fun of me for 6 years, battered me up and down gyms, knocked me out cold twice in 2 consective days etc etc, but with out him I think i would not have stuck at the thai

Other than that I'd say Rick young in Scotland, super Judokai (sp) and really hard trainer,

paddy

Im2Lazy

No Probs Paddy, you're very welcome & your fitness might have gone a little but compared to me at the moment you're Ramon Dekkers.

I haven't trained since about end of Nov/ start Dec & I'm going down tonight so I'll probably pass out after the warm-up.

If you wan't a cheap flight I'll try to sort it for you just PM me what dates you're looking for.

Your "Little Spartans" - is that the gym name "Spartans" ?

Good luck with the move, I'm sure it will work out really well for you.

BobbyOLeary

I would have to say my top 2 for American Kenpo would be:

John Sepulveda (General Kenpo Concepts and Technique Analysis) : Excellent teacher, he can relate some of the more obscure concepts in Kenpo to any level of student (provided they want to know!). His first seminar showed me how essential good footwork is in Kenpo. Nice guy off the mat as well.

Sifu Gilbert Claes (Weapons) : Again, an excellent teacher. An incredible practitioner of so many weapons! His demonstrations were not just how to twirl around a bo staff or how to perform a Nunchaku Set, he showed several different self-defence applications of all the weapons. His closing piece on the Kenpo Pencil and pressure points was very "informative", or painful, whichever word suits you better! Ah no, it was eye-opening actually.

Francis Galvin

either 1 of these 2 guys

jefferson moura
http://www.bjj.org/a/people/moura-jefferson.html

or ricardo almeida
http://www.bjj.org/a/people/almeida-ricardo-big-dog-cachorrao.html

they knew a bit

Dave Joyce

I feel I have been a very fortunate individual, with some of the people I have been lucky to train with. I have left out anyone who I trained with but impressed me, in seminars (even if it was a few times, as this is totally different to actually being someones student).

Master Toddy, still on the go in Las Vegas, and one of the greats. Most if not all of the guys in Thai in this country can somehow trace their training roots (in Muaythai) back to him.

Nino Bernardo, who to be honest was totally inspirational, excellant MA instructor and all round funny guy. Any of you guys who seen him in the TV ad for VW Polo will get an idea of what he is like. He was also the person who introduced me to FMA and that is something to which I will be eternally grateful to him.

Guro Richard De Bords, my first Silat teacher and one of the hardest men I've trained with. Very impressive MA

Master Yang, Jwing Ming who showed me what real Gong Fu was all about and a very thought provoking man. Huge knowledge of CMA and internal arts, as well as the importance of its practise in some form by all external practisioners

Arjarn Panya Kraitus, author of the famous RED book on Muaythai who is an excellant teacher, opened my eyes to the huge differences there are in different styles/camps in Muaythai. I was also lucky enough to learn some of his own personal history which was to say the least interesting.

Tuhon Tom Kier has to be one of the most knowledgeable people I have EVER trained with and can hold a intelligent conversation with almost anyone. Although the man was a sheet metal worker before he went into training full-time, when we were in France he was talking Phyics with one of my guys who works in that field and totally lost the rest of us. He is a mind of information on MA and has a huge level of experience in a lot of arts. He has had over 900 wrestling bouts over 35 years involved in the sport and fought Royce Gracie prior to the start of the UFC.

Guro Carl Atienza is very young for a system head (along with his two brothers) but he has the experience and boy can he get that information across. Unbelievable in the amount of knowledge, and has had to live it the hard way, he has with relation to street origintated material.